The Cable News Network publishes on its website photos that CNN's editors find fun or amazing.
There's a set of half a dozen to a dozen new pix each week under the label Offbeat Images.
Here is a page of links to various week's "fun photos from around the world."
CNN Offbeat Images
You'll notice these usually don't represent the best technical photogaphy or the finest artistic photography. Rather, they are photojournalism.
[What is photojournalism?]
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Dump the date
I'll bet you've seen a wonderful photo ruined by a date and time stamp. There may be some professionals in different fields who need time and date embedded in a picture, but not a photojournalist striving for the very best shot.
Here's an under-appreciated fact: there's no need to mar your photo because the digital image file contains metadata with the date and time of the shot, along with a wealth of other information such as exposure data, the lens you used, and more. You can read the metadata on your computer.
So, turn off the date-time stamp.
However, what if later you discover you've created a photo with the camera's date stamp feature turned on? Here are some ways to get rid of it from a photo.
Crop the photo
The easiest way to eliminate the date stamp is to use your photo editor's crop tool. The date stamp is almost always positioned in the lower right corner of the image, where a little surgery with Adobe Photoshop Elements or any other photo editing software might not affect the rest of the photo very much.
Click the Crop tool and make sure the Aspect Ratio is set to No Restriction in the Options palette. Next, click and drag a crop box in the photo until the date stamp is gone.
Keep track of the date and time data. You can add the date the photo was taken to your image file's metadata. Windows Live Photo Gallery is one of a number of programs that can do that for you.
Find your newly cropped photo in Photo Gallery. Right-click the file and choose Change Time Taken. Now adjust the date to match the original date stamp, and click OK.
Rubber stamp over it
You might not always want to crop your photo to eliminate the date stamp. Instead, you could use your photo editor's Rubber Stamp or Clone tool to paint it out.
If there is a regular, non-patterned background behind the date this kind of surgery will be easy. If the background has a pattern, you will have to be very careful.
Open the image file in a photo editor, such as Photoshop Elements. Choose the Rubber Stamp or Clone tool. Set the size of the clone brush to about 30 pixels, or increase the brush size for larger photos. Alt-Click an area very close to the date stamp. Then just paint the date away until all you can see is the background.
Here's an under-appreciated fact: there's no need to mar your photo because the digital image file contains metadata with the date and time of the shot, along with a wealth of other information such as exposure data, the lens you used, and more. You can read the metadata on your computer.
So, turn off the date-time stamp.
However, what if later you discover you've created a photo with the camera's date stamp feature turned on? Here are some ways to get rid of it from a photo.
Crop the photo
The easiest way to eliminate the date stamp is to use your photo editor's crop tool. The date stamp is almost always positioned in the lower right corner of the image, where a little surgery with Adobe Photoshop Elements or any other photo editing software might not affect the rest of the photo very much.
Click the Crop tool and make sure the Aspect Ratio is set to No Restriction in the Options palette. Next, click and drag a crop box in the photo until the date stamp is gone.
Keep track of the date and time data. You can add the date the photo was taken to your image file's metadata. Windows Live Photo Gallery is one of a number of programs that can do that for you.
Find your newly cropped photo in Photo Gallery. Right-click the file and choose Change Time Taken. Now adjust the date to match the original date stamp, and click OK.
Rubber stamp over it
You might not always want to crop your photo to eliminate the date stamp. Instead, you could use your photo editor's Rubber Stamp or Clone tool to paint it out.
If there is a regular, non-patterned background behind the date this kind of surgery will be easy. If the background has a pattern, you will have to be very careful.
Open the image file in a photo editor, such as Photoshop Elements. Choose the Rubber Stamp or Clone tool. Set the size of the clone brush to about 30 pixels, or increase the brush size for larger photos. Alt-Click an area very close to the date stamp. Then just paint the date away until all you can see is the background.
Freeze the action
No matter how cute the baby, furry animal or wind-blown scene is you're photographing, be sure to freeze the action, or the only thing people will notice is that it's blurry.
