How should a journalist (blogger) use his camera?

Each journalist, reporter or blogger needs to have a camera, because the image presents a reality that can not be described in ten thousand words, as the American proverb says. In this article I want to share some practical advice that will be useful for each journalist or blogger.

Buy a good camera

Wise people guide themselves by the principle: “I am not so rich to buy cheap things” and this is a very good principle. What do they mean? Usually, cheap things are less qualitative. So, if you buy a cheap thing, it will not serve you much time and soon you will need to buy the same thing again. So, you spend your money twice. That’s why, it is wise to save some money, to wait a while, and then to buy a good thing. If you are a beginner, I advise you to buy the camera Canon PowerShot A640, that is a good one and that allows you to take good photographs. Another option is A630, or A620, or even A610. It is the same model, the essential difference is the number of pixels. But if you have a great amount of money and you can allow yourself a better camera, a profesionist one, I advise you to buy Nikon D80, that is an exceptional camera, very resistant, that takes very qualitative photographs.

Use what you have at hand

But if you are a student, and perhaps you don’t have money for one of the cameras mentioned above, use the simplest camera or that of the cell phone. Today the most cellphones have a camera too. So, use this option.

Read the instructions of the camera

Every camera is sold with a manual with instructions how to use it. It is important to read those instructions, so that you can benefit from all possibilities and use it correctly. Take a day or some hours to read those instructions, because they will help you much. If you spent money to buy the camera, spend some more time to read the instructions and to benefit from your purchase.

Take a course of photographs

Most people that take photographs don’t have even the elemmentary knowledge for photographing. I don’t know how many journalists studied this at the faculty and I don’t know how practical was their course. It is different with the bloggers. Most of them haven’t studied journalism and there is no faculty to teach blogging. That’s why, it is important to take a course of photograph. I have studied for myself and then from other photographers and at the end I have decided to elaborate a course for 2 hours to teach my students and whoever wants to know elemmentary principles about the art of photographing.

Carry the camera with you always

Daily we meet people and situations that can be interesting situations for our articles. They will be more powerful if they will be printed on good photographs. That’s why, it is good to have the camera at hand always and not to lose the moment.

Look at the world through the objective of the camera

Since I have learnt the art of photographing, I began to see the world with other eyes. I look for the beauty that is worthy to be printed and that makes me see the beauty, which I could not notice earlier. Each good photograph has to be created, or composed in your mind firstly. A good photograph will train his mind permanently to create the photographs well and when he turns on the camera he will take the photograph that had already been created in his mind.

Learn from each photgraph

When you see good photographs in magazines or papers, learn from their authors how you can improve yours. You can learn from the less good photographs too, how not to take them.

Acknowledge God in all things

It is impossible to be a good photograph and not to admire the beauty created by God. It is correct, beautiful and good to thank the One who created all things and to praise Him for the grace He has given to you to be a part of this creation. The king David didn’t have a camera, because it hadn’t been invented by people at that time, but when he was looking at the world that was around him and at him, he said:

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. (Psalms 139:13)(NASB)

Praise God in the days of all your life!

Translated by Djugostran Felicia