Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
State educational institution of higher professional education
Yugra State University
Humanitarian Institute
Department of Journalism and Literature

Photo report. Method of work.

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………….....3
Chapter 1. Photojournalism ………………………………………………………………………….. 6
1.1. The system of photojournalism genres …………………………………………………………6
1.2. The history of the development of photojournalism in Russia ……………………………………7
1.3 The Crisis of Photojournalism …………………………………………………………………..…7
Chapter 2. Photo essay. ………………………………………………………………………….. ….ten
2.1. The history of the emergence and development of photo reportage in Russia.............10
2.2.Principles and methods of photo reporting………………………………………………………11
2.3.Technology for creating a photo report……………………………………………………….13
2.4 Selection of illustrations……………………………………………………………………………………..14
Chapter 3. Analysis of photo reports published on the official website of the World Championship in biathlon and cross-country skiing……………………………………… 18
3.1. Analysis of own photo essay. Photo report №1. “Russian Paralympic athletes shared their experience with young athletes of Khanty-Mansiysk » (application) ………………………………………………………………………..… .18
3.2. Analysis of photo report No. 2 “Athletes of the Canadian team got acquainted with Khanty-Mansiysk” (Appendix)……………………………………………………………………………………… ………………..20
3.3 Analysis of the photo story #3 “Erik Angstadt: It is necessary to achieve independence and sustainable development of each sport”……………….…..21
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………..…24

Bibliographic list……………………………………………………………………………..27

Introduction

Photography has become an integral part of modern life. In a short time, it has penetrated almost all spheres of human activity. Photography was especially widely used in the press, becoming an indispensable means of information and propaganda. There was a special branch of journalism - photojournalism. The advent of the mass illustrated press and the possibility of replicating visual information made photojournalism a powerful factor in influencing public consciousness.
But, unfortunately, the presence of photo reporting in traditional media is becoming less and less noticeable. Traditional illustrated periodicals and socio-political magazines give photojournalism less and less space. And there are many explanations for this. The practice of journalism in the light of global corporate associations is dictated by the material expediency of publications, the desire of investors to return the invested funds. In general, journalism has become a "business" in which accountants and managers have no less influence on how events are covered than editors. Then, pressure from advertisers increased, which also affected the editorial policy. And finally, representatives of many publications argue that the audience demands from them more and more detailed coverage of the world of show business, thus limiting the possibilities for publishing reportage or documentary photography.
On the other hand, the amount printed publications is growing steadily, and in many countries that are successfully undergoing economic and political reforms, new magazines are published every month. Moreover, publications that previously did not support the genre of photojournalism (for example, glossy women's magazines) are beginning to need to talk about more serious topics, which forces them to use high-quality photography more often and better. A definite outlet for photographers is, first of all, online media. In addition to presenting photographs in multimedia format, there is a demand from non-profit organizations, structures involved in the development of various business areas, government and city administrations, etc. In our time, when the concept of "communication" is applicable in all areas, many structures have begun to realize the informational value of photographic images.
Hence, the topic of this course work is quite relevant, because the photo essay faces two conflicting problems: the lack of demand for traditional illustrated periodicals and socio-political magazines, and vice versa, increased demand from non-profit organizations, structures involved in the development of various areas of business, government and city administrations.
Scientific novelty of the research– for the first time as an analysis, we used a photo reportage of our own production (from the competitions of the 2011 Parabiathlon World Championship).
Target of this work: to consider a photo essay as a genre of photojournalism and methods of working on it.
To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:

define the concept of "photo essay" and study its types;
consider in detail the methods of working on a photo essay, as well as study the technique of linking photos with text;
see how the methods learned are applied in practice.

Research methods:
Methodological base: the theoretical chapter was based on the works of such researchers as I.D. Baltermants, Ya.D. Feldman and L.D. Kursky.

Chapter 1 Photojournalism

Photojournalism genre system

Time- snapshots matter in the chronological context of the development of events.
Objectivity- the situation assumes that the photographs will be honest and will accurately reproduce the captured events.
narrative- pictures in combination with other elements of the news inform and give the reader or viewer an idea of ​​the essence of events.
Photojournalists must act, make decisions and wear photographic equipment in the same conditions as the participants in the events (fire, war, riots), often at the same risk as them.

The history of the development of photojournalism in Russia

Chapter 2. Photo essay.

2.1 The history of the emergence and development of photo reporting in Russia

chronicle photo essay;
photo essay-report;
photo essay with an estimated start.

