Photo News Blog

August 12, 2006

LA Times weighs in on Lebanon photos

Filed under: Photojournalism

Columnist Tim Rutten suggests that more people (and newspapers) should be talking about the ‘Reutersgate’ controversy, and recognizes Charles Johnson and the blogosphere for outing Adnan Hajj’s and others’ manipulated photos. Rutten says that the blogosphere "is being employed to help keep journalism honest ultimately is to everybody’s benefit."

LA Times column

August 9, 2006

Collection of recent ‘photo fraud’

Filed under: Photojournalism

Despite firing photographer Adnan Hajj, Reuters has kept relatively quiet during the photo scandals that have unfolded over the past few weeks. Here is a collection of the events, for those who haven’t been paying attention: Via Zombietime

To clarify it’s mistake listed in the link above, the New York Times has issued a correction:

A picture caption with an audio slide show on July 27 about an Israeli attack on a building in Tyre, Lebanon, imprecisely described the situation in the picture. The man pictured, who had been seen in previous images appearing to assist with the rescue effort, was injured during that rescue effort, not during the initial attack, and was not killed.

The correct description was this one, which appeared with that picture in the printed edition of The Times: After an Israeli airstrike destroyed a building in Tyre, Lebanon, yesterday, one man helped another who had fallen and was hurt.

As this goes on, we’ll see what Reuters has to say for itself.  

 

July 31, 2006

Gaza photographer tells tales

This is a strong lede to a first-hand account of being a photographer in Gaza:

I love being a photographer. I doubt that I could possibly love it more. When I’m trying to compose an artful image out of the tattered remains of someone’s son, however, I start to wonder if maybe my job is a little strange.

Read Scout Tufankjian’s tale on Slate.com

July 28, 2006

El Nuevo runs doctored photo against photographer’s wishes

Filed under: Photojournalism

It’s a big day for photojournalism ethics. First Schneider, then this.

Two photographs were stitched together to make it look as though police were just standing around as several prostitutes in Cuba were flaunting their goods on an inside page of Miami’s El Nuevo Herald newspaper, the spanish-speaking child of the Miami Herald. Photographer Roberto Koltun objected to his two photos being used in this way, but apparently his concerns were disregarded. 

UPDATE: El Nuevo admits wrongdoing (Google translated page) 

Photographer fired for altering photo

Patrick Schneider, the talented Charlotte Observer photographer who was reprimanded in 2003 for altering color and contrast of photos, was recently fired for the same offense. 

In a clarification from C-O editor Rick Thames printed on July 28, Thames states:

The photo, taken by Observer photographer Patrick Schneider, appeared on the front of the Local & State section. It depicted a Charlotte firefighter on a ladder, silhouetted by the light of the early morning sun.

In the original photo, the sky in the photo was brownish-gray. Enhanced with photo-editing software, the sky became a deep red and the sun took on a more distinct halo.

And later he continues:

Because of the most recent violation of our photo policy, Schneider no longer works at the Observer.

We apologize for this misstep. Your trust is important to us. We will do all we can to ensure the integrity of all of our photos going forward.

Editor & Publisher story 

Link to the photo in question

Poynter link for past Schneider incident

C-O editorial (subscription may be required) 

 

July 24, 2006

Video game puts players behind the camera

Filed under: Uncategorized

 

A new Xbox360 video game called ‘Dead Rising’ features a freelance photojournalist as the main character. This is funny:

Dead Rising follows the harrowing tale of Frank West, an overly zealous freelance photojournalist on a hunt for the scoop of a lifetime. In pursuit of a juicy lead, he makes his way to a small suburban town only to find that it has become overrun by zombies.

I wonder if he shoots Nikon or Canon… 

Game synopsis 

Dead Rising screenshots

July 23, 2006

Photographer killed in bombing of Lebanon

Lebanese photographer Layal Nagib was killed during the Israeli bombing of Cana in southern Lebanon while covering the violence for the magazine Al Jarass on July 22. 

