The composition of most photos within photojournalism are the same. The colouring is usually black and white portraying the underlying horrors within the photos that are possibly not pictured so that we can see them. Colour is also used within the photos of photojournalism just not as much as black and white. I think this is because colour represents different things in our lives which means that is what we see in the photograph. Colour is usually used to capture a bright and happy moment. If used on a photo that depicts poverty or war it will make it an untrue representation which means that it would be unfit to be placed in the news.
A good example of photojournalism is shown on the left. The subject of the photo is the man stood with his head in his hand obviously distraught by whatever natural disaster has occurred. In the background you can see collapsed buildings and trees of what used to be his home. The rule of thirds has been used here, the man placed on the second vertical line making you focus on the foreground first rather than the background. Aperture has also been used and is most likely set to be around f7.1 as the background is blurry but as it comes towards the foreground it starts to become clear quite far back which wouldn’t happen if the aperture was set any lower. They have probably not used shutter speed here as the subject is not in motion meaning that it would not be needed to be frozen in motion as it is already still. The photographer may have still used shutter speed however, for the purpose of letting more light into the lens gaining more detail in the photo at the end. However, this technique would need the subject to be still for a fair amount of time so in conclusion it probably wasn’t used as photojournalism photos are rarely posed or set up as they want to capture what it looked like in that specific moment.
Colour is used here instead of black and white but it does not take any of the horror away from the situation as none of the colours are bright. They are mostly different shades of brown which is not a colour related to happiness. The photo shows timeliness as when the natural disaster happened this would have been one of the pictures used in the news and over the newspapers which proves that it relates to a specific period of time. In my opinion, objectivity is clearly portrayed here as well. With the colours used and the expression shown on the man’s face, I believe that it is a true representation of the event and what happened and the pain felt by the people who were caught in it. This photo may have been photoshopped slightly to darken the colours to show the horror more. The photo also has a good and clear narrative that is relatable to anyone who has experienced a loss. The narrative in this photo is what makes it so meaningful. If you saw it in a newspaper or on the news you would feel sympathy towards this man and might want to make you act and help the numerous families that have been affected by the natural disaster. Overall, I believe that this photo is a good example of photojournalism as it achieves a true representation of the event and is easy to relate and feel sympathy towards which is what photojournalism is supposed to do. Evoke our emotions and allow us to understand it.
Another good example of photojournalism is on the right. The subject of the photo is the man on the bottom right and the overall subject is the starvation and poverty in Africa. The rule of thirds is used in this picture. The second vertical line runs down where his shoulder blade is and the second horizontal line runs along his knees. I think they have done this so that the first thing you notice is his body and how starving he is before you see anything else. Your eye then sees the makeshift shack just behind him then it travels to what looks like another person in the distance down beside the shack. High aperture is used here, probably one of the highest at either f24 or f32 as the whole photo is clear and at a higher aperture the longer the depth of field is resulting in the background being clear and not blurred. They could have used shutter speed as the man looks as if he was in the middle of crawling across the ground. If they have then fast shutter speed has been used, somewhere up between 1/250 and 1/500. Fast shutter speed is likely to have been used as it can be used in a natural composition meaning that the photo would not need to be set up. This photo follows the conventions of photojournalism as it is black and white emphasising the horror and misfortune in the photo. This photo does show timeliness as things like this happen almost everyday and are frequently shown on the news and this photo shows exactly what is usually shown on the news and in the newspapers. It is a very clear and true representation of what horrors go on in Africa and other poor countries everyday making it show another one of the three most important things in photojournalism which is objectivity. It also has a strong narrative and generally makes people want to help out these countries and stop poverty and hunger from happening to so many unfortunate people. I think that this photo is a good example of photojournalism as it uses
colour to emphasise the issue shown and it clearly has the 3 points that make a photo within photojournalism good.
The next application of photography is architectural photography. Architectural photography is taking pictures of building and their structures both inside and out. Many techniques are used when taking architectural photography such as reflections. Reflections create an extra dimension to the original picture and makes the building or buildings look as if they have been distorted. It also adds an extra sense of perspective as it makes it seem as though the building is twice as big and sometimes twice as tall. It can give the impression that the building is standing proud and it may appear to look as if the building is intimidating.
