March 3, 2011 - 4:29pm
Monday's Message: The Perfect Balance
BY JAKE FROMM
- Terra Molengraff/Daily
One of the most interesting aspects of photojournalism (at least in my opinion) is the relationship between photographer and subject. There is no uniform description or guideline that dictates how engaged the photographer should be in any given situation. However, with some experience and intuition, it is possible to improve the overall quality of a shoot by understanding what amount of involvement will lead to the best photographs.
To better explain what I mean, I'll use two of today's shoots. This week's Michigan Myth is about students walking on the M. I wanted to get a natural shot of someone either stepping on or walking past the M; knowing this, I assumed that kneeling down right in the middle of the diag and taking an up-close shot of the M would cause passers-by to avoid the area. Essentially, my presence would cause people to do exactly what I did not want them to. To appropriately remove myself from the situation, I brought a 70-200mm lens and stood relatively far away from the M - the subject of this shoot. Because my presence was not blatant or intrusive, people ignored me and walked all over the M (shame on them!). In this case, disengaging from the subject allowed for more natural shots.
Our feature photo, taken at an "Ugly Sweater" party in Angell Hall, presented a very different opportunity. This feature allowed for personal, exciting shots that included color and emotion. To get the best shot, it was necessary to get up-close and personal with the subjects. Standing far away would have resulted in a detached, uninteresting photograph.
Depending on the situation, it is important to have an understanding of the appropriate amount of interaction between photographer and subject. This balance can be hard to decipher, but can become a very useful tool for improving the quality of your photographs.