Practice techniques for taking steady photos, such as using a tripod or stable support as often as you can.
It even will help to earn how to use the aperture priority or shutter priority control on your camera to freeze the action with a fast shutter speed.
In low light conditions, you can increase the ISO setting of the camera to force faster shutter speeds.
Also see these posts below:
Sharp night shots without a tripod
Panning for that speedy look
Practice techniques for taking steady photos, such as using a tripod or stable support as often as you can.
It even will help to earn how to use the aperture priority or shutter priority control on your camera to freeze the action with a fast shutter speed.
In low light conditions, you can increase the ISO setting of the camera to force faster shutter speeds.
Also see these posts below:
Sharp night shots without a tripod
Panning for that speedy look
Keep it level
Sometimes we're so busy framing and exposing the perfect image, we forget to hold the camera straight.
Our brains filter and correct the data our eyes see and may not warn us that a scene in the viewfinder isn't level.
What to do? Pay attention to keeping a photo level.
However, if you do take a crooked photo, don't fret. You can straighten it easily with a leveling tool found in almost any photo editing program, such as Photoshop Elements.
Our brains filter and correct the data our eyes see and may not warn us that a scene in the viewfinder isn't level.
What to do? Pay attention to keeping a photo level.
However, if you do take a crooked photo, don't fret. You can straighten it easily with a leveling tool found in almost any photo editing program, such as Photoshop Elements.
Watch the light
The beauty of the automatic digital camera is you don't have to think about exposure settings -- the quantity and quality of light around your subject. The camera does that for you.
Getting the proper exposure is important, of course, so keep in mind that sometimes you can't rely entirely on your camera to get it right.
Here's a trick to avoid shooting in very contrasty lighting.
If you can see both direct sunlight and shadow in your viewfinder, you'll are likely to obtain a lower-quality exposure. The way around the problem is to try reframing the shot to get more-even lighting in the scene. Not necessarily more light, but more-even lighting.
The hours in the middle of the day are not as good for outdoor photography because of the overhead light is strong and harsh. Try to shoot earlier or later.
If there's strong sunlight in the background of your image, the camera will probably overcompensate and underexpose the subject.
Also see the post below:
Love those overcast days
Getting the proper exposure is important, of course, so keep in mind that sometimes you can't rely entirely on your camera to get it right.
Here's a trick to avoid shooting in very contrasty lighting.
If you can see both direct sunlight and shadow in your viewfinder, you'll are likely to obtain a lower-quality exposure. The way around the problem is to try reframing the shot to get more-even lighting in the scene. Not necessarily more light, but more-even lighting.
The hours in the middle of the day are not as good for outdoor photography because of the overhead light is strong and harsh. Try to shoot earlier or later.
If there's strong sunlight in the background of your image, the camera will probably overcompensate and underexpose the subject.
Also see the post below:
Love those overcast days
Focus on your subject
Consider your subject. There should be some specific element in a photo that you want to emphasize to show off, to call attention to. For instance, a person, an animal, a flower, a building.
Rule of Thirds
Imagine dividing your photo into a grid, like a tic-tac-toe board, with two vertical and two horizontal lines.
Position your subject in the camera's viewfinder frame where two of those lines intersect.
Arrange the scene you see in the camera's viewfinder so that your subject is at the intersection of two of those "third lines" in your photo. That means not dead center or at an edge of the frame.
Using this Rule of Thirds, you will get the most visual impact.
Of course, you'll also want the subject in sharp focus. If the subject is sharply defined, it would be okay -- and sometimes even a good idea -- for the rest of the photo to be out of focus so the eyes of people who see your photo will be drawn to the subject.
Rule of Thirds
Imagine dividing your photo into a grid, like a tic-tac-toe board, with two vertical and two horizontal lines.
Position your subject in the camera's viewfinder frame where two of those lines intersect.
Arrange the scene you see in the camera's viewfinder so that your subject is at the intersection of two of those "third lines" in your photo. That means not dead center or at an edge of the frame.
Using this Rule of Thirds, you will get the most visual impact.
