and illustrations for editors. * editors typically are not visual people. * editor training and...
TRANSCRIPT
and illustrations for editors
*How to handle photos
*Visual world of editors
*Editors typically are not visual people.
*Editor training and practice traditionally was not in photography and illustrations
*Disagreement
*Some antagonism traditionally between editors’ and photographers’ approaches.
*But today photographs and illustrations have become essential to most publications and online.
*Influence of design
*The growth of professional graphic design in print and online has required editors to become more visually oriented.
*Growth of design
*In many mass media style publications and websites, the words have taken a second place to the power of the visuals.
*On the other hand, stand-alone photo stories are not as common as they were in the past.
*The photographer’s work has become sometimes just another element of an overall design concept.
*Editors think visually
*Editors need more and more to learn visual thinking, to be part of a team that produces a multimedia package or graphics-based publication design.
*Pagination software
*Photoshop and pagination software has made possible the kind of design considerations artists and printers in the past could only do with difficulty and considerable expense.
*Editors don’t have to know this software extensively. But they do have to be familiar with it.
*Knowing quality
*Editors also are expected to choose photos and graphics—and to know the good from the not-so-great.
*They may work with photo editors and art directors. But usually the editor has final say.
*Generating images
*Editors don’t take pictures, usually. They employ photojournalists.
*Magazine editors may hire freelance photographers or independent studies.
*Most publications of any size also employ illustrators, although freelancers also may be hired.
*Art online
*Editors also may find images in digital clip art files, or stock agency files.
*Stock agencies provide high-quality work for a price.
*Digital clip art may be free, or available at a nominal price.
*Normally free clip art is not as high quality, and professional editors tend to avoid it.
Royalties
*“Royalty-free” art and photos from the Web may still require editors to pay a fee for use.
*Usually the images can be used after that for a variety of ways, including advertising, without further payment.
*Images not royalty-free require a payment for one-time, or certain use.
*Creative Commons
*Today we also have a new option. Editors may search for Creative Commons approved photos and images. Flickr has a lot. What is this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DKm96Ftfko
*Other photos
*Editors need to know the system well, and avoid just using any image found on Google Images.
*These often are copyrighted. That means you need permission to use it.
*Photo assignments
*Editors often generate photo assignments.
*It may be up to editors to consider photo or illustration possibilities for stories, or multimedia packages for the Web.
*Editors may assign illustrators or photographers to produce this material, instead of looking online. Professional publications avoid using generic online photos.
*Photo/writing teams
*Photographers and writers often go on assignment in teams.
*Most commonly editors ask photographers to produce photos of people to illustrate a story.
*Types of people photos
*Portraits may be offered to editors in two ways:
*mugshots—a typical head-and-shoulders studio portrait.
*Environmental/personality portraits—photos of a subject in an interesting environment or doing something interesting.
*Environmental portraits
*More sophisticated editors choose environmental portraits over mugshots, if possible.
*They will be more likely to attract readers, and they emphasize the goal of the media: to report about people doing things.
*People doing things
*Editors try to avoid choosing photos of people posing, or staring at the camera.
*Grip n’ grin
*Also amateurish are “grip ‘n grin” photos, that is, photos of people shaking hands and getting awards.
*Dead animal pictures
*Fishing/hunting trophy photos offend some readers.
*Group shots
*Group shots are boring, and hard to see individuals. Most professional editors avoid these as well.
*Swimsuit photos
*Editors avoid so-called “cheescake/beefcake” photos as sexist in news media.
*Magazine editing
*Magazine editors, however, know these kinds of photos sell magazines.
*Photo quality
*Editors aren’t expected to fix photos, but can request photographers or artists to do so.
*If that’s not possible, poor quality photos must be rejected.
*What is poor quality?
*Poor exposure
*Poorly exposed photos, either too dark or too light, will only get worse when published. Dark photos especially do not reproduce well.
*Out of focus
*Out-of-focus photos look amateurish.
*Flash on camera
*Photos taken with a flash on the camera look like amateur snapshots, and generally are avoided.
*Cropping
*Most photos will need some cropping, unless the photographer has done it.
*Mass media editors look for the poster effect: the photo should have a clear center of interest, should be direct, and should contain a minimum of subtle detail.
*This is because the printing process lowers detail, and media consumers don’t give full attention to photos. Average is 2-3 seconds.
*Distractions
*Crop distracting backgrounds.
*Empty space
*Editors avoid empty space between subjects. In this case, it’s probably better to reject the photo, as cropping will ruin the context of the speaker with audience.
*Cropping principles
*Editors should crop large empty expanses. This includes sky, walls and ceilings.
*Distracting backgrounds should be cropped as much as possible.
*But cropping can be overdone—we don’t want to lose context of a photo. Cropping decisions also are ethical decisions.
*Publish larger
*Photos should be published reasonably large, except mugshots.
*Consider in large-format publications printing a horizontal at least three columns, a vertical at least three columns.
*Publish large
*Album-size photos all the same size look amateurish in mass media publications..
*Size to fit
*Photos are usually published in column width, abbreviated: 1 col, 2 col, 3 col etc.
*A mugshot may be ½ column, sometimes called a half-column runaround, because the text wraps around it.
*Photos that do not match column width may have white space surrounding. These are called floats.
*Photo pages
*Photo pages allow editors to tell a story through photos. Normally these have limited text.
*A theme-setting photo is published largest.
*Usually also included are medium shots and closeups.
*Photos are not published the same size, album style, but vary to help tell the story.
*Cutlines
*In mass media work, all photos must have cutlines.
*This gives the photo context, and helps to orient the reader to the activity taking place in the photo.
*Sometimes cutline are called captions.
*Cutline guidelines
*Cutlines should be written in present tense.
*They should be fairly short.
*They should identify the people in the photo.
*They should not describe what’s obvious.
*Cutline guidelines
*They should not include unnecessary words such as “This photo shows,” “above is depicted,” or “The subject is posing.”
*Include a byline for the photographer or artist.
*Avoid using only the name for a cutline, unless it’s a mugshot.