In the news business, we usually have many photos to choose from. We can make people look good or bad depending on which ones we choose. How should we make our choices?
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Prime Minister Yingluck arrives at the Office of the Defence Permanent Secretary in Muang Thong Thani yesterday morning where she has her temporary offices. She looked worried and uneasy. CHANAT KATANYU
Prime Minister Yingluck arrives at the Office of the Defence Permanent Secretary in Muang Thong Thani yesterday morning where she has her temporary offices. She looked happy and calm. CHANAT KATANYU
Which photo should I choose?
It was early yesterday morning and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was arriving at work at the Office of the Defence Permanent Secretary in Muang Thong Thani where she has her temporary offices. Government House, of course, is closed since there is a protest rally site outside.
Bangkok Post photographer Chanat Katanyu was there as the prime minister arrived and he took these photos about a second apart.
At the same time protesters from the Ratchaprasong rally site led by Putthipong Punnakan and Chumpol Julasai were on the way to Muang Thong Thani in a convoy of pickup trucks and minibuses. They had announced they were chasing the prime minister.
Which one of the photos should I choose for my story? In the first photo, the prime minister looks a bit worried or uneasy, so that would be good, right?
The problem with that is she really didn't seem worried or uneasy. She was concentrating on getting out of the car and people don't usually smile until they see someone or something to smile at. If you watch a news video clip of her arrival, you will see she smiled immediately when her feet were on the ground outside the vehicle and she was greeted by government officials.
In the news business, we usually have many photos to choose from. We can make people look good or bad depending on which ones we choose. The decision isn't so difficult, however, if we are just trying to tell the truth. This is especially important for news stories. For opinion and analytical columns we can choose photos that fit the point we are making.
Oh, in this case, I chose the photo of the prime minister smiling.