Photojournalism
With the Greenville News
Working with professional camera kits
The Experience
Iconic newspaper of the Upstate, The Greenville News is widely respected for their incisive coverage of current events. A member of the USA Today Network and one of the largest newspapers in the State, The Greenville News boasts a daily distribution of 50,000 papers.
Guided by expert photojournalists, students use professional camera kits to create news coverage that captures a day in the life in Greenville, South Carolina. Venturing to downtown epicenter, Falls Park, students capture personal moments of passersby to share their stories. While seeking permission to photograph strangers, students learn about photographic consent, ethical considerations, and the craft of journalism.
On Assignment!
At The Greenville News enormous, light-filled headquarters, photojournalists Bart Boatwright and Lauren Petracca prime students for the day with stories from the field, along with a crash course in journalism.
Then students venture out on assignment. Bart and Lauren explain the nuances of professional photography while guiding students and visiting-mentors across the Liberty Bridge and through spectacular gardens bursting with colorful flowers.
Lauren and Bart encourage students to focus on the people in Falls Park, instead of the park’s famous waterfalls, flowers, and animals. To capture a story, students approach and interview their photo subjects. Although talking to strangers is initially out of students’ comfort zones, their confidence grows as they practice and find success.
Back at Headquarters
With their memory cards filled with photos, students return to The Greenville News’ office to edit their work. Photographs are displayed across large screens in front of the class. Though initially nervous, students’ excitement becomes hard to conceal when they learn that the best photos will be selected for publication.
