Kate Geraghty is one of The Sydney Morning Herald’s top news
photographers. Here she shares five great tips to help you shoot better photos.
Fairfax
news photographer Kate Geraghty is used to working under pressure. From her
early days as a staff photographer on the Albury-Wodonga Border Mail (where she
would frequently handle up to six assignments a day) through to shooting the
Sydney Olympics, and to ultimately covering war zones throughout the world,
Geraghty has been on the cutting edge of news photography for many years.
Arguably her toughest assignment came in 2010 when she and Sydney Morning Herald reporter Paul
McGeough were covering a flotilla taking aid towards the Gaza Strip on the Mediterranean Sea which was intercepted by the Israeli
military.
Amid chaos and violence on the high seas, Geraghty was hit
by a stun gun whilst photographing troops boarding her vessel, and then taken
into custody. After that she spent time in an Israeli prison, where she was
searched for the memory cards with which she had shot the dramatic action.
Despite this, she managed to get one usable memory card back to her editors.
A news photographer needs to have a good eye to pick up a strong image quickly. Here Geraghty shot this image at the Opera House during a 2009 dust storm. EOS 1D Mk IV, 24mm, f/9 @ 1/125s, ISO 400.
It’s not the only time Geraghty has taken images under
dangerous circumstances or when the pressure has been on. Geraghty visited Lebanon when it was being torn apart by war in
2006, as well as Afghanistan,
Iraq, Bali after its
horrific bombing in 2002, and Banda Aceh after it was hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami in December, 2004.
Despite her bosses
regularly calling on her to photograph many of the worst moments she says she’s not mentally scarred by the experiences. She says she can
stay balanced about what she has seen because she talks through the events with
her colleagues. And she has a burning desire to record these important events for
posterity.
Activists aboard a vessel heading to the Gaza Strip in the Mediterranean were overwhelmed by the Israeli military, and Geraghty and Sydney Morning Herald reporter Paul McGeough were on another vessel to record the action. Despite efforts to stop her getting her images out, she hid a small SD card and managed to retrieve the shots for the paper. May, 2010. EOS 1D Mk IV, 200mm, 1/60s @ f/3.5, ISO 12800.
Despite the necessity to work fast (and knowing she always has
to come back with a result) she says many of her images have been captured
because she’s able to make a connection with people.
She comments, “I don’t
have a formula. I listen to people and I talk through their reservations. The
more time you spend with people, the more they warm up. The more you talk, the
more you make a connection. You show you respect them, and you’re listening to
them.”
Keep an eye out for our interview with Kate Geraghty in the July issue of Australian Photography + digital – in the meantime she shares five great tips to help you shoot better photos.
01
DAWN & DUSK ARE THE BEST TIMES TO SHOOT
The light is often beautiful and the colours are more saturated. Make sure you get up early (pre-dawn) and hang around late (after the sun has set, because there’s often a warm afterglow) if you’re shooting outdoors.
02 USE WINDOW LIGHT FOR PORTRAITS
Try using window light for portraits, and remember the background is as important as the subject and foreground. Most amateurs forget to check their picture backgrounds. Run your eye around your frame to check for distractions before pressing the shutter.
03
USE THE 'RULE OF THIRDS' FOR COMPOSITION
It’s an old rule, but a good one! For those not familiar with it – divide your frame up with a ‘noughts and crosses’ grid, and place key subjects on the intersections of the lines. It’s surprising how often this tried and true ‘rule’ works for various compositions. It won’t apply to every scene, but it’s a very reliable compositional tool.
04
A REFLECTOR IS ALWAYS HANDY FOR EXTRA LIGHT
A reflector doesn’t have to be an expensive one from a store. You can use anything from a bit of white card, to a mirror or a piece if aluminium foil just as effectively, as long as it will bounce more light on to your subject. Reflectors are great for sunny conditions, where harsh shadows (for example on people’s faces) might ruin an otherwise acceptable picture.
05
TRY DIFFERENT ANGLES WHEN YOU'RE COMPOSING A SHOT
Try looking for a different angle in your composition - get higher, or lower, or closer, or even further away if you have a good telephoto lens. You can also ‘frame’ an image ie; through an arch, a window, or via the natural environment (like a tree branch). And if the composition doesn't look right, don’t be afraid to move – yourself or even your subject!
Excerpt from an article iwhich will be in the upcoming July 2013 issue of Australian
Photography + Digital. Look for it in newsagents, on iPad or subscribe
here.
An internally displaced woman and her young child pour tea in their makeshift and home on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan, 2013. EOS ID Mk IV, 27mm, 1/2700s @ f/2.8, ISO 160. Photo: Kate Geraghty.
Three Indonesian men searching for bodies look out over the wreckage of the Indian Ocean tsunami in Banda Aceh, January 6, 2005. EOS 1D Mk IV, 1/12800s @ f/2.8, ISO 400. Photo: Kate Geraghty.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard was saluted by Indonesian military as he left the airport at Bali in October, 2002, for a memorial service to commemorate the deaths caused by the Bali bombing. Photo: Kate Geraghty.
An Irish player makes a run against Bermuda in a cricket match in Dublin, Ireland, August 2007. The blurred effect was achieved by using a slow shutter speed on fast action. Focal length 600mm, 1/30s @ f/14, ISO 100. Photo: Kate Geraghty.