Techniques for reportage photography with an EOS DSLR

Typically, photojournalists use a variety of camera types to capture events, from professional Canon DSLRs to more compact handheld models. EOS DSLRs give you more options and more control over what you shoot, while Canon’s compact cameras are easier to use and give you great results with less effort. Whichever camera you use, it’s important to remember that the best reportage photos give us a deeper perspective and never lose their relevance compared to the images that are published daily on news sites around the world.

Author: Brian Worley

Full review of the Canon EOS R mirrorless camera

&copy Geraint Rowland took this photo with a Canon EOS 500D and EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

Besides the technical advice below it should be noted that a good photojournalist is good at human interaction and reportage techniques. The skill of composition is a very useful skill, but it’s just as important to be able to convey emotion, energy and uniqueness. After all, some of the best reportage photos are created spontaneously, so we recommend that you always take a Canon compact camera like an IXUS or PowerShot to be ready to capture an interesting moment when you are in the right place at the right time.

Make the most of wide-angle lenses

To tell a complete story in a single frame, many photojournalists use wide-angle lenses, such as the 35mm. You may notice that photojournalists often shoot quite close to the subject, so don’t be afraid to get close to the main characters in your picture and even get to know them.

Wide-angle lenses give you more depth of field to capture the whole story and show the surroundings of the subject itself. For example, you could capture the full scale of a protest march, with one of the participants in the center of the frame as the main character in the shot.

&copy Jimmy Baikovicius took this photo on a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with an EF 15mm f/2 fisheye lens.8 Fisheye

Many Canon EOS cameras come with a zoom lens with a focal length of 18mm or more Try setting the focal length on the lens at around 22mm and practice shooting without changing this focal length. Instead of using the zoom to compose your shot, you can choose a different focus point or change the camera position. It may seem like a daunting task at first, but you get so much more out of capturing the story unfolding before you. It’s also a style of photography that helps you stay in good physical shape.

Using autofocus to compose

At its very essence true photojournalism is telling the true and accurate story of an event or situation in one frame. The factographic shot doesn’t allow for cropping or making enhancements with Photoshop. Since you won’t be able to make any changes to the shot later on, it’s important to compose as accurately as possible using the viewfinder of your DSLR camera.

&copy Jimmy Baikovicius took this photo on a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with an EF 15mm f/2 fisheye lens.8 Fisheye

You should choose to focus using a single focus point instead of the center AF point. Set your autofocus to one point on the left or right side of the frame to compose yourself using the rule of thirds a convenient way to compose a shot that you mentally divide into equal thirds to achieve a well composed composition . It makes for an expressive and eye-catching photo of a crowded scene, such as a demonstration, award ceremony or festival.

Discover the full potential of your camera and lens

For every photojournalist, a camera and lens should be the tool you need to capture a certain moment or scene without interfering with the natural flow of the action. That’s why it’s so important to always have a camera ready to use and to be able to quickly make changes to settings by “feeling”. Before you start shooting directly, practice changing camera settings based only on how you feel. For example, put your EOS DSLR in your bag to try and change the position of the mode dial without looking at the camera itself. Soon enough, you’ll learn how to change settings quickly, and you’ll be able to take pictures without missing a single interesting shot.

Try using a fixed focal length lens and you’ll eventually learn to imagine what the final photograph will look like without even looking through the viewfinder.

&copy Geraint Rowland took this photo on a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with an EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

Black and white photography

Although color plays an important role, many reportage photos are black and white images. Once you’ve mastered basic reportage techniques, try setting a monochrome image style on your EOS DSLR. The LCD screen also turns black and white so you can focus entirely on your subject without the distraction of color. When you view your images in black and white on the LCD, it’s much easier to check your composition than when you view your images in color. This technique helps you compose your shots as you shoot.

Newer EOS DSLRs come equipped with RAW image processing directly in-camera. Go to the RAW image processing menu, then convert RAW images to monochrome or color.