2.2. Principles and methods of photo reporting
Photoreportage has two methods of photography - reportage and staging. With the reportage method, the photographer does not try to influence the course of events, he only captures the moment of a genuine event that occurs regardless of whether it is photographed or not. With the reportage method of shooting, the phase of capturing the event is important. Therefore, the photographer captures the most expressive moments, making a variety of takes. Then looking through the footage, he selects the most successful shots.
The strength of the photo essay is its veracity. Authenticity, documentary nature of the photo essay turns it into a powerful means of agitation and propaganda.
The staging method consists in the preliminary organization of the plot for the purpose of photography. A pre-prepared episode is recorded. This is close to the features of shooting a movie, shooting in a theater, in a photo studio.
From the point of view of the perfection of the form of a photographic image, the staging method undoubtedly has much greater potential.
A photojournalist often does not have the opportunity to find the best lighting and compositional solution, choose the best shooting point, etc. His pictures can be protocol, and sometimes they are not meaningful enough, because often there is not enough time for this. They may lose in artistic terms, but win in the authenticity of the facts.
Each reporter shoots an event in his own way, and this subjectivity of his will not affect the event in any way.
But the reporting method can lose its veracity if the people depicted in the frame react to the presence of the photographer. The heroes of the meeting need to adapt, get used to the photographer.
The report is valuable for its truthfulness. This refers to the justice of movement, gesture, the truthfulness of the emotional phase, all this is directly related to reporting.
The picture can be taken as a reportage, but if the wrong moment of shooting and lighting is chosen, then the picture will look untruthful, unnatural.
In addition, reporting, especially newspaper reporting, is associated with great efficiency. If the photojournalist is late with the transmission of information about the event, it loses its meaning. Efficiency is the first commandment of a photojournalist. 5

2.3. Work on a photo essay
When working on a photo story, the photo reporter receives technical task, which describes in detail the theme and the main faces to be filmed. Then the photojournalist arrives at the scene, gets acquainted with the room where the shooting will take place, evaluates the lighting and takes a few technical shots in order to check whether he has chosen the right shooting mode.
The main thing in the process of shooting is not to miss interesting exclusive shots of communication. For reporting, it is very important to capture emotions, attitudes, gestures, and the process of communication.
The purpose of a photo essay is to cover an event using a series of photographs and a short text; often a photo report is created without a descriptive part (text).
Main work plan:

Take a few shots of the general plan, showing the entire location
Close-up (how people are watching the event)
Capture on camera the main faces of the meeting
In order to "attach" people to the event, it is necessary to remove various "banners"
It is important to record all the moments inherent in a particular type of event. For example, if a photojournalist is filming a business meeting, it is necessary to record a handshake, signing papers, etc. As for sports competitions, the important moments during them are: start, fall, finish.

The appearance on the pages of newspapers of good, high-quality pictures depends primarily on the photojournalist. A photographer can improve the quality of their photographs by following these tips:
1. Change the shooting direction. It is not necessary to always shoot “head on”, see how the subject will look from below, from above, from the side - this will give the reader the opportunity to see different angles.
2. Each snapshot must have an action. If there are people in the frame, they should be doing something, not posing for the picture. Characteristic facial expressions, relaxed gestures of people in the picture create the impression of liveliness and informality of what is happening.
3. Use the right props to keep people from looking into the lens. Make something in the foreground the focus of their attention.
4. The composition of the shot should be tight, with no empty spaces between people or in the background - this makes the picture whole.
5. Each photograph should have a single compositional center that focuses the reader's attention. If there are several, it dissipates.
6. The number of people in the picture should be limited. If you are not trying to create the effect of the crowd, reduce their number to the most rational. A group of 3-4 people is preferable to 10-12.
7. Let there be people in the pictures. Firstly, it helps readers to estimate the size of rooms, streets, trees, etc., and secondly, it gives dynamics to the pictures.
8. Consider the “mood” of the shot. Show the reader how the “subject” felt during the shoot. If the mayor of the city was angry at a meeting of the city council, and the politician who won the election smiled, let the readers see it. But don't ask people to smile if the photo suggests a serious or mournful mood.
9. Sometimes turn the camera around - this allows you to capture not only the action, but also the reaction to it. Do not shoot only the participants of the match - the captured reaction of the fans to the goal scored can be much more eloquent.
10. You should make the highest demands on the quality of images. Blurry, dark pictures are unacceptable.
11. A photograph should carry a message, not just take the reader to the scene. Often a photograph, which at first glance does not literally illustrate the material, can tell the reader a lot. The photojournalist is obliged to know and understand the material and only then look for picturesque, “talking” shots to it.

Elements that grab the reader's attention

There are certain elements that should be kept in mind that particularly attract the reader. This improves the readability of the content. Here are a few elements of the content of the photo illustrations.
Children. Just Good photo child or pictures of children illustrating less important news.
Animals. Universal shooting objects that literally everyone likes.
People, prominent personalities. A photo portrait with a caption can attract the attention of readers several times more than a short article on the same topic.
Unusual shot. An ordinary event can be effectively filmed using non-traditional methods, including unusual angles, the use of special photographic equipment, etc.
Humorous illustrations. A photograph that makes the editor snort with laughter usually has the same effect on the reader.
Genre shots. Well shot, they are especially good on the first page.
Colour. Draws attention and allows you to look for more opportunities for using illustrations. 6

