By Peter Phun, on May 18th, 2010%
Scene setter–During a Prisoner of War medal presentation ceremony at Riverside’s Mission Inn, this veteran decked out in full military regalia waiting for the ceremony to begin, gave me a good opportunity to set the scene.
Event photography is as straightforward as it sounds.
What your client wants is often straight documentation of the event.
Most events have some components which are predictable so expect you’ll need:
- the customary keynote speaker at the podium
- the reaction of the audience (hopefully the speaker is engaging).
- some award presentations
- some group pictures
Most of the time, your client will make sure you’re in position and ready.
More than likely too, if it’s a big deal, they will have a schedule that is printed and handed to all guests so they know what to expect.
Continue reading Tips on event photography Part 1
By Peter Phun, on January 29th, 2010%
How do I start off this 3rd segment Assignments: ones I enjoyed?
Did I mention I met my wife on an assignment?
I photographed her for a story, one thing led to another… and this photographer rode off into the sunset with the girl.
Sports
While at the newspaper, I was often asked, “How do you get a job like yours? You get to shoot football, baseball etc?”
It made me realize how lucky I was to be able to do this for a living. Continue reading The once-sought after newspaper photographer position Part 3
By Peter Phun, on January 20th, 2010%
How many times have you picked up a newspaper and started reading a story just because the picture on the cover caught your attention?
That pretty much sums up the newspaper photographer’s goal at any assignment that he/she draws.
The Assignment
Come back with a picture/pictures that will sum up the story and draw the reader’s attention to it.
Assignments are what you make of it—On a story about road safety near an elementary school where large construction vehicles would speed by, I mounted my camera on a monopod, hoisted it over my head and tripped the shutter with a long extension cord. Getting in position early in the morning gave me a long shadow of the passing truck. I was lucky the crossing guard was far away enough from the truck to be lit by the sunlight, making her standout.
Continue reading The once sought-after newspaper staff photographer position Part 2
By Peter Phun, on July 21st, 2009%
Cooling off–Here’s a typical feature picture you might see in a newspaper especially when it’s the first day of summer when it’s over 100°F. I found this woman lying down in the shade waiting for her bus. Ask for permission first, or take the picture first? There are no hard and fast rules. If possible, I always take the picture first simply because the moment will be gone if you don’t. Spontaneous moments are ruined if you ask first. When discovered, come clean. It always works out better instead of trying to sneak away without any explanation. You’ll risk having the cops called on you especially if there are kids involved.
It’s those hot summer days like today that I don’t miss being at the newspaper.
I used to drive aimlessly looking for feature pictures.
Add today’s price of gasoline, multiply by the number of photographers on staff and you’ll get the idea of the cost of a picture that may never get published.
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