When should you use a flash, inside or outside? Would it surprise you that I use the flash more often outside than most people?

Compare this photo without a flash of the couple exchanging vows to celebrate their 25 years of marriage—no flash in this photo.

Now, having a flash of the camera could put some light on the husband’s face.

You see, outside, you get some sunlight that will create harsh shadows. Off-camera flash lets you put the light where it needs to be.

Often outside, like at this party, the background is so bright, and the people are in the shade. Without a flash, you would have blown out the background and very flat light on their faces.

In this group photo, I have the flashes off at 45º from my camera, which lets me improve the faces’ light.

I find that an off-camera flash at 45º to 90º creates three dimensions to an object.

I also take photos without the flash outside. Knowing when to use a flash and when not to use one is good. Sometimes the image can look great both ways, with and without a flash.

I recommend you try using off-camera flash outside. See what it can do for your photos.

Here is the Godox flash system I use and tips on using it.

This time of year, we are supposed to have the temperature drop and autumn set in, but today the low in my area was 51º, and the high of 76º Fahrenheit.

I drove up to Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground, Georgia, to see if Mother Nature painted the treetops in vibrant red, orange, and gold hues.

While the foliage isn’t widespread, I could isolate some colors.

Here are some of the colors I captured today. Enjoy!

Why?

Well, there are many “WHY?” questions when it comes to communication. One that I am discovering is not asked enough is, “Why should the audience care?”

Most organizations want to communicate with an audience to get that audience to help them. But the most obvious question they are missing is the WIIFM question. What’s In It For Me?

WIIFM is the stuff that shows how or why what you have to sell or say matters to those to who you are trying to sell or say it too. It’s the value proposition, the thing that makes them realize that what you’re offering is worth their money or their time.

I think most people think they have something important and that everyone will want to know.

The latest group of missionaries I worked with thought that churches should see their role as supporting them.

Now in consulting missionaries trying to connect with their supporters back home I had to remind them about WIIFM.

So, never forget that relationship building comes BEFORE favor asking. And there has to be a much bigger and better WIIFM when you approach people cold, without a solid relationship.

That said, sometimes people will offer favors if they are charmed by you, like you, or are just in a good mood. But given how overwhelmed most people are these days, they usually appreciate and respond well to clear propositions with a straightforward action attached—and a benefit. Otherwise, you just become part of the noise.

For the journalist, WIIFM is the stuff that shows how or why what you have to say matters to those to who you are trying to say it.

Spending time in Lima, Peru, this week has proven helpful. We could answer all the people’s questions later when we come back with 12 students and all the instructors.

We covered what we are doing each day and how the team is helping us interview the people they recommended for stories.

We went to the presidential palace to see about this being where we would bring the group for an outing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcwiTx1Ho_U

At this moment, we still have like one spot left.

Go to Storytellers Abroad to see how to register and come with us to Peru.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDrXTq_lvGE

Jon Stone is a professor at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Lima, Peru, and also one of those hosting the Storytellers Abroad team in January.

This is a must-visit for those interested in the early culture and how Christianity made its way to Peru. The Cathedral is beautifully designed, exterior and interior with natural skylights, and has a lovely garden within its compound. One of the most extensive libraries in Peru – a 2 tier, balconied library with spiral staircases that look very much like the movie of Harry Potter.

The highlight of the visit is to the underground catacombs – up to 3 different basement tiers, and you would need a guide to bring you through. The catacombs served as a burial place for all in that era, i.e., the rich, the poor, and the priests, and the bones and esp skulls are arranged in neat rows of up to some 70,000 dead.

Larcomar is located on Avenida Jose Larco, along the cliff next to the ocean (mar means ‘sea’ in Spanish), thus the name Larcomar.

Just one block from the big roundabout in Miraflores, you find Av. Petit Thouars. On blocks, 52 to 55 are many artisan markets selling nearly everything Peruvian craftsmanship. You get the typical souvenirs, nice artisan craftworks, beautiful silver jewelry and other silverware, clothes made of Peru’s famous alpaca, funny T-Shirts, pottery, paintings, wooden pieces, and much more from all over Peru.

