What would it be like to work as a photographer for one of Australia's top newspapers? In an edited excerpt from her new book, Photography of The Age, Kathleen Whelan shines a light on Melbourne's The Age newspaper and sets out six essential skills press photographers need to be successful in their jobs.
01 FLEXIBILITY Flexibility and an ability to cope quickly with unpredictable and different situations is an essential skill for press photographers. The first requirement is to deal effectively and efficiently with new situations and people each day. The assigned job will come via email or a phone call from the picture editor. There will be a time and place and usually a person that the photographer needs to meet. They must try to understand the reason for the story from a short brief (usually a few sentences), as it is rare they will be accompanied by a journalist. The photographer must find the location, know how long it might take to get there, and be able to cope with the ever-increasing city traffic. When they do finally get to the location, they need to keep in mind where and when they need to get to their next scheduled job.
02 COMMUNICATION The ability to talk to many different people in the course of one day is important. Photographers must first introduce themselves and explain their reasons for taking the picture, unless it's a hard news story. If it is a hard news story they may have to talk to police or other emergency workers to get clearance even to be there. They must be confident in approaching total strangers, in negotiating unknown territory and in pushing their way to the best spot for the picture. They may have to explain what, how and why they want to take the photo, sometimes asking others to move furniture, curtains and themselves. Very few people like having their photograph taken and part of the photographer's job is to put the subject at ease. They need to exude confidence both personally and technically. No one wants to think that their image is being taken badly for the world to see.
Crown Oaks Day, Flemington Racecourse, Victoria, November, 2005. Photo by Angela Wylie. "It was very windy and changeable weather, which made the day difficult for the ladies," says Wylie. Canon EOS 1D, 16-35mm lens @ 18mm, 1/160s @ f/11, ISO 320.
03 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE AND INTEREST It's essential to have a good knowledge of current affairs and be able to identify prominent politicians, sportspeople, media celebrities, and possibly even their near relations. Photographers must get the names of people they photograph, and record them accurately so that when they look at the photograph (sometimes much later) you can recall which face goes with each name. Even the names of horses and jockeys must be carefully remembered. Joe Sabljak used to photograph the betting board prior to each race. He then could place horses with each race. With digital cameras at least you can see the time you have taken the image – giving you a clue as to which race you're watching!
The best photographers are genuinely interested in the news. They keep up to date with current events and may even hear something on the radio which entices them to want to go and photograph the event. The specialist sports photographers are obsessed with sports. They watch games even when they are not there to photograph them for The Age. They know the players, they know what they might do, including if they are likely to have a spectacular celebration if they win. Pat Scala listens to the radio while at an AFL football game to hear where the public interest is so he can watch out for a particular player likely to make the news. Some photographers propose an event or place that they might like to cover such as Joe Armao's portrait of artist John Olsen, 'Painting with Light'.
Australian artist John Olsen used light to paint an artwork he called "Frog and Lily Pond", April 2010. Photographer Joe Armao set up a collection of LED torches with coloured balloons, then when the artist arrived, Armao asked him to 'paint' with the different colours. Armao covered his lens with black paper during changeovers. The long exposure was made in total darkness. Nikon D3, 26mm focal length, 274s @ f/14, ISO 200, flash.
04 BE PREPARED Photographers must know their equipment thoroughly, including computers and software, phones and relevant apps, a range of systems for transferring and uploading images, and of course, their cameras. They also must be sure they have enough battery power, which means constantly plugging in their cameras, flash, phone and laptop chargers and must organise memory cards to ensure they have enough memory each day. If they are taking video as well, they need massive storage.
If possible, before each job, they need to anticipate the lighting situation and be ready with the appropriate gear. Extremely limited light might require added studio lights. For still-life images or portraits, fill-in studio flash can help to create a more interesting image, as well as lighting the parts of a face or food in which it's too dark to see details.
The town of Omeo in the Victorian Alps was threatened by a firestorm which was burning out of control on January 30, 2003. Photographer Simon O'Dwyer says, "I spent six weeks in these fires waiting for them to come out of the hills. I scouted the town and found the spot where the Country Fire Authority said the fire was most likely to emerge. It was a quiet morning, then there was insane fire everywhere."
05 SEE THE POTENTIAL On arrival at a job the photographer must quickly assess all the angles and natural light sources. This might involve climbing ladders or standing on benches, crouching, standing tall, or shooting from the viewpoint of the onlooker. They may look for a different place to get a better or a more interesting view and angle. Whatever the case, it's essential to find the best position for the photograph. The background should never be ignored – it is a part of the picture. Changing your angle or position can be an effective way to eliminate distracting elements. (There is nothing worse than a limb of a tree protruding from the subject's head!). Careful choice of depth of field, by changing the aperture of the lens, can help to blur the background to make it less significant or bring it clearly into focus if it is important to the story. (A small aperture, such as f/16, will keep details in focus; a wide aperture, such as f/2, will present a background blur.)
06 KNOW YOUR CAMERA It's important to know your cameras well. Choosing the best lens is also paramount. A lack of space might dictate the use of a wide-angle lens. The angle of view alters with lens focal length. To get the best possible image it's necessary to visualise the final product before shooting. Of course, with digital cameras you have the luxury of seeing your photograph immediately and compensating with a better exposure or choosing a different lens quickly. It's essential to have some acceptable photographs from every assignment to send to the office to be presented to the editors at the news conferences. To guarantee this, a photographer will usually take a relatively safe shot at the earliest opportunity and then experiment with more interesting angles, shutter speeds, apertures, and lenses.
Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown, Melbourne, February 2013, by Eddie Jim. Canon EOS 1D Mk IV, 14mm focal length, 1/1600s @ f/4, ISO 400.
The working life of a press photographer can be stressful. The absolute requirement to get at least one good image out of every assignment is the toughest level of professionalism any pro shooter can face, and though every professional shooter operates at this level, whatever their specialty, few have to face the time constraints that news photographers do. Additionally, they must find the time to shoot creative images which will draw viewers to the paper – both in print and online. The Age photographers have to deal well with people, frequently in highly volatile and changing situations, and they must know their equipment well enough to succeed at every assignment they cover. And all against overwhelming deadline pressure. But the rewards, when an image appears large and leads a section, or even on the front page of the paper, make all the effort worthwhile. Every photographer can learn from the craft of a press photographer. We can only hope they continue to produce their extraordinary images. ❂
Kathleen Whelan, an experienced educator, artist and photographer, has lectured in photography and theory for over 30 years. Her work is represented in collections in Australia, the USA and Peru. She's contributed to many newspapers and journals. This is her second book on The Age photography. 'Photography of the Age', published by Brolga, is available in bookstores for $49.95, or online at www.kathleenwhelan.com at $44.95. Check out The Age photo galleries at www.theage.com.au