Reporters Without Borders story

July 22, 2006

‘Dancing with aesthetics’

Filed under: Photography

So this might be the single greatest photo-related podcast of all time… Craig Tanner from The Radiant Vista talks about fearing the public critique and photographer’s motivations for either following the "rules" or breaking them. Required reading for this to make sense is this blog post by Mike Johnston, which I laughed at last week.

Be patient - the podcast is an hour long, but Craig makes some great points and brings up issues that every photographer is faced with.

The Radiant Vista podcast - Episode 12

July 16, 2006

World’s largest photo a success

Filed under: Photo News, Photography

EUGENE GARCIA / The Orange County Register 

As read about here, the group project to create the world’s largest photograph has succeeded. They had originally thought the exposure would taken 10-14 days, but the exposure time ended up only being an hour.

OC Register story

July 15, 2006

Police illegally seize newspaper’s photos

A judge in Alaska illegally issued a search warrant for police to seize photos taken by an Anchorage Daily News photographer taken at a shooting scene. The newspaper was forced to turn over more than 100 photos from the scene, but after the police were contacted by the newspaper’s attorney and informed of the warrant violating federal law, the photos were returned.

CNN.com story

July 12, 2006

Fox bans photographers from TV press tour

Filed under: Photo News

In an apparent attempt to maintain total control of its content, Fox announced that it will not allow photographers to shoot its news conferences at the Television Critics Association press tour. Instead, they will offer handout photos.

The AP didn’t like this too much, so they said they will not be sending any print journalists (writers too) to cover the tour unless Fox allows photogs. 

WP story

July 9, 2006

Fearless French photographer Catherine Leroy dies

Filed under: Photographers

Corpsman In Anguish - Catherine Leroy

Known as a daring war photographer, French-born photojournalist Catherine Leroy died of cancer at the age of 60 in California. Leroy worked for LIFE magazine, the Gamma and Sipa agencies, and the AP and UPI. Her famous photo "Corpsman In Anguish" was taken in 1967 while documenting the Vietnam War.   

LA Times story

Vietnam war image gallery 

July 7, 2006

Crying babies and the meaning of photography

So apparently this Jill Greenburg crying baby thing that I blogged about in early April has caused quite a stir.

Jim Lewis at Slate.com posted his review of Greenberg’s End Times exhibit and gave this wonderful description on the meaning of photography: 

I don’t mean this as a condemnation of photography. On the contrary, I love the medium, and it fascinates me endlessly, precisely because it’s so freighted with the problem of power and responsibility. It is born in a bed of plunder and abuse; but in the right hands it can end in beauty, and how we get from one to the other is as profound a grace as any art can manifest.

Slate.com article 

HD video reaches print quality

Sony HDR-FX1

I don’t like it, but apparently it’s finally here, and Mindy McAdams sure is convinced. The new generation of HD video cameras can produce screen grabs worthy of being printed in a newspaper. Looks like we’re going to need a lot more editors now that we’re shooting at 60 fps for minutes at a time.  

PDN story

July 6, 2006

Mpozi Tolbert: 1972-2006

Filed under: Photographers

Many of you might not have met him or heard of his work, but for those that crossed his path, the 6-foot 6-inch, dreadlocked photographer was unforgettable. Known as much to his friends for his big heart as his big size, Mpozi Tolbert died on July 3 in the Indianapolis Star newsroom at the age of 34. 

IndyStar.com

Mpozi memories 

June 28, 2006

NEEDED: digital cameras, photo printer, other donations

Just helping out a fellow APADer here with a good cause. Christine Mladic is planning a trip to Chile to help some kids learn photography, but she needs a few supplies, namely unused working digital cameras, memory cards and a photo printer. Please visit her site to see how you can help.

