I just want to share how the photojournalism training went with my trainee in our publication because this is quite valuable to me, for it means I am now capable of handling photojournalist trainees.
I plotted a schedule at 2:00 P.M. in Bogo Plaza two weeks ago for my trainee, and since I had an hour left after my lunch in the office, I just stayed there for a while making the criteria for my evaluation and assessment format. While creating it, I was listening to my favorite music on the computer, which was good preparation for the training since it is quite stressful and tiring, especially when in the field.
When 2:00 P.M. was nearing, I went outside the school to head to the public plaza in our town. It is a 10-minute walk away from the school, which is not far, and it was not also a scorching daylight, so a simple walk would do.
I passed by this street food cart just near the school. And since I was already standing right in front of it, I decided to buy kwek-kwek as a snack and a lemon juice. Kwek-kwek is a quail egg coated with flour and then fried. It is served with three sauces—spicy, sweet, and vinegar sauces. I like the spicy one the most among the three.
I only had five minutes left before the clock hit 2 o’clock, so I walked faster since my trainee also messaged me that she was already there.
We met on a bench in the plaza since the public library was not open yet by the time we gathered. This is JM, my first trainee as a senior literary writer sidelining as a photojournalist in our publication. I learned to love the jobs in media, and providing information to the masses through literature and photographs has humbled me for three years now.
My trainee already knows the basics of camera settings and parts, such as mounting the lens to the camera and adjusting the camera trinity—the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. But she still needs more training to have some creative play with the camera settings as well as the compositions, which would add depth and value to the photos.
I first let her clean the camera parts, especially the lens. During the first trainings, I often did the cleaning, but I had to make sure she learned it too, to bring out her independence from me. She carefully opened the covers, handled the lenses with awareness, and stroked them with the cleaning tools to make sure everything was prepared before the shoot.
This was our venue for the training, and this is the first time I conducted a session outside school or without an event. The Bogo Public Plaza is home to many glories, that’s why people from all walks of life flock here.
Some photos were captured by my trainee, which are better than those from previous trainings. She is developing consistently, and maybe soon I can appoint her to the senior photojournalism category.
This place is appropriate for photojournalism training, and I think I will try to consider the day when conducting it. I guess Sunday training will be a good context since it is family day, and there are lots of people here we can capture in portraits.
Thank you for reading, my dearest Hivers. See you soonest in my future narratives!