Traditional Peruvian clothing and products, from shoes to tote bags, are made of bright, bold textiles.

The traditional Peruvian art form, known as ‘mates burilados,’ dates back 3,500 years.  The gourds tell a story of the customs, culture, people, history, and animals.  Hang them from a Christmas tree or use them as a decorative piece around your home.

Editor note: we still have two slots available for this trip in January. Go to Storytellers Abroad to see how to register and come with us to Peru.

Lima, Peru, is a desert. The weather patterns for South America generally move from East to West. Most of the moisture gets helped up in the Andes Mountains. The Andes is the most extended continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America.

There is a haze over the city due to so much dust from the desert.

People find places all over the area to build. Some rooms have some buildings similar to squatters in the United States. They make housing without plumbing and electricity.

During this trip, we are talking to the locals and our hosts for our Storytellers Abroad trip this January.  We are visiting some possible locations where our students will be doing stories. We are doing this to see any potential issues we may need to plan around.

We have visited the location we will use as the classroom part of the workshop.

Simple things like planning for power strips, projectors, sound, food, and where we are staying are all being looked at and planned for in this trip.

We are asking security questions about is it safe to walk with cameras from where we are staying to the classroom each day?

John’s credit card company sent him a promotion to eat at his favorite steak restaurant for 50% off. This place would likely be too expensive later for the class, but we love steak and a good deal.

The food was outstanding.

Today we will meet with their team and visit the prenatal clinic they started to help pregnant mothers.

Anyone doing a story must plan. You need to know how you will get places and if the people are available and willing to participate in the story process.

Today we will talk to those helping us identify stories to be sure those subjects will be available when we return for us to follow them for three to five days solid.

We are also planning for the transportation of how we will get all 12 students to each of their stories and who will help them also with the translation during their interviews. We have four people coming on the trip who speak Spanish, but the rest will need translators.

Today we have to help get everyone to see these stories as the stories “WE” want to tell together. The subject, the translator, the transportation, the storyteller, the caterer, and more are all helping make these stories come alive.

We are still exploring today and tomorrow. The more we prepare to do a story, the better the story will be for the audience.

Every time I review images I have taken to see if I can update my website. I have found fewer “Portfolio” ideas when I pull from assignment work.

What do I want to put on my website?

Often I shoot things that are just important to me. They are actual photos you would put in your journal.

People are not always hiring photographers to document everything, but I see the value in it for no one else but me. I love to look back and remember what I have done and seen.

For example, I took a helicopter ride this year over the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. This is so different than what I shoot most of the time.

I do many headshots like these actors studying at Columbus State University each year.

As every parent, I love doing things with our children. Making my daughter’s headshot for her to use in her career as an actress brings me great joy.

While this isn’t a soccer game photo, I do find myself making interesting sports photos. So who will hire you to shoot this? Should this be on my website?

How about a group photo? Well, many people do hire me to do team photos of their co-workers and, yes, sports teams as well.

Clients also hire me to photograph new things their company is doing. For example, Chick-fil-A started using canopies to help protect their team members, which helped speed up the drive-thru by being outside taking orders.

Do you put things on your website that are more of a trend? For example, many offices are renovating to the open office space design.

The biggest issue now facing corporate America is the lack of employees. The industry refers to this as attracting talent.

Companies are also trying to be sure they communicate their culture.

So this year, I captured some fun things as well for clients. Do they belong in a portfolio?

While fireworks are fun to see, would anyone hire me to shoot any for them?

I got a lot of likes for this photo on my Instagram account, but does this go into my website to help me get jobs?

This year, I took an afternoon to go and explore the Old Car City in White, GA. I got some fantastic shots. Again many people liked them on Instagram, so does this mean they go into my website portfolio?

I can see companies hiring me to shoot photos of their properties. They do want to remind people how to find them.

Now speakers at podiums lit by stage lighting are not that difficult to do, but should they be part of my portfolio? Can people figure out that those skills often transfer to something else if I can do one type of photography?

People are often more interested in the photos themselves, and if I have enough compelling images, I might get a call to shoot their event.

So how many images is enough? How many photos of events should I post?

What will draw people to my website?