Digital camera drive 

Benefit announced

The online photographer’s take on some lesser known artists

Filed under: Photography

Too funny not to post: 

Great Photographers on the Internet

June 27, 2006

Beer photography contest deadline approaching

Filed under: Contest

Pilsner UrquellThis isn’t the contest for the photographer who can drink the most beer or take the best picture of a pint of beer. It’s the Pilsner Urquell International Photography Awards 2006. The deadline is June 30, so hurry and get your entries in. Unfortunately the winner doesn’t even get a keg of beer. Instead, they get $10,000, which is almost as good.  

IPA home

2005 winners, 2004 winners, 2003 winners 

On a side note, I do think the choice of sponsorship is peculiar. I would have thought that while alcohol does play a big part in the creativity for many photographers, a company with a more direct link to photography, like Canon or Fuji, would have sponsored an event like this. From the IPA website:

Tremendous synergy exists between the brand characteristics of Pilsner Urquell and the medium of photography and both are appreciated by discerning individuals who believe in self-expression and the right to their own opinions.

And it continues:

We are confident that Pilsner Urquell’s support for the IPA will benefit the organisation and its objectives as we have common goals of raising awareness of our respective brands, building on their prestige and making them truly international properties.

Weird. 

June 22, 2006

Blog gives legal advice to photographers

Here’s a great resource for all those legal questions milling about inside photographers’ heads. It appears to be updated weekly and contains some great information about copyright and image protection.  

PhotoAttorney

June 19, 2006

WP reporters issued video cameras

Filed under: Photojournalism

Apparently 50 or so Washington Post reporters, mainly foreign correspondents, have been given video cameras with the intention of using the video for the newspaper’s website.  

“We’ve always had the concept that reporters having video cameras out in the field would be useful,” says James Brady, executive editor of Washingtonpost.com. “We would buy the cameras and give them to reporters to shoot still pictures, record voice, or shoot video. It’s a triple-threat device. It adds a whole different dimension than you can get on the print side.”

WASHINGTONIAN story

Kashi released by Nigerian navy

He was detained anywhere from two to five days according to the various news reports, but at least now Ed Kashi has been released unconditionally. 

Reuters: South Africa story

African News Dimension story

UPDATE: CPJ condemns arrest

June 18, 2006

NatGeo photog arrested in Nigeria for his own good

National Geographic photographer Ed Kashi was arrested by the Nigerian navy for taking pictures of an oil facility without permission and because "the area is volatile and he could have been kidnapped." 

Reuters story

Getty World Cup photogs blogging about experience

Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images 

This is a fun, behing-the-scenes take on what it’s like to photograph the World Cup. There is plenty of insight about shooting the actual matches balanced by some funny off-the-pitch moments. Stuart Franklin jokes about being "embedded" with the Brazilian team, and Ross Kinnaird experiments with a blurring effect to keep himself awake at one of many press conferences.

Getty Images - Sports Blog

Also World Cup related, but not having anything to do with photography…

Check out the World Development Movement’s team chooser that lets you pick who you think should win based on the economical and political situations of the various teams in the tournament. Maybe all the extra support from this website is what led Ghana to defeat Czech Republic yesterday.

June 15, 2006

Like how’d you get those gnarly surfing pics, dude?

Filed under: Photography

Surf photographer David Pu’u discusses what it takes to be able to create unique surfing photos in a first person article in Surfer magazine. It appears as though surfing photography equipment costs are a bit higher than for your daily newspaper photographer. [via SS]

Surfer magazine

David Pu’u’s website 

June 12, 2006

Moore’s Law and the future of the digital camera

Filed under: Photography

"Why choose between still and video; why not both? While you’re at it, throw in 3-D data, wireless networking and Internet access."

IHT article 

June 8, 2006

NoTxt = no captions, interesting mag

NoTxt Issue #1

Not really sure what to think of this new online magazine from Trent Nelson and Grayson West called NoTxt. After going through the site, it isn’t hard to figure out how they got their name.

