By Jacob Grant

9 June 2008

So you've read a few photography books or even taken a course or, heck, maybe you've just graduated from photography school - but then you get to your first rainy-day car accident scene and within seconds the police are chasing you off the premises. You've got one shot to get a good photo, so you take it, but... SNAP! ... your camera was set for the sunshine pool party from the day before. Now the accident photo is under exposed. Maybe you can save it in Photoshop, but the bottom line is, your managing editor hired you because of your skills - what does this prove other than you can't think on your feet?

Been there. Done that.

Don't think that having that degree or knowing everything there is to know about photography is the catch all for taking great news photographs. Even with all the skills in the world, sometimes there just isn't time to reset your film speed, ISO, shutter speed or aperture. Sometimes there's barely enough time to take the lens cap off.

Here are 10 tips to help you survive the photographer's beat and turn that demanding editor of yours into one happy puppy.

1) Keep it simple. Shutter speed, aperture, white balance - a good camera has a hundred little gizmos that can help you get the best photos possible, but all of them are useless unless they're set to match the conditions you're shooting in. And the problem with being a news photographer is that you never know what the conditions will be from one minute to the next. You're going to miss a lot of shots if you're having to change your camera settings every ten minutes, and shooting in fully automatic mode is risky. If your camera offers you a manual shutter speed mode or an aperture priority mode, pick one of those and stick with it. Start with aperture priority and an ISO of 400 and let the camera's automatic shutter speed do the rest. This leaves you with less settings to fret over and more time to compose your shots.

2) Create a checklist for yourself. When you arrive at that house fire, you've got a few strides to think before its shooting time - A) Lens cap - off, B) Camera - on, C) Shoot. Having a short checklist and less camera settings to worry about affords you more time to scope out your surroundings for the best possible angle.

3) Be real with your expectations. When you're out in the world, you don't always have access to perfect lighting or the time or space to position yourself where you really want to be. Sometimes you've got to take what you can get and that means learning to make the best out of what you're given. Are there too many photographers arching their cameras to shoot over the crowd? Kneel down low, shoot between somebody's knees; look for that angle your competition won't have.

4) Always carry a spare battery. That's worth repeating: Always carry a spare battery. Always.

5) Keep in mind that many newspapers print in black and white and though some photos will need to be in color for Internet publication, the actual published photo itself needs to look good in black and white too. Many digital cameras offer a "high contrast" option which not only looks great in most color photos, but works wonders when converting those color photos to black and white. If you don't have that option, consider investing in some filters. A polarizing filter is almost a necessity for any on-the-go photographer because it can minimize glare and darken bright objects with a simple turn of the filter. For strictly black and white photography, a red filter, for example, is great for darkening bright blue skies while a green filter will help cut through haze. Do some research and find out what filters are right for you.

6) A tripod can save your career. A lot of car accidents happen at night and your editors will demand that you stop on the highway and shoot pictures of the three-car pile up. In a situation like this, a slow shutter speed is a give-in, so always carry a tripod, or at least a monopod, in your car for emergencies. Even if it's just a cheap little thing, it'll be better than nothing.

7) Be respectful. Be discreet. Emergency personnel don't like it when you're in the way. Stay away from their trucks, cars, and from them when at a scene. The last thing you want on your side is a bad reputation with local law enforcement. Respect the deceased and families who may be mourning a loss. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try and get a shot of the crying family - your editors will rip you a new one if you don't at least try - but be discreet about it. If mourners see a camera in their face, tempers may flare, or, in the least, they will turn away, hide their faces, and take your "emotional impact shot" away.

8) Communicate with your editors, especially if you're a freelancer. You may be sent to the county fair to take pictures for three different publications. You don't want to give them all the same photographs and chances are they will all want something different anyway - a two-column horizontal means they probably want a small photograph, so stay away from the impressive establishing shots. A three-column vertical on the other hand is pretty large, which means you can pretty much do whatever you want, but make sure the subject matter warrants a vertical composition - like the farris wheel, the waterslide, or the acrobat who's fifty feet in the air. Sometimes your instructions will be even more specific than that. Don't get annoyed by this. The more direction they give you the easier it will be for you to get them what they want. Remember, you're working for them, not you, so don't be offended if it feels like they're cramping your style.

9) Know your lenses. If you're fortunate enough to have the $10,000 lens that does it all, hurray for you, but if you're like the rest of us, you probably have two or three lenses, and knowing what they are capable of is essential. If you're going to a fair or an accident scene, a telephoto lens is probably what you want. The long focal length of the lens will give you shallow depth of field, eliminating distracting background objects, and it will get you right in on the action when you will probably have to stand far away. If this is the route you take, a tripod or a telephoto lens with image stabilization is almost a necessity. However, if you're going to a town meeting or a community barbecue, chances are a 35-80mm lens will be fine. It will give you some range, but also the option to take some quick portraits here and there.

10) Be prepared for the elements. Rain or shine, you'll have to be out there shooting, which means your camera is going to take a beating. Have a sun-shield in your camera bag to protect the lens from sun flare. Invest in a UV filter to help protect the lens from scratches. Have a plastic bag, plastic sheet or cover with you to put over your camera when it starts to rain. If it's cold, keep your camera under your jacket and close to your body heat whenever possible; this will prolong your battery life and keep your camera's electronics from freezing. Also, keep your camera bag clean. If you find yourself changing lenses often, and quickly, you don't always have time to put the lens cap back on. A dirty camera bag can scratch and hurt lenses, so keep it free from dirt, pebbles, and other debris that may get in there.

All of the above doesn't mean that you should not ever shoot in full manual mode. By all means, if you know you're going to be at the parade in bright sun for three hours, put the camera on whatever settings you need for consistency's sake. But keep the above in mind so that when that hectic day of shooting comes along you won't be wasting time turning and resetting all the gizmos on your camera.

And remember, all photographers have their own style, their own mental "check lists." Find yours and stick with it. Make spur-the-moment photography second nature to you, so that when you find yourself running from one place to the next, taking pictures of one event after another, you'll know exactly what to do to get the shot your editors need.

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