l Know how to use the camera. Your camera is a mechanical device that only sees a limited area and  exercises  no  selection  over  the  action  that takes place in front of it. As a photojournalist, you can use this limited view to exclude extraneous subject matter and to focus on your message. You do this by determining which lens, camera angle, lighting method and timing will capture the photo- graph that will best communicate your story. This  chapter  introduces  you  to  photojournalism  and covers some of the techniques by which it is applied. Maximum  emphasis  is  placed  on  achieving  good photographic   composition,   interest,   impact   and technical   quality.   Granted,   the   basic   information contained here is not sufficient to qualify you as a Navy photojournalist in the strictest sense. However, if you learn and use this material, you can become a proficient news   photographer   and   an   asset   to   the   public information efforts of your command. HISTORY OF MILITARY PHOTOJOURNALISM LEARNING   OBJECTIVE:   Describe   the history of military photojournalism. The history  and  growth  of  military  photojournalism has been brief, but significant. It started when Matthew Brady   and   his   assistants   were   commissioned   to document the Civil War pictorially. Their photographs were  made  on  wet  plates  that  had  to  be  processed immediately,  thus  limiting  mobility.  The  film  they  used was  of  low  sensitivity;  therefore,  action  photography was out of the question. Further, there was no means to get  the  photographs  to  the  publisher  quickly,  so  interest was  limited.  No  processes  for  reproducing  a  photograph in  a  newspaper  were  known  at  that  time,  except  by having  an  artist  copy  them  into  line  drawings.  These problems did not destroy the desire for photographs or the value of photojournalism as it existed then, but rather posed challenges to cause people to search for a better way to use the photographs taken. By the time of the Spanish-American War (and the equally   important   Hearst-Pulitzer   circulation   war), camera equipment had evolved into a smaller, portable form. Film on an unbreakable cellulose base had been invented  that  could  be  exposed  in  one  place  and processed many miles away and many hours later. Film sensitivity  had  improved  so  that  action  could  be photographed.   Quicker   transportation   meant   more timely delivery of news photographs to the publisher, while their news value was still high. Methods of photo- 12-2 engraving,  though  still  crude,  allowed  newspapers  to print  several  halftones  along  with  etchings  and  linecuts. Military   photographers   took   many   photographs during   World   War   I,   but   the   importance   of   these photographs as an adjunct to the written history of the war was not realized for many years. The  period  between  the  World  Wars  was  very important  to  photojournalism.  “Plaything”  photography yielded  to  more  exacting  photography  as  a  science. Cameras designed for presswork became available in a price range within the budget of the average newspaper. The sound motion picture, the miniature camera, the fast lens, the flash lamp, flash synchronization, and hundreds of film, emulsion and laboratory innovations were put to use. Most important, the public desired news photo- graphs  and  editors  accepted  photography  as  a  tool  of journalism. World War II saw news photography in the military services rise considerably. Early in the war, the services drafted  professional  photographers  and  formed  teams  to document  the  history  of  United  States  international involvement. They went one step further by using their talents  to  show  the  horrors  of  war.  They  took  photo- graphs   with   stopping   power,   photographs   that   had impact and photographs that forced the viewer to look and read the copy. By the time of the Korean War, photography rose above an improved and exacting science and became a finer skill. Photographers began to document moods and feelings,  to  look  for  photographs  that  expressed  what was  not  readily  apparent  on  the  surface  and  to  con- centrate on photographs for news releases. It was during this  period  that  the  military  photojournalist  became  a professional. During   the   Vietnam   War   years,   photography continued  its  advances  in  equipment  and  processes. Along  with  these  advances,  photojournalism  reached new heights, providing just short of a “you were there” atmosphere  of  the  war.  Today,  the  military  photo- journalist is a mainstay of the military establishment — a  vital  contributor  to  the  internal  and  external  public affairs efforts of a command. PHOTOGRAPHIC  COVERAGE ELEMENTS LEARNING   OBJECTIVE:   Identify   the elements of photographic coverage. Photographic   coverage   is   invaluable   in   most publications.  Through  effective  layout,  photographs  can be  used  independently  as  lead  stories  with  merely  a cutline accompanying them. In other uses, photographs