Thinking like a reporter important for yearbook photogs

Photographers who consistently capture good, storytelling images for the yearbook do so in part because, like great journalistic writers, they rely on the strategies of great reporting.

The best yearbook photographers will always be thinking, moving, evaluating and anticipating those moments that have visual interest and are packed with information.

• Understand your subject. Background research is crucial before covering an event. Find out what will be taking place, and the significance. Unless you get an idea of this information, you will be making your job much more difficult.

• Watch for a lead image. Always be alert for the single photo that will best capture the event’s purpose and mood. Since you never know when that moment will happen, actively cover the entire event to ensure you’ll be in the right place at the right time.

• Aim for variety. Remember, editors might want multiple images from the event you’re covering. Good reporters know how important it is to capture interesting details that will bring variety to a story they are writing. Good, storytelling photographers should be no different, and should be adept at capturing a variety of content, with different angles and positions.

• Find the closer. Follow the story to the end. Keep finding images, even though the main part of the action may have ended. Look for the photos that show subjects in unguarded, interesting moments after the event. Answer the question “what happened next” for the readers.