framing
The planning of the illustrations, the excellent work of the photographer, the excellent caption, the successful layout of the strip - all this loses its value if the photos are cropped poorly.
1. When framing a picture, choose the filled parts - the "heart" of the picture - and get rid of empty spaces.
2. Keep the original composition: if the picture was taken vertically, leave it that way. You can change the composition only with great care.
3. Save the compositional center of the picture. If a group of people is photographed, two of which are looking in the center, and the third is looking somewhere to the side, the last one can be cut out.
4. Keep your shot rectangular. Check that the horizon line, the lines of the houses are parallel or perpendicular to the sides of the photo and that the people in it are not tilted to the right or left.
5. Each illustration should be easy to "read". When a schema is required, make it. If an arrow will help point the right person in the crowd, use the arrow. If you need to mark the new college building in the photo, make it in font using the overlay.
6. Avoid cutouts. When a photo is cut out, it is more difficult for the reader to perceive it, especially if part of the captured event is removed.
7. Experiment with pictures in unusual sizes, such as one 10-inch column or six 2-inch columns, to engage the reader and add variety to the layout of the newspaper.
8. Consider the size of the pictures. There is not much difference in the impact of 5-column and 6-column photographs. But the difference in the impact of 2- and 3-column shots is huge. Sometimes it is useful to reduce the number of shots per strip and increase the remaining shots.
9. You can not crop people's heads in pictures, even partially. The crown, ears, chin - the absence of these body parts in the heroes of the picture irritates readers. There are almost no exceptions to this rule.
10. Look for a series of photographs, especially people. The governor at a meeting of the city council, the president of the city club, the politician watching the counting of votes, etc. The viewer catches only the moment of action, the newspaper must be able to catch facial expressions. 7

Conclusion

In the course of the course work, we solved all the tasks set for ourselves:

They defined the concept of "photo essay" and studied its types

A) chronicle photo essay;
etc.................

A photojournalist for the Moscow News newspaper, who held a seminar for journalists in Bishkek. Some of the participants already had significant experience in photography, but not for the media, someone had experience only writing texts, but not photographing at all.

To summarize, the advice of Evgeny Gladin is as follows: “Photojournalism is goodbye to flash and photo processing.” Even if you have been shooting for 10 years artistic photo, you need to understand what is the essence of photography for the media. Because it's a completely different story.

• Each picture must be meaningful. Think before you take a photo. Perhaps you should not waste time on some shots.
• There must be depth in the photograph so that the eye rushes into the interior of the picture.
• The light source is behind your back, do not shoot at the zenith. There are exceptions. Very rare.
• Shoot only horizontally. Vertical shooting only when necessary.
• We approach the object as close as possible.
• Large, medium, distant plan.
• We do not use the flash only when it is dark and you need to shoot the subject, even if you shoot football at night. If the flash is pointed at the ceiling, it gives diffused light. Or put a plastic cup on the flash. The faces of people photographed with a flash look like pancakes. And the frame is lifeless and flat.
• Play with light.
• Create contrast. Do not shoot people in black suits against a black background.
• Processing is allowed - only with contrast, levels and cropping. The rest is amateur performance and artistic photography. Not for the media.
• It is better not to shoot in raw format.
• The storyline of most shots develops diagonally. Try to lay lines - a diagonal from the bottom to the top corner and vice versa.
• We set the depth of field - so that it is not blurry.
• The picture should have a story.
• If you shoot a series (10-15 frames), it should respond to next questions: what happened, where it happened (general plans), who is involved, who is a participant in the conflict, for example, photos of all parties from the rally.
• Shoot for perspective. The frame will “work” if you crouch or walk two or three steps to the left and right. A photograph should have several plans, it should be “read” gradually.
• Control the light sources that enter the frame. Light sources should be behind or to the side, but not behind the subject.
• Shoot only visually interesting events. The reporting concert of the House of Culture is of no interest to anyone, except for its organizers. Many are interested in what is in the office of an official, because few people have access there, but no one is interested in the portrait of this official with a pen in his hands at the table with a slight smile.

At the seminar held in Bishkek, the participants practiced the documentary genre photo stories. This is a filming of what happens over a period of time. Eugene offered the seminarians two practical tasks: on the first day - to bring the story from the street. There were stories from city bazaars, girls in hijabs, young people from the labor exchange and others. On the second day there was a task - to think over and make a series about a person and his profession or life. Here is a selection of what the participants got.

Photo story “Another Reality” about a rock musician. Author of the photo: Dmitry Motinov

Photo story “North in the East” about Bishkek rap artists. Author of the photo: Abylai Saralaev

Photo story “One training day of the champion of Kyrgyzstan in powerlifting”. Author of the photo: Dina Tokbaeva

Photo story “Prima ballerina of Kyrgyzstan”. Author of the photo: Nargiz Chynalieva

You can see other photographs of the participants of our master class in the gallery:

Working on photo projects with various themes is a great way to break away from routine photography and concentrate on the creative process of creating photo frames. Limitations in subjects and equipment sometimes really make you resort to very creative solutions.

We have prepared 52 great ideas for filming in 2015. For every week of the year. We have divided them into three subsections: simple projects for the home that you can implement today, ideas that you can implement in nature and temporary projects that you can start right now.

