Hand students a camera and they’ll show you how they see the world in their own unique way, says Ryerson journalism photography instructor Peter Bregg.
Bregg, an internationally-renowned photojournalist, gave this year’s Introductory Photojournalism – JRN 201 students several assignments designed to encourage creative perspectives on everyday situations and objects while allowing students to demonstrate lighting, shutter speed and aperture techniques learned in class.
“Today’s reality is that everyone who works at a newspaper, who writes, is expected to take pictures once in a while,” he says, explaining why it’s important for journalism graduates to be skilled photographers.
The best photos from the winter 2015 course are featured in a gallery Bregg posted at the end of the term.
“I judge pictures on news value, creativity, quality and skill,” he says. “The gallery is an opportunity for some of the finer pictures to be on display, and that’s a reward for anybody who takes pictures. You don’t take pictures to put them in a drawer.”
This year’s assignments included photographing the new Student Learning Centre as well as capturing a humourous moment. Bregg’s personal favourite photos are of a staircase bannister shot so the lighting offers a glow from behind (Mackenzie Patterson), and a profile shot of a student reading in the SLC in front of a window overlooking the street below (Larissa Kreutzberg).
Check out photos from the gallery below:
