Dr. Spaulding

Basic composition

• Fill the frame | Get closer | Take a giant step closer to your subjects!
• Use the rule of thirds
• Tips for working with people
• Look for soft outdoor light

Sequences

• Sequences tell stories: Rescue me
• 5 shot rule: The BBC method | Venice pier gets its fill | Andrew Lih’s handout
• Notice that each of these packages start with a wide shot but then quickly transition to a series of closeups, many focused on hands and faces: Scrapertown, Mobile food vendors using social media
• How can this sequence be improved? Abandoned Japanese school

Cutlines

• Cutlines are also known as photo captions, except usually captions “cap” the photo on top and cutlines “cut” underneath the photo and appear below it.
• Cutlines are usually one to two sentences long. The first sentence should be in present tense and should describe what’s in the photo. If needed, the second sentence should be in past tense and deliver context or background.
• There’s an entire section on photo captions in your AP Stylebook. Look it up and be familiar with it.
• Examples: AP photo feed via Yahoo