Photo ideas for the home

1. Manipulation with water drops

To implement this idea, it is necessary to install a container with water with a small hole through which drops of water will pass. Your task is to press the shutter button at the moment when the drop will be formed or is already flying. The most important thing is to determine the time to close the shutter as accurately as possible. We achieved the best results with two flashes set to the lowest power setting (1/128th). The aperture value was set to f/22. To give the water a more viscous consistency, we added a little food thickener to it. We also used a device from the SplashArt Kit series, which helps to regulate the size of drops and the frequency of their fall.

2. Photographing a Water Splash

For this project, you will need a remote control flash, a water tank with clear, transparent sides, a colored background, and a tripod. Set up a container of water and a colored background, then place a flash over the container. Place your camera on a tripod and switch to manual focus mode. At f/8 and ISO 200, set the fastest possible shutter speed. Don't forget about flash sync. So, throw an object into the water and press the shutter button as soon as it touches the surface of the water.

3. The art of smoke painting

Many photographers, for example, still life enthusiasts, are happy to use smoke in their photographs. But what if you go to the next level and use the intricate shapes of swirling smoke to compose paintings? You can create an unusual art project in Photoshop. So, after taking some nice shots of swirling smoke, create a new blank document in Photoshop. Then copy and paste one of the resulting photos onto it. Set the blending mode to Screen and use the Warp Transform command (Edit > Transform > Warp) to change the shape of the smoke. Keep experimenting by adding more pictures to the document.

4. Cross polarization

The basis of this fun idea is the effect that polarized light creates when it hits plastic objects. You will need two polarizing filters, ideally one of them should be a sheet of polarizing film. An A4 sheet of Lee 239 polarizing film can be purchased for around £50. A sheet of film should be placed on a lightbox or any other light source. The iPad screen and most computer screens have a built-in polarizing filter, so if you don't have polarizing film, you can create a blank white document to fill the screen and use your gadget. Attach the polarizer to the camera and rotate it so that the colors appear on the transparent plastic parts.

5. Edible landscapes

Pepper your food photography! All you need is to creatively place figurines on the food, for example, Hornby. They are perfect, as the men of this company are offered in a variety of poses. It is important not only to put the figures, but also to tell the story. In this photo, you watch the two heroes giving advice to a rock climber trying to climb a mountain of potatoes.

6. Food as art

Turn your dinner items into photo art with a lightbox and a very sharp knife. Cut fruits and vegetables as thinly as possible and then place them on the lightbox. Position your camera directly above your subject, use Live View to manually focus on details. Set your aperture to f/8 for optimal depth of field. It is worth resorting to exposure compensation and setting it to +1-+3 stops, because the bright light from the lightbox can mislead your camera's exposure meter.

7. Flowers in ice

A relatively inexpensive way to take great macro photographs is to freeze flowers in plastic containers filled with distilled or de-ionized water. The flowers will float, so take care how to secure them in one position. Place a piece of ice on the surface of a transparent glass or bowl in a white sink or other container, then the light will be reflected from all surfaces of the container. Place the flash on one side and point down, and place the camera on the opposite side.

8. Oil and abstraction

Oil streaks spreading across the surface of the water are a great idea for creating vibrant abstract photos. This project uses the refractive quality of the oil to bring out and distort colors. All you need is to pour water into a transparent bowl and add a few drops of regular vegetable oil. Place the bowl approximately 25 cm above the table. Place multi-colored paper under the bowl, illuminate it with an ordinary table lamp or with a flash.

9 Oil Reflections

This idea echoes the idea described in the paragraph above. But in this case, the color pattern is created using a colored overlay for the lamp, and not a multi-colored background. To begin, make an overlay for a table lamp using solid colored paper, film and adhesive tape. For safety, make sure the paper does not touch the light bulb. Place a container of water in front of a table lamp and add a few drops of oil to the water. Spread the oil on the surface, bring the camera as close as possible and shoot.

10 Psychedelic Soap Film

This project is a great idea for a bright desktop or abstract wallpaper for a wall. You will need liquid soap, mixed with glycerin, this combination forms a resistant soap film. Arm yourself with a wire loop, a black background, and a macro lens like a 100mm. The colors formed by the soap film appear only at a certain angle of incidence of light. Position yourself near a window and find the right angle for shooting.

11. Refraction effect

Passing through water, light has the peculiarity of being distorted, i.e. refract, as a result, objects under water visually change their appearance. This phenomenon is called refraction, and we will use it as part of this small photo project. All you need is a few clear glasses, a flash, a tripod, and a background with a black and white pattern. Just place the glasses of water on the patterned background and shoot.

12. Macro photography in the kitchen

Your kitchen is the perfect place for macro photography. Its reflective surfaces can be used to create interesting backdrops for shots, and its shallow depth of field can transform the most mundane subjects. Putting a few pictures together can make for a great décor piece for your own kitchen, but before you start shooting, consider how the shots will resonate with each other. Our series consists of three photographs taken at the same angle and with the same depth of field.

