18th March 2025
Context and creativity: talking photography with the Telegraph’s Ash Hussain
Hello everyone,
Shine Award categories go way beyond writing and editing – which is why we’re always keen to talk about design and the arts. But what about the ubiquitous Instagram artform everyone loves: photography?
On today’s Ask the Expert we’re talking to someone who knows all about that. It’s the Visuals Editor of The Telegraph Ash Hussain.
I think your students will love hearing Ash talk passionately about his work. He’s a self-described ‘red Mancunian’ and doesn’t just answer our ‘big five questions’, but also talks about his inspiring career journey.
I asked him: what are his top tips for great photography in a school media project. Here’s what he had to say…
Always read the article, get a good idea of the subject matter and then create the right kind of picture to go with it.
A great image is down to the combination of the subject matter and your skill as a photographer. It’s not just about ‘taking’ a picture, it’s about more about ‘creating’ a picture.
If you’re interviewing someone, do a recce and ‘marry the person and the background’.
For example, if you’re going to interview an actor, ask them what is their favourite scene in a film and ask them to reenact that. And what you find is you get very candid, very animated pictures, rather than someone just sat there, staring into the camera.
Watch the full episode
Enter Shine 2025!
If you’re keen to enter Shine this year, have questions or need more support, we’re here to answer your questions at shine@stationers.org
Register with the Shine School Media Awards and we can provide guidance and encouragement from now til our entry deadline in May.
Best wishes,
Richard Chapman
Chair, Shine School Media Awards