Photos and art can have the ability to speak for themselves, but sometimes I’d like a little background info to go with the story. Even a little statement about the inspiration for each month’s work would suffice.

It almost seems a bit elitist for a photographer to think that his/her photos can stand up alone without any words to explain the situation. Am I missing something here?

On a positive note, I do really love many of the photos in the magazine. Those by Matt Eich and Ashley Francell really stand out.  

We’ll wait to see if things stay the same for issue #2. The deadline to submit images is June 24. 

NoTxt issue #1

June 1, 2006

9 staff photogs to leave Washington Post

Filed under: Photo News

… But don’t get your hopes up thinking there are now nine empty positions to fill. The photographers are not being replaced. The newspaper is going to a smaller staff, so they offered early retirement to many in the newsroom. 70 in all took the package.

WP article 

PDN article

 

Bobby and him

Former Pittsburgh Pirates team photographer Les Banos became great friends with the team’s star Roberto Clemente. Had it not been for the Immaculate Reception that kept the Steelers in the playoffs, and thus kept Banos in Pittsburgh to work the game, Banos would have been on Clemente’s plane that crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico.

Banos and Clemente had a very close relationship, something that I think is rare for photographers and their subjects these days. That relationship gave Banos the access to make some great photographs. Beginning this weekend, many of those photos are being displayed at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum in Pittsburgh.

Beaver County Times article

History Center website 

May 30, 2006

‘Crowdsourcing’ stock photography

This falls under the "don’t read the article if you’re not at all concerned about the future of professional photography" category. iStockphoto is charging a dollar for the same pictures that you would charge $100.

Wired story 

May 29, 2006

Times announces cameraphone contest

Filed under: Contest

UK cameraphone photographers, or camtographers as I like to call them, now have a contest of their own. The Times of London who is sponsoring the contest will publish the winning images in its newspaper. It could be a blatant rights grab or it could produce some interesting news photos from big UK events - think London bombings.   

Contest details or here 

May 26, 2006

This just in - film not dead afterall

Filed under: Photo News

I saw this story on Yahoo! News yesterday, but the article didn’t make much sense, so it didn’t make it to the blog. It said Canon was planning on halting production of film cameras, but it also said they were going to continue producing current film cameras as long as there is a demand for it. Michael Tomkins at The Imaging Resource explains the mistake. Apparently AP wasn’t the only one who got it wrong. Reuters had a similar story, but has since corrected the article.

Imaging Resource

Also via Pocket-lint 

Is the U.S. ready to get ‘Shock’ed?

While the first issue isn’t set to hit newsstands until May 30, PDN got ahold of a copy Shock magazine and dishes the goods on this new "gross-out" tabloid. It appears to have roots in photojournalism but chooses to use sex, blood and absurdities to sell the mag.  

PDN article

Shock website 

 

 

 

 

May 25, 2006

Sia ‘Breathe Me’ video made from 2500 Polaroids

Filed under: Photography

Sia - Breathe Me

Here is Sia’s new "Breathe Me" video. It’s a pretty cool concept worth checking out. It has the flipbook style similar to this short movie made with a Canon 20D.

YouTube link 

QT version 

May 23, 2006

Photographer walking from Iowa to Grand Canyon

Scott Edwards adventure map

When most people think of a road trip to the Grand Canyon, they conjure up an image of packing the family station wagon and hitting the road on a laborious multi-day journey. Photographer Scott Edwards had a different vision on his 50th birthday. He decided to walk from his home in Eureka, Wisconsin to the most glorious of American natural landmarks. He isn’t packing light either. Edwards doesn’t shoot digital or with travel-friendly Leicas. Instead, he is hauling a large-format view camera to capture his back-roads American journey. I’m expecting an awesome book to come from this - sometime after August when he finally gets there.

Scott’s blog

News article 

May 21, 2006

World’s Largest Camera and Picture

Filed under: Photography

Photographers in California plan on making a 25′ by 100′ photograph using a pinhole airplane hangar. The exposure will be 10-14 days, likely depending on the weather.  