13. Bokeh

Something as simple as a wrinkled piece of foil can easily become the basis for a beautiful photo project. Place your subject on the glass, and place a piece of dark material under the glass. Keep some ordinary kitchen foil in your hands, then straighten it and place it as a background. Direct the light from a table lamp or any other source onto the foil. With the camera on a tripod, open the aperture as wide as possible. Light up the foil with a flash while shooting.

14. Bokeh Bubbles

Small light sources always create beautiful bokeh. The garland is perfect for this. Place the garland so far away that when the aperture is open, its bulbs are out of focus. The subject, in this case the glass, should be close to the camera and the focus should be on it. Position the garland itself in such a way that the bokeh eventually takes the form of multi-colored bubbles flying out of the glass. This technique is also used to create this flow of bokeh from mugs of hot drinks.

15. Drawings with light

Light streaks and light patterns can be used in a wide variety of genres of photography, and are ideal for still life photography as well. To do this, you can use a simple flashlight, and to make the light less scattered, you can remove the top cover, thereby exposing the light bulb. Attach a piece of colored paper to the flashlight with electrical tape. Set your shutter speed to about 30 seconds and your aperture around f/8. While exposing the frame, make smooth circular movements around the bottle, drawing a spiral.

16. Light Spirals

Tie the lantern to a string and hang it from the ceiling. For this photo, you will need the widest lens you have in your arsenal. Mount your camera on a tripod and point it straight up at the ceiling. With the light on in the room, manually focus on the tip of the flashlight. Set your aperture to about f/11 - f/16, use Bulb mode and remote shutter release to shoot. Keep the shutter open for about a minute after launching the flashlight.

Ideas for outdoor exercise

17. Brenizer effect portraits a

The Brenizer method, also known as portrait panorama or bockerama, provides an excellent basis for a series of portrait photographs. The method was invented by New York wedding photographer Ryan Brenizer. This technique allows you to create photos with the effect of an ultra-wide-angle lens. The meaning of this method is to create a series of photographs that, when stitched together, form a full-fledged frame. You can assemble the mosaic together using the Photomerge option in Photoshop or in a program designed for gluing frames. Use manual settings camera, starting with white balance and ending with focus, so that the settings for all shots will be the same. Take 30-80 frames to create one photo, and do not forget that each subsequent frame should overlap the previous one by about a third.

18. In the right place with the wrong lens

Force yourself to see things differently. When you go for a walk with your camera, choose a lens that is the opposite of the one you would most likely take with you. Take a wide-angle lens to the zoo, for example, or limit yourself to a telephoto lens the next time you go out to photograph landscapes.

19. Landscapes in pieces

Try to explore your surroundings in a new way by creating compositions from several fragments taken during a walk. Go outside for literally 20 minutes. Don't spend a lot of time on settings, just select aperture priority mode, don't take a tripod and various filters with you, give up intricate techniques. Take pictures of anything that grabs your attention. Upon returning home, create a document with a grid in Photoshop and insert the resulting images into its cells using layers.

20. Minimalist landscapes

Instead of capturing the view in front of you in one boring frame, try shooting a series of minimalist landscapes at a slow shutter speed. The symmetrical composition and square format will help emphasize the simplicity of the frame. You will also need an ND filter, which will give you the ability to use long exposures throughout the day. Use a tripod and remote shutter release.

21. Starscapes

To capture the perfect starscape, you need a perfectly clear sky. It is desirable that the moon does not fall into the frame, otherwise many details may be lost. For a high-quality picture with clear, unblurred stars, you should photograph at fairly short shutter speeds, to do this, go to the manual setting mode, set the ISO value to about 1600 or 3200 and a shutter speed of two seconds. Even with these settings, you will have to set the aperture wide open: f/4 or even f/2.8.

22. Take pictures of things that never inspired you.

Write a list of things or places that you find uninteresting, boring, or even ugly. Now force yourself to take attractive and interesting photographs of these unphotogenic places and objects.

23. Looking for abstraction in a car park

You do not need to travel to distant countries to carry out an interesting photo project. Photo opportunities are plentiful, and even in a mundane place like a car park, it's possible to create something interesting. For this project, you only need digital camera. Without focusing on technique, look for and photograph various textures, color combinations, curious shapes and ornaments.

24. Selective colors

Instead of using the notorious techniques to make the subject stand out from the rest of the frame (for example, leaving the main subject in color and turning everything else into black and white), try to choose a color and look for its embodiment in the whole variety of the world. Draw attention to this color by using the right composition.

25. Night photography

Take night photography. Limit yourself to the use of additional light sources, take the maximum from the available lighting.

26. Optical illusions

As part of this project, we invite you to play with perspective, which affects the viewer's perception of the relationship between objects. different sizes that are in the frame. It is best to take as a basis objects whose sizes are known and do not cause any doubts, and make them interact with objects bigger size in the background. For these kinds of photos, shoot with a small aperture to provide a greater depth of field.

27. Miniature world

Shoot miniature toys and models in natural environment. Such projects are popular and very common today, in addition, there is nothing complicated in their implementation. Just take a small action figure or toy with you and shoot it in different situations, everywhere and always: on a journey or on a walk or even on the way to work. In order for the figurine to blend into the surroundings, you should, firstly, shoot it from a close distance, and secondly, properly balance the lighting.

