Online Journalism Blog

For starters, why are photographs so important?

Here’s a quick list of reasons why a digital camera can be better than a film camera:

1. You can take as many pictures as you want without having to worry about the amount of film remaining.
2. You can immediately see if you captured the image you wanted or not.
3. You can upload images to the web and share them right away.
4. You avoid having to purchase film and don’t spend money printing photos you don’t want.
5. Photos can be easily maintained on the computer, including cropping and toning images.

Now, for a quick introduction into photography:

Ownership, copyright and fair use.

• Plain and simple — even though you can download and publish someone else’s photos, do not do it!
• Don’t steal anyone else’s work. Ask before you take.

Digital Camera Basics.

There are two kinds of digital cameras:

1. Point-and-shoot camera (all-in-one camera) — more compact, easier to use, and more affordable
2. DSLR camera — captures better photographs because its image sensor is 10 times larger, more complex, usually costs two to three times more than a point-and-shoot camera

Main Function of a digital camera.

• Camera modes
• Zoom
• Flash
• View/delete

Lighting is very important when taking pictures. Photos can be taken, essentially, in one of three ways:

1. With natural light only
2. With a flash as the primary light source (in a low-light situation)
3. With a mixture of flash and natural light

Mug shots are the most likely assignment for journalists who are not photographers. Here’s what to make sure you do when shooting mug shots:

• Avoid extreme sunlight
• Try to photograph with overcast skies
• Use a flash as a last resort

Working with digital photographs:

Edit your take.

Manage digital photos on your computer.

Edit digital photos on your computer.