travel and sports journalism

Traveling “journo”A sense of place

A sense of place A goal of travel writing

and/or photography is to give viewers a feeling of what it was like to be in that location.

We call this a sense of place.

The essence In travel journalism, we try to capture

the essence of a community, a lake, a mountain range, a country.

We try to give our viewers the feeling that this could be no where else on Earth.

A feeling It captures not so much an

objective view of a place, but a feeling of the place.

Evoke a feelingIt tries to evoke something in the viewer that says: This is Paris.

Evoke a feeling This is New

York.

Evoke a feeling This is

Fargo (NDSU, specifically).

Travel in spirit The concept of travel journalism, to

capture the essence of a place, does not mean you have to go far away.

You can try to capture the feeling, the essence of your home town.

Or your university. Or your workplace.

Capturing the essenceWhat describes a place? Two natural features often define a place: Climate Landform

Weather Choosing to emphasize weather typical

of a place can help us to feel what it might be like to be there.

The weather we choose might not be obvious. Tropical climates are usually sunny, but we know taking pictures in the middle of a sunny day doesn’t usually product the best images.

Weather Instead, we might

choose weather that helps to enhance a feeling of place, a mood we want to evoke.

Weather We expect rainy days in England, and

we can build on that by tying weather to typical scenes.

Changing weather Weather may change

quickly, sometimes in only minutes. This is particularly true at sunrise or sunset. You need to be ready, and work fast. (San Diego.)

Land and surroundingsThe place we live defines our lives: cities, mountains, plains, seashore, lakes, desert.People live differently in response to their surroundings.These also help to define our sense of place.

Customs and dress Customs and distinctive dress

contribute to our sense of place. The way people walk, the things they

carry, their surroundings also contribute.

Land and culture In what country is this

picture taken? What are the visual

clues?

Land and culture In what country is

this picture taken? What are the visual

clues?

Land and people Could this be the

Midwest? Why/why not?

Could this be the United States? Why/why not?

Visual cues A variety of visual cues can give a sense

of place: Worn wood and peeling paint Glint of ice and snow Narrow streets Color contrast Houses and buildings

Study a place Begin by taking a close look at your

surroundings. Travel journos often begin by touring the

area without a camera. You can soak in the ambience and get a

feeling for what might make a good photo.

Avoiding clichés Photojournalists try to avoid

cliché images in giving a sense of place.

For example, everyone knows the Eiffel Tower is in Paris. Taking yet one more photo is a cliché. Try to find something new.

Working a cliché You can, however,

take a cliché photo in an unusual way.

Campus clichés What might we consider a cliché image

of campus life? Could we take the photo in a way to

avoid the cliché image?

On campus Here is one typical campus scene.

On campus And one

student’s attempt to try something different. We do miss having people in the scene.

SportsWriting and photojournalism: the interesting, the unusual, the emotional, the unexpected

Timeliness is paramount You must be aware of subtle movement in

the game. Avoid talking to others and keep your head

in the game. It’s easy to get distracted and miss a huge

play. Strive to capture sport in a unique way. A

good sports photo and a well-written story are both timely and have high reader interest.

If you can do it right, there’s money to be made.

Star player photos and interviews get you paid.

You must mimic qualities of a sports fan while trying to avoid becoming one. Read: no bias!

Read, listen, talk sports. Look for stories you want to cover: injuries, major trade or fights and feuds, players and coaches, money, etc.

Big money

Plan for the drama Do your research and know which players are

having hot streaks (on and off the field). A news angle like this adds extra dimension (read: money).

History in the making Make friends with the team statistician by

contacting the PR department. If the team breaks or ties a record, you need to make that a big part of the story.

Readers want winners (and losers) The greatness is not so important as the

STORY! Get the photo that tells the story. Start your lede with “What the story is

about.” Watch the action but don’t stop when the

final whistle blows. Sometimes expressions tell the story better than the action. Look for that “afterglow” effect.

Get things that summarizes the game/match Whether it’s the lead photo or the lede

in your story, get the names of each team, key players and the outcome of the game.

