Multimedia Reporting

Month: February 2020

Photo Essay Story Proposals

For my photo essay I have a few ideas (These are in no order):

    1. Gentrification- I can do a piece on gentrification in Harlem. Over the course of the last 5 years or so, gentrification has been very prevalent in the neighborhood: there are more people getting off of transportation at 125th Street, old stores have closed down to make room for more high-end stores like Whole Foods, and people can barely afford to pay their rent. My essay can cover the changes that are changing East Harlem’s sense of community like closing stores, an increase in homelessness, dirtiness, construction, overpriced food, etc. This is a relevant topic because gentrification continues to break apart communities and lower the quality of life for those who can’t afford to pay for the changes. I have access to my story because I live in Harlem. I have access to places and people to document. I anticipate my visuals to be dynamic because I can show contrast between the parts of the neighborhood that are trying to hold on to their sense of community versus what has changed.
    2. Art in the City- I can do a piece about art that is seen around the city. This art can include statues, murals, museum exhibition pieces, graffiti, architecture, etc. The aim of this is to get viewers to appreciate the beautiful things NYC has to offer and to bring an appreciation for the work of artists. This is interesting because it can be for someone who loves art or that gets inspired by it, while also being for someone that wants to see what NYC has to offer. Art is something that can bring people together too. I have access to finding these places because I have an unlimited MetroCard and time when I’m not in class. I anticipate the visuals to be striking because they will showcase different forms of art and help people understand an artist’s point of view. **(If anyone has any more ideas or recommendations for how to put a spin on these previous ideas or a new one, feel free to bring it up.)

Class Agenda: Tuesday, Feb. 4

Hands-On Workshop: Using your DSLR camera

  • Turning it on and off
  • Where to find the memory card and battery
  • Image size (large)
  • How to adjust ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and white balance
  • Focusing the lens by tapping the shutter (auto) and manually

In-Class Assignment: Photo Scavenger Hunt

Take one of the school cameras and pair up in teams of two or three. Go out within a reasonable radius of campus and start taking photos, looking for at least 10 strongly-composed images that capture some of the following elements of composition (some of these will inevitably contain multiple elements, and that’s fine—ideal, even). Please make sure everyone in the group gets  roughly equal time with the camera.

Contrasting colors
Monochromatic colors
Symmetry
Pattern
Rule of thirds
Close-up detail shot
Shallow depth of field
Portrait
Dramatic/beautiful/interesting use of light
Slow shutter speed
Internal framing
Movement
Decisive moment
Layers telling a story
Unusual perspective

Make sure you leave enough time to come back and load the photos onto your computer and pack up the cameras by the end of class time; we’ll work on editing the images in Lightroom at a later date. I recommend also saving them in the cloud or sending them to yourself via WeTransfer (which expires after about a week!) or email.

Remember that your pitches for your photo essays are due the day after tomorrow, on Thursday Feb. 6!