Photojournalist Equipment

[MCDPhoto]

Hello,

I am just about to start my photojournalism course at uni. I am asking people to give me theirs points-of-view on (workable) equipment needed, industry expectations and philosophies and most of all any tips on getting "the perfect shot".


Regards,

MCDP

[MCDPhoto]

Hello,

I am just about to start my photojournalism course at uni. I am asking people to give me theirs points-of-view on (workable) equipment needed, industry expectations and philosophies and most of all any tips on getting "the perfect shot".


Regards,

MCDP

**mod edit - Merged Threads**

[Miaow]

Hi, Merged 2 of your threads and moved them to an area which suited this query a bit better.

[kiwi]

Some VERY wide ranging questions

Tell us about your photography experience first and what sort of PJ work you are talking about - ie general news, sport, fashion, etc etc etc

[Kym]

Don't post the same thing in three forums ! I won't help you and it will annoy other members and the mods ;)

I already replied ... http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showpost.php?p=510405&postcount=3

[MCDPhoto]

Kiwi,

I thought I would cast the net wide! haha. My Photo. experience is brief but a good foundation. No digital yet - but many years ago had a nice relationship with a F-90 35 and a Mamiya 645. Some portraits, fashion, landscapes etc. Shot on mainly Agfa Transperency stock.

MCDP

[MCDPhoto]

Awesome Quote usage......Can you synthesise AA's meaning into your own words and work, thats the real knowledge Im after. Thanks.

[maccaroneski]

David Hobby opf strobist blog fame is a photojournalist, and he has a nice summary here of what he uses, and specifically refers to news photography.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101-traveling-light.html

[MCDPhoto]

Sorry Kym to have been an annoyance and thanks for taking the time to stand me corrected! ;)

[MCDPhoto]

C&C,

Thanks very much, Ill check out the blog and the equip. What are your thoughts on Com. soft/hardware?

MCDP

[kiwi]

what do you mean com soft/hard ?

One if the biggest issues in PJ work today is the convergence of photo and video

Equipment - has to be rugged, trustworthy, and versatile
Skills - eye for the moment, sociable, unflappable and persistent

[oldfart]

and have a very thick skin !!

[Redgum]

and have a very thick skin !!
Have to agree with that. Also good to know how long a piece of string is.
Before you even think of the photographic side you need to study poverty, abuse and deprivation after which a good grounding in business may get you started. When that's done work on your business network and try to get to know people who will buy your work. Remember for every decent job there's a hundred applicants, contract or otherwise. Meantime just go and shoot photos until you know what you can do best and build up your portfolio. At one great shot a year it should only take about 10 years to get started.
That's why all the successful PJ's are oldfarts. :D

[MTV]

I've spent a considerable amount of time with PJ's for some time now and the one recurring theme is "light". In both senses of the word.

For one, you need lenses and gear that will work in as much and as little light as you are likely to find in the field. You rarely have the opportunity to get the subject to stay still or use a tripod so fast zooms are a must. A combo of a fast wide (12-24 f/2.8 or equivalent) and a fast tele (70-200 f/2.8) is the standard here with two bodies so you aren't swapping lenses and wasting time.

Light in the other sense of being easy to carry around. So you don't want a boatload of lenses, flashes, filters, cables etc. On average, PJ's carry two bodies, one pro full-frame (a Nikon D3 or Canon 1D etc) and usually a 'semi-pro' full frame (Nikon D700 etc) as the second. Most of the shooting is done with the fast tele on the 'main' body. With the second body needing to be lighter, reliable, pro-grade and always loaded with that wide zoom. Some PJ's will go the whole hog and use two full size pro bodies, but that's more of a personal preference thing really.

Most guys will also throw a 50 into the bag for super low light handheld shooting as well as a flash if they're going to be out late. Also, big memory cards and lots of em, as well as batteries galore.

HTH!

[wideangle]

It may not seem photo related, but make sure you purchase a Dictaphone because although you may think you just want to take photographs, there will be times when you need to take at least notes for writing up later, or you may find that you need to write a longer story to go with photos as well. This is especially so for freelance work - many magazines/newspapers expect that you have both a written story to go with your photographs.

[kiwi]

It may not seem photo related, but make sure you purchase a Dictaphone because although you may think you just want to take photographs, there will be times when you need to take at least notes for writing up later, or you may find that you need to write a longer story to go with photos as well. This is especially so for freelance work - many magazines/newspapers expect that you have both a written story to go with your photographs.


Great thing about the Nikon D3 is that his has a mic to record notes against a photo

:nlogo:

[Redgum]

Dicta-phones, D3s, how old fashioned. I've got an Mp3 player the size of a USB stick that plays FM, MP3 and also records four hours of voice. Simple ear buds so when I'm not note taking on my photojournalistic adventures I can listen to my chosen music. Oh! It only cost $78 too and can charge from a USB source or its own power supply. It works fine with voice up to about two metres and good enough to include in video news clips.
Plug it into my laptop and convert speech to text on the fly, repeat the cycle ten or twelve times a year and you've saved a fortune. :)

[mikec]

Dicta-phones, D3s, how old fashioned. I've got an Mp3 player the size of a USB stick that plays FM, MP3 and also records four hours of voice. Simple ear buds so when I'm not note taking on my photojournalistic adventures I can listen to my chosen music. Oh! It only cost $78 too and can charge from a USB source or its own power supply. It works fine with voice up to about two metres and good enough to include in video news clips.
Plug it into my laptop and convert speech to text on the fly, repeat the cycle ten or twelve times a year and you've saved a fortune. :)

I'll see your mp3 player and raise with an iPhone, does all that and more.....

[kiwi]

:love39: my iphone

[Redgum]

I'll see your mp3 player and raise with an iPhone, does all that and more.....
Except for Africa, Europe, Asia, South and North America and most places in outback OZ and if you did use an iPhone you couldn't afford the return airfare.
Biggest advantage of the MP3 is after you pay the original $78 the service is free. iPhones are simply a different form of mortgage. No thanks! :)

[kiwi]

iPhone + airplane mode turned on = ipod

[mikec]

Yeah I don't get it? It still works without a signal and will still work like a normal phone if 3G isn't available. It will also still continue to roam to other networks for normal mobile signal OS if you have had that enabled on your service. It's just the data is expensive OS.

I'm frequently outside of normal city phone coverage but as long as there is Telstra coverage I'm fine since my phone will switch to Telstra when I lose the 3 network.

I was never an Apple fan boy but it is seriously a good product, have you played with one?

[Redgum]

Yeah! Often, among other things I'm an IT journalist for APC but I could never work out how to record an interview or notes and answer the phone at the same time. Also not helpful for journos where phones are banned from sensitive interviews, which is often.:confused013

[kiwi]

:th3: good reasons

[mikec]

Ok fair enough, we'll call the Apple hoard off from beating you into submission then :lol: