WASHINGTON, DC, 30 September 2010 — Learn to document your story as it moves from one scene to another. Always shoot the journey, be it by foot, car, plane or train. Shoot your character’s feet hitting the pavement, hands on the steering wheel, face in the rear view mirror. Shoot through the windshield for the […]
WASHINGTON, DC, 27 September 2010 — Get accustomed to using the eyepiece instead of the display screen. You’ll be better able to tell when your subject is in focus, especially when there’s a backlight, which is a big issue with many of these hand-held cameras. Keep both eyes open. Otherwise you lose peripheral vision on […]
WASHINGTON, 26 SEPTEMBER 2010 — Backpack journalists use tripods on a very, very limited basis. The whole idea is to cut down on gear, to be mobile and to be unobtrusive. So learn how to turn your body into a tripod. Turn your left hip toward your subject. With your left hand as a base […]
SILVER SPRING, MD, 21 September 2010 — Rachel Ellis, a student in my “Photojournalism and Social Documentary” class at American University’s School of Communication, aims her camera during a field trip to the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in downtown Silver Spring, MD. Another student, Sareen Hairabedian, is in the background. I teach photojournalism as either […]
WASHINGTON, DC, 17 September 2010 — I see backpack journalists standing flat-footed with their feet splayed out in the general direction of their subjects and it makes me cringe. A strong wind could blow them over, much less somebody not paying attention and who just happens to bump into them or, worse, somebody who wants […]
WASHINGTON, DC, 10 September 2010 — Below is the first in a series of Bill Gentile’s Essential Backpack Journalism QuickTips that you may find helpful in the field. I certainly have. Please feel free to send any feedback. Bill Gentile: #1: Hold the Camera Properly You have a left hand largely for one purpose: To […]