I can tell you these are the thoughts of not just me but every photographer working today in this profession.

What do you think? Do any of these photos need to be on my website as part of my portfolio? Should some never be in my portfolio?

“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough”

– Robert Capa

This year I have been teaching Intro to Photojournalism. This is the first photography course for many of the students.

For many in the class, this is their first time taking pictures for an assignment. For most of the photos look a lot like this photo here.

Now, when you and I look at the photo, we see a BBQ Grill. They know the fireman.

I comment on their photo that they need to get closer. So the next round of shots looks more like this photo.

While this is a much-improved photo, my comments are still “Get Closer.”

Then we end up with this photo.

They have now switched to their telephoto lens. They are still not close enough. Again I am saying in my comments to get closer.

So instead of shooting with their zoom telephoto lens at 55mm, they zoomed in to 200mm.

I talk to them about getting closer with their wide-angle lenses.

This is what I show them and talk more to them about.

I want them to understand that getting close means moving their feet until they are right next to the subject. You would converse with them from a distance over a cup of coffee.

Why am I afraid of talking to people while at the same time I wish to speak with someone?

For the introvert, you are being held back because you are worried about being judged or don’t know what to say or … well, for any reason. Here is an insight that you need to know. You will discover, without realizing, that people you talk to are worried about the same things you are and feel just as afraid; they just might not show it. You are not alone.

I’m introverted at heart, but that doesn’t mean I have to be shy. The two are pretty different and realizing that shyness is a habit that can be broken was a big first step in understanding that I can develop social skills.

Realize it isn’t all about you. The trick I learned through the years was to focus on the other person. Make them the center of attention.

Instead of hiding behind texting or emails, go down the hall and talk to that person’s face to face.

The ice breaker was calm about having a camera and being on an assignment. Telling them, I am on a project and would love to feature them in a photo and tell their story worked most of the time.

I also learned that once I talked to someone and got to know them, I was now “Close Enough” to shoot with a wide-angle lens, and the photos were much better.

I would then take photos with those wider lenses and slowly move back to shooting with a moderate telephoto lens. For my full-frame Nikon D5, that go-to lens is the Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8 lens for a portrait.

Most students have an 18-55mm lens on a cropped sensor camera. So here is me using the same lens as they have on a similar cropped sensor. I am showing you how to shoot from wide to close as you back out. The other thing I want them to do is to walk around the subject and shoot them from different angles.

Now, this is the moving around the subject. I am looking for an exciting and captivating image.

Now when shooting from the back, I try my best to show their face still. Sometimes it might work without their face.

Now go to the other side and see what that looks like.

Now zoom in and get a tighter shot.

Move again and shoot more images.

When shooting an event, I do this exercise over and over and over again. I want to have at least 10 to 30 images, of which I will pick only one of them for the photo story package.

“Spray and Pray” is a common phrase associated with the practice of shooting rapid fire, as many images as possible, and then hoping and praying that you’ve got something good. That approach rarely works. Notice in these examples I am moving and taking a couple of frames.

There are a couple of times where a motor drive can help. In those cases, such as photographing things like sports, doing panning shots, or anything with action like birds or wildlife – shooting in burst mode, and taking multiple frames at a time, will likely help you get some good images.

I have found that trying to get your first photo to be the one you want is much better than just starting to fire randomly and then picking an image later.

I suggest slowing down and taking fewer photos than the “Spray and Pray” mode. I am always looking.

When you are starting, it is better to overshoot. It would help if you pushed yourself early and became more aware of what will and will not work. You will find yourself walking around the subject, exploring and picking moments and compositions.

While covering the Transgender Parade, which is part of Atlanta Pride events, I watched as the people in the parade were reacting to each other like a family reunion.

I found everyone that I talked to very open. I needed to get their information for writing captions for the photos I was taking.

Emily Graven, a UGA Photojournalism student, was shadowing me for the day. We met with Robin Rayne, who has been covering this event for many years, getting some tips.

In looking for stories, we spend time talking with people. When we have done an excellent job of building relationships with people, they will come out of their shells.

Being present with people is very important in being a good photojournalist. This means you listen, laying down our defensiveness and agendas and offering empathy instead.