28. Create a tilt-shift effect

The well-known and beloved “toy town” effect is obtained by using a special expensive tilt-shift lens. But you can get a similar effect in Photoshop by blurring everything in a photo except for a small area where you want to focus. For greater believability, photograph from a hill and preferably in sunny weather.

29. Photo alphabet

No, we do not suggest that you search for letters of the alphabet in the inscriptions on shops, road signs, etc. Instead, look for items and objects that are shaped like the letters of the alphabet. You should not go far for an example, let's take a children's swing on the playground. What does their frame look like from the end? That's right, the letter A. A curved river from a bird's eye view of the English letter S.

30. From 1 to 100

Similar to how we suggested you create a photographic alphabet, you can expand this project a bit and try to find illustrations for numbers.

31. Faces in strange places

Another simple and fun idea for a photo project. Sometimes we can observe how the usual things of our everyday life, and just surrounding objects, have some similarities with a human face or take on a form that remotely resembles facial features. Learn to look at the world of things differently. For inspiration, check out the blog dedicated to this topic.

32. Light orbit

Painting with light gives you a limitless number of different ideas for photography. But what about a series of shots with light orbits? You won't need sophisticated equipment. All you need is a bright, battery-operated LED light and a hoop to wrap the light around. Mount the camera on a tripod, choose the optimal shutter speed and just rotate the hoop.

33. Burning steel wool

For this project, make sure that the shooting takes place in an open area away from flammable objects. Put steel wool in a metal whisk and attach it to the chain. Then set fire to the wool and rotate the whisk on the chain, burning sparks will scatter around. You'll need a dedicated volunteer, a tripod, and a shutter speed of about 15 seconds at f/11 and ISO 100.

34. Machine movement

For a change, try to capture the movement not from the outside of the car, but from the inside. Shooting, of course, should be at night. Ask a friend to drive smoothly and slowly on a well-lit road. Set the shutter speed to about 30 seconds. Place a tripod on the passenger seat and use the remote shutter release.

35. Deliberate errors

Make a list of the most common mistakes a photographer can make. And then try, deliberately making these mistakes, to create beautiful photo. You may overexpose or underexpose a frame, crop your subject incorrectly, or focus on the background instead of the subject.

36. Cinemagraph

Create a series of animated GIFs illustrating subtle movement. This project requires a little work in Photoshop. You will have to create not just frames, but a video sequence, but the result may exceed all your expectations. You will need a tripod; the background should remain the same throughout the entire video sequence. Choose a scene in which some action happens continuously or cyclically so that the start and end points in the finished cinemagraph are not conspicuous. Record movement, such as the wind blowing the leaves on a tree.

37. Intentional camera movement

You are used to doing everything possible to ensure that the photos are as clear as possible. But to make a photo metaphorical and mysterious, try the opposite. With relatively slow shutter speeds, intentionally move the camera. Shoot in shutter priority mode. Check out the work of British photographer Chris Friel (http://www.cfriel.com) for inspiration.

38. Retro effect

Various noises and distortions are very easy to add in Photoshop or Lightroom. As a result, you will get a more colorful and atmospheric photo, but you should think about its final style already during the shooting. The retro effect works well with simple, uncluttered photos where the subject is easily recognizable.

39. Time-lapse photography

Many of us may well find time to engage in time-lapse photography, which is on the verge of video and photography. The subject of shooting can, in fact, be any phenomenon of your Everyday life. Master this fascinating technique in 2015.

Long term projects

40. Project 365

A classic project in which you have to take photos a day throughout the year. There are two possible paths you can take: limit yourself to just one shot per day for a given project, or take multiple photos and then choose the best one. Can't spend that much time on photos? Then think about an alternative project for which you need to take photos per week, respectively, there will be 52 photos in total.

41. 50 strangers

This idea is also not new, but it is no less exciting for that. You should get acquainted, start a conversation with people you do not know, and then, with their permission, leave their portrait as a keepsake. The number of strangers you have to photograph is up to you. The most important thing is to overcome yourself and take the first step.

42. Project 50x50x50

It's simple: 50 days, 50 photos taken with a 50mm lens. An extremely simple project that will help develop your vision as a photographer.

43. Creative selfies

Of course, you can take self-portraits at home, but how boring! Why not challenge yourself to create a series of self-portraits outside the walls of your home? Check out a series of beautiful self-portraits taken by famous photographer Vivien Maher ( Vivian Maier). She portrayed herself as part of some big scene, playing with light, shadow and reflections. It will be easier for you if you choose a specific topic for the project, as, for example, photographer Alex Bamford did as part of his series of works called the ‘Sleepwalking’ project (http://www.alexbamford.com/sleepwalking).

44. World underfoot

Every day at the same time of the day, take pictures of what is under your feet. Arm yourself with a wide-angle lens and look for new and interesting places.

