Tayler Simpson Photography

The Evolution of Storytelling Using Mobile Phones

By Tayler Simpson

DETROIT – For this assignment, I shot sequences, learned how to shoot to edit, and created a video story utilizing Adobe Premiere Pro.

In Seth Gitner’s Multimedia Storytelling for Digital Communicators in a Multiplatform World, Gitner compared the similarities between the preparation of shooting with a DSLR camera vs a mobile phone.

“The mobile phone is now a part of our everyday lives,” Seth Gitner

Using mobile phones to create video stories has become popular in the past decade. High-end phones are now built with two or more cameras. Becoming comparable to DSLR cameras with capabilities that go far beyond taking stills with one focal length.

Accessibility allows anyone with a mobile phone to be able to create video stories. According to Gitner, almost everyone 18 years or older has a cellphone with a built-in camera.

During this class, I typically used my mirrorless camera to complete my assignments. For this assignment, I opted to challenge myself by using my iPhone.

Before covering the event, I felt very comfortable using my iPhone to capture footage. While covering the event, I discovered I had different feelings.

Before capturing any footage, Gitner advised you to do the same preparation as you would with an ordinary camera. Make sure your battery is fully charged and check your phone storage. Gitner also mentioned turning your phone on airplane mode to eliminate phone calls or text interruptions.

My phone battery was nothing to worry about, but I had too much confidence in my phone storage. About halfway through the event, I was interrupted by an “Out of storage” message. A quick removal of an app or two gave me enough storage space to capture everything else I wanted to cover.

While reviewing footage I was content with the audio. However, Lavalier microphones would have isolated both A-roll audios and improved the audio tremendously. Overall, I wasn’t disappointed in the internal microphone’s capabilities in a loud area.

My favorite part of this assignment was putting it all together in Premiere Pro. Over the semester I have become more comfortable with the software and enjoy using it.

I learned the importance of shooting to edit, and if I could go back and reshoot the whole event, I know what I would do differently.

More importantly, I learned how much I enjoy creating video stories and am excited to learn more and experiment in the field.

Journalists Adapting to TikTok To Tell Stories

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLBW48os

By Tayler Simpson

DETROIT – TikTok has been described as “a journalist’s new best friend” according to the British Council.

TikTok, a video-sharing platform, was created in 2016 and became the most downloaded app in the United States by October 2018. As of 2024, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active viewers.

According to Alba Romero, Journalists are adapting to the culture of TikTok, journalists have adapted to the social media app by sharing behind-the-scenes clips, silly stunts, and day-in-the-life vlogs.

Journalists benefited from the app because they were able to establish their presence, drive a large audience, and potentially grow through advertisement.

Large corporations have used the app to establish their brand voice, engage with their audiences, and attract younger audiences.

Romero stated that the momentum of TikTok is bound to continue.

Advertisement companies benefited from the social media app. Their advertisements are less likely to be skipped because they blend in with other videos on the app.

In Seth Gitner’s Multimedia Storytelling for Digital Communicators in a Multiplatform World, he explained how the application works.

With one scroll, the app endlessly takes viewers to a new video selected by its algorithm.

“Uploading content is easy,” said Gitner.

He explained that the application followed no formula and went against almost every visual storytelling rule. Videos on the app include jump cuts, are filmed vertically, and go against most norms in the film world.

TikTok makes it very easy for digital creators to edit their projects within the app. The app offers the ability to film at different speeds as well as crop video postproduction.

Each digital creator can choose from an extensive licensed music library to add audio to their videos.

During this assignment, we were assigned to produce a 60 to 90-second TikTok video. Initially, I thought this was going to be a very fun and easy assignment.

When I went to shoot my footage for my TikTok, I made sure to record my clips for at least 10 seconds. Even if there were no movement in some.

The first problem I faced during this assignment was during postproduction and deciding how I was going to tell the story. If I wanted to do a voice-over or use captions and the talk-to-text feature. After typing out all the captions, I felt that voiceover made the video more personal.

Something that I did as soon as I pulled in all my clips in the order I wanted them, was add a music track.

