News Photography—and Grey Hairs

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 2, 24 March 1927, Page 3 (Supplement)

News Photography — and Grey Hairs

THE first illustrated newspaper, it is said, . was "Mercuriur Civicus,” which made its appearance in 1643. It published a rough woodcut on its title page every week of some national leader. Of its author, Wither wrote: 1 Good civill Civicus, who to his booke Emblems affix’d, of what he undertook For silly rimes appear’d in the first place To Avhich AA'as added some Commander’s face That in resemblance did no more comply With him, whom it AA’as said to signifie, Than do some stories which his bookes contain Resemble truths. We have progressed far since the day of the Avoodeut and in every modern neAvspaper office the process engraver—the man who makes the reproductions, on zinc, of the photographs shown on these pages—is' a, most important man in the scheme of things. « * * * * The reading public has become so used to sitting down after the evening meal and casting an eye, approving or disapproving, over the illustrations in the newspapers, that it seldom pauses to wonder just how the system is organised and how a newspaper manages to keep abreast of current events in order to “say it with pictures.” It is certainly a big business, calling for co-ordinated effort and no little enterprise. The illustrated daily paper is a comparatively new feature in New Zealand journalism. When THE SUN first began publication, over a decade ago, it introduced illustrations. Previous to that no daily journal had essayed such a step, Avhich Avas deemed revolutionary. Since then many of the metropolitan newspapers of the Dominion have followed suit, at the same time developing their service. THE SUN lias alAvays taken pride in the excellence of its photographic work and may pardonably claim to Jrave model equipment for perfecting such services in its new buildings. * * * * * “How does a photographic editor decide what shall be used each day?” is a question that is frequently asked. To begin Avith, he receives a list each morning from the chief of staff setting out the most important fixtures of the day and the expected arrivals, from steamers, of distinguished visitors to New Zealand. He has then to make his arrangements accordingly. But the “overseas” material gives him many an anxious moment. The first essential in neAvspaper illustration is that the photograph shall be topical. A revolution occurs, say, in Paraguay to-day and, if it is serious enough to warrant attention —so many of the Paraguayan revolutions are of less news value than a dog fight—the enterprising photographic editor will have prepared for the same day’s issue a map of Paraguay, a photograph of the city of Asuncion and (if he is lucky enough to find such a thing in his archives) a photograph of the assassinated president. We are assuming, of course, that the Paraguayan President is, as is usual in such cases, assassinated. This is Avhere the photographic editor has to-exer-cise his discretion, 'for a photograph that is dragged in without reasonable pretext may make his efforts look ridiculous, as Mr. Punch has amusingly pointed out on more than one occasion. A murder in Agra, illustrated by the Taj Mahal, or a political riot in Pisa, decor-

at’ed with a miniature reproduction of the Leaning Tower, rather defeats the purpose of illustrating a neAvspaper.

For the purpose of maintaining a complete system of photographs and blocks (as our zinc reproductions of photographs are termed) an elaborate filing cabinet is provided for both prints and blocks. In the block cabinet —divided into special compartments for politicians, clerics, actors, film favourites, city fathers, financiers, footballers, and dozens of other vocations and avocations —are to be found hundreds upon hundreds of these photographs on zinc, ready to be transferred to the formes of the newspaper just so soon as the original of the photograph says something worth while or does something that converts his action into news. Already most of the prominent citizens of Auckland, as well as the most prominent men and women in world affairs, are to be discovered (sometimes in amusing juxtaposition) indexed and packed neatly away in our filing cabinets. So that the filing clerk may not commit the heinous offence of sending to the printer a photograph of a prominent woman wearing last season’s hat or an ex-mayor resplendent in robes and chain, each envelope containing a block has, pasted on the outside, a reproduction of the

photograph that is within. Thus, iu addition to the name of the “victim,” the clerk may see the type of photograph he is forwarding to the printer. ***** The way of the illustrator is hard. After the block has been sent to the printer he is usually on hand to see that it has not been displaced in any of the processes before iU incorporation in the final plate. The public is mildly amused when a reproduction of the shaggy head, say, of the late Henry Lawson, appears under the caption: /‘Dolores: Epstein's Beautiful Model.” The photographic editor, on the other hand, has only one course open to him. He commits hara-kiri and makes the way clear for the promotion of his understudy. The staff photographers, working under the direction of the photographic editor,, are men who are skilled in sizing up a situation in record time. The success of the Press photographer depends almost entirely upon his ability to gauge the critical moment of a public ceremony, and, having gauged it, to record on his camera-plate the best possible aspect of the great moment. This calls for initiative, resourcefulness, self-reliance, and the “hide of a rhinoceros,” for although the public demands topical illustrations, and 90 per cent, of public men have learned that publicity is inseparable from public life, there are still some who officiously, and usually without success, try to hamper the work of the Press photographer.

The photograph taken, it is rushed back to the developing room and three and a half minutes later is in the hands of the etchers, who begin the process of converting it into a block. But that is another story. It will be seen, therefore, that speed is “the essence of the contract” as our legal friends phrase it. The photographer who cannot do quick and accurate w-ork and the block-maker who cannot claim direct descent from Mercury are of little use to an evening newspaper. On a morning paper, what happens to-day is used to-morrow. On an evening newspaper, what happens to-day must, where possible, be used to-day if it is to be regarded as first-class matter. And that is why all photographic editors have grey hair!