Hannah Baldwin

J7558: Advanced Techniques of Photojournalism

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Two lovers kiss while camping under the stars in their Kelty tent in McBaine, Mo.

What we did: Mark, TJ and I arrived at Eagle Bluffs around 7:30 p.m. Saturday. It was still light out and we just drove to the end of the road. We pitched Mark’s tent about five yards from a creek and about 15 yards off the road. Lili arrived a little later because she had come on her own. Once it got dark, at about 8:30 p.m., TJ and I posed in the tent as if we were about to kiss. Each of us held a flash in order to create the silhouette. Lili crouched behind the tent and set off another flash to fill it with light. Then, we crawled out of the tent. I held a straw, orange and ½ CTO gel over a flashlight and painted the fire while Mark counted down from 10. Mark then walked along the water’s edge, painting it with a flashlight. He also used a flashlight to paint the foreground. We were unable to illuminate the water effectively because it was several inches below the ground level. We didn’t have a way of throwing the light across it, although at one point I think we tried flashlighting it. We were not happy with the results. Ambient light filled in the sky behind the trees. Occasionally, we saw lightening but, unfortunately, couldn’t get it to strike in the background while we were photographing. Overall, I’m impressed with our picture. It was a lot of fun to make and the group worked well together. 

What we’d try next time: We attempted to illuminate the water with flashlights but it didn’t work. I don’t remember why we did not try using strobes to light it. They would have been more powerful and it probably would have worked, as long as we stood out of the camera’s view. We also tried posing Mark next to the fire, squatting like he was warming his hands. We pointed a strobe from each side to immobilize him in the frame but could only get one to go off. When we finally got the second one to go, the combination of strobes was too powerful. We abandoned that plan. It would have been weird, anyway, to have a random guy sitting there while two other people made out in the tent. No one likes to be the third wheel.  

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What I did: I interviewed Beatriz last Saturday, April 19. We gave ourselves about three hours, though none of our classmates were scheduled to shoot after us so we ended up with an extra hour. Bea and I had done a short pre-interview a day or so before the shoot so I had a pretty good idea of what drew her to photojournalism. We set everything up and thought both cameras were working, though we aren’t sure because one was so much darker than the other. We set both cameras to the same settings. I wanted to darken the green background so I set up the hair light, used the soft box as the key light and used the other light as fill. I set the key up high so it wouldn’t reflect in Bea’s glasses. I set the fill down as low as the lightstand would allow. We practiced how the shot would look before I started shooting and didn’t think the reflection in her glasses was going to be there. I can’t quite remember, but I suspect I had Bea move the stool an inch or so forward, which threw off how she looked in the frame. I moved the lights, but I don’t think I moved the camera. 

What worked: I’m not an expert on audio but I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. I think I’m on the right track, though I don’t know enough about audio recording to understand how to analyze the sound critically, the way I might dissect an image. My interviewing also worked. It’s a skill I work on constantly. (Since I hate talking to strangers, I just pretend I’m interviewing them. It makes me more comfortable and they eventually share all sorts of sordid details with me. Win-win for me).

What didn’t work: I didn’t realize that the video was going to turn out as dark as it did. The lighting techniques we were using were essentially the same as those we used in portraiture earlier in the semester. I didn’t notice it while I was recording the video because I was preoccupied paying attention to the recorder and trying to follow what Beatriz was saying so I could ask follow-up questions. We were careful to set the cameras to the same settings. Unfortunately, I forgot to write them down. I know we shot with a shutter speed of 1/60 because I shot at 30 frames per second. The ISO was high, somewhere between 400-800, because it’s what looked best. I’m not sure if we were shooting with one of the broken cameras. Josh said one of them did not have a working aperture, though it looked like we were able to change it.

Because the two cameras recorded video that is so different in exposure, I can’t analyze whether or not the lights were at the right power. The hair light, I think, could have been at a slightly higher power to provide more separation between Bea and the background, but when I look at the close shots, it looks okay because the background is dark green.

What I would do differently better next time: If I reshot this video, I’d switch it with the key light. (I’d put the key light on Beatriz left and the fill on her right). It would help separate her hair, which I also separated with a hair lights. I’d try placing the fill on her right but have it pointing at a reflector that could reflect light to illuminate her eyes, which are hidden under her bangs and glasses).

Alternatively, I think I could have placed the fill light closer to the key and shone it at a reflector, which would have been similar to what Bea did when she lit me. I would have had to be careful not to get either the light or the reflector in the family of angles.

About editing: This was the first time I’ve used Final Cut Pro and I found I really enjoyed it. I’m interested in video and plan to pursue it, though I haven’t had time this semester to try to learn it on my own. It’s intimidating to learn to use any new software. I think we should have spent more time on it in lab. I realize it takes a lot of practice to learn to edit video, and that it’s a new medium for me, but I felt ill-prepared to start.

