Module 3B Be a Sport! Artistic, family or emotive photographs can evoke memories of people we love, good old times and can also be the testimony of some important event or person In fact, this same effect is produced by photojournalism A photograph is used to depict sports, political and social events and can also be used for teaching purposes Its role is to illustrate news by showing what a text informs us Words and photographs complement each other They complete data and provide further proofs so that the newspaper or magazine reader understands what has really happened Sports photography appeared in relation to technological development and the interest of the visual arts in sports The aim of sports photography is to cover sporting events and widely distribute the images The evolution of sports photography is closely linked to different social changes, such as the expansion of the working class and their involvement in mass sports Its function has changed over time and today, sports photojournalism also reports social conflicts related to sports Acts of vandalism, terrorism and other incidents appear, together with pictures of local and international competitions, in sports magazines and weekly supplements that are available to the general public The growth of this genre led to a new profession, the sports photographer While photographers try to report an event, they also attempt to develop aesthetic innovations They not only portray a particular activity but also its general context, like the preliminary stages of a competition, fans and celebrations Some amateur photographers, however, aim at getting a funny picture showing a spontaneous expression or an awkward movement Whether professional or amateur, the photographer must have knowledge of sports, be patient and focus on the contest Photographers must meet these requirements if they want to capture an image that informs and, at the same time, provokes an emotion Activities 1 Answer these questions a What can a photograph reflect? b What is the purpose of sports photography? c What requirements must a sports photographer satisfy? d Has sports photojournalism changed since its beginnings? English Toolkit - Art Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 Art and Testimony Module 3B 2 In the text, underline all the words that are related to sports (eg.: sporting event) and find synonyms for these words a role: b depict: c pictures: d linked: e expansion: 3 Put these ideas in order a Artistic / photographs / evoke / we / of / family / people / love / memories / or b important / be / the / Photographs / can / testimony / events / of 4 Look at the picture and write a text for it using the following questions as a guide Which sport is the photograph about? Where you think this event is taking place? Can you describe the people and the scenery? 5 Find a piece of sports news and describe what kind of picture you would add to it English Toolkit - Art Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 c magazines / Photographs / can / and / in / information / newspapers / complete