GOING INTO REPORTAGE PHOTOGRAPHY

In short...

Preliminary notes: It is mandatory to have completed the 4 introductory courses about basic photographic technique to attend the courses in this package. Book the 4 courses for beginners here

In addition to the 4 beginner courses (see above), This course pack is certifying; it will allow you to obtain the Photoreporter certification.

This package of courses will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to get started in photojournalism. Your training will start with a series of 4 introductory courses to cover the basic photographic techniques (These courses are not included in this package). You will then participate to a whole day dedicated to the practice of reportage (shooting, selecting and formatting a series of images), and finally, you will follow a workshop that introduces you to Lightroom, a selection and retouching software essential for any photographer!

Lightroom level 1: Organise and select your images (online)

The knowledge of retouching software is a necessary tool in photography: thanks to programs like Lightroom, photographers can achieve the full potential of their raw images. Adobe Lightroom Software manages all the post-production steps of a photograph; from importing and organizing images, through their retouching, to exporting for printing (print, book) or digital presentation (web, slide show).

The first level of our Lightroom training courses will familiarise you with the use of this software. This workshop will be essential for you to understand how the program works, on the one hand, and on the other hand, to learn how to effectively organize and select your images. The selection and organisation phase of images is crucial in photographic post-production work. It is during this stage that stories evolve, series are constructed and a photographer's work is structured. The images selected in this step are the images that will be retouched.

This 3h30 workshop is therefore positioned before the retouching training (which will be taught in the level 2 workshop), and is a fundamental entry point into your Lightroom training... Just as a cook must be able to choose his food with taste before preparing a dish, a photographer must be able to select their images in an efficient and thoughtful way before retouching work...

During this first level of learning, you will be taught:

-The fundamentals of the program and how it works

-The different methods of importing images into Lightroom

-Sorting and selecting images within the software

Lightroom level 2: Starting to retouch images (online)

The knowledge of retouching software is a necessary tool in photography: thanks to programs like Lightroom, photographers can achieve the full potential of their raw images. Adobe Lightroom Software manages all the post-production steps of a photograph; from importing and organizing images, through their retouching, to exporting for printing (print, book) or digital presentation (web, slide show).

The raw images that your camera is capable of producing have enormous potential, and to be able to utilise and maximise it, you need to be proficient with retouching software; adjusting exposure, adjusting white balance, tonality, contrast, correcting abnormalities are just some of the many tasks that Lightroom can do, among many other possibilities....

This retouching phase is therefore an essential part of the photographer's work. Imagine a baker not knowing how to bake his bread; his dough may have top quality dough, but if he doesn’t know how to use it his work will always remain unfinished (and inedible)... The same is true for the photographer who cannot retouch; his chain of work is cut off, he cannot perfect and embellish his work.

During this second level of learning, you will be taught:

-The different tools for image processing

-Adequate retouching formulas (practical phase of the workshop)

-The different methods of exporting images from Lightroom

-Prerequisites: you must have attended level 1 or be already familiar with the use of the software, import, sorting and selection methods

The reportage : storytelling through pictures

The reporter is first and foremost a witness.

Therefore the photo reporter testifies in images. These testimonies can be expressed in two ways: in daily news, or over a longer period of time through the development of a series on given themes (this is called documentary reportage).

Even if the reporter's neutrality during the shooting is essential, their point of view can still be supported, particularly by the angle of the photo, or by the way the photographer chooses to order their images.

The course

We will start the day with a discussion about photo reportage, its history and its role in society.

The instructor will then propose 2 or 3 reporting themes from which the students will have to choose the topic of the day.

The early afternoon will be dedicated to reportage. The instructor will take part in the exercise themself, while spending time with each student individually to provide advice and tips (how to choose the right moment, the right angle, etc.).

Once the reportage is completed, the trainer will use the pictures they have created to approach the crucial issue of editing. They will explain their choices of rhythm and coherence that will lead them to the final series.

The day will end with a long collective review of each other's work.

Material

Of course, the equipment is important. To be able to work on everything, wide angle and long focal length should be used. A quality lens with a large diaphragm aperture is recommended in order to adapt to the most diverse lighting conditions.

Course sequence

• 10am-12pm: Photo reporters: history; 2/3 themes proposed for vote
• 13h-16h: Reportage
• 16h-18h: Debriefing of the students' work; editing via the example of the instructor.