I was inspired to approach Jeff Harper for an interview after seeing the image above on his Google Plus page. It’s not very often you see big, burly, manly, hockey players kiss each other on the mouth. I knew the photographer that was able to capture this knew photojournalism and I wanted to get some tips from him for you.
What IS photojournalism exactly?
What will I get from watching this interview?
Even though you may not aspire to be a photojournalist and work for a newspaper or news agency, you may have the need to apply some of his tips to the types of things you photograph like kids sports, events, or just street photography.
Here’s just a few of the topics we cover in this interview:
- anticipating action
- asking questions
- using available light
- what’s in Jeff’s equipment bag
- photo editing for news
- tips for shooting in bad weather
Besides that you will get a better idea of what it’s like doing the job of a photojournalist in a smaller city, see some inspirational images, and hear some neat stories.
You have to put the “journalist” in photojournalist
Here are a few more of his images for you to enjoy!
About Jeff Harper
Jeff Harper is an experienced photojournalist and videographer with over 10 years experience in the industry. He became enthralled with photography after a backpacking trip to Ireland, and has been hooked on visual journalism ever since. Jeff formalized his skills at NSCC and received honours in both photography and digital imaging. He dove right into commercial and wedding photography, but eventually settled as a video and photojournalist. He has worked for all the major daily papers in Nova Scotia (Canada), as well as a freelance photographer for The Globe and Mail, The National Post, and Reuters. He currently works full time as a photojournalist for Metro Halifax and as photojournalism instructor at The University of King’s College.
Links and gear mentioned in the interview
- 1Ds Mark III body
- 1D Mark III body
- 5D Mark III body (also what I use)
- Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
- Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto
- Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS USM II Super Telephoto
- Canon 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom
- Think Tank Hydrophobia Flash 70-200, Rain Cover for Pro Size DSLR with Flash and 70-200 2.8
- Think Tank Photo Hydrophobia Rain Cover For 70-200mm
- Boxing Day
- Chicago Sun-Times fires photographers
- More repercussions of the Chicago Sun firing photojournalists
Where to find Jeff online
- Facebook page
- website
- Twitter – @banjomanjeff
Action Plan
As usual I’m going to challenge you to use what you’ve learned from this interview and go apply it to your photography. So how can you use these tips to help you take better photos at special events, sports, or any type of photography that is like a photojournalist style? Do you dream of being a photojournalist when you “grow up”? If so hopefully we’ve given you some tips for how to approach this from a career perspective as well. Share your images and stories in the comments below.
Cheers