The most courageous thing we can do is listen. The bravest thing we can do is to stand with them.

I had learned about the concept of the ministry of presence through some pastoral counseling sessions and a great deal more when my wife was a chaplain at the VA hospital.

The ministry of presence is a way of “being” rather than of “doing” or “telling.”

My undergraduate degree was a B.S. in social work. It was this training that helped me be a better photojournalist. That, coupled with my pastoral classes in seminary, taught me how to prepare to be with others suffering is not to think about what to say or do. We are not anticipating how to react to certain situations that might develop.

We prepare by being present in the moment–The NOW.

To maintain objectivity in journalism, journalists should present the facts whether or not they like or agree with them. Objective reporting is meant to portray issues and events in a neutral and unbiased manner, regardless of the writer’s opinion or personal beliefs.

Now when I show up anywhere, I am bringing all of me to that place. My faith is one of the most incredible things to change my life. When I read my bible, I do not condemn others; I use it to help change me. Through the years, the scriptures have challenged me in ways that have helped me become a better journalist.

23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Matthew 1:23 

When telling the story of Jesus, the Bible talks about the birth of Christ and him being called Immanuel. In most of the Bibles I have, they have in parenthesis what Immanuel means. “God with us.”

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:35

The scripture points out that we are to be like Christ to others. We are to “be” with others.

As journalists, we also need to learn to “be” with others. This is where you are there to listen. You ask them questions to understand them. You ask for their stories.

I don’t want to hear, “If Truth be told.” This means they feel somewhat uncomfortable.

I mention that because many people feel they must be guarded. They don’t believe people will believe them and use their words against them.

My mentor Howard Chapnick wrote a book whose title alone says what the power of photojournalism is all about–Truth Needs No Ally.

TRUTH is the rock foundation of every great character. It is loyalty to the right as we see it; it is the courageous living of our lives in harmony with our ideals; it is always—power.

I challenge you to learn to “be” with others today. Learn to listen. One of the most complex parts of doing this correctly is not letting someone’s comment have you thinking about a reply. Truth comes when we hear with the intent to understand.

Eugene Richards

He is a photographer, writer, and filmmaker born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1944. After graduating from Northeastern University with a degree in English, he studied photography with Minor White. In 1968, he joined VISTA, Volunteers in Service to America, a government program established as an arm of the so-called” War on Poverty.”  Following a year and a half in eastern Arkansas, Richards helped found a social service organization and a community newspaper, Many Voices, which reported on black political action and the Ku Klux Klan.  Photographs he made during these four years were published in his first monograph, Few Comforts or Surprises: The Arkansas Delta.

Gary S. Chapman

Because impacting lives matters, Gary helps organizations tell their stories visually. He has covered humanitarian stories in more than 70 countries worldwide, assisting groups in creating awareness, expressing their vision, and building their community. You can trust him to bring an honest, photojournalistic approach to your commercial, corporate, editorial, or non-profit assignments.

William Albert Allard

The son of a Swedish immigrant, William Albert Allard studied at the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts and the University of Minnesota with the hope of becoming a writer. He enrolled in the journalism program after only a year to transfer to the University of Minnesota. He graduated in 1964 with a double major in journalism and photography…

Looking for work in the field of photojournalism, Allard met Robert Gilka, then National Geographic’s director of photography, while in Washington, D.C., and was offered an internship. His most notable work as an intern included his photographs of the Amish for an article entitled “Amish Folk: Plainest of Pennsylvania’s Plain People”(published in August 1965). It is said to be regarded as a landmark in the photographic evolution of National Geographic. His work led to a full-time position with the magazine.

Randy Olson

Randy’s 30+ National Geographic projects have taken him to almost every continent. National Geographic Society published a book of his work in 2011 in their Masters of Photography series. Olson was the Magazine Photographer of the Year in the 2003 Pictures of the Year International (POYi) competition. It was also awarded POYi’s Newspaper Photographer of the Year in 1991—one of only two photographers to win in both media in the largest photojournalism contest operating continuously since World War II.

Lynsey Addario

An American photojournalist, Lynsey, takes us through the raw nooks and corners of the world with her photographs, building a visually pleasureful experience for us to witness the world through her eyes.