By doing this, it made it easier for me to adjust how long each clip was going to be shown. Combining transitions of visuals along with the beats of the audio creates a comfortable watch for viewers.

During this assignment, I learned the importance of manually creating transitions during filming and inserting transitions on TikTok during postproduction.

Wayne State Students Unite: Empowering Detroit’s Communities Through Auntie Na’s Village

Waleed Badran and Mona Alashkar standing with volunteers with loaded cart of organized donations for Auntie Na’s Village.
Auntie Na’s Nutrition house in Auntie Na’s Village.
Unorganized donations in Auntie Na’s clothing house.
Joy Taylor alongside Jenna Dudar organizing bags full of clothes.
A pair of unclaimed shoes sitting on dresser in one of the Villages homes.
Student volunteer labeling a box full of blankets.
Mahdi Beydoun carrying a box of men’s clothes out of one of the homes in Auntie Na’s Village.
Detroit Warriors club President Zain Amer, board member Waleed Badran, and Auntie Na Vice President Mona Alashkar discussing clubs collaboration.

By Tayler Simpson

DETROIT – In a powerful display of community involvement, two Wayne State student organizations have come together to make a lasting impact in the city of Detroit. Through their collaborative efforts, over 40 students dedicated over three hours of their time to a transformative event. Not only are these students giving back to their community but also fostering meaningful connections and enriching the lives of those in need.

The Detroit Warriors and Auntie Na’s Village student organizations hosted a volunteer event in Auntie Na’s Village in Detroit. One group organized clothes, others packaged supply kits, and the rest helped where needed.

“Our main goal is giving back to the community here, we help in any way possible for those in need,”
Mona Alashkar, the Vice president of Auntie Na’s Village club

Auntie Na, the founder of Auntie Na’s Village, was not able to be amongst the volunteers like normal. She began the non-profit organization over four years ago.

In Auntie Na’s Village in Detroit, Detroit residents living in homelessness are offered free clothes, food, hygiene kits, and medical checkups by Wayne State students. The Village consists of four houses. Each house is dedicated to something different.

In the nutrition house, students organized food bags filled with different kinds of produce and nonperishables. The nutrition house is also a safe space for people living in homelessness to take shelter in extreme conditions.

For this event, the volunteers mainly worked out of the nutrition house and the nursing house. As of now, the nursing house is being used to store donations needed to be organized.

Students organize boxes and bags of clothes, then label them according to what they are. After the boxes are labeled, they are moved outside and onto a cart to be taken to the drive where students hand out donations to those in need. Carts and cars were filled with boxes upon boxes of sorted donations.

The process is simple: the person in need fills out a form with their name and the supplies they need, and the students give them whatever they list, sometimes more.

Not only were students organizing and distributing clothes and food. A group of students put on gloves and began cleaning up the village’s garden. Where students began planting seeds.

Throughout the volunteer event, the two organizations shared nothing but appreciation for one another.

“You guys have been so amazing, thank you so much for having us,”
Zain Amer, Detroit Warriors president, to Alashkar.

The Auntie Na’s Village student organization hosts weekly food bag and hygiene kit handouts and tutor children in grades one through 12 on varying subjects. The Detroit Warriors, provides Wayne State students with volunteer opportunities.

While both organizations share a common goal of giving back to the community, together hosting one of their biggest volunteer events yet. By demonstrating their collective commitment to serving others and strengthening the bonds within their shared community.

“The Village felt like a true village”
– Auntie Na’s Village organization after a successful event.

The Importance of Being Ethical in the Journalism World

By Tayler Simpson

Intro

In this section, I learned the ethical expectations of journalists. Being a great photojournalist is not only about how well you can take photos, but how trustworthy and credible you are.

The First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment is crucial to all journalists because it gives us the freedom to document and ensures that we do so without fear of suppression.

In Lori King’s blog post, A photojournalist strives for perfection commits career suicide, she explains the differences between being ethical and unethical.

“Without credibility, we would simply be spreading lies and being deceitful,” she wrote.

I learned that being ethical in your work as a photojournalist will reward you with credibility and trust. In the journalistic world, without this, you are nothing.