World’s Largest Camera

May 11, 2006

New Jersey proposes photo ban at ‘high-risk’ sites

New Jersey aims to ban photography of "a power generation, waste treatment, public sewage, water treatment, public water, nuclear or flammable liquid storage facility, as well as any airport in the state." Getting caught doing so would be punishable by up to 18 months in jail. At the very least, the state wants to be able to detain photographers caught taking pictures of these places.

Geez, New Jersey. Paranoid? 

Gloucester County Times story

UPDATE:
NPPA sends letter opposing bill 
Bill shelved in committee

National Magazine Awards winners announced

Filed under: Photojournalism

W magazine and Rolling Stone took the top prizes for photography in the 2006 National Magazine Awards. W won for its for July, September, October issues.

“Provocative and endlessly innovative, the arresting photography in W shatters the conventional boundaries of fashion imagery. It succeeds in bridging the gap between photography and contemporary art with a variety of visual styles that add up to maximum impact.”  

Rolling Stone took the photo essay category for a piece about global warming shot by Sebastião Salgado in the November 17 issue.

“As part of an ambitious special report on global warming, Rolling Stone published a 14-page photo essay by Sabastião Salgado. “The Edge of the World,” takes readers on a journey to the solitary reaches of Antarctica and Patagonia where his passionate plea for the environment resulted in black and white images of startling drama.”

Full winners list

Gonzo Photojournalism - ‘No bullshit. No fluff. Just the facts.’

Filed under: Photojournalism

Gonzo Photojournalism

They’re mad as hell, and they’re not going to take it anymore!

Here is a group of forward-thinking PJs who have embraced technology and have their eye on the future. They call themselves "Gonzo Photojournalists," and according to their manifesto, they definitely have that ‘buck the system’ attitude. Screw AP style. Forget printing pictures on paper - they believe pictures look better illuminated on a computer screen anyway.

Their first product, a piece on the Nashville burlesque scene, incorporates audio, video and stills. It’s a good two and a half minute story that anyone in the world can enjoy.

Gonzo Photojournalism   

May 10, 2006

If this is postmodern, when was modern?

Filed under: Photography

Steve Yates did an interesting study on photographic themes over time. The written work, along with an assortment of historic images, is hosted by the Museum of New Mexico website.  

IDEA Photographic | After Modernism [via Lens Culture]

May 4, 2006

Photobloggies nominations nearing end

Filed under: Contest

Only three days remain to nominate your favorite photoblog for the 2006 Photobloggies award. There are plenty of categories to nominate.  

2006 Photobloggies

2005 winners 

 

 

Microsoft launches lucrative Future Pro Photographers contest

Filed under: Contest

 

Here’s an amazing contest from Microsoft awarding one college photographer the $20,000 grand prize for his or her photographic talent. Deadline is May 31.

Link via Rob Galbraith

 

UPDATE: Microsoft revises terms, students maintain ownership [via Galbraith

April 28, 2006

SportsShooter announces contest winners

Filed under: Contest


 

SportsShooter.com has announced the winners of its annual contest. There was a tie between Juan Villa and Donald Miralle for the top prize. Looks like students did well this year, winning in several of the professional categories.

Complete list of winners 
Commentary from the judges

What makes a good photograph?

Here’s an interesting piece from Radio Netherlands that has the photographers disecting their pictures.

As a technical note, there isn’t a pause button, so if you click "stop audio," you’ll have to start from the beginning to resume play. 

RNW: What makes a good photograph?

April 26, 2006

Canada’s coffin photo ban reminescent of broken US policy

Filed under: Photojournalism

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper ordered an airfield be shut down to prohibit viewing of coffins returning from Afghanistan. The PM says the ban will be permanent.

