I love being part of the Perspective staff and have such an interest in newspaper because of the creativity it allows you to have. Photojournalism is no different.

Photojournalism is news photography that may primarily focus on pictorial media and can often dominate the written copy. A well-written story is not fully finished until it has a strong image to support it. Having a strong image not only supports your story, but helps convey the message as well. With that said, it exemplifies just how important photography is to a newspaper.

Also, like writing, when photographing pictures you will experience new things. You will also see things, people, and objects in a way you never expected to see them in. An example from a previous issue of the Perspective was an article on the drag show, titled “Drag show sparks controversy.” The photographer was more than just another audience member, but rather had the opportunity to get close to the drag queens and kings and take pictures from both high, and low angles.

Normally, people take pictures looking dead on, and pose the people in the picture. But photojournalism allows you to capture candid shots and be creative with them. We sent a Perspective photographer over to the Buffalo Zoo to shoot pictures for an article. Her photos dominated the article, and were creative. She took a picture of an Elk, but rather taking a picture at eye level a picture was shot looking down emphasizing the antlers.

There is so much to do with photography in itself. It’s fun and for those who don’t like writing, it’s perfect. So, don’t hesitate to join a newspaper staff, there is so much to do. Next week, we talk about layout, my personal favorite.

-Summer Gemmati, Perspective Editor-in-Chief