Photo Tips I learned from Don Rutledge

Don Rutledge went to Russia a few times and this is his second trip.  The reason I am using his work as an example is because in my mind his work is stellar and has majorly impacted my work and many of my colleagues work as well.

While many would wait until the lady in front walked out of the frame, Don included her. The two men look very much like Americans, but the woman looked very much like the stereo type of a Russian woman.

What is important is how Don used all the frame for his work.  He also used it so well artists were complaining that they couldn't crop his photos. This usually did lead to some good discussions. When a designer crops a photo that is well composed they change the meaning.

A great designer who is working with a writer and photojournalist in a journalistic coverage will layout the story after looking through the images and selecting those that help tell the story.  Laying out the spread and then finding images to fill the holes is using photography as a decoration and not as communication.

Visiting the vertical photo above again look at how the men are looking one way and the woman is going the other. Do you pick up on the tension that the composition helps to create?

Don uses all the frame to help contain the message and to draw the reader into the photo.

The photo of the crowd walking towards you take a moment and look at the far left and right of the frame. Don has meticulously had the edges hold the man to the left and the woman on the far right in the photo.  Many photographers would often slice into the folks or have it too loose. The bottom of the frame is just below their feet giving extra space at the top of the frame. The top of the frame is where you have a sense of depth.

While the angle of the buildings roof line is at an angle creates depth, it is the open sky that opens the photo even more from front to back. Just cover the photo at the top and block off the open sky part and you will see how much that makes a difference in depth of the photograph.

Balance and context are achieved here in this photo of the pianist and the choir to the right.

In art class they teach about asymmetric balance.  Here in the photo with the pianist Don uses this technique to create a sense of calm and tranquility. The beams in the ceiling go towards the windows which helps to create a sense of depth. Some of the ladies in the choir are looking at the pianist playing which helps connect the choir back to the pianist.

While Don would have found this composition, he would have stayed here for a while until he had enough different frames. He is looking for the pianist to be playing and the choir to have a moment where they are paying attention to her.  Take out all those blinks or someone picking their nose (that happens a lot, especially during prayers) and you then are picking a moment that best captures the worship tone that Don was going for in this photograph.

Examine the edges of Don's photo. Why did he choose those edges? Then start looking for a subject. After you find the main subject look for something like a verb. After finding the verb look for secondary subjects.  What about some adjectives and adverbs, do you see any?

I love the little girl singing here in church. How do you know it is church?  Look at the pulpit to the right. Don left this in to help establish this as not a school play. Notice the women to the far left. Look especially at the lady on the front row. She really helps the photo because her expression really helps. You can see the lady to the right of her and closest to the girl singer and her expression also helps set a tone. The little bit of the objects at the top of the frame give a sense of even a bigger room.

As you watch the slide show look at the edges and see if you would change anything. Look to see if Don used things to help create depth and not make the photo look too flat.

While there is a primary subject look and see how the other subjects in the photo compliment the main subject. Do they create tension or just help establish a mood.

See if you see one guy laying in the background.  This was the translator who was thinking he was getting out of the way, but Don included him to add a little perspective.

If any of these photos moved you, please comment on it below.  Tell me why it moved you.

Russia from Don Rutledge's Eyes

Don Rutledge covered Christians in Russia in the late 1980s and I think there are a few things we can learn from his coverage.

Don has the ability to tie things together in a photo like few photographers have ever done.  Here he has the pastor with the kids signing. What is so cool is the last supper photo on the wall.  It just ties it together with the symbolism.

Don Rutledge had an ability to go to a different culture and cover it even tho he didn't speak their language or understand their customs.  During his career, Don covered more than 150+ countries of the world and all 50 of the United States.Here are some audio recordings of Don as well as some links to stories he had published.

John Howard Griffin and Don Rutledge during the production of Black Like Me.

Let's review his work on Russia to see how a photojournalist can help connect the subject to the audience through the use of images.

Background 

Don didn't speak Russian and had not been to Russia before. What little he knew was from reading and talking to some missionaries who traveled the area. Don wasn't an expert on the culture, but had read a great deal before he went to Russia.

Slide show is a snippet

Don Rutledge would typically go on a coverage like Russia for about 21 to 27 days.  He would pack about 300 rolls of color slide film and about 300 rolls of black and white film. Each of these rolls was a 36 exposure roll of 35mm film.

He would usually return with some film so he didn't shoot all 21,000 possible frames.  He would easily shoot half to three fourth's of the film.

The slide show I worked on in 1987 for Don to use when he spoke to groups about his coverage.

I liked using this as the opener for the Slide Show because I think it says Russia and announces where this story takes place.

How it is divided

The slide show is divided into an overview of the country, a section on the culture, section on the Russian Orthodox Church and then series of pastors and leaders with their families.

When this was being done the distribution of the story was done in The Commission Magazine. The magazine was regularly competing and beating magazines like National Geographic Magazine.

The magazine normally started stories with 1 to 3 double truck spreads to introduce the country.  Don captured things that not just showed what the country looked like, but in a way contrasting it to the audience in the United States.

You can see the architecture and the man trimming the tops of the trees. What struck Don was how neat everything was and this was something that not just showed what it looked like, but the man gives size and scale to the photo as well as showing how they keep everything so groomed.

Don ended taking tours of the churches in Moscow to help show the Americans how they view the church. On the tours they were showing all the gold and art work in the previous church buildings.  They would tell the people this is how the church acted in the past, they took all your money and then used it to decorate.

Showing the theater helped connect the Americans to something we had in common. Our love of the theater and the Opera in Moscow is considered one of the best in the world. 

Then Don helps us transition through the Russion Orthodox church to help the Baptists in the states see some sense of faith in Russia.

Baptists in Russia are so many and the church buildings are so small that they are overflowing into the street.  Here you see how they listen to the service inside the building. 

Don continues to show artistic moments that also communicate something similar and yet different in almost every frame.  The Russians outside in worship look like Americans but we don't sit outside our churches to hear the worship service.

Don helps the audience connect with the subject using everyday life moments. He captures people cooking, in their homes and with their families.

Pastor enjoys going around town with his family.

This is just a taste of some of the things I learned from Don from his coverage on Russia. 

If you really want to learn how to do a coverage like Don did on Russia you can join me in Tibet.  The workshop will help teach you how to put a coverage together like this and then also help you to keep your audience in mind as you shoot.  We will shoot together and then review our work in Tibet, this way you can go out the same day or next and fill in the missing holes.

I hope you will consider joining me in August in Tibet.  Click here to learn more about the Tibet Workshop.