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Participants of a three day PPF photojournalism workshop in Abbotabad observed that photojournalism has now become an integral part of print media and the fast changing techniques in this field have made it mandatory that photojournalists should update their professional knowledge and skills, regularly, through training process.
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Workshop for Photojournalists On Coverage of Community
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Date: |
October 02-04 2009 |
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Abbottabad |
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Participants of a three day PPF photojournalism workshop in Abbotabad observed that photojournalism has now become an integral part of print media and the fast changing techniques in this field have made it mandatory that photojournalists should update their professional knowledge and skills, regularly, through training process.
The participants for photojournalists on ‘Coverage of Community’, held at Abbottabad, from October 02-04, 2009 also noted that in rural areas, photojournalists face a lot of problems. They lack proper technical training, professional digital cameras and competitive wages. They are also not given the status of ‘journalist’ and many rural press clubs are reluctant to give them membership.
Underscoring the importance of photojournalism, it was pointed out that a picture is worth one thousand words. Images are one of the most powerful forms of communication, especially in journalism.
The photojournalist uses pictures instead of words to tell a story. These photos can be understood by both literate and illiterate person. Unlike a news item, a news photo, depicting truth and reality, cannot be contradicted .Like news reporting the principle of 5w’s and 1h should also be used in photojournalism. A photojournalist should keep all available information in mind and quickly decide to take a photo because time factor is very important in this field. The photographer should give equal importance to both subject and object in his photos and base his pictures on action, as the action-based photos have a very powerful impact. One-shot photography has more impact and force, and these photos are now being widely used in Pakistani print media, especially English newspapers.
The participants observed that while covering community, their social, moral and cultural norms, traditions and values should be kept in mind. In our country many communities, particularly those having rural background, do not like photography of their womenfolk. Theses sentiments and compulsions of communities should be respected in their coverage. A photojournalist should be open, understanding and unbiased during the coverage of community. The factors of political influence and pressures of different interest groups should also be kept in mind while covering communities.
It was noted that the digital photography is the latest form of photography which uses modern digital cameras. In old type of photography, photographic films were used to create images, which could be made visible only by a complicated chemical photographic process. Digital photos can be displayed, printed, stored, manipulated, transmitted and archived using digital and computer techniques.
On the issue of caption writing, the participants observed that the role of five W’s and one H (what, when, where, why, who and how) should be strictly followed while writing captions of photos. A caption should connect photo to the story. Wire service photos should contain information about people and places in photos. Noting that honesty is at the heart of the journalistic process, it was observed that journalists should be honest not only about the information they present but also about their motivation. Observation of the codes of ethics is in the best interest of one’s news organization and their audiences. The photojournalists need to protect their integrity and avoid manipulation of their pictures, as it would only earn a bad name for them and their organizations.
It was also stressed that photojournalists should have a good command on Photo Shop software, besides having basic knowledge of computers, as in contemporary photojournalism computer is playing a vital role in sorting, editing, storing and transmitting of photos. Taking care of safety of person and equipment should be the top priority of photojournalists. They should take extra care while covering protest rallies, enraged mobs, natural disasters, fires and bomb blasts. They should take protective kits while covering these risky assignments.
Twenty-six photojournalists, belonging to different media organizations participated in the interactive workshop facilitated by Zia Mazhar, editor, Pakistan Press International (PPI) News Agency Photo Service.
Certificates were distributed amongst the workshop participants in the concluding ceremony.
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