Background on reportage and press photos

Reportage photos that open doors

With a background as a writing journalist, I have always had a particularly enthusiastic relationship with the reportage genre. This is where you can enter environments and see places that are otherwise off-limits.

Portraying an environment or an experience with a camera differs in some ways from a text. With a camera, there is extra room for interpretation, which allows you to photograph impulsively and instinctively.

However, there are also significant overlaps between a text-based report and a photo report. Ultimately, both approaches are about portraying and conveying experiences. This is also the common thread in the work process - whether it's a photo report, a wedding, or an event.

Press images generate increased attention

Press images are a slightly different way of taking photos. The results are more predetermined, so there is a clear expectation of how the images will look. But often you will find that the same spontaneity in the images that makes a report come alive and function is the same in a press image.

I often try to give life and atmosphere to a press image by using some of the same techniques I use in a report. That is, letting a motif unfold rather than just being a passive registration.

Press images must, among other things, ensure that an event receives optimal coverage and has sufficient media appeal to create attention. Therefore, it is a good idea to thoroughly incorporate visual communication into the overall communication strategy. This provides the best foundation for effectively conveying your messages.