In talking to Bea and other classmates about their interviews, it sounds like everyone’s reasons for becoming interested in photojournalism are multifaceted. Bea wants to be a videographer and believes that learning still photography will help her become better at that. While I was editing, I decided to focus on the “why” and “how” of how she ended up in photojournalism. I’m happy with that part of the editing. There are, however, a few places where you can tell the editing wasn’t completely polished. For example, at 15:08 and 16:08, Bea sort of jumps, even though the camera angles haven’t changed. It happens again later in the video. I think I cut it too roughly or perhaps needed a tiny bit more ambient sound to smooth that out.

  I didn’t expect perfection on this assignment — I haven’t expected that of myself on any assignments. I can’t achieve it yet. I’ve learned more in the past few months than I’ve ever learned in a single class, photography or otherwise, but it’s still learning. Video is something I think I’d really like to do. I’d like to be a better photographer, too, but there’s something thrilling about constructing narratives out of moving images. Still pictures have the power to arrest you, but I love movement and I’m attracted to the analytical part of video. I like the planning and long-term thinking that goes into it.  

Here's a link to Bea's interview of me.

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Huong Truong, 22, demonstrates how to fold an origami tulip during the Asian Night Market, hosted by AAA, MU's Asian American Association, on Monday night. Truong, who is Vietnamese-American, joined AAA two years ago to support friends who were involved. The tulip is the only origami she knows how to fold, she said.

I will upload the lighting diagram later. Tumblr is having technical difficulties.

Here’s what I did: I shot this image using two strobes on 1/128 power and 24 mm zoom (or so I thought). I placed one on the table to Huong’s right so it could imitate candlelight. Evan stood under the tent and pointed the second one up at the canopy, which we were trying to use to bounce the light back onto the subject. I knelt across the table from him to shoot. The event we were at was Asian Night Market, an annual event hosted by MU’s Asian American Association. We went to that because the first event we went to, a prom-related event at Hallsville High School, was cancelled. There was a lot of commotion and activity at the event so we thought we’d have a lot of opportunities to photograph interesting things.            

Here’s what worked: I tried to compose carefully because my earliest pictures when I’m learning a new lighting technique are usually not good photographs. I did okay, though I think the composition could have been better. I should have knelt lower so Huong’s head was against the white canopy.

            Here’s what didn’t work: We thought the flashes were both going off but when I looked at the images on the computer screen, I realized only the flash on the table had fired. On one hand, I’m disappointed because I was getting the hang of using off-camera flashes. It’s always nice when things work out the first time. On the other hand, it gives me an opportunity to shoot the assignment again in a more interesting situation. I’m not sure what the problem with the flash was. Both had batteries and were set to the correct power. It’s possible I didn’t give it time to recharge or it’s also possible Evan’s hand covered the sensor. I was using a D800 Ihad borrowed from the locker. I checked the settings before I shot but it’s possible I had it on the wrong one. Unfortunately, I don’t remember what the camera was set to.

            Here’s what I’d do differently next time: I’m reshooting the assignment to make sure I know how to make both flashes fire. Tim and I had planned to practice lighting a dance situation in preparation for prom so we’re going to try to take a set of lights to the Blue Fugue to shoot salsa on Friday night.

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Tyler Montgomery, 14, watches a foul ball soar over the Central Missouri Prospect's dugout on Sunday, April 6, in Columbia, as his teammate Jesse Roberts, 14, runs to catch the ball. Roberts caught several foul balls during the game that day. 

"They just kind of make me do it," Roberts said.

"Are you kidding me?" Nathan Long (not pictured), his teammate who overheard him say that, said. "I got three yesterday."

"That's 'cause I was in the field," Roberts said.

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Audio Slideshow Research: The New York Times' Gun Country

I generally like the New York Times' multimedia work. "Gun Country" was published late last fall. It is a series of six audio slideshows exploring diverse perspectives on guns in the United States. I like it for several reasons:

It tackles a tough issue. So much of what we hear or read or see about guns has to do with legislation and lobbying. That's an important part of the equation but I think that even more important is understanding the role of guns in American culture. The problem with reporting on American culture, however, is that it's not a monolith. What is true about gun culture in Chicago is not true about gun culture in central Wisconsin. "Gun Country" surveys a variety of men and women who have had a range of experiences with guns.

The series doesn't shy away from examining negative and positive aspects of gun culture. "The Awakening" is the story of a woman whose relationship with guns has empowered her. "Never Asleep," the story of a woman whose violent husband committed suicide with a gun. The best part about this series is that these two stories are juxtaposed, one following the other. The series embraces the contradictions and complexity that exist within gun culture.