Also describe the game’s highlights – turning point or winning goal, star of the game, and injuries to important players.

Note: you must follow the game closely so you know what to write/photograph

Crowds are key

Crowds reactions also help

characterize the game’s emotions.

Don’t get a picture of the

team celebrating when, at the

same time, you could get a shot

of the losers sulking.

After the game, run into the middle of the field, if that’s what’s feels good. Don’t be afraid to get in the middle and mix it up. Or, stand back with your long lens and/or notepad if you agree to “shoot long.”

Reactions on and off Watch the field and the sidelines but

don’t miss anything on the bench or dugout.

Get the coach pacing and yelling at refs. How about a clenched jaw or the frown of an injured athlete wearing a cast.

Often but not always off limits – the locker room! That’s where a lot of emotions are revealed.

Tips for sports PJ

Don’t forget your captions – names, what happened, when the action took place Take photos of the scoreboard to know when action

occurred Take a picture of the roster Take a copy (or a picture) of play-by-play stats

available from officials after the game Learn the shorthand and jot down descriptions after

each play. Audio recordings on your phone or DSLR.

Sports features The news approach to sports usually involves

inverted pyramids and sharp, freeze-frame images. However, a more impressionistic approach could add drama and be more appealing.

Set your camera on a slow shutter speed or, if you’re a journalist, ignore the critical winning moment in favor of another moment that captures the atmosphere of the event. Attempts like this usually transcend the actual event

and become a universal statement about the sport.

Techniques for PJ sports Freeze action: at least 1/500th second High ISO You need a faster shutter the faster the sport

(runners vs. joggers) The closer the camera is to the subject, the

faster the shutter needs to be to stop or freeze the movement.

Look for the peak of the athlete’s movement – when athlete reaches the apex (use a slow shutter)

Shooting techniques cont’d Panning – Slow shutter and move the

camera to follow the subject during the exposure

If you do not follow smoothly, the subject willbe blurry (don’t gamble solely on an impressionisticpan shot)

Techniques for PJ cont’d Panning – Slow shutter and move the

camera to follow the subject during the exposure

If you do not follow smoothly, the subject willbe blurry (don’t gamble solely on an impressionisticpan shot)

Techniques for PJ cont’d Get your assignment done, first. Then

experiment. Play with light Continuous shooting – capture a sequence

showing (before the action starts and continue holding until after the action stops)

You can shoot faster this way!

Techniques for PJ cont’d Autofocus is your friend. Most DSLR are

more precise than manual Focus points – activate the middle Most cameras have a multisensor focus

point that tracks unpredictable movement (Nikon is called Dynamic Area Autofocus AF; Canon is AI servo)

Zone focus – manually set the lens for the point you expect the action to take place

Techniques for sportswriters Writer about players and teams, not games. Write about an individual player or group (offense,

defense) Write about groups of games in one story, but look for

trends (strong defense, injuries, stars, etc.) Identify players: don’t just say “Joe Smith.” Write “senior

tackle Joe Smith.” Scores are numerals: 12-6 not 12 to 6. Records are numerals, too. 8-2 but 8 and 2 Winning score ALWAYS comes first. Don’t be a cheerleader. The team is an IT. The team won ITS game.

Equipment Wide angle 20 mm Telephoto 300 mm f/2.8 or bigger 400

mm Tripod or monopod Rain gear External flash or a strobe

Sports stories Advance coverage – to build up enthusiasm Short gamer– on the spot

Parts Headline Lede: key player, outstanding player, analytical

approach Body: highlights of game, decisive play, play by

play, comparison of teams, best score, quotations, weather, crowd and celebrations

Tips for success If you want to write about sports, find something

else. This is about journalism. This is not about being pals with your favorite teams/athletes. Your passion has to be with reporting, writing, editing, taking photos and design. No exceptions.

Write a TON. Small papers pay for coverage of high school athletics. Write a blog for your own amusement but actually submit articles somewhere, too.

It’s always about the news. Championships, heartbreak and tragedy.

Don’t waste time learning about sports. Learn about writing and reporting. It helps to know sports but it’s more valuable if you can write well.