BLOGGING TRAVEL PHOTOS

EditorialEditor:Alexandra Godfrey

Alexandra Godfrey

Just as most artistic hobbies and professions, photography, and photojournalism, allow for the exploration of creative thinking, and the connection between imagery and the world, whether that be social, political, or otherwise The purpose of photo stories, as well as editorial photography, is to convey emotion of an event or narrative It offers a way to explore creativity and familiarity when educating a reader Not only does an image allow for a greater visual understanding of the world being depicted through the literature, but it also allows for a more sensitive connection to a subject. It tells a story in levels of detail that writing may struggle to do Think back to any news article you may have read in the past year relating to natural disasters, poverty or illness One of the first things that comes to mind is likely to be a touching photograph of such events across the world. These images are ingrained in our heads, in a way which is much more significant and emotional than words on a page. Yes, writing can offer a narrative, and each individual may create images in their mind of what a scenario may look like But, photography acts as a middle-man between the writing and the imagination It does not take away the readers’ ability to form their own opinion or create an image, rather, it acts as a stepping stone. From the photographs the audience sees, they continue reading, forming other scenes and actions with the base formed by the imagery provided on the paper, or attached to the article. Alongside this, the photos attached tend to play on emotions, specific sensitivities of the general population As a skill often used in marketing, writers may choose photos which tug at heart strings, sensitive subjects which will compel the audience and leave an image ingrained in their memory. Writers and photographers alike do this to portray a potentially emotional and important subject with significance and power. Topics and events, specifically relating to advocacy and awareness, will incorporate imagery to ensure infliction of interest upon the readers and encourage talk concerning the subject This highlights one of the aspects of photography that the viewer, still, has to be mindful of: the ability of a photo to tell a story partially. It is easy to assume that a photograph always is a true and complete depiction of a situation, as it is supposed to be an objective snapshot of time However, through composition techniques, subject choice and advanced editing software, photos can also be arranged and altered to tell only one side of a story that has many narratives to give

Nevertheless, as long as one is aware of the subjectivity behind a single photo, photography is a powerful tool to make a scene speak A photo makes a story stand out from the page and is often used by reporters to create a precedent for a story. Photography in the news allows for inspiration and the use of powerful, memorable imagery The focus of news writing tends to be to educate and increase awareness of events or differing opinions and experiences; photography goes hand-in-hand with that. Take any university for example. Some schools, and towns, at all levels, offer newspaper and writing opportunities In St Andrews, for instance, our local student-run paper incorporates art and photography into, nearly, every article produced and published. Especially in recent years, the photography scene of St Andrews has grown to hold a central role in the making of reviews, news reports and event coverage within the student community Not only is it eye-catching, but it draws attention to specific pieces which may be of interest to each specific reader. Next time you are flipping through a paper, think, which articles stand out the most to you? Those with, or without photography within them?