Ed Kashi

Documenting the ongoing mayhem in Syria, Kashi, a photojournalist, filmmaker, and lecturer, through his Instagram, portrays the world of Syrian refugees, oozing emotions and getting us up, close, and personal with their misery amongst the others.

Robin Rayne

Documentary photojournalist, filmmaker, and writer. A unique perspective on society.

Joanna B. Pinneo

Ted Scripps Fellow, Environmental communications, mentor, and instructor Joanna Pinneo’s photos tell stories with tenderness & insight.

DAVID TURNLEY

The winner of the Pulitzer Prize is Inspired by Family, Passion, Love, Purpose, Respect, and Dignity as he Photographs around the World!

Peter Turnley

Peter Turnley is renowned for his photography of the realities of the human condition. His photographs have been featured on the cover of Newsweek 43 times and are published frequently in the world’s most prestigious publications. He has worked in over 90 countries and has witnessed most major stories of international geopolitical and historic significance in the last thirty years. His photographs draw attention to the plight of those who suffer great hardships or injustice. He also affirms with his vision the many beautiful, poetic, just, and inspirational aspects of life.

David Alan Harvey

Born in San Francisco, David Alan Harvey was raised in Virginia. He discovered photography at the age of 11. Harvey purchased a used Leica with savings from his newspaper route and began photographing his family and neighborhood in 1956.

Disclaimer: I have been researching how to do a better job of writing captions that are story-oriented and yet still journalistic. This is some of the research I have done. If you were to grade my caption writing at the moment, I think it is a passing grade at best. I hope what I have found helps not just you but me in the future to write better captions.

If you are to Google how to write a caption, you will find similar guidelines often based on the Associated Press model.

This is from the guidelines I got from Mark E. Johnson for teaching Intro to Photojournalism.

Good captions have five basic elements

Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?

The first sentence must have the first four items: who, what, where, and when. The second sentence explains why this photo is essential to the viewer. Quotes can be used in the second or third sentence if it helps advance understanding of the image.

All captions are written in AP style – names, titles, dates, locations, etc. – and in the present tense.

The standard comments on length are often like this:

Keep it brief: You do not need to summarize the entire story in the caption; it should supplement or complement the story. If the caption is as deep as the photo, it’s too long! Please keep captions to a couple of lines.

The caption must do more when you have just a photo and a caption that is not part of a story. It needs to tell the story.

Monetization is what is driving many of the changes in journalism today. One of the topics discussed more and more is your engagement score when it comes to analytics which helps you know if the audience is reading your stories.

As you can see from this chart, Instagram accounts for the highest number of actions by far of the four networks measured but the lowest number of posts. In part, Instagram’s higher engagement rates are due to the increased use of visuals and little, user-friendly response icons.

This means that right now, the best way to tell stories to an audience is through Instagram.

If you are a News Outlet wanting to leverage Social Media, according to THE ASSOCIATION OF MAGAZINE MEDIA, only Instagram will work.

So if you are working hard on a story and want the most eyes on it, then Instagram is one of the best mediums today.

I must be sincere and say that I was blown away by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of NY Instagram feed regarding how many followers he has acquired.

By the way, Brandon started by posting to Facebook and still does. He has 18 million followers on Facebook.

Here is a video of Brandon Stanton where he shares what he does to get stories of random people on the streets of NY and now the world. I am sharing this because many of the students I teach read my blog and teach people how to do storytelling. This is great for learning to meet people, take photos, and find their stories.

Stanton now has 8.2 million followers. This is a crazy number for sure. Stanton’s website www.humansofnewyork.com has 18 million followers. Be sure and see how Stanton writes his captions today.

To give you some context, his numbers are DOUBLE that of the New York Times. So Brandon Stanton is more significant in followers than the NYTimes. The New York Times has long been regarded as a national “newspaper of record.” So having a more substantial following than them is enormous. This is why I wanted to study what he does and how I can engage my audience better.

Brandon was doing this all through the caption.

I wanted to know how to write engaging journalistic captions that tell stories with my photos going forward.

