Activity 4: In the picture

Have a look at some of the pictures on the World Press website. Choose two or three and answer these questions about each one:

Who (or what) is the subject?

What is the 'story here?
What else is in the photograph?
What do you learn from this photograph?

How do you think the photographer got this shot?

Photo one:

Who (or what) is the subject?

Starving, running, crying children. One of whom is completely naked.

What is the 'story here?

The story is one about a war torn country and refugee children. The reason I believe this is because the children are running from armed soldiers.

What else is in the photograph?

In the background is a small village and there are armed soldiers that the children seem to be running from.

What do you learn from this photograph?

That there is a war being waged and that they are preying on small villages. There are also refugees, in the photo they are all screaming children.

How do you think the photographer got this shot?

Stood in front of the running children and the soldiers then took the picture.

Photo 2:

What (or who) is in this photograph?

A little boy, about the age of six or seven, smiling innocently at the camera, while he carries an AK-47 over his shoulder.

What is the 'story' here?

The story is showing the reality of child soldiers. In some parts of the world children as young as seven carry weapons and guns and fight in a war that is not theirs to fight.

What else is in the photograph?

Just an image of a wall. The photographer had a medium-close-up shot off the boys face.

What do you learn from this photograph?

That children who should be in school learning to read and do their abc's are carrying guns and killing people.

How do you think this photographer got the shot?

They went up to them and said 'say cheese'

Photo 3:
Who (or what) is the subject?
An ape tied to a lattice structure of bamboo.

What is the 'story here?
The ape could be sacrificial and they are going to throw him into a volcano or something.

What else is in the photograph?
A long line of people following the ape and the 15 people carrying him

What do you learn from this photograph?
It takes 15 people to carry a live, fully grown ape.

How do you think the photographer got this shot?
Got told there was going to be a sacrificial march and he waited until they started walking up the hill and took a picture as the ape went underneath him.

Choose three of your own photographs and include them in your blog or folder. Now think about different types of photography and answer these questions:
What is the difference between personal photography and photojournalism?
Personal photography is more relaxed. There isn't really as much pressure on the photographer to get a good picture. Photojournalism is very professional and has quite strict regulations on what is an acceptable picture and what isn't.

What do professional photographers tend to pay attention to that amateurs do not?
Whether the picture is going to be acceptable and usable in a newspaper. What kind of shot they are going to take; close up, mid-shot etc.

What makes a photo good? What makes a photo great?
If the photo relates to the story and/or tells a story of its own. If it attracts attention to an article. If it a fair representation of a view, people, or activity.