Capturing the Moment

It is always both exciting and challenging to look for something that is newsworthy. As a writer for the Collegian, I am used to the struggle of digging for news. Finding a story is probably the hardest part of the process for me. Once I find one it gets easier from there. For this assignment I had to take a picture when I am used to writing.

            For the first picture, I had to find something newsworthy and take a single photo with a DSLR camera. I took pictures of the German Club having their once a semester game night. Knowing I would have to label every person in the picture, I made sure I took my pictures quickly. I took pictures of four people during the first game that was played.

            One lesson I learned was not to be afraid. It can be annoying to ask four different people for their information just so I can properly tag them in the caption. Luckily all four people were happy to have their picture taken and to give me the information they needed.

            I learned how important it was to take a variety of pictures. I took close to 50 pictures and only five were good enough to post onto my website and social media. Had I been lazy and only taken one or two pictures, I would have put myself in a bad situation.

            I discovered that most people are surprisingly comfortable with someone walking in a circle around them and repeatedly taking pictures. After I told everybody what I was doing, they all just ignored me and played their board game.

            For the group of pictures that I took my phone, I realized that even though I had taken pictures on my phone in the past, I did not know how to take a proper picture on a phone. Trying to tell a story in only a handful of pictures can be difficult.

            Same lessons apply as before, take several photos of the event to make sure you can choose from a variety later. This saved me because I only got the name of the woman giving the lesson to the students so many of my pictures were no longer useful. Trying to tell a story with a few pictures was hard because the lesson went on for two hours.

            I also face the challenge of taking a variety of photos. Luckily the guest instructor moved all around the room allowing me to take several pictures. I learned to always be on the lookout for an opportunity because they can come and go quickly. That moment came when Ann Tubbs walked right next to me to use a pottery wheel. This allowed me to get my close-up picture. The other two varieties I needed were easy to obtain.

            I learned that the quality of my phone camera was much lower than my camera. The camera on my phone is good but not great, given the choice I would rather use my camera. I learned how important it is to move quickly, I only had 24 hours to post my pictures on Twitter and Instagram, this is preparing me for meeting tight deadlines.

            Overall I learned that I need to move quickly, make good decisions, and to make that my pictures are telling a story.