Photojournalism and Documentary Photography Programme Overview

A. Summary

The Photojournalism and Documentary Photography Programme (PDP) is a year-long course intended to address the needs of aspirant photojournalists from South Africa and further afield on the continent. Students who complete the programme are trained to be able to integrate themselves quickly and efficiently in newsrooms across a variety of media organisations (newspapers, picture agencies, radio stations with a presence on the web etc) as photographers or in other capacities.

While applicants accepted into the course are required to have a demonstrable prior knowledge of photography from at least an intermediate level, they undergo rigorous training designed to bring their technical and conceptual skills to the level required of professional photojournalists. Students are further challenged to analyse and question photographic and social conventions, so as to report insightfully on their cultures and add depth to coverage of African issues.

The PDP begins mid-January and ends mid-December. It comprises four terms, with the third semester largely devoted to internships in which students gain work experience at news organisations in Johannesburg and elsewhere.

B. Outcomes

1. Outcomes are measured across learning in various core subjects and teaching on complementary topics.

The core subjects are as follows:

Photojournalism

In this course students learn how to approach breaking and general news events, and how to tackle other assignments typically given to photojournalists: to cover sports, produce portraits, capture telling moments for feature images, conceptualise photographic illustrations for articles and document environmental issues.

The course is aimed at enabling learners to:

•    produce images that convey information and emotion concerning news events,
•    anticipate and plan for dangers in potentially hazardous situations,
•    respond prudently when confronted with ethical dilemmas,
•    demonstrate awareness of cultural sensitivities while documenting a situation without being hobbled by this awareness,
•    operate within the law as regards the rights to privacy of subjects, security constraints around sensitive public sites etc.

Documentary Photography

This course enables students to embark on extended photographic assignments that are approached from various perspectives.

The course is aimed at enabling learners to :

•    plan long-term projects, meeting the demands of such projects for time management and careful interaction with subjects over a lengthy period,
•    develop photo essays, ensuring that all facets of the topic at hand receive attention,
•    edit a sequence of images to meaningful effect.

Photographic Techniques

During an intensive period of training at the start of the PDP, students are drilled in photographic and editing techniques. Additional instruction may be given later in the course if it becomes apparent that students still require assistance with certain techniques.

The course is aimed at enabling learners to :

•    master camera controls to achieve correct exposures in varying light and climate conditions,
•    use camera settings, lenses, compositional techniques and lighting techniques effectively in the creation of images,
•    use the basic functions of Photoshop and Adobe Bridge to edit, organise and archive images.

Visual Literacy

During this course, students learn how and why images have the effects that they do, and how interpretation of visuals is influenced by the background, knowledge and value system of an individual.

The course is aimed at enabling learners to :

•    critically consider images from a variety of sources (news outlets, advertisers etc), and bring an analytical eye to their own work,
•    develop the vocabulary needed to discuss images,
•    appreciate how modes of visual representation and the interrogation of images have evolved, and the cultural pressures which brought about these developments.

Media Practice

Increasingly, photojournalists are being asked to move beyond captions to produce texts for blogs, multi-media presentations on the web and for articles. This course helps photographers gain confidence with the written word through introducing them to the basic principles of news and feature writing. Students are also given insights into current challenges with regard to journalistic ethics and freedom of expression.

The course is aimed at enabling learners to :

•    gather material for and structure news items,
•    research and write feature stories,
•    conduct interviews and make good use of quotes,
•    write succinct but comprehensive captions,
•    understand where and how freedom of expression tends to come under attack,
•    take care to avoid plagiarism.

A range of additional lectures and workshops  is intended to provide students with skills and insights concerning, inter alia:

•    New Media and citizen journalism,
•    the production of multi-media presentations,
•    ethics in photojournalism,
•    professional practice (resume writing, charging for photographic services, control over copyright etc).

2. In addition to being given teaching on core subjects and ancillary topics, students undergo internships of approximately two months, participate in projects – and collectively organise an end-of-year exhibition of the work that they have produced in the course of the PDP. These learning experiences, broadly aimed at ensuring that students receive hands-on experience of what it means to be a photojournalist in the professional arena, yield further outcomes.

