JOUR 3330: Introduction to Photojournalism Instructor: Carolyn Crist Office hours: After class on Mondays or Wednesdays or by appointment Contact: crist77@uga.edu Please observe the following guidelines for this class, which are also available online at visualreporting.info. ATTENDANCE Class attendance is mandatory. In the real world, it is mandatory. Since we meet once a week, this shouldn’t be a problem. Each unexcused absence will result in a five-point (one half letter) grade reduction in your final grade. If you are ill, tell me. Health is important. The absence may or may not be excused, depending on circumstances. If you are struggling in this course or otherwise in life, tell me. Struggles happen, and they are important. Please discuss with me prior to absences. COMMUNICATION Since I’m part-time faculty and own a business elsewhere in town, I don’t have a regular office in the Grady College. However, I am happy to set up a time to talk on campus or off campus, and I’m nearly always tied to my email and phone, as we all are. Get in touch. I will respond as soon as I can. There’s no reason for communication to be an issue, particularly since we’re in the business of communication. CONVENTIONS & CAPTIONS Now is the time to learn a great workflow with your photos, and the visual journalism sequence follows a great system. You’ll be taking tons of photos, and I’ll be critiquing them, so you must follow the conventions we’ll discuss in detail in class. Improperly named files will not be accepted, graded or considered on deadline. In addition, images must have Associated Pressstyle captions that include contact information for you and your sources. DEADLINES Deadline = if you cross said line, you are dead. As in, no grade. This is the ultimate in the news business. When you submit electronically, plan your time for uploads. Submission requirements will be explained in class and should be followed precisely. ETHICS The National Press Photographers Association, the largest organization for visual journalists in the world, has a standard Code of Ethics that you should follow. (In addition to the University of Georgia’s Culture of Honesty.) Most importantly, as journalists, we never cover people or organizations we are associated with — that is a clear conflict of interest. This means friends, family members or co-workers are off limits for subjects. It also means any organization you are involved in, including fraternities, sororities, club sports or student groups, are not allowed. In the professional realm, ethical transgressions can get you fired. In this academic setting, ethical transgressions will result in a zero on that assignment. EQUIPMENT & TEXTBOOK The Department of Journalism requires equipment for this course. Please refer to the list below and have the proper equipment. If you are unsure, let me know. If you run into equipment problems, let me know as soon as possible. A working camera is essential to success in this course. We will use the LIFE Guide to Digital Photography: Everything You Need to Shoot Like the Pros by Joe McNally for our textbook. In addition to the printed edition, there is also an iPad version, which is acceptable (and cheaper). You are required to have your own digital SLR camera that meets the following requirements: • Sensor resolution: 12 megapixel minium • Sensor size: APS-C or full frame • Controls: full manual control over aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus and white balance • File format: JPG • Media: SD or Compact Flash card • Viewfinder: Optical • Lens: 3x normal zoom (approximately 18 mm to 55 mm for an APS-C sensor; 24-75 for a full frame sensor) You will also need a laptop with Adobe Creative Cloud installed. Specifically, you will need Bridge, Photoshop and Premiere Pro. I’ll also recommend you download and install Audacity, which is a free audio editing package. An audio recorder will be helpful later in the semester but not required, your laptop or phone will work for recording a voice track. If you cannot afford these items, the department has a financial need application we can work with to help you out. As this is a shooting class, you must bring your equipment to every meeting. In-class exercises and shooting assignments will happen. Be prepared. GENERAL CLASS DECORUM This is a community. You chose to be here. Let’s make it great for everyone during the time we meet once a week. It’s tough these days to stay off devices, but I expect you to pay attention and engage in class critiques. GOALS Then end goal of this class is for you to learn how to communicate visually, for you to learn to control a camera, to compose an image and to capture a moment that others will understand. • • • • • • • History of photography and visual journalism Visual ethics The digital camera The mechanics of exposure The equivalent exposure Focus and focal lengths Digital workflow • • • • Caption collection and data preservation Composing for an unknown viewer Subject selection Copyright GRADING We’re here to learn, not earn a grade. Because of that, any assignment that is turned in on-time can be redone for a different grade. Redos are due two weeks after the graded work is returned to the class. (The final portfolios are excepted from this policy.) In this class, we’ll put more emphasis on critiques than grades. Here are the assignments: 1. Visual Nouns & Verbs (Due: September 2) 5% 2. 36 Faces (Due: September 16) 5% 3. Depth of Field & Lens Selection (Due: September 23) 5% 4. One Face, One Story (Due: October 7) 15% 5. The News Package (Due: October 28) 15% 6. Features (Due: November 18) 15% 7. Inspiration Project (Due: November 26) 5% 8. The Portfolio (Due: December 12) 25% 9. Quizzes and Participation (As Assigned) 10% Generally, images that fit these guidelines will fall into these grade ranges: A – Professional quality work. Excellent technical execution – sharp, properly exposed and toned. Excellent composition – visual hierarchy is well established, a reader will be able to differentiate the primary subject from foreground and background items. Content is of value to the target audience and hits on the ideals of historical, sociological, psychological and aesthetic standards discussed in class. Well controlled with excellent moments. Flawless captions. B – Journeyman photojournalism. Strong technical execution – sharp, well exposed and toned. Good composition that allows the reader to understand the given subject. Competent storytelling image that is clean and controlled. Good moments that advance the story reported. Adequate captions. C – Entry level photojournalism. Adequate technical execution – sharp, some exposure issues. Problematic composition that struggles to communicate. A “record shot” that accompanies a story but does not offer any insight into the issue or event documented. Problematic captions. D – Not publishable. Poor technical execution – not sharp, improperly exposed or poor toning. Unclear or unorganized composition. Content is not relevant to the target audience. Incomplete captions. F – Not acceptable, not publishable. Major technical issues. Unclear subject matter. Content of no journalistic value. Misspellings or inaccurate captions. Missed deadline. UNIVERSITY POLICY All academic work must meet the standards contained in A Culture of Honesty. Each student is responsible for informing themselves about these standards before performing any academic work. The only reason readers continue to support news organizations is because they believe they are credible. All work done for this course must be your own and done this semester. If you are assisted during a shoot, it is advisable to notify the instructor prior to submission. The ethics of the visual journalist are extremely important and we will use the National Press Photographers Association’s Code of Ethics as a guide. Learn it, live by it. It is very easy, and very tempting, to digitally enhance or retouch your images. If it is suspected that you have retouched an image to alter its meaning or content in any way you will be asked to provide all of the original files from the shoot. If it is found that you have manipulated the image – either digitally or through subject direction – a report will be filed with the Office of the Vice President for Instruction in accordance with the University of Georgia’s Academic Honesty Policy. Failure to provide requested, supporting information or files will result in a grade of zero and notification to the Office of the Vice President for Instruction. Special Needs Students The Disability Resource Center provides academic services to eligible students who have a documented physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more life activities. Students with a disability or health-related issue who need a class accommodation should make an appointment to speak with the instructor as soon as possible. Final note The course syllabus is a general plan for the course. Deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.
