Week 4 was focused on picture stories, tying in nicely with one of my other subjects, Introduction to Visual Communication. It’s amazing how all of my subjects, barring Popular Music, are all linked in some way. Obviously there are many different aspects to being a good journalist and reporter.
For as long as there have been stories, there have been pictures. Indigenous Australian’s cave paintings, French cave paintings dating as far back as 15,000 B.C. The allegory of the ‘shadows on the cave wall’ by Plato was very interesting. It was rather funny when placed next to the family in front of the television set and reminded me a lot of ‘reality television’, or a rather more intelligent example might be the film The Truman Show. I was also struck by how Religion used pictures. Throughout Bibles and in Churches there were strikingly beautiful illustrations and decorations, certainly a good way of influencing their ‘flock’. Below is a photo of the lead singer of The Vines one of my favourite and, I believe, most under rated Australian bands. I think the photo was taken at the start of their career when there was huge hype around them and Craig Nicholls was labelled the 'Messiah of Rock'. It has always stuck in my mind because I think it is a rather striking image and an interesting take on how magazines, in this case NME (self-proclaimed Bible of Music), will report on bands in a reverential way.
The use of photo-shopping by magazines and publishers seems to be harking back to the way Religion could influence their followers by controlling what people see. I personally don’t read many fashion magazines, so though I was of course aware of photo-shopping, I didn’t realise the extent to which it’s done, or how much technology can change images. I must admit I do find it a bit unsettling and it has probably made me question what I see more and more. Though the flipside to that is photo journalism now produces amazing images, images that years ago would have been blurry couldn't be used. The picture of the London Riots is a great example.
But as much as technology has advanced, the basic principles of a great photo are still the same; framing, focus, angle & point of view, exposure (light), timing (shutter speed) and capturing ‘the moment’. The photos on the slides were stunning. The photo of the School Shooting Aftermath in particular stood out for me; it was an absolutely stunning image.
Once again, the rise of social media in reporting was highlighted to us, including the use of social networking in organising and orchestrating the Arab Spring.
With the 24-7 newscycle of the 21st Century there is always something happening now. Pictures and moving pictures are more important as a news medium, but, “a picture has no meaning at all if it can’t tell a story” Eetu Sillanpaa says. Very true, and important to remember. Following the lecture I googled Eetu Sillanpaa to see some of his other pictures. I chose to share this one below because it tells a story and it uses the elements of taking a great photo that we were taught about during the lecture. The lighting and POV in particular are lovely. I also read an interview with him about the photo of the young girls following the school shooting. It was very interesting, and I was struck when he said he select a technically inferior photograph if it is better at telling a story. Great advice. 
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