Report about report

I would like to talk about the reportage today.

For me, this direction is new. I work as a report photographer from 2014 in a regional newspaper. But it is worthwhile immediately to begin to distinguish between the newspaper reportage and the magazine reportage. For a blog, too, its kind of reportage. They differ in the way they provide information, the number of photos, the message to the viewer. If the newspaper needs to tell about the event with the help of one or two photos, then for the magazine there are no such rigid frames - there, on the contrary, more images are welcomed, with the help of which one can tell a story. In Internet blogs, amount is not limited and you can more accurately and voluminously submit information to the viewer.

Still worth mentioning the limitations. If in the newspaper you depend on the editor and the local administration (photo content is appropriate), then the magazine can go completely opposite in the political direction of the photo. And most importantly - reporting without text is nothing.

Let's move on to the report itself. Take the magazine photo report for the standard.

We have a village Barsukovo, and there is a horse yard in it. Let's try to make a report. Immediately choose the topic: we will shoot about the yard itself (which may not be very interesting), or about a specific person who devotes all his time to horses? Of course about the man.

Our main character, let's call him Andrew, grew up in the countryside and loves horses since childhood.
If there is a protagonist of our reportage, then you need to make his usual portrait (better a few).

If the portrait is talking about his hobbies or profession, it's even better.

Next, you need to shoot the process of communication between Andrew and the horses. Ask him to talk about his work and life in general.

And constantly shoot from different angles. It is clear that the compositional techniques, knowledge and ability to use the camera and exposure should be worked out at the level of intuition.

At once I will say that in the reportage should basically be sharp always and everywhere. In rare cases, blurring of the back or foreground is allowed. You need to collect all objects in the viewfinder and make them work on each other. This, perhaps, is the most difficult. Every detail in the frame is important and affects the perception of the picture.

The direction of the view, the fullness of the frame - everything is important.

Be sure to take a few detailed shots.

Well, the general plans - the place where everything happens. It can be a landscape, a view from above, from afar.

Still need a few photos of the horses themselves - because this is what Andrew likes. They will be sad or funny - it's up to you. And better these and those.

It will be nice if you use any techniques in the photo (geometry, shapes, silhouettes)

So we got a kind of photo-report. It remains to add a text to it. Tell about the most horse yard, the main character, interesting facts from the life of the hero and the horse yard, what problems there are at the moment and do not forget to invite everyone who wants to ride horses.

Let's repeat the basics of the photo report:

• photo of the place where everything happens, general plans
• photo-symbol, essence of history, cover
• strong emotional portrait
• close-ups, details
• photo-action, dynamics of the event

And now try to make your report, find a place, characters in it.