Photojournalism

Journalism is a broad field with various specializations like sports, film and television, photo, print etc. Of these, one of the leading streams today is photojournalism. It is an integral part of journalism as photographs play a vital role in depicting events. Initially, the term 'photojournalism' was restricted to still photography, but its scope has now widened and photo journalists even shoot videos to come up with a good news item/ feature. Photojournalism involves application of photography skills and aesthetics to the area of news reporting and journalism. In other words, it is the practice of creating images in order to tell a news story. It includes collecting, editing and presenting of news material (pictures) for publication or broadcast to the news media like newspapers, magazines, television channels, websites and other journals. At times, a single photograph can convey a news story of thousand words. It is the skill of the photojournalist to take photos with such impact. Photojournalists are visual reporters who click photographs at events that makes news. He is a photographer who is able to tell a story with pictures, or contribute pictures to compliment a news story. Photo journalists may work side by side with a reporter to decide which photographs will accompany an article. A journalist can write about an event or news, as elaborately or in a highly emotional manner as possible, but if it is accompanied by a photograph the subject matter is much communicable to the readers or viewers than a news without images. That explains the worth of photographs in news reporting. Eligibility Educational Photojournalism is taught in most institutes as part of curriculum of a Bachelor's degree or Post-Graduate degree in journalism/mass communication. Hence those interested in this field need to pursue a course with specialisation in photojournalism. There are separate courses for photo journalism offered at certificate and diploma level. Minimum eligibility for Bachelor degree in Journalism or mass media is 10+2, and for Post graduate degree courses is a Bachelor degree in journalism. Some institutes also provide one year certificate courses in photojournalism for which eligibility is 10+2. Course in photojournalism covers reporting and drawing, camera operation and lighting, digital imaging, video capture, computer based image processing etc. Personal attributes Main attribute required for a candidate interested in this field is photography and editorial skills. Aspirants in this field also need a keen eye for aesthetic detail, and a thorough knowledge of cameras and the technicalities involved in taking pictures, of light, distance and perspective. One must have extra qualities like an interest in visuals, an attentiveness to colour, shape and shadow. Apart from these, candidates require creativity, good power of observation and a curious and perceptive mind. They must also have the ability to work quickly under pressure, in difficult conditions and irregular hours. He/She should be updated on how to use modern gadgets like digital camera and other software in order to develop quality photographs.