Chapters two and three of “Photojournalism: The Professional Approach” cover the topic of news photojournalism, which is perhaps the most prevalent and impactful form of photography seen in the media. From the beginning, I noticed that Kobré put a lot of emphasis on equipment. With each subtopic and photographer’s tale, he goes into explicit detail about the cameras, lenses, storage devices, and communication equipment used by the respective photographers. While this detailed overview does leave me feeling mildly overwhelmed and wildly unprepared, I’m excited to reach the same level of aptitude.
Chapter two focuses on dangerous and violent news coverage, especially with the presence of police force. Kobré explains that it’s the photographer’s job to find a balance between respecting police demands and pushing the limits of how much you can get away with. Carrying yourself with confidence, as well as following a “shoot first, ask later” mentality can go a long way. That’s something that I have to work on – every time I photograph an event my natural instinct is to ride the walls and avoid getting in the way of anything. My favorite part of this chapter was the story about the Post-Dispatch photographers covering the Ferguson riots. Every photographer involved put so much into their work, and the photos that they captured serve as evidence. They put themselves in the line of fire without flinching, which is very inspiring.
Chapter three puts the focus on political photojournalism. One of the main points that I took away from this chapter is the importance of silence. Especially when shooting political events, being a fly on the wall is hugely important to conveying the story as it naturally occurs. Likewise, when shooting political events, broadening the focus of your photos to include all sides of the story is an important step of transparent storytelling. My favorite example from this chapter was Olivier Douliery’s photo of George W. Bush hidden behind a podium. (Page 64.)
Piedmont Photojournalists 