In chapter 2, Kobre is talking about how to photograph news. It talks about how to take pictures during a fire, what angle to take them from, and how to be respectful of law enforcement when they tell you that no pictures are allowed. One specific thing that jumped out at me was the section where it talked about watching for the human side. It says “Once you have your overall shot, look for the human side of the tragedy.” I think this is important because people’s reactions are key. You want to see either the happiness or the fear in their face. You want to be able to capture that moment where the firefighter is trying to remove someone from a car (like the photo on page 55). Shining a light on our firefighters, policemen, and first responders during those tragedies is important as well. Many people don’t realize what they go through on a daily basis, and if we are able to capture them in their element, it shows that they are a hero in that moment. Photographing weather is one of my favorite things, which Kobre talks about on page 60. If I’m driving and see a beautiful sunrise/sunset, I will pull over on the side of the road just to take that picture. If I see that the sun is out when it’s raining, I automatically look for a rainbow to photograph. Things like that make for great pictures, and on days where there isn’t much news, editors will use these types of pictures.
Right off, in Chapter 3, the section about the two sides of all politicians caught my eye. It talks about how the media tries to gives their audience a one sided view of the person. It seems like that person’s private life is never shown. Granted, they probably don’t want that part of their life plastered all over the news and the Internet, but I think that it is important for us to see that side of a politician. On page 69, there is a picture of President Obama playing with a baby in the oval office. Here, he is Barack Obama, family man and father. This photo shows a side of him that not everyone saw. Diana Walker said that it was her job for the president to not know she was there. That’s important because you want that side of him, and if he knows you’re there, he may act different. Another strategy that I liked was “come early, stay late.” All the good things happen before and after. During is what all the photographers are going to have, but if you are willing to show up early and stay after everyone leaves, you are more likely to get those better shots. Unique shots are the best shots.
Piedmont Photojournalists 