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Young Reporter's
Story Ideas
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CLICK! Everyone knows the sound of a camera going off. But didja know that taking photos—really good ones that you’ll want to share—will change the way you look at the world?
Digital photography puts professional level technology within your reach. Plummeting prices, fabulous features and instant images are making picture taking super cool.
But all the technology in the world won’t make you an accomplished photog—that’s entirely up to you.
As professional shutterbugs point out, it’s not the camera that makes a picture great; it’s the photographer behind it! So pick up a camera and let’s get shooting!
How Cameras Work
Cameras are all about capturing light in just a split second. In a traditional camera, the lens focuses light to create an image on the film. When you push the shutter release—CLICK!—the light exposes the film. But to see what you just shot, you have to take the roll of film you exposed in for processing and printing.
A Digital Revolution
In a digital camera, the film has been replaced with a permanent, light-sensitive rectangle called a CCD (charge-coupled device).  The CCD captures the image and a converter turns it into millions of pixels—tiny squares of digital information. From there, the camera’s onboard computer processes and stores the information on the camera’s memory card. Unlike a 36-picture roll of film, a memory card can hold thousands of digital pictures!
Best yet, the picture you just took instantly pops up on the camera’s color screen. If you don’t like it—trash it and shoot again. If you want to show it, you can pass it around. And since it’s a digital picture, you can enjoy it on your computer, edit it, add it to a montage, set it to music as part of a slide show and even e-mail it to your grandma up in Juneau.
Photography has never been more fun or so creative!
Hold On Tight!
For a young photographer, digital cameras make taking high quality pictures faster and simpler than ever. They can handle almost any lighting situation. Most come with a zoom lens that goes from slightly wide angle for landscapes and group shots to telephoto for far away stuff. In an instant, they have your subject in sharp focus. There’s also a small built-in flash for when you need it.
“Digital cameras allow people to work faster. You don’t have to worry about a lot of stuff—the computer and the camera take care of a lot of automatic stuff so you don’t have to think about it,” says Gary Gaynor. Gaynor has spent his life taking photos. Since high school he’s been a photojournalist, and he just retired as assistant photo editor for the Tucson Citizen after 39 years of work.
Whether it’s a small point-and-shoot camera or a larger SLR type (single-lens reflex), you need to learn how to hold your camera steady!
The index finger of your right hand needs to be on the shutter release button. On many cameras, there’s a raised grip for your other fingers. On a small camera, use your left hand to hold the other side. With an SLR-type body, you grip with your right hand and use your left hand to support the body and lens from underneath. Be careful that your fingers don’t cover the flash or front of the lens!
To take a picture, use a smooth and steady pressure until you hear the CLICK! Don’t jerk the camera! On digital cameras, pushing down the button halfway focuses the camera. If you keep it halfway down, it will lock in that focusing distance, even if you move the camera to a different area.
Decide What You Want to Say
With a camera in hand, you need to get an idea of what you want to shoot. Do you want to capture desert landscapes? Maybe it’s people (portrait photography). Sports photography looks like a blast. And who doesn’t love animals (wildlife photography)?
“For starters, decide what you want to say,” Gaynor emphasizes. “Someone’s going to look at this—what do you want them to see? What do you want to communicate? That’s what you take a picture of, and make sure that communication is clear.”
Photojournalists Tell a Story
If you’re a Young Reporter for Bear Essential News or want to be one, listen up! Not only can you get the story, you can get the photo, too.
The speed and flexibility of digital photography makes it perfect for photojournalists.  “I just want to tell somebody’s story (with my photos) and tell it to somebody else. And I just want to have the equipment to do it and to do it quickly,” Gaynor points out.
Just like a reporter, a photojournalist sticks to the facts of a story, capturing reality in pictures. “In my business, you don’t make any changes at all,” Gaynor explains. That’s why he rarely uses his flash and almost always makes the most of the existing or AMBIENT light. Remember, a good photojournalist always has his or her camera handy!
Taking People Pictures
We’ve all seen ’em—terrible pictures that capture people at their worst. Maybe eyes are half-closed, or maybe the person is looking at the camera with devilish red eyes. That shot makes the person look short and fat, and this one has taken all the color out of his face. And should a person really be picking that during a photo?
Over the years, Gaynor has taken thousands of pictures of people. To get started, he suggests taking pictures of family and friends. Take group pictures of your Scout troop, sports team or at any event where you and your buddies are hanging out.
While digital cameras can help you weed out the bad shots, he says the key is communication when it comes to getting more perfect pictures of people.
“Be interested in people; be curious,” Gaynor suggests. Ask a few questions to get the person talking before you ever raise your camera. You can make your portrait more interesting by showing the person doing what he or she does best.