Toronto Star 

IHT

UPDATE: Here are a couple hundred more related articles from Google News 

April 25, 2006

Inside the bubble, outside the box

Filed under: Photojournalism

Las Vegas Sun / Tiffany Brown 

Here’s a spectacular example of creative journalistic storytelling. How many times have we read about the president making a stop at Someplace, USA and been bored out of our minds before we finish the third paragraph. Las Vegas has a bit different style than most places, and their newspaper has embraced it here. I guarantee you read this one to the end. Tiffany Brown did a great job of getting unique photos to illustrate the story.

*Note that multiple photos are linked from the top of the story.  

Las Vegas Sun: Inside the bubble

April 21, 2006

‘Citizen photojournalism’ 100 years old?

Harry Myers / USGS 

This story from MSNBC.com purports that when the 1906 San Fran earthquake hit, droves of citizens took to the streets with their Brownie cameras documenting the destruction. I will not dispute that claim. I’ve seen lots of photos from lots of different angles. It was a well-documented event.

What I dispute is the moniker of "photojournalist" being applied to these folks. The article repeatedly calls them citizen photojournalists. Did they all have formal journalism training? Doubtful. Did they all work for a news publication? Probably not. So, MSNBC, what makes these curious citizens photojournalists? 

It seems to me they’re just people taking pictures. Plain and simple.

This whole buzz of citizen journalism frequently fails to recognize the fact that there is more to journalism than being at a news event. Calling these citizens "photojournalists" or even "journalists" dilutes the journalism profession.

I’m not arguing the importance of citizens in the media. I am very interested in publications like Backfence or YourHub, but I think there needs to be a distinction between working journalists and observant citizens.  

NBC: Quake spurred citizen photojournalism

Now I lay me down to sleep

Filed under: Photography

http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.orgThis is a very moving site that gives proof to the power of photography. This group of photographers donates their time to take pictures of families about to lose a child. The families say these photos provide comfort in their time of bereavement.   

nowilaymedowntosleep.org/

 

 

April 20, 2006

The beauty of bubbles and other mysteries explained

Filed under: Photography, Photo Tech

While not overtly photojournalistic, this entry touches on the basis for all pictures - light. I just stumbled upon Canon Science Lab. It’s an amazing resource for explaining what light is, how it is produced and how cameras record it. I was especially intrigued about the section titled, "Light and Its Future." I thought to myself, "The future of light?" It’s been around forever, but apparently we as humans haven’t even begun to harness its power. Pretty crazy stuff being studied and experimented. The site is techy but in an easy-to-read way. Bookmark it and save it for a rainy day.

April 18, 2006

Worth checking out: Journal of a Photographer

Filed under: Photographers

Martin Fuchs Journal of a Photographer 

Magnum In Motion editor Martin Fuchs has moved his New York Photoblog. The new blog looks similar, but adds a bit more content and more news. It’s also a good behind-the-scenes look at Magnum operations. Go ahead, give it a look.

Journal of a Photographer 

April 17, 2006

Pulitzers announced

DMN photo / Mei-Chun JauRMN photo / Ellen Jaskol 

The photo staff at the Dallas Morning News was awarded a Pulitzer in breaking news photography for its "vivid photographs depicting the chaos and pain after Hurricane Katrina engulfed New Orleans."

And the Rocky Mountain News’ Todd Heisler won yet another award, claiming the Pulitzer for feature photography for his coverage of Colorado marines returning home from battle in caskets.

Both winners aren’t the least bit surprising and are very, very well deserved.  

Complete winners list 
DMN article  (subscription required) and the Pulitzer entry (no subscription required)
RMN article 

April 15, 2006

Eugene Richards joins VII

© Magnum PhotosRenowned documentary photographer Eugene Richards, now formerly from Magnum, has been named the newest member of VII agency.  