Internships

For their work experience, students are placed at organisations across the media spectrum: daily and weekly newspapers, wire services and broadcasters that make use of multi-media etc.

By the end of their internships, learners, ideally, have had the opportunity to :

•    apply the theoretical knowledge of photography and writing they have been given,
•    develop networks through their interactions with picture editors and professional photographers that will assist them to establish or further their careers,
•    identify possible areas of specialisation such as news, sports or environmental photography.

Projects

The Photo Workshop regularly joins forces with various groups to run projects that enable students to share their photographic and writing skills and to document issues of interest To date, partner groups have included non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and United Nations bodies. Projects run concurrently with classes.

By the end of a project, learners have:

•    deepened their awareness of social and economic challenges facing marginalised communities,
•    consolidated their photographic knowledge and identified points of weakness in their know-how by teaching photography skills to project participants,
•    gained additional field experience of what it means to be a practicing photographer.

Exhibition

The exhibition is a high point of the PDP: it gives students a showcase for their work, and raises the profile of the PDP in the photography arena and amongst the broader public.

By the end of the exhibition, students have:

•    added to their editing skills through the rigorous process of image selection that precedes the show,
•    gained knowledge about and insight into curatorial practice,
•    learned about the financial and organisational demands of organising an exhibition.

C. Assessment

PDP students undergo both formative and summative assessments in the course of their studies.

Formative assessments provide a measure of students’ performance concerning their weekly class assignments, their conduct in lessons and their management of Market Photo Workshop resources (cameras, laptop computers, sound recorders and digital facilities).

•    Weekly formative assignments for photography comprise the capturing and presentation of images on topics allocated by the photojournalism and documentary trainers. The assignments test the extent to which students are able to interpret and meet the demands of a photographic brief through research, planning and the production of images that marry technique and creativity. They also enable trainers to evaluate whether students are able orally to explain their work and defend the aesthetic and ethical decisions that they have made.

•    The weekly assignments for Visual Literacy and Media Practice are usually in written form, and give trainers a sense of whether students have grasped concepts taught in class and are able to make use of them when viewing images and producing texts.

Through one-on-one interactions with trainers, class discussions of work produced and via written feedback from trainers, students are clearly informed as to areas in which they are making progress – and about issues that require attention.

The process of formative assessment is continued during internships when students are required to maintain contact with Photo Workshop trainers who monitor and evaluate their work. Similarly, interning organisations provide the PDP with feedback on students’ performances and professionalism in the workplace.

Summative assessments comprise presentations delivered at the end of Terms 1, 2 and 3 – and a Final Assessment that constitutes a major percentage of the final mark awarded to students. These evaluations test the learners’ ability to produce comprehensive and well-packaged photographic portfolios. In addition, the presence of external examiners on assessment panels gives students a sense of how their work would be received in the media marketplace.

Students are further evaluated on the extent to which they have engaged with the larger world of photography, this through:

•    the number of applications they have submitted for photographic grants and awards,
•    their attendance at exhibitions, walkabouts and public talks and presentations.

D. Methodology

Students are given weekly lessons in the core subjects of the PDP; these classes encompass:

•    lectures,
•    slide-show presentations,
•    photographic and digital demonstrations,
•    discussions based on hand-outs,
•    group activities.

Presentations on complementary topics follow similar formats, and are scheduled with reference to teaching in core subjects.

Quality and continuity in teaching are assured through the production of module planners that give a survey of each course.

E. Course Outline

The following provides a term-by-term breakdown of activities during the PDP:

F. Equipment and Resources

Cameras and other equipment can be rented from the Market Photo Workshop by students. Learners are required to pay deposits for each piece of equipment that they book out, and their use of equipment is closely monitored.

The global image company Getty Images initiated the pilot course of the PDP in 2005/6 by converting its annual student fellowship grant into the new programme. Today, sponsorship of the PDP comes mainly from Getty Images, and the Open Society Foundation for South Africa. Canon South Africa has also kindly subsidised a large portion of the camera costs for the course.