Slideshow captions, photo editing and ethics, plus some other stuff

1. Slideshow captions, photo editing and ethics, plus some other stuff Feb. 7, 2013

2. Feb. 7 Agenda In class we will: – Discuss my expectations for your blog and Twitter – Review how to write captions for your slideshows – Discuss ethics in capturing images and editing photographs – Begin exploring Photoshop By the end of class, you will have: – Selected an audio track for your slideshow – Understand how to upload your slideshow to the web – Know how to create Title slide and Credit slide for your slideshow – Sent me your blog and twitter addresses if you haven’t already (ahem)

3. Slideshow audio Soundslides requires an .mp3, the length of which determines the length of your slideshow. Loyola has access to a vast library of audio tracks which you can use in your slideshow: http://www.audionetwork.com/ user: jgoheen@luc.edu Select, download and save an audio track (or two, if you have commitment issues) for use in your project. If you need a new track during the week, please contact Jim Collins for access on campus (or me, but I’ll probably only be able to send you specific tracks).

4. Slideshow audio If the track you select isn’t the perfect length … You can shorten audio tracks in a number of programs, including Garageband and Audacity (which we will use later in this class). But if you are unfamiliar with these programs, http://mp3cut.net/ is a simple web-based program which can snip and fade in/out the audio track you selected. Input: can be .mp3 or .wav Output: .mp3, downloadable

5. Slideshow uploading – Create a Dropbox account if you don’t already have one. – Log in, create a Public folder titled the same as your project: publish_to_web Copy those files and folders completely, without changing titles – Once uploaded, copy the link of index.html (control+click); that link is your publicly available slideshow

6. Captions Jan. 25, 2012 "Chuck Kennedy made this amusing photograph of First Lady Michelle Obama participating in a potato sack race with Jimmy Fallon in the East Room of the White House during a “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” taping for the second anniversary of the "Let’s Move!" initiative." (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

7. Slideshow captions Captions are underappreciated. But they play a critical role in helping readers understand what the reporter sought to convey. For this slideshow project, they are essential. Use images and captions to tell a cohesive story.

8. Slideshow captions • Strong captions give readers information needed to make sense of what is contained in the imageand information that is not contained in the image. • Seek to create captions that are: • – Accurate • – Clear • – Concise • – Complete • – Informative

9. Slideshow captions – Identify the key individuals, objects or places in the image. – Spell names correctly. Nothing more embarassing than a misspelling! – Provide appropriate titles. Not Mr. or Miss Jorge Sanchez, policy director for the group, said … Chief Justice Tom Kilbride – Abide by AP style.

10. Slideshow captions – Use the present tense. – Avoid using language that calls attention to the fact your image is an image. “The basketball game shown above…” “Here, Lady Gaga is pictured here wearing a dress made of steaks.” “I took this picture after meeting with Sally in her office.” “Frank poses for a picture outside his farm.” – Give context. Why? What? How do these images and the story fit into a broader discussion.

11. Caption tips Bo, the Obama family dog, poses for a photo on the North Lawn of the White House, Sept. 28, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

12. Slideshow captions Tell me something … new! – Give readers information they won’t get by looking at your image. – Which is to say: Don’t be redundant. – If you repeat information in your caption, you will bore your readers. – If your captions simply summarize what’s reading in the image, you will have defeated the purpose of having captions with your images. – You don’t want your caption to simply echo what is being communicated in your image. That would be redundant.

13. Caption tips President Barack Obama talks with Alyssa Mastromonaco, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, and Trip Director Marvin Nicholson in an elevator at the Bridgeport Arts Center in Chicago, Ill., Aug. 12, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

14. Caption tips – Humor is often lostin translation. – An occasional quote can be an effective caption in a slideshow. However: The speaker must be identified in the caption, and The speaker must be the focus of or clearly identified in the image. – Be concise and direct. Captions with multiple clauses, especially those at the start of the sentence, can bog down the reader’s progress. – Don’t include editorial comments in news slideshows. Give readers facts, not your own perspective. “Victor, a handsome man from Brooklyn, makes coffee each morning.”

