Picture Stories :)

Hello!! This week the lecture was all about picture stories.  We began by noting all the different places that you can find picture stories.  Seriously, these things are everywhere! T.V, movies, newspapers, magazines even graffiti – they all identify a story.  A quote from Eetu Sillanpää - the guy who was responsible for this incredible photo after the school shooting in Finland, once said “A picture has no meaning at all if it can’t tell a story.” 

This is so true! As we look back through history, the amazing cave paintings by the Indigenous Australians wouldn’t be half as incredible if we couldn’t get a story from them.  If they were simply a few lines then sure, we might marvel at how long they have survived, but we would not have recognised their true beauty.  Over time the art of using pictures to tell a story has progressed.  Holy books, such as the ‘Book of Kells’ in Ireland or the ‘Diamond Sutra’ in Asia were used to spread the stories to people who weren’t able to read.  Along with Holy books, there were also stained glass pictures, usually depicting a Biblical story or scene.  Again this was to ensure that the uneducated (basically everyone back then) were able to enjoy, learn from and understand the stories. 

Next was the era of the Newspaper.  In the beginning there were line drawings – Just like in this photo of Abraham Lincoln.

Bear in mind that these photos weren’t all that long ago.  However, since then pictures, especially in newspapers, have come along in leaps and bounds.  In 1936 we saw the first colour photo in print – Natures Hues I believe.  Then, in more recent years, digital photography has evolved.  Now you can ‘capture and upload’ in just a few seconds – and that is only set to improve.  The recent development of tablets and super-duper smart phones has made this all the more possible. 

When digital photographs were born, so was digital manipulation.  You know, when a photo of an elephant somehow morphs into a butterfly... Well not that drastic, yet.  Photoshop can do some very great (and I don’t necessarily mean good) things.  Take this Dove advert for example.  It’s absolutely incredible!!

When a headlining story breaks, there obviously needs to be a big ‘front page worthy’ photo too.  I bet this was difficult before the day of digital cameras.  Now-a-days it is not unusual for a news website to have not only one, but a whole gallery of photos for a particular story.  These are, more often than not, sent in by people who just so happened to be there.  Who manage to capture the perfect shot in just the right place at just the right time.  This is oftern seen where there is death and destruction.  The 2011 Queensland floods are a fabulous example.  Photos, videos and interviews taken/filmed by locals made it onto international headlines (I should know, I was in both the UK and the US at the time).  The London Riots also provided the opportunity, though many of these ended up on social media sites, which is still a form of media though.

Anyway, enough about where the story ends up, more about how it is made.  A great photo takes a great deal of skill, practice and coordination – so don’t expect your first to be brilliant!!

To take a great photo, you will need

-  A camera – fabulous or not, as long as it works

-  A nice frame – not one you buy from Target, not a natural frame... like a bush.. or a wall...

-  Focus – No fingers over the lens, or a blurry blob

-  Exposure

-  The right angle

-  Perfect timing

The best guideline to follow when aiming the perfect picture is the Rule of Golden Thirds.

Basically, this is saying that the focus point should be the two top-middle corners..

In this photo, it’s where the models eyes are.

The final topic we covered this week was Moving Pictures.  When capturing a moving picture (or a video) the most important things to remember are the same as for regular pictures with the added factor of Sound... Buuuutt we’re not going into that today, save it for next week folks!! :)