The photography feels intimate. It comes from people's homes and private spaces. Each subject narrates his or her own story. These stories are personal stories that deal with the pain and pleasure guns bring to people's lives and communities.

"Gun Country" doesn't change the fact that I think we need harsher gun laws. I doubt it would change the mind of someone who thinks we need a well-armed militia. The series doesn't set out to change minds, however. Its goal is to use visual storytelling to add depth to a conversation that is seldom treated with the nuance it requires. And I think the series succeeds masterfully.

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Lian Markovich, 21 (left), chats with her new co-worker Katie Jardine, 22 (right), while they wait for a customer at Sparky's, an ice cream parlor in downtown Columbia, on Wednesday night. Markovich deejayed while the two worked, playing the French pop singer Stromae over the speakers. He is popular in Senegal, where she studied abroad, she said. Jardine began working at Sparky's a week and a half ago. She was in the middle of her second training shift. "My roommate works here and a bunch of my friends work here," Jardine said. She met Sparky's owner through them. 

Top: The image as it came out of the camera.

Bottom: The image after I toned it in Photoshop.

For this assignment, I color-corrected using a green gel. That didn't quite do the trick so I added a yellow one on top of it. The results were much better. For these shots, the flash was on 1/32 at a zoom of 24 mm.

Sparky's is an interesting place visually, which is why I had wanted to shoot there, so I wanted to capture as much of the environment as possible. I thought the shot from the side, where I could see part of the kitchen/serving area and part of the area where there would have been customers was more interesting than a shot from the front of the shop. Markovich and Jardine hung out tasting ice cream and waiting for customers. I pointed the flash at the ceiling so it would bounce onto them and I waited for them to gesture or move in interesting ways. 

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Lee Anne Denyer, 24, is a first-year graduate student studying broadcast at the Missouri School of Journalism. Before coming to graduate school, she worked in television production in California, her home state. Learning to anchor is a challenge, she said, but she hopes to become a better reporter.

Before I photographed Lee Anne, I assumed that she would be comfortable in front of the camera because she studies broadcast and anchors for KOMU. 

I was wrong.

Lee Anne was uncomfortable the same way I am uncomfortable being photographed. We know there's a camera there. We know we're supposed to forget about it and be ourselves. But it's awkward so we talk a lot to cover up the silence. 

Seriously, I wouldn't shut up. The hardest part about practicing portraits on friends — especially friends you don't see often — is that you just want to talk to them all the time. I do much better when I just shut up and let them get over the awkwardness themselves. 

I don't think Lee Anne looks awkward in either of the selects that I've posted. Both pictures represent her in poses or expressions that I've seen her in when we've been out, without a camera. 

Here's what worked: I managed to keep the white background white. I used a single light on a softbox, which I placed first to my left (like in the bottom picture). I eventually moved the light so it was directly in front of Lee Anne (like in the top picture). I didn't use the camera stand, which left me free to move around. I don't ask people to smile for the camera when I'm photographing portraits but I ended up really liking the picture in which Lee Anne is smiling. I wouldn't want to publish it, however, because I think it's kind of campy.  

Here's what I would do differently: I don't like not seeing Lee Anne's hands. She doesn't talk with her hands but they still convey a lot of expression. It doesn't bother me so much that I can't see her hands in the picture on the bottom. In the picture on the top, it drives me more crazy the more I look at it. 

I think I would also try a lower power ratio on the light that was directly in front of her. Her face is a little hot on her forehead, cheek and chin. I had the power set to the highest ratio but might have been able to try lowering it.

Honestly, I think I'd just reshoot the whole thing. These may be my selects but I'm not that happy with either of them.

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Celia Murray, 23, moved from her home in Melbourne, Australia, to study advertising at MU's School of Journalism. Although Murray grew up in London, Paris and Melbourne, and has traveled extensively in Europe and Asia, she is often homesick for Australia, especially her dogs and family's farm in Victoria.

I couldn't decide which portrait of Celia I liked best so I selected five and thought I'd write about what I liked and disliked about them.

First, here's what I did: I used a snooted light to my right. To my left, close to Celia's face, was a reflector to fill in the shadows. I put a light behind her, too. At first, it was just below her neck, pointed upward so it would illuminate her hair. Unfortunately, it wasn't separating her shoulders from the backdrop. I took the snoot off and put the small hood (or whatever that's called) on the light. It didn't allow the light to spread widely enough so I switched it for a larger one, which let the light fall on her shoulders and illuminate her hair. For the first half of the shoot, Celia sat on a stool. For the second half, she stood.

I've noticed that people who use a lot of body language, gesture with their hands, cross their arms, are more comfortable in front of the camera. I think body language is a way of shielding the limelight—at least that's how it works for me.