Good Instagram captions come in all shapes and sizes, from short and sweet to more extended, in-depth stories (Instagram captions can be as long as 2200 characters), which is enough to tell a short story with a photo.

The idea here is you can also add more photos to this post, but you are still limited to 2200 characters.

Here are some tips I have come across in many places, so I think they are now common knowledge to many.

I think the general rule in social media is to use the inverted pyramid of writing style.

Another way to start in social media is the “anecdotal lead,” which begins the story with an eye-catching tale or anecdote rather than the central facts.

When I teach how to create a multimedia piece [which is video] for social media, we teach that the first 4 to 8 seconds you need to hook the audience. We often used something so different for those 4 to 8 seconds as a tease and would go to black to start the story.

You can still be journalistic in your writing, but you need to engage the reader with something that will keep them reading. I think you are writing in a more entertaining style but do not go so far as to lose the journalistic credibility.

One thing that differs with Instagram is that readers can comment, as long as you have that turned on for your posts. This has created something new for those writing captions—the call to action.

The simple act of including a call-to-action in your Instagram caption and inviting your audience to comment or engage can go a very long way in driving more engagement on your posts.

The idea is that you are creating a following. This is very similar to getting subscribers.

You should also consider turning your call-to-action into a question, using the 5 W’s (who, what, where, when, and why) to encourage your followers to comment!

Aside from the apparent tips on using proper grammar and spelling, brand voice is one of the essential parts of any good Instagram caption. Many journalists follow the AP Style Guide. Some organizations like NPR have their caption-style guide.

Hashtags

When adding hashtags to your Instagram caption, please don’t limit yourself to keeping them at the end! Integrating hashtags throughout your post adds dimension to your caption, and since hashtags are a different color on Instagram, the right hashtag can also highlight and contextualize your content.

The hashtags help organize and categorize photos and video content, which aids the process of content discovery and optimization.

For example, a sports blogger could post a picture of an action shot and then use the hashtags #actionphoto #actionphotography and #championship when uploaded to Instagram.

Instead of using the most popular Instagram hashtags, it’s better to use the top hashtags that have an engaging community and are specific to your audience.

So, how are you supposed to find these cool, creative, and community-oriented hashtags? The best way is to look and see what Instagram hashtags your audience, competitors, and industry leaders are already using.

One last tip about #Hashtags keeps them to 5 or less. That might change, but the algorithms Instagram uses to put your post higher in feeds will ding you if there are too many right now.

What about legit Journalism on Instagram?

You may be very interested in how prominent news outlets are writing stories to accompany their photos on Instagram. I know I was very interested.

Here are some mainline media Instagram feeds.

Today I believe one of the best places for photojournalists to publish the stories they want to tell is on Instagram. To do so, these journalists will have to change how they write their captions.

I hope this helps you think of how to engage your audience with the 5 Ws and limit this to 2200 characters.

Here are some photojournalists worth following on Instagram.

Lynsey Addario

An American photojournalist, Lynsey, takes us through the raw nooks and corners of the world with her photographs, building a visually pleasureful experience for us to witness the world through her eyes.

Ed Kashi

Documenting the ongoing mayhem in Syria, Kashi, a photojournalist, filmmaker, and lecturer, through his Instagram, portrays the world of Syrian refugees, oozing emotions and getting us up, close, and personal with their misery amongst the others.

Andrew Quilty

As his bio reads ‘Stories not selfies,’ this storyteller has embarked on a journey to take us along with the naked world, putting out the beauties and flawless imperfections through these photographs.

Randy Olson

Overwhelmed with emotions, hues, and drama, Olson has his perspective on the world and puts it across through spectacular visuals.

Gary S. Chapman

Because impacting lives matters, Gary helps organizations tell their stories visually. He has covered humanitarian stories in more than 70 countries worldwide, assisting groups in creating awareness, expressing their vision, and building their community. You can trust him to bring an honest, photojournalistic approach to your commercial, corporate, editorial, or non-profit assignments.

This past weekend I was asked to join the UGA Photojournalism workshop in Perry, Georgia as they covered the State Fair. I was asked to serve as a coach to the students.

These are very bright students who many have only been shooting with a DSLR for less than a year. Prior to buying their first DSLR they were just using their smartphones.