Photo Manipulation: Photo manipulation is sometimes very compelling. Especially for those who strive for perfection.

In chapter eight of Multimedia Storytelling for Digital Communicators in a Multiplatform World, Seth Gitner wrote,

“When taking photographs for a newspaper or other media outlet, never manipulate an image or change its content.”

Not only is photoshopping things in or out of an image photo manipulation but adding filters that change the color of the image is as well.

In this section of the chapter, Gitner made it very clear that photomanipulation is never acceptable in the journalism world. What is in front of the lens is what needs to be shown and not a creation made postproduction.

Ethical Considerations in Journalism:

Ethical considerations in journalism are crucial in maintaining your credibility, integrity, and trustworthiness as a journalist. Gitner explains how setting up, recreating, or dramatizing an event is forbidden.

If you miss the shot, you will have to either wait for something else or find another shot.

It is tempting to physically move something out of the frame, or into the frame, but this is unethical.

“It is the journalist’s job to capture what is in front of the camera, not to create it,” Gitner wrote.

Going by the NPPA Code of Ethics: What are some of your ethical boundaries:

The NPPA Code of Ethics consists of nine standards that all visual journalists must abide by in their daily work. It plays a crucial role in shaping the ethical conduct of journalists.

The code of ethics guides journalists who follow their goal of truth, fairness, and accountability.

It highlights being accurate, having integrity, respect, compassion, honesty, independence, professionalism, and accountability.

Legal Limitations as a photojournalist:

Being a photojournalist does not mean you have the right to shoot anytime and anywhere you want.

There are some limitations. There are a lot of places and many rules that beginner journalists may not know of.

In King’s blog post Where and when a photojournalist can shoot King provides a graph that simplifies where and when you can shoot as a photojournalist.

Some public areas with no restrictions include streets, sidewalks, beaches, parks, zoos, train, and bus stations. Public areas with restrictions include airports, police headquarters, and government buildings.

Being ethical in your work as a photojournalist can make or break your career in journalism. Being ethically fit is key to gaining respect, trust, and credibility in your job as a journalist.

Mastering DSLR and iPhone Photography Techniques

Shot on iPhone

Shallow depth of field -Shot on iPhone
Wide depth of field
Stopped action
Rule of thirds
Extreme perspective
Silhouette
Extreme lighting
Panoramic
Patterns/lines/texture

Shot on Canon EOS R

Shallow Depth of Field – Lens 24-105mm – 45mm – f4 – ISO 400 – 1/1250s
Wide Depth of Field – 45mm – f16 – ISO 4000 – 1/1250s
Panned action – 24-105mm – 63 mm – f22- ISO 100 – 1/8s
Blurred action – 67mm – f9- ISO 100 – 1/100s
Stopped Action – 110 mm- f6.3- ISO 6400- 1/500s
Extreme perspective – 43mm- f5- ISO 2000- 1/320s
Silhouette – 83mm – f22 – ISO 400 – 1/400s –
Lines/Pattern/Asymmetry – 29mm – f4- ISO 100 – 1/250s
Rule of Thirds – 91mm – f4- ISO 25600 – 1/3200s
Extreme Lighting – 105mm – f4 – ISO 100 – 1/160s

By Tayler Simpson

In simple terms ‘photography’ is the art or practice of capturing and recording images using a camera. Overall, photography is a lot more than that. In this essay, I will explain what I have learned throughout this lesson on camera controls.

Technical Information: ISO, shutter speed, and your F stop are going to be the three vital settings that need to be adjusted according to whatever you are shooting.

ISO refers to the sensitivity of the camera’s image sensor to light. The higher your ISO level is, the brighter your photo will be. However, the higher the ISO level is, the noisier and grainier the photo could potentially be depending on how much light you have, and how slow your shutter speed is.

Shutter speed refers to the amount of time the camera’s shutter stays open, capturing light. If you are trying to stop the motion of the subject, your shutter speed must be at least 1/500 of a second. For example, while shooting sports you must have a shutter speed of at least 1/500 of a second. Depending on where you are, an open, sun-lit field will typically allow you to have a lower ISO speed allowing for clear photos. On the contrary, if you are trying to light trace you need a slow shutter speed. Capturing as much light as you can, which depends on what it is you are light tracing.

