Photojournalism Practice I BPH302

Course CodeBPH302
Fee CodeS1
Duration (approx)100 hours
QualificationTo obtain formal documentation the optional exam(s) must be completed which will incur an additional fee of $36. Alternatively, a letter of completion may be requested.

Study and Work in Photojournalism - Distance Education Course

Course Aim 

To improve your understanding of ethical and social issues involved with photojournalism and develop your ability to take photographs to specification, submitting those images for publication in a periodical (ie. newspaper, magazine or e-zine). 

 

Prerequisites

• Knowledge and experience in photography
• Medium level computer skills, or higher.

Lesson Structure

There are 11 lessons in this course:

  1. A Short History of Photojournalism
    • Overview
    • History of photojournalism
    • Famous photographers
    • Margaret Bourke-White
    • Gordon Parks
    • Diane Arbus
    • Nick Ut
    • Larry Burrows
  2. Ethics and Photojournalism
    • Hypothetical
    • What is ethics
    • Schools of Philosophy
    • Utilitarianism
    • Rationalism
    • Humanism
    • Kant
    • Socratese
    • Other philosophers
    • Digital manipulation and ethics
    • How wthical is digital manipulation
    • Real life
    • Codes of ethics
    • Guidelines for making ethical decisions
    • Ethics in practice
  3. What Should I Photograph?
    • Composition
    • Things to consider
    • Camera techniques to help with composition
    • Principles of photographic composition
    • Qualities of the components
    • Effects of different angles on the subject
    • Legal issues
  4. How Should I Photograph It?
    • Terms to learn and understand
    • Depth of field
    • Digital vs conventional photography
    • Shutter speed
    • Development of photographic style
    • Equipment and materials
    • Sensiometry
    • Lighting
  5. Photo Stories / Editing Images
    • Overview
    • Ethics of digital manipulation
    • Controversy of fairy photos
    • Correctly interpreting photos
  6. Publishing Opportunities
    • Overview
    • Portfolio
    • Online portfolio
    • Direct portfolios
    • Slide portfolios
    • Using flash
    • Music
    • Standing out
    • Writing a cover letter/email
    • Your resum/CV
    • Creating a job hunt database
    • How to get work
    • How to find a job
    • What type of clients do you want
  7. Working to Specification / Problem Based Learning
    • Overview
    • Photography specifications
    • Consistency
    • PBL Project to develop and draft submission specifications for an electronic publication and then shoot a photo story which meets these specifications. You firstly need to identify two possible subjects for a photo story for that publication, and then follow one of these stories for an extended period of time. You will then select and edit your images - to meet the specifications created for that publication.
  8. Publishing Using Online Management Systems
    • Types of digital files
    • Publishing online
  9. Taking Photos and Submitting Images
    • Portraiture vs photojournalsm
    • Sports photography
    • Freezing action
    • Blurring movement
    • Panning
    • Sports photography using a digital SLR
    • Photographing an event
    • Submitting images for publication
  10. Writing Articles and Captions to Accompany Your Image
    • Overview
    • Sentences and phrases
    • Writing effective sentences
    • Choosing effective words
    • Paragraphs
    • Punctuation
    • Newsworthy articles
    • News values
    • Storyline
    • Writing a news article
    • Writing captions
  11. Revising Submitted Work
    • Overview
    • Tips to improve your work

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

  • Discuss the nature and scope of photojournalism
  • Explore the issues of ethics in photojournalism and develop an understanding of your own biases.
  • Explore the composition of photographs and associated legal issues.
  • Revise basic terms used in photojournalism.
  • Explain the photo story and the effect of editing and placement on the meaning of an image.
  • Research International web sites for publishing and looking at work
  • Explain publishing specifications, and apply that understanding to specific photography tasks.
  • Develop an understanding of online management systems.
  • Improve your Photography Style and submitting images for publication
  • Develop your writing abilities to accompany your images.
  • Revise your Submitted Work

Under guidance of a mentor (a photography/ journalism tutor), you will learn to produce images to specific criteria and upload them to an online student magazine.

You will come away with at least one published photo story and possibly an accompanying article.  

No matter what you want to photograph, you will find this a great learning experience.

VALUE OF THIS COURSE


With so many would-be photographers around, publishers can afford to be very choosy.  Most will only accept work from photographers who have already been published, but getting that first work published can be a daunting and difficult task. Many very good photographers just never get published at all. 

This module provides our students with just what they need: an opportunity to get work published.

On graduation, you will have at least one photograph published (ideally more) in an online publication that you can show to potential employers, which will increase your chances of being employed or published in future.

An average student can successfully complete this course in 100 hours.

If you pace yourself and spend that amount of time, you will probably be working to an expected level.  You may spend more or less time, as this is a general guideline only.


 
 
 




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