15. Caption tips – Use commas to set off identifying tags of individuals. Lady Gaga, left, said her dress made of flank steak weighed 17 pounds and cost $5,000 to make. – Don’t be afraid to include descriptors in the caption or “reminder” tags to identify individuals or places mentioned previously in the story. Logan Square resident Willy Wonka, in the gold sequined top hat, said he spends every Sunday morning distributing boxes of chocolates to children in the neighborhood. Roberta Taylor, the mother of three from Back of the Yards, said her family’s monthly grocery bill exceeds her monthly rent.

16. SPJ Code of Ethics – Seek truth and report it – Minimize harm – Act independently – Be accountable The Code is available in its entirety here: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

17. SPJ Code of Ethics: Seek Truth – Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error.Deliberate distortion is never permissible. –Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context. –Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations. –Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it. –Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story.

18. SPJ Code of Ethics: Minimize Harm – Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects. –Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief. –Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance. –Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy.

19. Fire in BeirutReuters, August 2006

20. Photoshop Ethics “When you manipulate a photo it’s a visual lie. If you tell lies the public can’t trust you anymore.” – John Long, former president of the National Press Photographers Association and retired Hartford Courant photographer

21. AP Code of Ethics for Photojournalists AP pictures must always tell the truth. We do not alter or digitally manipulate the content of a photograph in any way. The content of a photograph must not be altered in Photoshop or by any other means. No element should be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph. The faces or identities of individuals must not be obscured by Photoshop or any other editing tool. Only retouching or the use of the cloning tool to eliminate dust on camera sensors and scratches on scanned negatives or scanned prints are acceptable.

22. AP Code of Ethics for Photojournalists Minor adjustments in Photoshop are acceptable. These include cropping, dodging and burning, conversion into grayscale, and normal toning and color adjustments that should be limited to those minimally necessary for clear and accurate reproduction (analogous to the burning and dodging previously used in darkroom processing of images) and that restore the authentic nature of the photograph. Changes in density, contrast, color and saturation levels that substantially alter the original scene are not acceptable. Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning. The removal of “red eye” from photographs is not permissible. Except as described herein, we do not stage, pose or re-enact events. When we shoot video, environmental portraits, or photograph subjects in a studio care should be taken to avoid, misleading viewers to believe that the moment was spontaneously captured in the course of gathering the news. In the cases of portraits, fashion or home design illustrations, any intervention should be revealed in the caption and special instructions box so it can’t be mistaken as an attempt to deceive.

23. National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics Visual journalists and those who manage visual news productions are accountable for upholding the following standards in their daily work: – Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects. – Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities. – Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. – Recognize and work to avoid presenting one’s own biases in the work. – Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.

24. National Press Photographers Association – While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events. – Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images’ content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects. – Do not pay sources or subjects or reward them materially for information or participation. – Do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage. – Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of other journalists.

25. OJ Simpson, June 1994

26. SPJ Code of Ethics “Photo and video images tend to generate the most heated debates within newsrooms. And it’s clear that the ire of the public can easily be provoked by a single photo or a short piece of video.” – Journalism Ethics: A Casebook of Professional Conduct for News Media

27. Photo ethics

28. Photo ethics

29. When in doubt… Don’t. Any editing or Photoshopping which alters the meaning of the original photo should be clearly labeled as a “news illustration” in the caption, so the viewer is given an opportunity to understand that the image has been altered by the news outlet. However, it’s best to avoid this altogether.

30. Photoshop Title slide: – Create a canvas that is the same height/length and proportion as your images You can identify these numbers by opening an image in the program and reviewing the canvas size – Select a suitable image, or paint your canvas one color. Think about contrast and readability. – Select a typeface and text color. Think large and bold. – Use the text tool to insert the title (and subtitle, if necessary) of your project on the image. Give yourself a byline (such as: Photos and text by Chris Zach) – Save the image as a .jpg, for import in Soundslides.

31. Photoshop Credit/end slide – Create a black, text-only credit slide with: Your Name youremail@luc.edu Loyola University Chicago, School of Communication Technology for Journalists, Spring 2013