Introduction to Photojournalism Graduate Student course outline

Transcription

1 Introduction to Photojournalism Graduate Student course outline Course: Photojournalism 1 PGY MMC 6936 CRN : Photojournalism I Course meeting: 691 Term: Fall 2008 Instructor: Beth Reynolds Course description: prerequisites MMC 2100, MMC3602 This course will explore the fundamentals of journalistic photographic storytelling and will include instruction in the two main areas of news and feature photography. In this class you are expected to complete course work in the areas of camera operation, history of photography, photographic composition/learning to see, imaging, developing relationships, editing, diversity and ethics, photojournalism and the law. Basic instruction in digital imaging Course Objectives: Acquaint the student with a solid background and historical understanding about the role of photographic storytelling in journalism Provide discernment and proficiency in the area of visual literacy Teach effective photographic techniques and relationship building techniques Introduce the student to the vast opportunities afforded by the digital revolution The University of south Florida, School of Mass Communications complies with national accrediting standards designed to help prepare students to understand and relate to issues of interest to women and minorities in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial and otherwise diverse society. Course Plan: This class will be interactive and will include lectures, field trips, guest presenters, lab sessions, critiques and more Equipment and supplies: Each student is required to have a manual 35 mm camera- Digital or film SLR. Cameras must have manual focus, adjustable f- stops and shutter speeds. One lens is all you need. Film and processing is the student s responsibility. Point and shoot digitals are not. You will need CDs to store your work.

2 You are required to have a address that you check more than once a week to receive class instructions and send me assignments. Book: Ken Kobre Photojournalism: The Professionals Approach, 6 th Edition, 2008 Attendance: You have to come to class that means mandatory. The work and your grade will suffer if you miss class. Assignment explanations and technical information will only be given during class- there are no catchup sessions. Photojournalism Assignment and Deadlines: All class photo/writing assignments must be turned in on time. Details of how your work will be submitted will be discussed in class. Deadlines are VERY important in this profession. The only exceptions to missing a deadline are 1) documented equipment failure 2) illness verified by a doctor 3) excuse cleared in advance- work will be turned in early. Late work is penalized one point for each day late. You may re-do an assignment turned in on-time that is a D or F but there are no redos on late work. A C will be the highest grade given on a re-do. Students with learning and/or physical disabilities in need of accommodation should be encouraged to work with Student Disability Services and inform the instructor about any special requirements they may have. All reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate students with regard to note taking, reading assignments and test taking. Class Photo assignments- There are 7 At every level we will focus on reporting and storytelling with photographs. With the exception of the People/Portrait assignment, ALL images should be spontaneous and unposed!!!!!!! At the end of the semester, assignments not picked up will be left in the office for 2 weeks and then disgarded. Depth of Field: Create 2 images of same situation, one shallow and one deep. Action: Create 2 images of same subject, one with frozen action, one with blurred action.

3 Features(2): A timeless image. Not news. Photographically depicting people engaged in an activity that is a found situation and unscheduled Personality/Portraits: create a unique, creative portrait of a person or group of people. This is a staged, planned photo. General News: photographically depict the mood/tone of an event happening in your community. This is an event that is planned and you have made arrangements to photograph. Sports: photographically depict the action/reaction of a sporting event. Capture the emotion of victory or defeat. Class Writing Assignments You will be asked to write response papers to photographs we discuss in class, presentations of guest presenters and various topics that come up in class. 250 words Exam: There will one multiple-choice exam at the halfway mark. The questions will come from the handouts, reading and class lectures. Graduate Level Assignments A 15-minute presentation about a working photojournalist using the internet and handouts. Person must be approved before Oct 1. A paper about a current issue in visual journalism, 1000 words. Topic must be approved before Oct. 1. Specifics about paper will be discussed in class. Grading: This is a photographic storytelling class. Therefore, the photo assignments will account for more than 50% of your grade. Assignments will be graded on storytelling content, technical quality, composition and impact. Late assignments will be accepted will penalty. Students who anticipate being absent from class due to the celebration of a major religious observance must provide a written notice of the dates to the instructor. The final grade will be based on a 185 potential points 7 Assignments, 15 points each 105 Exam, 25 points 25 5 Response papers, 5 points each 25 Presentation 15 Topic Paper 15