Of course, you'll also want the subject in sharp focus. If the subject is sharply defined, it would be okay -- and sometimes even a good idea -- for the rest of the photo to be out of focus so the eyes of people who see your photo will be drawn to the subject.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Panning for that speedy look
Panning is a technique you can use to create a blurred background – depicting movement – while keeping your subject sharp. This works for a moving car, person, animal or other object. Here’s how to go about it:
- Pre-focus on a spot directly in front of you where your subject will be when you start the exposure. You could have someone stand there, or place an object there, so your camera can focus on that spot.
- Stand firmly with the camera to your eye and twist the upper part of your body slightly in the direction from which the subject will come.
- Begin following the subject as soon as it appears in your camera’s viewfinder.
- When the subject reaches the spot you focused on, trip the shutter and continue following the subject in one smooth movement.
- The background should be of uneven tones and the path of motion should be as parallel as possible.
- Use the slowest possible shutter speed at the highest possible f-stop. A shutter speed around 1/15 to 1/30 of a second may work best.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Sharp night shots without a tripod
You just can't get a sharp photo at night without something to support the camera. Photos become blurry or streaked when the shutter stays open long enough to ensure sufficient light enters the camera to make a picture. While the shutter is open, your hands move a little. You may tremble or the wind may blow the camera. Pictures made under such unsteady conditions turn out jittery or blurry. The hand movement causes streaks of light and fuzzy images.
Your long-exposure pictures will turn out better if you take the camera out of your hands and use some kind of support to steady it. A tripod is ideal, but what if you don't have one? Here are some substitutes:
An easy answer is to use the camera's self-timer. Fire it and the camera will stop jiggling during the ten seconds it waits to shoot.
Some cameras also will accept a remote shutter release cable or a radio-controlled shutter release.
If all else fails, import your undesirably jittery or blurry photos into Photoshop or Photoshop Elements or similar software and slightly increase clarity by applying an unsharp mask or sharpen filter.
Your long-exposure pictures will turn out better if you take the camera out of your hands and use some kind of support to steady it. A tripod is ideal, but what if you don't have one? Here are some substitutes:
- a ledge
- a step
- a windowsill
- a car roof
- a car fender
- a car window frame
- a curb
- a chair back
- a wall
- a sandbag
- an extra firm pillow
- a book bag
- a camera bag
An easy answer is to use the camera's self-timer. Fire it and the camera will stop jiggling during the ten seconds it waits to shoot.
Some cameras also will accept a remote shutter release cable or a radio-controlled shutter release.
If all else fails, import your undesirably jittery or blurry photos into Photoshop or Photoshop Elements or similar software and slightly increase clarity by applying an unsharp mask or sharpen filter.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Tracking the wild huckleberry
Spring is about here. Now is the time to begin to follow the return to life of a plant, shrub or tree in a series of photos recording new growth over time. Find a dogwood, redbud, azalea, rhododendron, forsythia, magnolia, barberry, hawthorn, huckleberry, viburnum, or any other plant, shrub or tree that buds and flowers, and shoot it everyday from bare to blossom. Place your photo sequence in a PowerPoint slide show that will run like a time-lapse movie. Or use Photoshop Elements or other image editing software to display your plant's progress in a grid of photos.
Love those overcast days
Bright sunlight can make a landscape look good, but you'll have better luck on an overcast day when you want to shoot portraits outdoors. The light is diffused and will flatter your subject. Also, the light won't change much from minute to minute so the camera won't have to be changed a lot.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
What is photojournalism?
Journalism is the work of gathering, writing, editing and disseminating news stories via mass media.
Photojournalism is journalism that presents news stories primarily through the use of images, photos, pictures.
Photojournalists emphasize recording and communicating current events by documenting occurrences and the world around them. Drama and emotion, suspense and excitement, beauty and ugliness are part of photojournalists' daily agenda as they create images that become part of history.
How is it different? Photojournalism differs from fine-art photography, which concentrates on self-expression through photography. Fine-art photographers explore photography as art. They engage in historic studies, criticism and gallery exhibitions. They seek technical proficiency to further the aesthetic and social concerns of visual communication.