Leading lines is another technique used within architectural photography. The leading lines in the picture to the right are created by the banister railings as they go along the stairs as they spiral downwards. Leading lines can be used to create quite a spooky picture. If you have one line leading all the way along and then as it fades into the distance it is met with darkness it gives the impression that whatever is creating the line goes on forever. The picture on the right is quite spooky as you can’t really see where it ends or whether it does end or not. The picture has two sets of leading lines that I can see. The banister railings and the stairs themselves as when they come into view your eye naturally follows the spiralling line of the stairs going down to the bottom.
Aperture is also used within architectural photography however it is not used as much as in photojournalism. It is mostly used for leading lines as the foreground of the line would be clear and the background would be blurred out creating a bokeh effect. High aperture is also used to achieve a clear photo of the building without any portion being in the slightest blurred. Shutter speed and aperture are both used in the photo of building lights to the left. A short shutter speed has been used to capture the lights and blurred them. Low aperture has also been used, probably around f2, which is the lowest aperture to be able to create the effect in the photo. Colour is also a big factor within architectural photography. Some photos are black and white to show how tall and intimidating some of the building are. Colour is sometimes darkened or lightened in Photoshop to make the photo appear more vibrant or dull depending on the building in question.
The picture on the right has a subject of the Colosseum. The rule of thirds is used as the first vertical line runs along the length of the lamppost and the edge of the Colosseum making you look at the Colosseum or the brightness of the light on the lamppost first, before anything else. The photo is taken from a low angle as the lines of light from the traffic appear to be higher than where the photo was taken from. It was obviously night when this picture was taken as the light is on and you can see the headlights from the cars on the road. The traffic light lines are made using a short shutter speed. This is because with a shutter speed of possibly 15s or more, more light reaches the film or image sensor which results in the photo blurring the movement of the traffic into several long lines of light. The sky works well as a good neutral background to the main objects in the rest of the frame. By using the lines of light it makes the photo have a surreal feel to it as when you look at cars it is not usually what you see. I think as well that the amount of light used in the photo makes it a very beautiful picture and one that stands out to the eye.
The picture to the left is another good example of architectural photography. The main focus of the photo is the building shot at a low angle to make it seem as though it is taller than it actually is. It does not use the rule of thirds but it does use reflections as a technique. The trees that it catches as you look up towards the building have been reflected in the building’s exterior making it more appealing to look at. It creates an extra dimension and distorts the building in a way as it makes it look as if the trees are part of the building’s exterior design. Sometimes architectural photography is photoshopped. I think that this particular photo is photoshopped with colour to give it a dark yellow tinge to the sky and the building itself. Curves or hue and saturation could have been used for this effect if it was photoshopped. Shutter speed may have been used to create a clear and crisp photo. High aperture may also have been used to achieve this effect by using aperture around f24 or f32. I think that this photo is a very good example of architectural photography as it is clear and crisp and uses many of the techniques that are used for successful photography. I also think that the photograph is very pretty in the way that the trees reflect in the building.
The last application of photography is advertising photography. Advertising photography is taking pictures that promote a product. These photos are used to persuade people to buy the product that they show. Advertising photography use mostly one technique to make their photos appealing and persuasive which is Photoshop. Most advertising photos are heavily photoshopped to enhance and improve the original image. The advertising photo to the right has been photoshopped to have a black background and a reflection at the bottom. This makes the photo have more depth and perspective. It is also photoshopped to emphasise the opening of the can with the coke bursting out of the top and the liquid swirling around the outside making it appear as if it will quench your thirst well. I think the colour of the can has been slightly emphasised as well to make it look more appealing and have the appearance that you need the product.
To the left is another good example of advertising photography. You can tell at first that it is targeted towards women as the background is a pastel pink colour. You can also tell this as the product itself is a shade of pink and one of the connotations of pink is femininity. The model shown in the corner of the advert has been airbrushed in Photoshop to be the ultimate model of perfection fooling the reader or viewer into thinking that if they buy the product then they will look like the model in the advert. By airbrushing the woman it makes her look flawless and makes her skin look smooth. Her eyes have also probably been touched up making them seem brighter and more vibrant. Everything in this advert has been set up and it has all been posed for. Using this method, the photographer would take hundreds of photos at different angles and with the model pulling different poses before selecting one or more for the final production of adverts to make sure that everything looks perfect.
Aperture and shutter speed may be used within advertising photography for a clear and crisp picture that is always good when taking pictures of models and the products in adverts as well.
Overall, there are many different uses for photography and the 3 that I have looked at are quite similar in the techniques that are used. Aperture and shutter speed are both used commonly throughout the photos to create different effects within each group. Each use has at least one unique technique to separate it from the rest. They each are very good outlets for photography and each achieve their codes and conventions named.
