The Art and Obstacles of Photojournalism

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Photojournalism is a form of journalism that combines journalistic text with a series of reportage photos. Patrick Sicotte, an experienced photojournalist, reveals the issues and challenges inherent in the profession of photojournalism. Since June 2017, he has captured the instantaneity of numerous current events for TC-Media and the Journal Métro de Montreal. Being a photojournalist is above all a question of passion. A passion for current news combined with a desire to be part of the story unfolding under our eyes and to capture images that can change the course of history.

Patrick Sicotte
Canon EOS 5D Mark ll + EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
1/200 | f/2.8 | ISO 500

The photojournalist's main concern is to find the shot or shots that capture the impact of an event, either through emotions, or through the message that is conveyed and sums it up. To do so, he needs to be everywhere at once, to be discreet, and to take his time to find the shot he's looking for. Experience will sharpen his sense of observation, and his ability to anticipate a subject's gestures, as well as the ideal angle from which to take the shot.

Often, you're not the only one covering an event; others like you are looking for that special shot! With skill and anticipation, you need to find the windows (the places) that will allow you to capture the image you're trying to create.

In my opinion, a photojournalist should always have three types of lenses at his disposal to help him get the job done. First of all, a telephoto lens - ideally a 70-200mm - that will enable access to a subject despite the constraints of distance. Secondly, a fixed focal length 24mm wide-angle lens that can capture the whole scene, and whose wide aperture will help to get the desired shot, despite difficult lighting conditions. Last but not least, my favorite: a 50mm ! It's truly an ideal lens for highlighting any subject with an interesting background, and even for portraiture!

Patrick Sicotte
Canon EOS 5D Mark ll + EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
1/125 | f/2.8 | ISO 100

Speed is of the utmost importance to the photojournalist. Often, you only have a fraction of a second to get the perfect shot that may be chosen for the front page.

So it's vital to have your eyes all the way round your head and stay focused on the action so you don't miss a thing. Speed is also achieved with the right equipment. My advice is to prioritize lenses and bodies capable of high-performance focusing. 

Your acuity to events and the quality of your equipment will enable you to access the emotion, the look and the perfect action that usually only present themselves to you for a fraction of a second. As with any photographic discipline, practice and experience will determine the quality of the images you take. But beyond the equipment and your skills, understanding that capturing emotion or a message is paramount will allow you to achieve impactful images that will stand out from the crowd.

Patrick Sicotte
Canon EOS 5D Mark ll + EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
1/80 | f/2.8 | ISO 1600

Full-frame cameras offer a wide dynamic range to preserve detail in both dark and bright areas, low-noise images and shallow depth of field for beautiful portraits. They're designed to deliver professional results every time.

Using a 70-200mm zoom lens can help you take different kinds of photos, and play with tight shots offering shallow depth of field. Contrary to what you might think when you're just starting out in photography, a 70-200mm zoom lens isn't just for taking distant shots! It's also a great lens for portraiture.

Incidentally, I love using Canon's 85 mm USM, which offers exceptional performance, enabling me to reach new heights in high-level creative imaging.

The 24mm lens with a wide aperture (f/1.2, f/1.4, f/1.8) is perfect as an entry-point lens into the world of ultra-wide-angle photography, giving access to spectacular wide shots. It's the ideal lens for capturing both photos and videos.

The 50mm is a fetish focal length that has always had a strong cult following. It's worth taking a serious look at. It has many qualities that make it very versatile; it's ideal for covering a variety of events and highlighting your subject in front of a soft, light background, thanks to its shallow depth of field. What's more, combined with an APS-C body, it's like using a 75mm, which is ideal for portraiture!

As a photojournalist, you spend hours covering events. Since most manufacturers supply a strap (along with the camera body) that isn't designed for long-term work, you'd be better off with a strap that allows you to be versatile and avoid harmful pressure on your neck from carrying your camera. 

Shoulder straps like FAB's F16 are ideal.

Like many professionals, we prefer to use the RAW format on our cameras to get the full potential out of our images during post-processing. The disadvantage of this file format is that it is very large, taking up a lot of space on our memory cards. Also, the time it takes to write to your camera, as well as the time it takes to transfer your files to your computer, can be quite long. That's why it's best to have high-capacity and high-speed cards, so we can get the job done faster.