COVERAGE PLANNING

Planning is essential to good news photography. When you are aware of the subject or event you want to portray, plan the photographic coverage so the story may be told through photographs alone, if necessary. The photographs must have imagination and a professional news touch if the results are to be acceptable to the news media.

Strive for simplicity, interjecting the human element into your photographs. Create impressions, use people and always remember that it is people and what they do in everyday life that make news.

Keep the following tips in mind when you plan coverage of news events:

Tony Giberson 165.3

Figure 12-4. - "Posed" photographs should appear as

if the l action were spontaneous.

Shoot only when you have in mind the type of photograph you intend to take.

Keep the photographs from looking posed. Posed photographs are permissible and for best results, it is often necessary for subjects to pose, but this fact should not be discernible in the finished photograph (fig. 12-4).

Set the stage, place the props for dramatic effect and tell the people what to do and how to look. As we emphasized in Chapter 11, you must be in charge when directing photographic subjects.

Resist the temptation to ask the photographic subject(s) to "hold for one more." Most people will do almost anything required for the first take; thereafter, they lose interest quickly in cooperating with the project, and the photograph ultimately suffers. However, if you feel that for some technical reason you did not get the photograph the first time, do not hesitate to speak up and ask for another shot. Remember, you were sent on the assignment to get pictures, and this is what you are expected to deliver.

Photograph the faces that fit the emotion. A smile or pleasant expression does not show a lack of dignity; it shows that Navy men and women also have fun.

Move in on your subject and make your photographs show the desired action. Seldom, if ever, will you be concerned with sweeping panoramas, unless they tell the story you want told.

Learn as much as you can of the event, the shooting locale and the principles involved before you leave the public affairs office.

Identification

Always record sufficient information so you may properly identify and prepare cutlines for your photograph upon returning to your office. Using a notebook or caption log to record cutline information was covered in Chapter 9. Additionally, you may have an assistant jot down the information or tape record it as you go along.

Shooting Script

Some professional photojournalists plan their shooting with great care, including a complete shooting schedule or script. You should study the script before the assignment and commit it to memory, rather than checking it shot by shot at the scene. Often, you may have to depart from your script when shooting at the scene. You must stay one jump ahead of the action, and when the unexpected occurs, be prepared to make a change - remembering your story angle and objectives.

A good script is usually divided into two parts. The first part is concerned with the general idea of the picture story. All pertinent information, such as names, places, times and contacts are listed in this part. The second part lists the picture ideas and the information pertinent to each shot.

PART ONE. - The research of a photo feature theme is of the utmost importance to the success of any picture story. A firm idea of what is going to be shot and the approach that will be taken is needed before shooting can begin. Therefore, in part one of the shooting script, you should complete the following sections:

l Who - The name of the individual or subject that will be photographed. The job, title and duty responsibilities of the subject should be included, if applicable.

l What - The exact nature of what the subject will be doing in support of the overall theme of the photo feature.

l When - The time and date the subject will be photographed. Make sure the subject will be available at the time specified

l Where - The exact location or locations where the photography will take place. Make sure the specific area will be available at the time indicated.

l Why - Why will this photo feature visually interest your audience? State the reason(s) why the subject will appeal to a given audience. (Planning - List three to seven picture ideas in order of their visual flow.)

l How - List all arrangements that must be made to enable you to carry out the assignment. Include name(s) and telephone number(s) of contact(s) assisting with the event. Also list the photographic equipment (type of camera, lenses and specific lighting accessories) and props you will need.

PART TWO. - Part two of the shooting script should contain a well-planned list and description of, and reasons for, the photographs you determined will best represent the story. For example, if you were doing a picture story on the Navy's flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, one desired photograph might be identified as follows:

SHOT 1: LONG SHOT

INSTRUCTIONS: Aircraft flying in close formation. Shoot with the operations tower in the foreground, from low angle, for perspective.

REASON: To show the reader the precision flying ability of the "Blues" and to identify the location of their performance.

Other planned photographs in the photo feature should be addressed similarly. The following information should be listed for each proposed shot:

l The angle of view (high, low, front, side, back, and etc.)

l The action (implied or actual) expected to take place

l The type of shot (long, medium, close-up or extreme close-up)

l The desired depth of field or point of focus

l Any unusual lighting conditions

Finally, you should storyboard each picture idea to assure a unified picture page with emphasis placed on leading lines, lines of force, framing or rule of thirds. Storyboarding (fig. 12-5) entails sketching out each planned photograph beforehand, giving visual direction to your list of desired shots and numbering the sketches accordingly.

The sketches do not have to be works of art (stick men representing your subjects will suffice), but they should be recognizable as visual descriptions of the planned photographs on your list.

Remember, the shooting script is only a guide for shooting a picture story. With a basic idea of the subject and its importance (accomplished through research), you can better understand the subject and obtain superior results.

Shooting Script Techniques

A good shooting script should include the following techniques:

Change of pace. During the actual shooting session in covering a particular subject, interest must somehow be maintained in the story. Interest can be retained by having a change of pace or variety in the coverage technique used by the photographer. Static coverage of a subject can be eliminated by first understanding the reason for certain types of pictures to be taken, and second, by keeping these points in mind during the script writing and the actual shooting.

Long (perspective) shots. Taken from a distance or with the aid of a wide-angle lens, long shots show the subject in its entirety, relate it to its surroundings and clarufy the relationship of its different components to one another. They are photographs that, at one glance, present many different aspects of a subject that subsequently is further explained in some of the other photographs in the story. This type of photograph

Figure 12-5. - Storyboard.

is best taken from a high vantage point, such as ^{impression the eye receives in reality. They are} _{a roof, scaffold or ladder.} used to show people, objects, things, interiors

and action. Medium shots. Medium shots normally

comprise the bulk of the photographs that make up the picture story. They correspond to the ^{graphs that permit the photographer to show photo12-7} l Close-ups. Close-ups are explanatory

Staff Sgt. Bill Thompson, USAF

Figure 12-6. - Picture sequence in a picture page layout.

important aspects of the subject in greater clarity and detail than would have appeared in reality to an observer. Only in the form of a close-up can a face, pair of hands performing a certain function or small but important object appear monumental, interesting and in proper proportion to its significance to the story.

Horizontal and vertical views. Shoot both horizontal and vertical views of your subject - with the same action portrayed when possible. This provides more latitude when you construct a picture story layout. You can usually crop long shots during the layout process to meet design requirements, but not medium and closeup shots.