F-stop or aperture level, measures the size of the aperture opening in the camera lens. In other words, this controls how much light is entering the camera. The smaller the F-stop number, the wider the aperture on the camera is opened. The opposite is for a larger F-stop number. The f-stop also controls the depth of field. A smaller f-stop number results in a shallower depth of field while a higher f-stop number results in a wider depth of field.

Visual Storytelling: In the Visual Storytelling chapter of the Multimedia Storytelling for Digital Communicators textbook, I learned the importance of understanding photographic principles is vital for storytelling. Knowing these principles makes communicating with infographics, photos, and videos easier to connect with your targeted audience. After reading this chapter it made me believe that real storytellers do not just sit and wait for the perfect story to tell but can easily capture and tell a story by using the proper photographic principles for that story specifically.

Visual Storyteller’s Toolbox: While many accessories can be used while taking photos. After reading this chapter, I felt that not all were necessary to tell stories.

In this chapter, it talked about several types of microphones that you can attach to cameras to enhance the audio quality. However, these days, mobile phones can take photos and have a decent quality microphone on them, allowing audio tracks to be recorded.

What is Mobile Journalism: In the article, what is Mobile Journalism, Corinne Padger talks about the pros of mobile journalism and how accessible it is. She also discusses if mobile phones will replace traditional cameras.

I do believe that mobile journalism has changed the game for delivering news fast, however, I do not think that mobile phones will be able to completely replace traditional cameras. Not yet at least. The common iPhone still does not have the same capabilities as the traditional DSLR when it comes to changing basic settings like shutter speed, ISO, and f-stop. Mobile phones are still too automatic in many ways to replace a DSLR in a manual setting.

Wayne State Women’s Basketball vs. GVSU Lakers

Wayne State guard McKenna Ferguson went up for a layup, guarded by Grand Valley State Nicole Kamin, at the Wayne State University Field House in Detroit on Thursday.
Wayne State head coach Carrie Lohr watched as forward Ally Shagena attempted a three-pointer seconds before the end of the third quarter.
Wayne State Becca Fugate kept the ball away from Grand Valley State Abrie Cabana.
Wayne State sideline’s reactions as ball went out of bounds.
Wayne State fans cheered as the team took the lead with 4 minutes left in the first half.
Wayne State sideline after McKenna Ferguson sank a three pointer with only a few minutes left in the game.
Wayne State head coach Carrie Lohr questioned refs call.
Wayne State McKenna Ferguson emotional after the loss of a close game.
Wayne State University head coach Carrie Lohr kneeled on the sidelines.

“You get one one-thousandth of a chance, thats it. One one-thousandth of a second. No more, no less.”
Mary Schroeder

By Tayler Simpson

DETROIT – Feb. 7 marked the 38^th annual Women in Sports Day, recognizing women and girls in once a male-dominated field. However, not all women in sports are athletes.

In 2019, Mary Schroeder, a Detroit Free Press sports photographer was inducted into the Michigan Hall of Fame in recognition of her 40-year career. Schroeder was the first woman and the first photographer to receive this honor.

Many iconic photographs came from Schroeder’s camera. Including the most iconic photo in Detroit sports history. A photo taken of Kirk Gibson, arms raised, after his home run in the 1984 World Series Championship game.

Sports photography is challenging. The fast-paced environment, cheering fans, and lighting are just a few things you must pay attention to.

Making sure your SD card is formatted, batteries are charged, and having the proper lenses for the sport you are shooting is essential. Any missed step could cause you to miss the shot you need.

For this assignment, we had to cover a sporting event at Wayne State University. Immediately, I was eager to get on the court. The assignment seemed intimidating, but it was fun.

Typically, I worry about shooting basketball, the main reason being the lighting. Lighting is the most important aspect of photography. Wayne State’s Fieldhouse had the best lighting for shooting basketball.

