Photography always has been an essential part of a newspaper. The main photo on a front page usually is the first thing you see when you pass a news stand. Photos give pages personality. They accent the reporting.
But in working in newsrooms the last four years or so, I’ve learned that many times, the photo staff at a newspaper is misunderstood, particularly by writers and editors. Sometimes, people on the writing side of things think they know what makes a good photo to complement their stories when, in fact, they do not have a clue. They also tend to think being a photographer is easy. That anybody could do it. Even them.
Out of the way!: The frame I caught from Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno's hurdle.
I would like to say I never fell into that category of people. But I never truly understood the challenges of being a photographer until I bought my digital SLR camera and started using it. The biggest difference between writing a story of an event and shooting an event is this: You are given ample time to “capture a moment” with your writing once you witness it. You can rewind a particular situation in your brain and try to put it down in words. As a photographer, you have only one chance to capture that moment. You have be in the right spot. You have to anticipate it. You have to be one step ahead. And when that moment passes, it’s done. If you snapped the photo a second too late, someone got in your way, or your camera’ focus is off your subject, too bad. It’s gone.
Exhibit No. 1: My trip to the University of Georgia to cover the CMU football team’s game there last September. I spent two quarters (1st and 3rd) at my computer in the press box, gathering statistics for my story and writing blog entries. I spent the other two on the field. I bought my 70-200mm lens just a day before so I could use it during the game.
While I’d like to think I got some decent photos for being one month into my photography experience, there was one moment that truly got away from me. Late in the third quarter, Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno was busting a large first-down run when, suddenly, he hurdled CMU defensive back Vince Agnew. This was a photo opportunity begging for dominant play. It perfecty captured the 56-17 blowout win for Georgia. Luckily for me, I was shooting on that play, on the sideline. Unluckily for me, somebody was in the way (see the first picture).
Immediately after the play happened, I opened my viewer on my camera and went through my last take, hoping I caught it. No dice. The second picture (down a little, to the left) was the frame I caught immediately after the first. That photo wasn’t in focus, either, but notice the excitement in the background. I like the photo in that sense, and still show it to people, but it’s basically a reminder that I missed “the shot.”
Oops: Moreno getting tackled after the hurdle. Notice the excitement in the background.
The worst part was I spent a good portion of the game, at least when it was on the north side of the field, behind the end zone with many of the other photographers. Had I been there during this play, I probably would have caught the moment uninterrupted. Defensive back Taylor Bradley (#5 in the first photo) would not have been in the way. One of those end zone shots ran dominant in Monday’s Central Michigan Life, from a photographer for Georgia’s campus newspaper, The Red & Black. Although one of my shots (included in today’s portfolio update) ran secondary, I was not happy at all with missing the hurdle.
These are lessons you quickly learn when you are a writer trying out photography. As a writer, I had plenty of time to put Moreno’s hurdle into perspective and detail for Saturday’s recap story and Monday’s perspective piece, despite not seeing the entire play in person. As a photographer, I wasn’t in the right spot. I missed the moment and that was it. No rewinds. No second chances. I blew it.
Moments like those were humbling. While the writing aspect of journalism still is a challenge, and sometimes a more competitive one, there are many times where photojournalists have a much more difficult job. I can only imagine the extreme amount of pressure they are under during the 4th quarter of a Super Bowl. Or the 9th inning in Game 7 of the World Series. Could you imagine missing that one shot that defined the game?
If you are a writer/editor in a newsroom, take this lesson for what it’s worth. And do not just assume you know what makes for the perfect photo for a story. Respect photojournalists enough for them to capture it themselves. Their job, while often overlooked in the journalism industry, is just as important as yours. And it is quite a challenge of its own.
Be sure to check the latest update: I added photos from that CMU/Georgia game. One of my first real shoots as a novice photographer.
PORTFOLIO UPDATE
+6 Photo
Posted by Brian Manzullo at July 9, 2009
Photography