Chapter 4: Feature Photographs Flashcards
What’s the difference between News and Feature photography?
- Features allow breaks from the doom and gloom stories in the grey columns
- Successful features can be found bookmarked, scrapbooked, or hanging on walls or refrigerators
- Differences are Timelessness, Slice of Life, and Universal emotion
What is timelessness?
News photography captures a very specific subject at a specific time, which means the photo can go stale very quick
Feature photography captures moments that people can relate to at many points throughout time, there is no “time stamp”
Features allow for creative photos that allow the viewer to fill in the story behind the picture.
What is “slice of life?”
News photography only carries weight when the subject or event is noteworthy
Feature photography can take a commonplace subject or event, the viewer is comfortable with, and transform it into a moving piece of art
Features show these common events or subjects in new light, make the viewer step back and think twice about the subject at hand
What is universal emotion?
Great features merit reaction from the viewer, the more emotion that is felt by the viewer the more successful your photograph is
The best features are not bound by geography or language. Your image should be able to speak through its composition to convey your point
What is thin line?
Features are not just cute kids and people at the park
A feature can be captured during a news event, these features shed a little bit of positive light on the otherwise dark material of the story
Ex. A fireman carrying someone from a burning building, or caring for a dog that was just rescued from a fire
Features can be of almost anything but not everything is a feature
What are good subjects for features?
Kids imitating adults
Always ask permission when photographing kids
Animals acting like people
People often blur the lines between animal and humans
The Incongruous
People putting themselves in comedic or unusual visual situations completely unaware of doing so
First and Last events
These only come around once in a lifetime there are many that follow that want to treasure an era
What is keeping a fresh eye?
Explore YOUR unexplored avoid “habituation”
-Your eye is sharpest upon first arrival
Stop immediately when you see a feature opportunity
-These opportunities will not wait and will not be there when you turn around to go back
Stop and talk to people, yes strangers
-See what they think are notable events
Take the time to study your environment
Take candid photos
What does calling a PR person do?
When on a shoot to a specific place or event calling the PR person helps ensure the best chance to get a different photo
Don’t be easily discouraged by an apparent runaround
-Those extra 3 phone calls can give you the photograph you never expected from the story
what you want to shoot and what the story is
Take note of other possible stories along the journey of your current assignment
How can you find a unique angle?
Show the viewer something ordinary in a new way, or something extraordinary
Go where the people gather
-Malls, events, parks, town favorite past times, sporting events, all of these are loaded with unique interactions
Leave your comfort zone
-If your in a rut shoot the exact opposite of your strength
