When a photograph does not have news or human interest value, the chance of the photograph being published is slim. Human interest value is almost impossible to measure. The best indicator to determine whether a photograph has human interest is your own emotions. When the photograph affects your emotions or arouses your curiosity, it most probably will do the same for other people.

IMPACT

The emotional stopping power of a photograph is "impact." Impact in a photograph should produce some kind of emotional shock to the viewer. There are no rules for consistently producing photographs that have impact. To create impact, a photographer should be sensitive toward the subject matter and be able to feel the emotion that you intend to convey to a viewer. The difference between photographs with and without impact is usually determined by whether the photographer reacted emotionally to the subject matter or was indifferent and took the picture as just another assignment. Most subject matter does not have inherent impact. Therefore, you, as the photojournalist, must often create it. Impact can be created through cropping, recording peak action, composition, contrasting subject matter, and other photographic techniques.

PHOTOGRAPHIC QUALITY

The news photograph should tell a story and the subject matter should be identifiable. This is not to say that the image must always be sharp and without grain. (This does not mean you can be careless in your work.) These "imperfections" sometimes enhance a photograph and, depending on the subject matter, can provide impact. In news photography, you may not have control over the position of the subject matter, lighting, or even your own position. It is possible that the action of an event may unfold so rapidly that the only choice you have is to aim the camera and shoot. Thus the only control you may have is the instant that you take the exposure. Although the ideal scene conditions may not exist, your film may be the only record of an event. To return from a news assignment without recording the event because of undesirable scene conditions is gross neglect of duty.

Whenever possible, fill the film format with the subject matter. You can do this by either moving farther from or closer to the scene or by using lenses with different focal lengths. Vary the camera angles and do not stand in one position using the same focal-length lens to shoot an entire assignment.

For reproduction purposes in a newspaper or magazine, a photograph should have normal contrast, contain a good range of intermediate tones, and be printed on a glossy-surface paper. When a photograph has large shadows or highlight areas, image detail may be lost in these areas when the photograph is reproduced.

Editors of publications think in terms of column width for photograph size. Column width in a newspaper is about 2 inches; therefore, when you compose news photographs for publication, keep this dimension in mind. A photograph should be croppable so it fits into one or more full columns.

ACCURATE INFORMATION

A vital part of a news assignment is the written information that accompanies the photographs. Excellent photographs with tremendous impact could go unused if you do not provide adequate identifying information. Take a notebook with you on each assignment and write down information to answer the following questions:

What was the event that took place?

Who was involved in the event? Write down the names in correct order (from the left) as the people appear in the photograph. Do not hesitate to ask for correct spelling of people's names. Titles or positions of people should also be obtained.

Where did the event take place?

When did the event take place? Write down the time and date.

Why did the event take place?

How did the event take place? When these questions are answered, a news photograph has adequate accompanying identification.

FEATURE ASSIGNMENTS

Feature assignments and accompanying text can be divided into categories of feature picture, picture sequence, picture story, and picture essay.

Because speed in publishing a feature assignment is not usually a critical factor, a more in-depth report of an event or story is possible. Ideally, before starting a feature assignment, you should compile a shooting script. A shooting script is a written guide for planning the coverage of a story. The picture ideas in a shooting script are ideas only. They should not repress the photographer shooting photographs. Seldom are the ideas in a script identical to the actual photographs. A script allows you to previsualize an entire feature story. Important aspects are emphasized because you have already pinpointed the main features you plan to cover. To plan an effective shooting script, you must research the subject matter thoroughly.

Research is gathering facts on the history, present-day proceedings, and intended projections of the subject matter that you plan to feature. This may involve trips to the library, checking your own files, interviewing people, and so on. It is difficult to create a picture story that stirs emotions when you know nothing about the subject. With research, you should acquire an insight on the subject that helps you to present an effective in-depth story.

On any assignment, you should be aware of potential "spin-off" stories. Concentrate on the assignment for which you were tasked, but write down ideas or "leads" to new stories.