Here's what worked in these photos: First, Celia's expressions in each of these pictures are expressions I see every day. (She's my best friend; I know her face well). The photos don't look unnatural to me. Second, I like the effect of the light in her hair. It makes it look gold and it also peaks to create a halo. I think it's most successful in the third photo, in which she is looking to the right. (The reason that photo was not my top pick is that you can see the edge of the light behind her).

Here's what didn't work: I'm not happy with the unevenness of the separation between Celia's torso and the backdrop. I had asked her to wear a black top because I knew it would be challenging to to photograph her against the black backdrop. I also think that in the last photograph the light peaks in her cheeks. It happens in some of the other photos but it's most noticeable in the last photo.

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Beth Castle, 22, studies news and magazine editing at MU's School of Journalism. In addition to studying and working 20 hours per week in the Missourian library, Castle coy edits for the newspaper twice each week. 

I didn't think I would like studio work but I do. I like that it's formulaic and there's a chance to work out the problems, that I can go back and tweak whatever mistakes I made the week before. I've begun asking friends to model for me. Beth was the first model.

I wanted to shoot her portrait using multiple lights to create a high key situation, since that's what I had the most trouble with when I shot Lauren a few weeks ago. Beth is so quiet and shy that she seems innocent. I thought the high key lighting would bring that out. Using multiple lights, I still couldn't figure out a way to light Beth without washing her out. I couldn't get the lighting ratios correct, couldn't get the angles right. I gave up and started using one light with a softbox, which I placed to my right. I used a reflector on the other side so help fill in the shadows. 

I learned to turn the white background grey by asking Beth to stand too far away from it. 

I probably shot 100 or so pictures and wasn't happy with most of them. I was using an 85 mm lens for the first time, which I wasn't used to. I'm anxious and neurotic and talk all the time so it was hard to make quiet, shy Beth relax.

I don't think any of the shots look truly candid but I thought these two came close. I didn't start out liking the top photo but it grew on me. I like the shadow in the background because it adds dimension. I think the fact that the catchlight is in the center of Beth's eyes is a little weird. I like the second photo because her face, at a 2/3 angle, has more dimension. It's a little hot, however, on the tip of her nose and in the center of her forehead.

I thought these two photos were successful because, although neither looks completely unposed, both convey a sense of calmness and quiet. I particularly like the top one because it has a sense of intensity as well.

If I photograph Beth again, I'd try something similar. I would have her stand closer to a white backdrop. I might ask her not to wear white, or I might take on the challenge of lighting white on white.  

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After I got the feedback on my studio portraits assignment, I decided to post the three images Rita mentioned as better than the select I turned in. None of them are cropped so you can see the backdrop and there are definitely still things I would do different.y. I like that all three show Lauren's tattoo, which I think says a lot about her. 

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Lauren Kastner, 21, was a competitive ice dancer for more than 15 years. She stopped skating when she started college three years ago. "Nothing quite gives you the adrenaline rush skating did," she said. "It's a constant questioning of my identity." 

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Carrie Mae Weems, Kitchen Table Series, Gelatin silver print, 1990. (This is one series out of 30).

Weems has long been one of my favorite photographers but I didn't think to post these pictures until I was sitting in class. (Weems is not a photojournalist. She is an artist who works in photography and video. Much of her work comments on how media, especially photography, has portrayed African-American women). I think a lot can be learned from about lighting and portraiture from art photography — and art in general.

We see one light source: the overhead lamp but I think the subjects are actually lit from the front, as indicated by the shadows on the wall behind them. The lighting is fairly high key but it's also hard. The details and shadows are in sharp focus. I think the lighting is meant to approximate the type of light one might have in a kitchen or dining room.

These aren't traditional portraits. The last image (on the right) is the closest to a traditional portrait, with the subject challenging the viewer with the directness of her gaze.

Click here for more information on Carrie Mae Weems.

And click here for to see information about the exhibit Carrie Mae Weems: Three Decades of Photography and Video.

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William Albert Allard, Brian Morris, Circle A Boss, Paradise Valley, Nevada, 1970. 

It was hard to choose one portrait for this blog post. I love portraiture. What struck me about this photo is that the contrast between light and dark divide it into thirds. The top third of the composition is dark, the middle third is the subject's lit face, and the bottom third again recedes into darkness. The light in the middle emphasizes the subject's eyes and the structure of his face. 

I think this portrait has been broadly lit from the right side. The highlights in the subject's eyes indicate that the light source is fairly large, though I can't determine what the light source is. The light is not particularly hard and is fairly warm.

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Top: Alexandra Avakian, Near Nimrud, Iraq, May 1999

Bottom: Alexandra Avakian, Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 1989.