November 24, 2014
The Wizard of Oz himself is the one who told us, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain,” so we don’t. Without the men and women BEHIND the curtains our lives would be a lot less interesting, though.
When you watch the news, you see a storyteller on one side of the camera…the one referred to in industry terms as “the talent,” but there are a host of other equally talented people who make those images come together.
As viewers, we usually don’t know who they are because they’d rather be on the side of the camera we don’t see.
There are folks in control booths. There are people doing research. There are staffers creating a show’s flow and deciding what stories will and won’t be broadcast or even assigned to reporters. There are engineers who ensure the quality of lighting and sound. There are scores of people in other positions who create the final product we see on our ever-growing flat screens.
One person we never really think about is the photojournalist.
These professionals used to be called photographers, videographers, or photogs, but those terms convey that the only thing the job entails is pressing “record” on a camera and pressing “stop” when the shoot is finished or the shots are gathered.
There’s a lot more to it, though. That’s why they’re photojournalists. They use visual images instead of words to tell stories. They use video as a medium to make us, the audience, feel and experience. It’s not just getting a shot and calling it a day.
From a professional standpoint, we’re fortunate to work with some great professionals on both sides of the camera, and as far as we’re concerned, they’re all “talent.”
The average viewer may not know the names of the people behind the camera, but without them, the ones in front of the camera (and most of will jump to give credit) wouldn’t be able to come on to our screens.
With all due respect to the Wizard, it’s hard not to pay attention to those men and women behind the curtain.