Lightstalkers :: Eugene Richards joins VII
VII Agency 

 

 

 

 

 

April 6, 2006

Baseball in Cuba

Filed under: Photojournalism

Baseball in Cuba - Fred Conrad 

Here’s a good photo/audio slideshow from the New York Times’ Fred Conrad. The story shows how baseball isn’t just the national past time of the US. It amazes me every time I see pictures from Havana how old fashioned everything looks. Part of me feels sad for the residents who don’t have the opportunities for advancement, but part of me still thinks it is refreshing to see such a simple, untechnological way of life. As Conrad states, Cubans are passionate and proud people, especially when it comes to baseball.

Cuban baseball

April 5, 2006

Thomas James Abercrombie, 75

Filed under: Photojournalism

Thomas Abercrombie, a longtime National Geographic photographer best known for his work in the Middle East, passed away following heart surgery. 

NPPA obit
Washington Post obit 

April 4, 2006

Jill Greenberg makes kids cry in the name of politics

Filed under: Events

Jill Greenberg End Times 

“I love the raw emotion of children, because it comes close to the anger and helplessness I feel about our current political and social situation,” says commercial photographer Jill Greenberg about her new exhibition running April 22 to May 27 at the Paul Kopeikin Gallery in Los Angeles.

I feel the same way sometimes.

Exhibit site
Greenberg’s studio

LA Times ‘The Lifeline’ profiles US medics in Iraq

Filed under: Photojournalism

LA Times 'The Lifeline' 

Here is a great group of photos and audio from the LA Times photographer Rick Loomis. Some of the images are fairly graphic, but it’s good to see such great access.

From the LA Times site: 

Reporter David Zucchino and photographer Rick Loomis spent several weeks in October and November embedded with Army and Air Force medical units in Baghdad and Balad, Iraq, and with two Army air ambulance medical companies at the Balad military air base north of Baghdad. This series, The Lifeline, is the result of those assignments.

The Lifeline 

March 30, 2006

Bloggers catch congressional candidate with misleading photo

To balance my other post today about citizen journalists, or ‘journazens’ as I like to call them, here is a story about the good things that can come from bloggers and the like: 

In another political photo controversy today, California congressional candidate Howard Kaloogian was exposed by a group of bloggers to have used a photo of an Istanbul street on his Web site claiming it was taken in Baghdad. Even worse, Kaloogian used the photo as an example of how things were returning to normal in the war-torn city. Kaloogian blames his webmaster for mixing up the photos.

San Diego Union Tribune article

The blog exposing the photo and here

Wiki entry on Kaloogian and the incident 

Obscene? Fuggitaboutit, says Scalia

The gestureThe Boston Herald published Justice Scalia’s controversial hand gesture on its front page today. For those not familiar with the story, read this. The Herald even talked to ‘The Sopranos’ star Joseph Gannascoli, AKA Vito Spatafore, who said it was an obscenity. I’ll admit that I’m a bit rusty on my studies of Sicilian hand gestures, but I’d have to lean on the side of obscene on this one. For a Supreme Court justice, regardless of obscene or not, it is certainly inappropriate. Click on the thumbnail to view a larger version of the page.

 

UPDATE: The church has apparently fired the photographer, who had freelanced for the church’s newspaper for a decade, for releasing the photo to the Herald.

The church newspaper editor explains the firing:
“It’s nothing personal,” added Pilot editor Antonio Enrique. “I need to try and find people I can trust.” 

Herald update story here

I think, therefore, I am a photographer

Filed under: Photojournalism

Interesting article by Michael McNamara, executive technology editor for Popular Photography magazine. McNamara basically says anyone can take a picture, but that doesn’t necessarily make them a photographer. This concept is particularly important in this time when citizen "journalism" is starting to catch on. Some sort of distinction needs to be made between fully-trained journalists and citizen journalists. Maybe someone will invent a catchy new word for citizen journalists and citizen photographers that would help clarify things a bit. Citijourns? Journazens? Photojournazens?

Popular Photography article

UPDATE: And it’s articles and headlines like this that irk me a bit. No, having a camera phone does not in fact make you a photojournalist.