Being able to have a high shutter speed and stop the motion of the players was easy. Although I experimented with a lower shutter speed to enhance some of the motion.

Shooting with a mirrorless camera allowed me to really experiment with my iso and shutter speed. However, I kept my shutter speed at 1/500^th s and. ISO at 6400. This allowed my photos to be properly exposed, and with minimal grain and noise.

I have noticed that many sports photographers’ photos are grainy and noisy to stop the action as well as be properly exposed. During this assignment, I wanted to eliminate the noise and grain to make the photo aesthetically pleasing.

Workflow post-game began as soon as I walked through my front door. I was surprised I captured around 1,300 photos. The reasoning is, I was so excited to be back on a court that I felt like I took around 2,000.

While I went through my photos, I was impressed with the photos I got. With the settings I used, I only had to adjust minor things postproduction.

Another challenge was choosing the right photos for the game. Going through the photos chronologically is key to remembering the emotions of the stadium during the game. The question I thought during the entire process was, “Which photos will tell the story of this game?”

Having around 1,300 photos of a story and only needing five made me even more meticulous than I normally would be while sorting through photos. I ended up having 25 after importing my final picks.

The white balance settings were spot on, allowing me to only focus on making sure exposure was properly adjusted for each photo.

I enjoyed this assignment because it opened a door for me to get back into sports photography, especially on campus. As well as learning more about Wayne State’s athletic department and their media workflows.

From Pages to Pixels: Exploring Photojournalism’s Evolution From the Past

A snapshot featuring *The Blade One of America’s Great Newspapers*, A phone displaying the Apple News App, and a laptop displaying *The Detroit Free Press.* Showcasing the transition from newspaper pages to pixels of a screen. Photo by Tayler Simpson

From Pages to Pixels: Exploring Photojournalism’s Evolution from the Past

By Tayler Simpson

Since the mid-19th century, photojournalism has grown, evolved and changed the way we view the world.

With its birth within war photography, it soon became something we see in anything which is considered newsworthy.

Jessica Stewart states in The History of Photojournalism: How Photography Changed the Way We Receive News,

“Photographer John Thomson paired with journalist Adolphe Smith for a monthly magazine that depicted the lives of people on the streets of London. From 1876 to 1877, Street Life in London revolutionized the field by using images as the dominant means of storytelling.”
Jessica Stewart

Photographers team up with journalists to capture and tell stories readers want to read. As well as telling stories the public needs to be aware of.

With the constant innovations and advances in technology, many believe the days of photojournalism are behind us. Photojournalists, on the other hand, are advancing and adapting just as much as technology to continue to tell the important stories of our world.

Photojournalism has already seen its ‘Golden Age” between 1930-1970. With the development of technologies, innovations in printers, portable film cameras and even the invention of the first digital camera.

These innovations made photography mobile. Allowing photojournalists to capture moments which spoke louder than words on a page. To be able to show as well as tell, making it easier for readers to understand stories to their full potential.

According to Inside Reporting,

“Others see it (journalism) as a quest for free speech, an endless power struggle between Authority (trying to control information) and the people (trying to learn the truth)”

Journalism has always been, and will always be, an important part of our democracy. A journalist’s first obligation is the truth, and its first loyalty is to the citizens.

With this in mind and the shift from paper to pixels, many people must see things to believe them. The importance of photojournalism is not gone, but it may have shifted.

With multimedia outlets emerging, and photojournalists adapting. There has been more opportunity for photos to be displayed on many different social media platforms other than print.

With the rise of social media dominance in the news world. There has been a need for more photos and videos along with the story which needs to be run.

Also, with the rise of social media in the news world, this is where many citizens get their news from. A good image can draw people’s attention to a story. As well as a poor image pushing people away from reading a story.

From the beginning to the end, photojournalism’s attributions to journalism will always be important. Even with the radio and television competing for the spotlight.

Photos can be displayed on a television, social media platform, or print. Meaning There will always be a need for photos. Although it is not just about the photo, but the story it tells.

Not everyone can tell a story through a lens, but the photojournalist who can… will be appreciated greatly. Their stories will be remembered because a photograph moved someone emotionally while looking at it.