Those Dreaded Feature Pictures

Here are some more random thoughts on making those dreaded pictures we label “features” in photojournalism.

There is a tendency to see the function of features as something to fill space. I think this perception is pervasive and misses the mark for setting high journalistic standards. The Daily and everywhere else that demands photographers to “go out and find” a feature picture on deadline is doing their community a disservice.

Making so-called feature pictures, wild art or enterprise photos is a state of mind.

In reality, taking on an attitude of “finding” anything under pressure of deadline is bad news.

Think about the state of mind we are in when an editor bluntly and blindly calls for features. “We could really use some features,” or “we don’t have any assignments, so you need to get a feature.” The problem here is one of poor planning and organization — that’s the state of mind editors are in.

We cannot let poor planning get in the way of making meaningful images. When editors say they need features, it generally means that they have no clue about what is going on in their backyard. When someone says they need features it means that they are afraid they won’t have enough words or images to fill the paper. This is the “fall-back and punt” approach to doing journalism; honestly, it is not journalism.

In this scenario, the photograph becomes a defensive strategy for news planners. Rather than take a pro-active attitude toward doing community journalism, news planners, those people responsible for selecting what gets in the paper or Online, settle for half-baked work.

Part of this attitude has to do with they way story assignments are carried out. Reporters are assigned something and when the story falls through or when the story is poorly written, the editors look elsewhere to fill the space. That elsewhere becomes a feature picture.

I am really bothered by the complacency involved in thinking of features as something that is LESS than news. The editors must be forward thinking about what news is and so must the photographer. Running a cliche image of someone basking in the sunshine on the campus lawn or a child playing  in a sprinkler is not news.

Reality Check

Since the chance of editors and reporters thinking visually ahead is rather slim, this burden falls on the photographer’s shoulders. The photojournalist must do his or her homework and stay on top of what is going on in the community.

Everyone at every level in the news process must embrace a state of mind that best serves the needs of the community. Running around with a camera two hours before deadline in the hope that you might find something is a waste of time that produces mediocre results more often than not. How is that serving your community.

Everyone at every level of the news process must get in the state of mind of thinking ahead. For example, every day at such an such a time something is going on, the light is just right, people are gearing up for an activity. When we anticipate the enterprise of our communities we come to realize and appreciate that the process of covering the world is less about finding features and more about doing journalism.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Keep a log of everything that pops into your head that may make a meaningful image of your community. Look at the list every day.
• Make a list of contacts on campus or in the community of people that are doing interesting and good deeds. Call them from time to time.
• Read, read and read. Read everything about what is going on in your community. Look at bulletin boards, bumperstickers, post-it notes, read the classified section, talk to people, hang out in the same spot every day for a week and watch what is going on. Follow the news. Read your newspaper.
• Do journalism.

Comments

[clarence walker]

New photo association. Information available through link above.

[Mark Hamilton]

Dennis:

I remember hearing a Seattle P-I photographer speak years ago (sorry, his name has receded into one of the dustier corners of my rapidly-aging brain) who, as he drove around the city on his daily round of assignments, would jot down anything that offered feature photography possibilities on a Post-It note that he'd stick on the dashboard of his car. Whenever he was assigned to go get wild art, he would have a starting point other than panic or cliché.

Mark

[Tim G]

Very nice post Dennis. I'm sure most everyone is familar with the book The Great Picture Hunt, but it's also a nice read on the art of feature hunting. The biggest thing as you've stated is being prepared so it doesn't become a ritual of hoping something falls into your lap cause odds are it won't.