Photojournalists also differ from photographic and imaging technologists who use traditional and digital imaging tools to create highly perfected conventional and non-conventional photographic images.
The photojournalist's work falls someplace between the works of the artist and the technologist. While the artist and technologist take the time necessary to perfect the qualities they seek in their images, the photojournalist often has to forego technical and artistic perfection and shoot quickly as worldly events are brief, ephemeral, episodic, fleeting, impermanent, momentary, passing, short-lived, temporary, transitory and volatile.
The recording of a photo that successfully tells a story about a person, place or event, rather than the technical or artistic merit of the image, is the measure of photojournalism work.
Photojournalism documents life in a universal way that transcends cultural and language bounds.
Photojournalism is journalism that presents news stories primarily through the use of images, photos, pictures.
Photojournalists emphasize recording and communicating current events by documenting occurrences and the world around them. Drama and emotion, suspense and excitement, beauty and ugliness are part of photojournalists' daily agenda as they create images that become part of history.
How is it different? Photojournalism differs from fine-art photography, which concentrates on self-expression through photography. Fine-art photographers explore photography as art. They engage in historic studies, criticism and gallery exhibitions. They seek technical proficiency to further the aesthetic and social concerns of visual communication.
Photojournalists also differ from photographic and imaging technologists who use traditional and digital imaging tools to create highly perfected conventional and non-conventional photographic images.
The photojournalist's work falls someplace between the works of the artist and the technologist. While the artist and technologist take the time necessary to perfect the qualities they seek in their images, the photojournalist often has to forego technical and artistic perfection and shoot quickly as worldly events are brief, ephemeral, episodic, fleeting, impermanent, momentary, passing, short-lived, temporary, transitory and volatile.
The recording of a photo that successfully tells a story about a person, place or event, rather than the technical or artistic merit of the image, is the measure of photojournalism work.
Photojournalism documents life in a universal way that transcends cultural and language bounds.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Photojournalism at UNCP
Welcome to this blog established for the courses JRN-3200, PRE-3200 and other photography and photojournalism courses in the Department of Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
This blog is a place where students and faculty share information about storytelling with a camera – who, what, where, when, why and how. Everyone, not just students, is welcome to share the variety of photo tips and techniques here.
What's it about?
It's about using digital photography for mass communication.
Photojournalism is the gathering, packaging and dissemination of news and information stories primarily through the use of photography, images, pictures.
Photojournalists today use digital cameras to record and store moving and non-moving images as a series of individual photo frames.
Basic photography and concepts of photojournalism are introduced through a wide variety of shooting assignments.
Digital photography employs a digital camera to record and store images in electronic memory rather than on film. Digital images can be moved directly from the camera into a computer and, if appropriate, processed with image manipulation software – a digital darkroom.
Mass communication conveys information to a dispersed audience through a transmitting device, or medium.
Anyway, everyone is welcome to share the information here.
How to reach the professor:
Anthony Curtis, Ph.D.
247 Old Main
(910) 521-6616
acurtis@uncp.edu
This blog is a place where students and faculty share information about storytelling with a camera – who, what, where, when, why and how. Everyone, not just students, is welcome to share the variety of photo tips and techniques here.
What's it about?
It's about using digital photography for mass communication.
Photojournalism is the gathering, packaging and dissemination of news and information stories primarily through the use of photography, images, pictures.
Photojournalists today use digital cameras to record and store moving and non-moving images as a series of individual photo frames.
Basic photography and concepts of photojournalism are introduced through a wide variety of shooting assignments.
Digital photography employs a digital camera to record and store images in electronic memory rather than on film. Digital images can be moved directly from the camera into a computer and, if appropriate, processed with image manipulation software – a digital darkroom.
Mass communication conveys information to a dispersed audience through a transmitting device, or medium.
Anyway, everyone is welcome to share the information here.
How to reach the professor:
Anthony Curtis, Ph.D.
247 Old Main
(910) 521-6616
acurtis@uncp.edu
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