45. Portraits without a face

Take portraits of different people, but do not include their faces in the frame. Try to convey their individuality in other ways. Use colors, environment, lighting, paraphernalia, and even parts of their body - especially their hands - all this will help you expose their character to the viewer.

46. ​​Photo game

Have someone write 30 things on paper cards. Things can be very different, but always easily accessible. At this time, you will describe 30 different aspects of photography (50mm, black and white photo, slow shutter speed, tilt-shift effect, etc.). Take a card from each pile and start the task.

47. Monochrome Month

The title of this idea gives exhaustive information. Force yourself to take exclusively black and white photographs, forget about color for a month. You will learn to see the most suitable scenes and subjects for shooting in black and white. This project will help you develop your vision. Shoot in Raw format, but change your camera settings in advance to monochrome mode. As a result, during the shooting, you will be able to see the scene already in black and white, and the picture itself will store all the color information. You can use this information to process the photo.

48. Four Seasons

Unlike the project, which involves shooting every day, here you have to shoot the same object every three months for a year. The idea of ​​this project is to show the change of seasons. Choose your subject wisely, imagine in advance how the chosen scene will look after the transformation caused by the change of weather. A lone tree in a field is definitely the perfect fit for this project.

49. Geocaching

Download the geocaching app on your smartphone and head to the hiding place to artistically capture your surroundings. Do not photograph the cache itself, because you do not want the people who go looking for it to lose interest.

50. Create a texture library

Textures can give your photo a special look. You can apply texture to a photo in several ways, such as using the multiple exposure mode. It is much easier to use Photoshop for this purpose and apply textures through layers. Although you can find textures on the Internet, you will agree that it is much more pleasant to use your own. Wood, old crumpled paper, plaster peeling off the walls, and other things can serve as a great texture for your photo.

51. Pinhole photography

With your own hands, using improvised means, turn your expensive camera into an analog of a camera obscura and try to shoot without using newfangled technology.

52. Make a photo book

Take the project you worked on last year as a basis. Think about the structure of the book, about the placement of photos on its pages. Try to distribute them according to color scheme, theme or style of execution.

What is a photo essay? This is a shooting of an event in which the photographer himself takes part, expressing his view of everything that happens around.

Reports with photographs taken by different photographers about the same events will always be different even with the same professional performance. Photographing the most important event by a master photographer is a guarantee of careful storage of photographs both in a personal archive and among friends. The desire to preserve your memory of the past is the task of a true photographer and his main difference between a professional and an amateur. It's like a black list of employers: you can always understand where your conditions and wishes will be fulfilled in a quality manner. It is worth noting that the photo essay is a fascinating and very interesting type of photography.

There is an opinion all over the world that a photographer of even the most beginner level is able to make a high-quality report of any event. But if you want to get a quality report, then you should not take risks. In this case, job reviews are the main trump card! Yes, events are different. What is there to darken: the people taking part in these events also differ in character. In reportage photography, in addition to the personal relationship of the photographer to the existing event, the task of photography set by the customer is also very important. Of course, the personal view of the photographer is very important, this is usually the reason for inviting Peter, for example, and not Ivan to conduct a photo essay. But the support in any process of this nature is made on the idea of ​​the customer, his wishes or intentions.

A photo essay is a kind of narrative about a certain ongoing event, as if simultaneously from the inside, but at the same time, as if from the outside. Asking the participants to pose means breaking the whole sacrament, but shooting with profiles alone or from the back is also not an option. But just hiding and watching what is happening from the side, you can create a huge number of unexpected and at the same time wonderful shots.

An excellent condition for creating a fascinating photo essay is to work with a partner. Undoubtedly, the teamwork of partners is extremely important here. This, in fact, is the difference between any professional filming and amateur photography.

A photo reportage of the largest events, in which several photographers take part, is best done from an unusual angle so that the resulting shots differ significantly from those of competitors. For example, the shooting of the Victory Parade, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the victory, was carried out by several photographers from the top of the Spasskaya Tower and was the most unique! Feedback from employees of many companies was full of biting statements about the dexterity and thinking of these professionals.

With the advent of photography, that is, since the creation of the camera, nothing has changed - the light also falls through the lens, which consists of a whole set of lenses. But the evolution nevertheless took place: the film devices were replaced by a CCD with a matrix on which the image is processed, read and written to digital media. The lens has an integrated aperture with a drive and a zoom mechanism. Exposure in this case is carried out due to the difference in the change in the reading speed from the matrix. There are single-spot and multi-spot meters that determine the level of light and exposure, as well as adjust the duration of the flash. All of the above combined allows professionals to create unique photo reports that are sent to the best archives and stored for centuries. If you want someone to capture major event your life - do not be stingy, use the services of professional photographers.

Photo essay is a free, creative genre that can include elements of portraiture, landscape, or even still life. There is no need to come up with any image and select the appropriate accessories, it is important to capture the most interesting moment that will tell the viewer a certain story. Every self-respecting photographer should have at least a few reportage-style shots in their portfolio.