They are still learning about their cameras and how to use some of the creative tools of Aperture & Shutter Speed to help in their storytelling. They were also learning how to capture stories in a visual way.

After spending time at the Fair shooting, we asked them to come back to our meeting room and download their photos and get some critiques from the coaches before going back. They were doing this every couple hours from 7:30 am to 11:30 pm. Many of the students walked some 6 to 10 miles covering the fair and getting back and forth to our meeting room.

There was one common theme that I was talking to the students about over and over. I could tell from their photos a couple things. They needed to get physically closer and they need to talk more to their subjects and get to know them. The photos were very distant physically and emotionally.

Well I have been teaching this for 30+ years and then on Saturday I finally found the phrase in my thoughts to articulate this concept to the students.

Every one of the instructors were all saying how we often leave our cameras in our car and build relationships first and then get our gear. Well they were not able to do this at the fair. They had to carry their camera gear all the time. So how to tell them some concept that will help them see what they need to do was my problem.

I also needed to help them know how to shoot a variety of images using their widest lens to the tightest lens.

“Forget the camera right now. See how we are sitting beside each other?” I said to a few students. Then I would move my chair a few feet from them. “Which feels more intimate?” You need to start by talking with the person I said. Then it is much easier to start with your wide angle lens to capture them up close and intimate.

While I was talking about this concept with a student, I had the “Ah Ha Moment”.

“Talk your way in and then shoot your way out,” was coming out of my mouth. I wish I had thought of saying it this way many years ago.

I explained the benefits of this process.

First, I watched many students spend time shooting and then when they asked for their names the people didn’t want to help them. Had they started with talking first then they would have saved a lot of time.

You introduce yourself and tell them you want to make their photos and would they mind.

Second, by taking some time to listen to the person and exploring their story you could look for opportunities that might work much better visually than text alone would.

Not talking to someone and shooting before you get their information can have you treating them as objects and not human if you are not careful. Talking to them helps avoid this problem.

Third, now that you have been talking it is easier to pull out the widest lens and make some photos up close. You are sitting or standing next to them.

Lastly, but most important you are now able to concentrate on capturing people in relationship with other and at the state fair–Livestock!

Once you have spent some time getting to know someone it is much easier to build a shot list in your head or write it down if you need.

SUGGESTED SHOT LIST

Opener: Sets the scene for the story
Decisive moment: The one moment that can by itself tell the story
Details: Besides being like visual candy to the story, help often with transitions–especially in multimedia packages
Sequences: give a little variety to a situation
High overall shot: Gives a good perspective to how the elements all fit together
Closer: Besides the classic shot of the cowboy riding off into the sunset there are other visual ways to help bring the story to a close
Portraits: These photos are great for introducing the characters of the story

Now my mantra for all future teaching of photojournalism and storytelling is:

Talk Your Way In, Shoot Your Way Out

When working with actors for their headshots, I have to feel them and see how much direction they need.

There is a fine line between over or under-directing a person.

If you over-direct, you are not giving them time to try and respond to your direction. If you ask them to think about something to elicit an expression, they need time to wrap their head around that thought.

I prefer a very relaxed expression, as if the person in the photo is listening to me. I think it is a very inviting expression that helps pull a viewer into the photo.

While a smile is attractive, it is often done wrong and looks exceptionally fake. Here are some tips for getting a genuine expression.

One great thing to try with models is to ask them to Squinch their eyes.

First, you must relax the muscles around your eyes; tightening them would make a squint. Next, lightly lower the top eyelid ever so slightly. But the key to a good Squinch is learning to use the ligaments to push up the bottom lid, which is harder to achieve.

This is also called the Smize, where you smile with your whole face. Smizing is Tyra Banks’ secret to a stunning photo. Smizing is considered a look that involves smiling not only with your mouth but through your eyes – smiling with the eyes – hence, “smize.”

Sometimes the best way to get a genuinely warm smile isn’t to say smile rather than a squint. You may have to show people how to do this, so practice in a mirror.

I often ask people thought-provoking questions to get that look that they want to communicate something to you, and they are looking for the right words, which they are doing.