Wild About Animal & Nature Photography
Many kids love animals and wildlife and naturally want to take photos of them. Wildlife photographer Rick Jackson has traveled the world with his cameras, enduring the heat of the African savanna and the cold of Antarctica to get his incredible images. His uncle gave him his first camera—an antique twin-lens reflex that Jackson used to earn his final merit badge as an Eagle Scout.
“I’ve always loved animals. I raised rabbits, Guinea pigs, rats, birds, snakes, (just about) everything.  My interest in animals and photography just naturally blended together,” Jackson says. “My love of photography grew (so) I took a chance. I’ve been doing it for 33 years now!” You can check out his amazing photos at www.soulcatchingimages.com.
You’ll need lots of patience (and a long telephoto lens) to catch wild animals with your camera. “Great shots seldom just happen,” Jackson points out. “They are preconceived ideas that come from hours of wildlife viewing and planning.” He usually hides in a camouflaged blind so he doesn’t affect the animals he photographs.
He says that wildlife photography is always new and exciting for him. He’s traveled to every continent except Australia, which is where he’ll be later this year. His favorite places are Africa (for its abundance and variety of creatures) and Antarctica.
To get started, Jackson says there are some great magazines devoted to nature and wildlife photography, like Outdoor Photography and Nature’s Best. A long zoom lens is a must for keeping a safe distance from your more dangerous subjects. “Your local zoo is a great place to observe and practice wildlife photography. I try to get eye contact in as many animals as I can. It gives the image a sense of connection and soul,” Jackson says.
Learn About Light
Photography comes from a Greek word, which means “drawing in light.” Just as a sculptor uses clay or stone to create art, a photographer uses shadow and light.
You first camera will probably automatically pick the shutter speed and aperture (lens opening) to let in just the right amount of light for each photo. It also will adjust for outdoor light, incandescent light and fluorescent light. But as a photographer, you need to learn about light and how to control it to make your pictures pop!
“I prefer natural light whenever possible,” Gaynor explains. Throughout the day, sunlight changes dramatically. At sunrise and sunset, the light has a warm yellow-red tone to it. Shadows are longest at these times of day. As the sun rises, shadows shorten and colors look truer and brighter. The angle at which the light hits your subject also changes. If you’re taking a portrait at high noon, be careful of harsh shadows on the person’s face. You might be better off moving the person inside and letting the light from a nearby window cast a nicer light on the side of the subject’s face. Sheers and blinds also let in nice light.
As he shoots, Gaynor is always aware of where the sun is and other light sources that could affect his photo. Light that’s reflecting off of walls or is filtered through clouds also affects the quality of light for your shots. “Once you’re inside, lighting like this is flat. Sometimes adding a flash, bouncing it off whatever happens be near, gives you extra light (to make things more interesting),” he explains.
Gaynor also uses a flash outdoors to fill in (get rid of) deep shadows on faces caused by the sun being overhead.
The more advanced digital cameras work in extremely low light, which is good if you’re shooting city lights, dramatic sunsets or even the moon.
Composition: What Stays In & What Is Out
For Gaynor, a photo is a simple statement. “You’re not going to tell the history of the world with one photograph. It’s a simple statement—it’s only a sentence long, at most. Sometimes it’s only one word,” he explains. “Just say it. And inside that frame, inside the viewfinder that you’re looking through, make sure that (statement) is in there and nothing else.”
As a photographer, you pick the elements that are going to end up in your image. You use your viewfinder or screen to decide what’s in and what’s out.
Is there anything distracting in the background that needs to be moved or cropped out? Are you in tight enough to your subject? Are all the other elements where I want them to be?
“Fill up the frame with everything you want, and if there’s something in there you don’t want, get rid of it,” Gaynor says. Often that means moving your camera angle. “That can mean moving to the side to get rid of that tree coming out of the guy’s ear,” he jokes.
Have Fun, Learn & Shoot a Lot!
Gaynor suggests starting off with one of the less expensive digital cameras. “You can get a good camera in the $200 range, no problem.”
But the memory cards that most digitals come with are whimpy. Memory cards last for years, and a 2-gigabyte card can hold over 1,000 images and cost under $25. And digitals can burn through batteries, which gets expensive. If rechargeable batteries come with the camera, use them! If not, buy a charger and a set of nickel-metal hydride batteries that will operate your camera (also around $25). The batteries should also last for years.
You need to be organized in how you file your photos either on your computer or on DVDs (which can be viewed right on your TV!) File them regularly and name your folders and images so you can easily find them again.
“If someone is really interested in photography, not even as a career, but just to become good, you need to have the camera with you at all times and to be taking pictures all the time,” Gaynor adds.
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