A competition for the photographic board of the CRIMSON involves more than training in the mechanical side of the taking and developing of pictures. News photography is an art in itself, and differs radically from amateur or professional work in this field.

The most important difference is in the conditions under which a press photographer must work. The group gathered around the free coffee and doughnuts behind the stadium press stands is very likely to be the same as that sitting on the stairs to the organ loft of the new Chapel, but whether in the Lowell House common room or on Soldiers Field the cameraman must record the features of the celebrities with speed and certainty.

A photographer must be able to handle cameras varying from a vest pocket size to those carried most conveniently in a taxi, but besides nimble fingers he must possess a glib tongue with which to persuade prospective victims to pose for him. In short, press photography is the art of telling a news story in pictures.

No experience is necessary, for in the course of the first week the candidate is taught the fundamentals of dark room work, and trained to go out and get pictures on his own initiative. As a result of the seven week's work, he not only receives all the advantages of the CRIMSON board, but also experience in an art which is also a profitable hobby.