2610 Photojournalism Results – Whangarei Camera Club

Taking photos for photojournalism demands a keen eye for what is happening around you. The aim is to use your image to tell a news story.
Choosing an image is never easy, and I am looking for images that tell me a story at a glance. Newspapers are usually sold folded in half so the lead image has to draw attention to make a person want to buy it and find out more.
As you’ll see tonight, photojournalism can convey the excitement of a sports event, the emotional side of life, capture local issues and events and the wonder of places you have never been. It can also be a photo essay style, where you have a series of images to go with a feature article.
Photojournalism adheres to a strict ethical code requiring images to be honest, impartial and accurate representations of reality without manipulation.

: Jousting. Salon. ACCEPTED. Cropping to the horses would improve this image. There is so much background around it, that the eye wanders off to the crowd and the trees which are also all in focus. I like the colourful event which must have been fun to attend. The dirt kicked up by the horses shows the motion. Zooming right in and using a shallower depth of field would be an advantage here.

: Moroccan Horse and Arms Event. Salon. ACCEPTED. In my view, this is a busy image which might benefit from being a bit more simplified by cropping to the two boys interacting on the right hand side to be more of a portrait shape. The back end of the white horse is not adding to the story.

: Setting The Saddle. Salon. HIGHLY COMMENDED. This image is more successful, with the story clearly told. A lovely image and what an exciting event to see.

: Fun Run. Salon. MERIT. hese little guys sure look like they are having fun on their run, with a cool drink at the ready. A nice image and as a reporter, your next job would be to try and get their names and permission from their parents for publication.

: Seat Warmer. Salon. HIGHLY COMMENDED. I am enjoying the story in this image with the fire warming the cold behinds. An improvement might be to see more of the rafts behind, but this is still lovely and I love the fire blazing in the foreground.

: Excursion Train on Taumarere Bridge. Salon. ACCEPTED. A lot of this image is taken up with the grey mesh edging, with the train at quite a distance as it turns the corner. I do like the wobbly train tracks, and wonder if this might have been better presented as a portrait shape.

: Excursion Train Departs Kawakawa. Salon. ACCEPTED. As a stock image, this might be useful to go with a story about the Kawakawa train although that would be the extent of its news value. The street lamp arching in from the right is a distraction and could have been cropped out.

: Two Fires One Town. Intermediate. HIGHLY COMMENDED. Black smoke is never a good sign, and in this case the black and white smoke plumes indicate some serious fire damage and add to the drama of this image. Having the lake and houses at the front of the image rather than zooming in on the smoke plumes gives a sense of the potential human and environmental cost if this inferno spreads further. A crop on the left to get rid of a bush on the bottom left might enhance the image and bring the edge into the black column.

: Performer. Intermediate. HIGHLY COMMENDED. She looks so tiny on the big stage with a big crowd of adults focusing on her performance, giving a sense of the bravery of a young performer doing what she loves. The spotlights are nicely drawing our eyes to her in centre stage as well. An improvement might be to make sure the microphone is not obscuring her face. Nice story in this image.

: Street Food Uzbekistan. Salon. HIGHLY COMMENDED. I can see this image being published with a travel story, and the lovely colours of the mystery food items are supporting it well. His face, while perfectly in focus, has eyes cast down and hiding from our view. Did he look up at any stage? Or look at the food pile to pick some out for a customer?

: Teaching Ancient Kyrgztan Craft. Salon HONOURS. This image is wonderful, with the rich patterns in the craftwork in the foreground and the fabulous tiles behind. I really enjoy this image and would happily put this as my lead photo in my travel section.

: Contemplating the Next Race. Novice. MERIT. This image is nicely composed, with the woman racedriver in deep contemplation. The bright blue ute in the background, although blurred, is competing for attention so a different angle might have been a better option, perhaps by moving a bit to the right, or shooting from a lower angle. Could you have waited and got her about to put her helmet on, or hopping into her car to make a less passive image?

: Jane Mander Study. Novice. HONOURS I really ike the compact composition of this image, telling the story of author Jane Mander’s working area with the creeping vine adding to the story of time passing. A great effort.

: Going For A Try. Salon. MERIT. I am enjoying the intense expressions in this action photo. The busy background is blurred but the three spectators do make a bit of a distraction and might have been less so at a slightly different angle, and including more of the tackler coming in from the right. A crop from the left to just near his left foot might improve the composition.

: Ivy On The Hockey Ball. Salon. ACCEPTED. Ivy is off at full speed, but the angle of this image obscures the ball and too much of the action is heading away from the camera.

: Rescue in Ngunguru. Novice. ACCEPTED. Apart from wondering how on earth the helicopter is going to land safely, this image is missing the rest of the story, with no one on the ground to greet them. You have done well to make sure the helicopter is isolated from the background by making sure it is not overlapping anything. I do like the image being in black and white which helps to simplify the composition.