4 A points B points C points D points F- below 125 points Incomplete Grade Policy: An I grade indicates incomplete coursework and may be awarded to an undergraduate student only when a small portion of the student s work is incomplete and only when the student is otherwise earning a passing grade. Notes and tapes may not be sold but lectures may be recorded for personal use. Ethics This class requires that you be ETHICAL and RESPONSIBLE journalists. I hope when photographing for this class you will conduct yourself as a professional. Please dress and conduct yourself in a manner that is respectful toward your subject. Any respect and trust enjoyed by journalists is earned. TRUTH is your ally and your responsibility. Your readers will trust that any picture you make as a journalist is an honest representation of a person or event. You will be required to honor that trust by not manufacturing, altering, or unduly influencing a photograph. If you alter an image in the darkroom or computer beyond industry standards, or manufacture or reenact a seemingly spontaneous moment, YOU WILL FAIL THE CLASS. Of course there is room for manipulation in the area of Photo Illustration and I encourage you to explore this area. But under no circumstances should you manipulate a spot news, general news or documentary photograph. If you manipulate any photograph you must include that information in the caption. Working journalists are bound by the ethical standards of their publication, and failure to work within them would result in you being terminated and ostracized from the profession. Note the case of Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke who created a false story in She was fired, forced to return the award, and has not worked in the field since. There will be class discussion of when it is appropriate to pose a photograph, and what degree of alteration in the darkroom or computer is acceptable.

5 Rights Understand your legal rights as a journalist, but please be considerate and compassionate in their exercise. You have the right to photograph anyone or anything seen in a PUBLIC place. The common defense cited by photojournalists when confronted by a startled or unwilling subject is "if they are in a public place, anyone can see them. Therefore anyone can photograph them." This is wholly true. But please be compassionate and considerate enough to look through their eyes. If you were lying on a beach in a small bathing suit, you have probably reconciled with the fact that a few dozen people will pass by and perhaps even stare at you. But you have not gone out there with the understanding that a photojournalist may steal up and freeze you to be stared at by thousands of readers of the next day's paper. If a subject seems unwilling, and photographing that person in particular is not the specific goal of the assignment, please defer to their unease and go on your way. In a situation where you have been invited into their private world, please balance your need to make a telling photograph with sensitivity to the subjects feelings, privacy and personal space, and you will earn trust and intimacy. Businesses, even if they invite the public in to shop, do not necessarily invite you in to photograph. You are legally required to have verbal permission to photograph in malls, stores and business offices as well as someone's home. Do not be surprised if the answer from a national business is "no." They are watching their liability as you are. NO LICENSE is required to be a journalist. You do not need a credential or official approval to photograph a spot news story occurring in public, despite what an uninformed police officer or official may think. But you do not have the right to INTERFERE with the work of emergency personnel. STAY OUT OF THE WAY while you photograph. Police do not have the right to CONFISCATE your film. A subpoena is required. This does not mean an uninformed officer may not try to take your film. Be diplomatic and polite when dealing with someone who can arrest you, and carefully judge the value of resistance. It may be in your interest as a student photojournalist to give up the film and call the officer's superior to get it back. If you have nothing to do for the next few hours or days and want to stand your legal ground, I applaud you. But always avoid reacting impulsively.

6 If you make a photograph with the subject's understanding that it is for journalistic purposes, you cannot use it any other way without WRITTEN PERMISSION of the identifiable subjects, or the owners of recognizable property. You can only shoot through WINDOWS if you are standing on public property and the scene inside the window is easily visible from the street. Respect the privacy of those on the other side of the glass. How are your photos graded??? 15 points publishable with caption as is---captured the moment needed 14 publishable with caption, almost got the decisive moment almost publishable, caption weak, good but not great moment 7-10 lack of emotion, but technically acceptable 4-6 exposure problems, incomplete caption 3 out of focus, missing/inaccurate caption 2 image not salvageable 1 failure to produce assignment as outlined 0 failure to turn in assignment It is the responsibility of each student to understand the university s policies concerning plagiarism and academic misconduct. Cheating or plagiarism will result in a failing grade.