Telling Stories with Photos

Last Thursday, we spent time taking photos in class and (for some of us) receiving a critique of the photos we took. Before coming to class, we read from Kenneth Kobre’s “Photojournalism: The Professionals’ Approach”, and the points taken from the book on shot types, vantage points, and using the flow of images to tell a story were all relatively easy to remember (if not to put into practice) as I took my shots in class. Taking those shots reminded me of many things: I should generally opt for the fastest possible shutter speed; red really does catch your eye; and my knees aren’t what they used to be.

I’ve taken photographs to accompany stories in magazines, but I am far more a wordsmith than a photojournalist. I can feel the rhythm and flow of words as I build a story, and I can recognize the same sort of rhythm and flow when a photojournalist tells a story in photos, but I don’t yet “feel” the story as I’m taking the shots. One of the reasons the syllabus for this class excites me is that I’ll have a chance to put together story packages that depend on images as much as words — something that I’ve done far less than I’d like in my career thus far.

At the same time, there is little that makes me feel less professionally adequate than taking photos for a story. Part of the reason is that I remain in such awe of the great photojournalists. I grew up reading Life, Look, Time, and other magazines that used great images to tell stories, but I didn’t become truly aware of the photojournalists involved until my freshman year in college. My roommate (a rather older man, then in his early twenties) was very interested in photojournalism and had books on photos by Robert Capa, David Seymour, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and others. I read them and was hooked on the power of images, even though words ultimately stole my attention and heart.

I’m reminded of just how far I have to go when I watch a sound slide presentation like the Magnum Essay on Covering Conflict, produced with the BBC and published at Slate. Watching this, I’m inspired by how these images can tell stories on their own, and bring depth and impact to stories told in words. Some of these Magnum Photo images have become icons of the twentieth century, and Robin Lustig’s narration matches the flow of images beautifully — this is an incredibly well-produced package. Without reaching too far, this is why I want to learn more about the craft of journalism, and especially those parts with which I’ve had less contact. Thursday was a first step–I’m looking forward to the next.