: Illegal Netting In The Estuary. Novice. MERIT. The palm fronds are a big distraction in this image and could have been cropped right out, as well as a crop along the bottom to move the characters and net into the bottom third instead of at the halfway mark. A good effort and a good story.

: Rescue Drill. Salon. HIGHLY COMMENDED. A strong, sharp image with all the components featuring for a strong composition. The inclusion of the child would need to be explained in the accompanying story as it raises questions for me.

: Peter Hickman Cemetery Circuit. Salon. HONOURS. You’ve got speed, drama, and a crisply captured rider. Great sports image with that tricky panning technique well handled. Congratulations. A possible front page shot.

: Future Power Supply. Salon. MERIT This is a tricky composition as there are interesting elements spread out, with the road dividing the two areas. Presumably, they wouldn’t be too keen on you wandering closer, either. I would like to have been able to see more of the scale of those massive blades but they are obscured by the grass hillock. A topical image which is in the news so well done for getting out and documenting it.

: Happiness. Novice. NOT ACCEPTED. This a lovely image but in my view it needs the child to be in focus to fit the photojournalism genre. I am not accepting this image because I would like you to submit it again into another competition where I am sure it would do well.

: Messy Lunch. Novice. HONOURS. A gorgeous photo of a tui gorging itself on flax pollen. Could I use it with a story on tui or native birdlife? Absolutely.

: Roadside Assistance. Salon. MERIT. There are key components included in this image which tell a story of a roadside holdup with people out of their cars. The cropped off ute at the right seems a bit too tight and there is a lot of blue sky. I do like the roadsigns as part of the story though it’s not obvious who needs assistance or what has caused the traffic jam in the middle of nowhere.

: The Stunt Runner. Salon. MERIT. I like the use of the blades as a frame within a frame for your composition. The gathering crowds on either side also direct the attention to the stuntman in the centre. Some action would have boosted this image as it is rather static at this point. I don’t mind that part of a blade is across his forehead but would have liked the blades in the foreground to be fully included as a frame and the woman on the left facing the camera cropped out.

: Cleaning Up the Foreshore. Salon. MERIT. The square shape of this image means a lot of sky and clouds are included which are not adding to the story. In my view the whole top sky area might have been better to be cropped off to create a horizontal image. I do like the oranges and the spray of water beneath the bucket showing some action. The white Onerahi wording does pull the eye but does place the image as a local story.

: Needs To Be Removed. Salon. HONOURS. The hero of the image is front and centre, making it obvious what the story is about. Great details showing the boat’s sorry state, including open hatches and broken guardrails. In my view, the yachts in the background support the story. I would happily put this on my front page.

: City Solitude. Salon. MERIT. This might be good to run with a story about a lack of seating in the city. The composition is well handled with a nice balance between the white pillars framing her with her light-coloured clothing on what looks like a filthy pavement.

: Dash for the Finish. Salon. MERIT. This dash for the finish is well titled and shows lots of action with the splash of water behind her showing her speedy exit from the inflatable. With cloning not permitted in photojournalism, the electric fence standard does present a visual barrier and a distraction. However, with a bigger crop, this can be removed as well as the extra characters on the left, including that dodgy bunch of paparazzi in the background. A few steps closer when taking the image would have removed that fence post entirely and brought the action closer.

: On Your Marks Get Set. Salon. MERIT. While this image does have a lot of good points, with the gun immediately drawing the eye, I feel it would have been better to take the photo from the front, or from the side to include the elements of what he is using the starting gun for, which might not matter if this image was used as part of a photo spread.

: Before the Show. Novice. MERIT. The framing of the woman’s face as she concentrates on her preparations is nicely done. I like the black and white treatment. What she is concentrating on is missing from the story with the top of the horse’s head cropped out. I think the right hand side could be cropped out as well. A good attempt and have another go as this image has a lot of potential.

: The InTerminal Wait. Salon. ACCEPTED. This might be a good image to run with a story on travel delays or school holidays. As an image, the severe cropping of the boy’s back, in my view, detracts from the image. Since the children’s faces are not a feature, perhaps a better angle might have been from directly behind to bring his body into the image and place the plane in the centre between them. The blurred plane in the background is nicely done as it tells a story of the challenges of travel.

: A Winning Rider. Salon. MERIT. Cuteness overload with a red ribbon for a winning little rider on her immaculate pony. You have handled the harsh sunlight well. I would have liked to see more engagement between the girl and the woman approaching from the right, perhaps a couple more steps closer? Or when they were tying the ribbon on when there might have been delight on the girl’s face.

: Shearing Trials. Salon. HONOURS. All of the components tell a great story. The clock is ticking and the tense spectators add drama. Shearing photos are very difficult to capture, so you have done really well here.

: Speedgolf Master. Salon. HONOURS. This image fits the specs for photojournalism, showing the emotion and utter exhaustion of this champion speedgolfer. You don’t have to know anything about the sport to know this is what the photo is about.