JSOTF-P Partners with PECOJON for Photojournalism Workshop

By Lt.j.g. Theresa Donnelly, Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines Public Affairs

ZAMBOANGA, Republic of the Philippines – A naval officer assigned to Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines partnered with representatives from the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network, the PhilSouth Angle newspaper, and Voice of Mindanao to hold a workshop for local high school students at Western Mindanao Command Oct. 9.

Lt. Lara Bollinger, JSOTF-P deputy public affairs officer, taught photojournalism basics and captioning to 15 students from Western Mindanao State University High School and Arturo Eustaquio Memorial Science High School.

“What I knew before about photography was just taking pictures for fun, but this seminar really taught me how to make a photo look good,” said Luz Silver R. Somblingo, a student from AEMSHS.

Using photos from recent JSOTF-P humanitarian assistance projects, Bollinger demonstrated the importance of storytelling through images and how using different camera settings such as shutter speed, ISO, and aperture enhances a photo, creating the best quality picture.

Course topics covered basic camera settings, including lighting, focus, zooming, and basic photo composition using a variety of camera angles, framing, and capturing motion and depth of field.

Bollinger also explained the basics of caption writing and gave students the opportunity to practice their skills at accurately and briefly describing print-worthy photos.

“I was honored to have the opportunity to teach these bright young students,” said Bollinger. “They are the future of journalism in the Philippines, and I hope that that the knowledge I shared with them will give them the building blocks for a successful path as photojournalists.”

One of JSOTF-P’s primary goals is to benefit local communities through capacity building and information sharing. During the seminar, Bollinger utilized skills she developed working in JSOTF-P’s public relations team to share best practices with the students.

“Lara’s presentation brought a certain charisma and expertise to the seminar. The more we can bring in lecturers who are foreign-trained, the more we see students respond to the training favorably because it offers them some variety [of experience],” said Jessica Pabellion, a trainer with PECOJON.

PECOJON brings together reporters, photographers, and other communication professionals with the goal of providing quality reporting of conflict, crisis and war. This organization regularly conducts training sessions to train future photojournalists to be skilled, ethical professionals.

This was the first time JSOTF-P assisted in training these students.

“I sincerely hope that JSOTF-P will have more opportunities to partner with local organizations for training sessions such as this one. This is an excellent way for us to give back to the community,” Bollinger said.