When school started, a third-year photographer in my yearbook program pulled me aside and said, “What do I need to do to be a great photographer?”
It confused me because she was already producing stellar work when compared to her peers. She captured lots of emotion, had fantastic composition and could coach other photographers to do the same.
Why did she feel that way? She was seeing all of this award-winning feature photos and saw other schools doing well in competition. She simply reached the plateau I had not had a photographer reach yet. She was doing everything right, but needed a push to the next level.
I set off on a quest to collect information from those more in the know than myself. My background was in writing rather than photography, and many other first-time advisers will eventually feel this loss for advice.
Below is a sample of advice taken from the Association of Texas Photography Instructor’s Facebook group, as well as a few professional photographer friends:
- Take lots of photos. Digital photography lets us take hundreds or thousands of frames on one card. Do it. Like any skill, photography requires practice. The more situations you encounter, the more modes and settings you try, and the more you think about what your work lacks, the better it will get.
- Force yourself to try new angles. One adviser says to try three different angles for every normal shot you get. As a photographer for the local newspaper says, “Once you have your CYA shots, play around. … Your feature photos are what sets you apart from everyone else.”
- Relax and do not overthink the photos. Some of us will occasionally get too in our head trying to think, think, and think some more and get a bit of paralysis. Take the approach of writers with writer’s block. They write through it; photographers should shoot through it. Photography should be fun and exciting. Maybe taking a step back to let your hair down is time well spent.
- Think about the photos. Now running to the other side of the spectrum, some photographers just hold that shutter release and puts no thought into the message they’re trying to convey. Ask them what their photos say. What’s the point of it? What story does it tell? Making them think some more can help them see the world differently.
- Look at other photography. With social media and the entirety of the internet, there is zero excuse for photographers not to be looking at other work. Writers read other work. Athletes study plays and strategies. Teachers attend professional development. Photographers should study other photographers doing excellent work. Create a Twitter list of amazing photojournalists and other photographers. Look them up on Instagram. Make students evaluate each other’s work. Getting inspiration from history and peers is a sure-fire way to bolster their skills.
- Tell stories. Photojournalists have one goal: let people know what happened. Anyone with a camera phone can take a snapshot of what something looks like, but what did it feel like? How did people act and react? What colors and textures were there? Are there more than one side to tell? That is what separates photojournalists from Aunt Marge with her iPhone 6.
- Anticipate action. G.I. Joe once said, “Knowing is half the battle.” Photographers should know what they are shooting – as much as is within reason – before they go out. What is the lighting like? What are the rules of the sport? What is the layout of the building? What clothes is my model supposed to be wearing? Knowing what is going to, or is likely, to happen means the photographer can be there when the photo happens.
- Don’t forget about reaction. Photographers often are looking in the direction that everyone is: the football field during a play, the center of a gym for the pep rally, etc. But don’t rest on your laurels just shooting man-with-ball photos. Think about how the coaches react to bad plays, which people are most emotive, how the audience reacts, and anything else that is a reaction to the action. These are many times much better photos than the action itself.
- Think about the lighting. Photography is loosely translated to “writing with light.” Not thinking about light is like a painter not thinking about the color, consistency and quantity of their paints. Photographers need to think about the quantity, direction, color and movement of light. Play with that light. Move it around. Change the color. Make some. Lighting can immediately set a tone, even if we don’t consciously think about it.
- Advisers: Force your photographers to get out of their comfort zone. Advisers are adept at being able to look at a portfolio or breadth of your program’s work and identify the major areas that need addressing. Create fun activities that address this specifically. Photographers not changing up their angle? Require them to take photos of a still life or real-life scene where they can’t take photos at eye level, for example. Not getting close enough? Make them take photos of objects at the closest the focal length will allow. Don’t know how to create activities? Ask other advisers, get books of photo activities (they’re everywhere), ask Google. Google is your friend.
Journalism educator groups are filled with people more than willing to offer up their knowledge to help you and your photographers. Find other advisers who might specialize in your area of need. For example, I don’t need help with teaching settings, basic composition, or writing, but I needed help taking my photographers to the next level.
Student photographers almost always want to do well. They will all have different problems. Figure out what those struggles are and find a way to do something about it.
Green's J-School 