“ Saying It With Pictures ”

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 2, 24 March 1927, Page 11 (Supplement)

“ Saying It With Pictures ”

importance of pictorial news is something which cannot be overlooked by a newspaper. A picture will always have an immense advantage over the written word, no matter how clear-cut the writer’s style may be. Besides the news value, however, the photographs, arranged properly, Improve the makeup of a newspaper immeasurably. The job of Illustrations Editor to THE SUN is no sinecure; each day the pictorial page has to be filled with "news,” human interest studies, and topical subjects, and the inside pages must contain a judicious inter mixture of photographs with the type. Mr. F. Stewart, who holds the position, has to foresee important events throughout New Zealand and make arrangements that the pictures will be on hand not later than a definite date. The life of pictorial news is short. Should a sensation happen 300 miles away from Auckland, it must be in the paper within 24 hours, or its news value is lost. THE SUN has an organisation extending to almost every corner of the world for the supplying of interesting pictures, and it has its agents in each of the centres and provincial towns of this country.

Railway disasters, street accidents, novel situations, are made known to the photographers on the staff, usually by telephone land Mr. Stewart will welcome suggestions from readers of THE SUN), and they rush out in motor cars to get the first views. Each man is equipped with ail outfit for taking "shots,” either inside or outside, at night. The picturetaking equipment consists of the latest reflex cameras, fitted with magazines carrying 12 plates each. The shutters and lens will give the exposure of 1-1,500 th of a second, necessary for the "shooting” of racing motor-cars and aeroplanes. Horses in action require an exposure of from l-300th to l-500th of a second in order that their motion may be arrested, without the blurr In the print usually noticed in the photographs made by amateurs with lower shutter-speeds. Having obtained his pictures the photographer motors back to the laboratory on the top-storey of THE SUN building and develops, fixes and enlarges the negative to whbie-plate size. This is done by an American process, followed by very few new'spapers in New Zealand, and it occupies the astonishingly short time of four and a-half to six minutes.

In the photographic department, laboursaving devices have taken the place of wearisome tasks usually carried out by hand.