What is a photo essay

With in English the word "reportage" can be translated as a message or a report. The main task of the photographer when shooting a reportage is to document an event and convey a certain message, a message to the viewer through visual images. Simply put, reporting is short story about life or an event, without any staged shots, when the photographer controls the characters, lining them up in front of the camera lens the way he needs it. However, elements of staging may also be present in the reportage, but still in this case the photographer has to make greater use of the conditions that are available. When photographing a report, it is very important to notice or predict an interesting shot in time, and to do it professionally, taking into account the peculiarities of lighting and the background, not forgetting, of course, the composition.

The photographer should strive to obtain a reportage photo, which will be not only documentary, but also imbued with the atmosphere and mood of the event. For shooting a reportage, a short shutter speed is most often used, on which that very “decisive moment” is caught. The process of shooting a reportage is carried out without the intervention of the photographer in the natural course of events.

Reportage photos are a look at the emotions and relationships of people, events or architecture from the outside. Since here the photographer is limited by time and the natural scenario of events taking place around him, you must always remain alert, be ready to press the shutter button at any moment. Usually, when shooting a reportage, they use it as close-ups to capture individual details, and general views, in particular, shots of the crowd that had gathered in the square.

Thus, the key components of a high-quality photo essay are the ability of the photographer to quickly respond to ongoing events, the ability to choose a shooting point and build the frame correctly, quickly adjust the technique and shooting parameters, taking into account the prevailing conditions. As for the choice of plot, it all depends on the photographer's powers of observation and the ability to think in plots, that is, to notice unusual details in seemingly simple, ordinary things.

Plots for reporting

You won't have to search for stories for reportage shooting for a long time. It is enough to arm yourself with a good camera and start looking for interesting shots, wherever you are. To see the frame and catch it - that's your the main task. Plots for a photo essay can be very diverse, including a regular birthday, which can be a good help for creating interesting, memorable shots. The beauty of a photo essay lies in the credibility and sincerity of such shooting, in showing what is really there. According to its content, it is customary to distinguish two types of reporting:

- eventful

An event report involves a photo story about an event that has a clear correlation in time (date, beginning and end) and several stages (prehistory, plot, development, climax, denouement). As an event reportage, shooting of any important event, conference, incident can serve. Here the documentary essence of photography comes to the fore. At the same time, you must manage to capture the key moments of the event in a very limited time frame.

- Thematic

Thematic reporting is a more creative direction, when the photographer tries to find interesting moments, situations in ordinary events and tell the viewer about them. It can be a report about an individual, a group of people and their relationships, a story about a particular country or vacation. Accordingly, work on a thematic report, unlike an event report, may not be limited by strict time frames. You can interrupt work and then return to filming, accumulating interesting material on a specific topic over time.

Returning to the subjects in reportage shooting, we can distinguish several of the most popular areas:

- Shooting a concert

This is a rather complicated type of reportage, since the lighting conditions in the concert hall leave much to be desired, and therefore it becomes problematic to get high-quality shots. If you have chosen concert shooting as a subject for your photo essay, think carefully about choosing the appropriate photographic equipment. You need a good camera that can effectively deal with noise, and fast optics, since shooting with flash means “killing” the stage lighting. Another important point- you should think over your location in the hall in advance and choose the optimal shooting point.

- Sport competitions

Another difficult subject for a photo story, because here you cannot predict what will happen in the next moment. Sports events are very dynamic, and if several athletes participate in the competition at once, then do not miss best moments it gets really difficult. It is recommended to take pictures in continuous shooting mode. Moreover, your camera should provide not only high speed shooting, but also a good duration of a series of shots in the appropriate resolution. Equally important is the speed of autofocus.

— Holidays, corporate parties and anniversaries

As a starting plot for mastering a photo essay, you can choose to shoot a festive feast or corporate party. Here you can learn how to correctly build a frame, taking into account the composition and lighting features, choose the best shooting points and follow the development of events, noticing interesting details. When shooting celebrations, it is very important not only to document the event, but to convey to the viewer the atmosphere and mood of the holiday.

— Photo travel

Travel, tourist trips and all sorts of “outings into nature” are a great option for shooting a photo essay. With the help of your reportage photos you can convey the beauty of nature and architecture, the unique flavor of other peoples and countries. You just need to stay alert in order to have time to photograph something that can really “hook” the viewer.

These stories in reportage photography, of course, are not limited. Shooting from exhibitions, conferences, photographing production and people's activities - all this and much more can be a great topic for a photo essay. If you decide to do photo reporting, then you need to learn not only to find interesting subjects for shooting, but also to literally think in them. Remember that the plot is revealed in the scenes of people's relationships with each other, with objects around them or nature.

When creating a reportage, it is required to show an event in development, that is, it is necessary to combine individual elements into a coherent and interesting photo story. Photos can follow one after another in strict chronological order, or they can reveal the plot or event in an associative way. In the latter case, individual shots should complement each other in meaning, atmosphere and artistic performance. At the same time, the content of the topic can be revealed by one photo, and all the rest will only detail the story. The more different plots, unexpected twists and details the pictures convey, the more rich and curious your photo story will look.