NZQA registered unit standard
27624 version 1
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Title
Take photographs for photographic news assignments for
publication
Level
4
Purpose
Credits
5
This unit standard is intended for people studying journalism in
an off-job situation.
People credited with this unit standard are able to: prepare a
digital still camera and take news photographs to meet
photographic news assignment requirements; download,
process and store photographs from a digital still camera and
create captions to meet photographic news assignment
requirements.
Classification
Journalism > Journalism Skills
Available grade
Achieved
Entry information
Recommended skills
and knowledge
Unit 27619, Demonstrate understanding of news writing and
write news stories suitable for community newspapers, internet
and radio.
Explanatory notes
1
This unit standard has been designed for learning and assessment off-job where
scenarios may be used to gather evidence. This standard should not be used as part
of a professional journalism course or qualification.
2
Industry text
– Tully, Jim (ed), Intro: A Beginner's Guide to Professional News Journalism
(Wellington: New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation, 4th edition, 2008).
3
Assessment
– Evidence is required for five photographic news assignments. Each assignment
must include one vertical and one horizontal photograph.
4
Definitions
– captions refer to the words that identify the photograph’s content and names
identifiable subjects;
– a digital still camera refers to a camera that does not take interchangeable lenses.
Digital still cameras range from simple point-and-shoot ones to those with
advanced settings and manual and semi-automatic control;
Competenz
SSB Code 101571
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA registered unit standard
27624 version 1
Page 2 of 3
– news journalism style refers to the standard required for news media outlets to
consider publishing the material. It will recognise standards described in the
industry text and may include but is not limited to newsworthiness; platforms;
reliability, validity and usefulness; news values; introductions (impact,
succinctness); structure (appropriate for story type and platform; arranged
logically); grammar; spelling; punctuation; word selection (jargon and clichés
avoided); attribution (mix of direct and indirect quotes including paraphrasing);
understanding (issues in context, key questions answered); balance; fairness;
media style; language used in news media publications and broadcasting;
– newsworthiness refers to events of sufficient interest or importance to the public to
warrant reporting in the media;
– photographic expectations refer to: focus, contrast, exposure, depth of field, faces
visible, tightly cropped, appropriate resolution for use in publication;
– a photographic news assignment refers to the collection of photographs and the
written words that are compiled for telling the news story;
– reliability, validity and usefulness, when referring to a news source, mean that the
bona fides of the person, organisation or reference are established as a credible,
knowledgeable, accurate and authoritative source.
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Prepare a digital still camera and take news photographs to meet photographic news
assignment requirements.
Evidence requirements
1.1
Camera settings are configured and adjusted according to photographic
situations and in accordance with the manufacturer’s operating manual.
1.2
Photographic news assignments are set up and photographs are taken to meet
photographic expectations.
1.3
Photographs illustrate the news story themes in accordance with news
journalism style.
1.4
Photographs demonstrate technical considerations of news photography for
publication.
Range
includes but is not limited to – lighting, focus, composition of
subject, clarity of subject.
Outcome 2
Download, process and store photographs from a digital still camera and create captions
to meet photographic news assignment requirements.
Evidence requirements
2.1
Photographs are downloaded from the camera and viewed on a computer
monitor.
Competenz
SSB Code 101571
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA registered unit standard
2.2
27624 version 1
Page 3 of 3
Photographs are selected to illustrate the news story in accordance with news
journalism style.
includes – verticals, horizontals;
may include – headshots, group shots, wide shots, close-ups.
Range
2.3
Photographs are digitally adjusted to meet publication requirements.
2.4
Photographs are saved, appropriately named for retrieval, and stored in
accordance with training establishment practices, and camera memory is
cleared.
2.5
Complementary captions are created and the photographs, captions and
relevant stories are stored in accordance with training establishment practices.
Planned review date
31 December 2016
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process
Version Date
Last Date for Assessment
Registration
1
19 January 2012
N/A
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference
0002
This CMR can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA,
before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses
of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by
NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and
which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that
applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies
to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The
CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing
to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors
and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Comments on this unit standard
Please contact Competenz info@competenz.org.nz if you wish to suggest changes to the
content of this unit standard.
Competenz
SSB Code 101571
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016