March 28, 2006

What is this???

Filed under: Photo Tech

Police still/video camera rig 

I found this image on Michael Fuchs’ Dispatch from the Razor’s Edge blog and it intrigued me. It was shot in London at the March for Free Expression. What is this contraption the policemen are carrying? It looks like a Nikon digital SLR with a side-mounted video camera and a flash all mounted on one device. They have something in their pockets too. Batteries? Hard drives?

I’ve tried shooting video and still at the same event, and it wasn’t easy. Anytime I picked up one camera, I wished I had the other. It was a mess. I guess this is one way of getting around it. Anyone know how this rig is set up? Anyone?

Original image 

March 25, 2006

Portraits of ‘hope’

Filed under: Photography

Some third-year photo students at U. of Washington have made some decorative improvements to the once bare walls inside a Seattle hospital. The class project was to photograph "hope." One student even asked a few patients and doctors to add their own photos. 

"It makes people feel comfortable and familiar and they feel at home in a situation that can be very anxiety producing here," says Peggy Weiss, Harborview’s Art Program Manager.

Students Take On Challenge To Photograph Hope

Guttenfelder, Meltzer named BOP Photojournalists Of The Year

Photo by Josh Meltzer 

I love this photo taken by Josh Meltzer. Apparently the BOP judges did too. They named the Roanoke Times photographer the Photojournalist of the Year for the under 115k circulation. There must be something in that Roanoke water because fellow Times staffer Kyle Green won third place. AP photographer David Guttenfelder was the PJoTY for the above 115k circulation category.  

NPPA story

Full still photo winners list

UPDATE: I have to say congrats to my co-worker Eric Albrecht for winning an honorable mention in the Enterprise category for this photo

March 24, 2006

Ansel Adams, street photographer?

 

When Gerard Van der Leun came across Ansel Adams’ name on some photos in the Los Angeles Public Library, he wasn’t doing a search for landscape photography.

I don’t normally associate Ansel Adams with parking lots or small format images at all. Like you, Adams means the classic evocation of the great American wilderness in photography to me. It never crossed my mind that he had photographed any of the cities of men, much less Los Angeles. But there it was.

Ansel Adams’ Lost Los Angeles Found

Los Angeles Public Library 

March 23, 2006

Celebrating the photograph as cattle prod

Filed under: Events

This looks like an interesting exhibit about socially conscious photos at the Art Institute of Chicago for those in the Windy City area. Runs through June 11.

AIC - The Concerned Photographer 

Sun-Times review

 

 

 

 

A man, not an experiment

Filed under: Photographers

What the insurance companies and Scripps is doing to Rocky Mountain News photographer Steve Nickerson is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. He suffers from a rare, debilitative disease but has found a treatment that is helping, but the insurance company says it is "experimental" and refuses to pay. At $35k per treatment per month I wouldn’t want to pay either… unless I were an insurance company whose job it was to deal with these sorts of things! Former colleague Mitch Albom writes a passionate and well-researched column describing Nickerson’s plight.

Albom’s column

 

 

 

March 22, 2006

Do you know this woman?

Filed under: Photojournalism

The photographer hopes you do.

Claim your reward here 

March 21, 2006

Vincent Laforet workflow update

Filed under: Photojournalism

Mr. Laforet has posted the automator script and some detailed instructions in this SportsShooter message board thread. Turns out Apple had a little more to do with his Olympics workflow than I had originally believed.

Via SportsShooter 

Street photography no longer in jeopardy in NYC

Filed under: Photojournalism

The New York Times has recapped the finally-concluded saga between a man who sued a street photographer for selling his image. The photographer won the case.

NYT story here 

March 13, 2006

AOP awards announced

Filed under: Photojournalism

Association of Photographers 

Following in the footsteps of POYi, the Association of Photographers has announced their yearly awards. Interesting choices. Everything seems very European, if that helps with the description and isn’t too offensive.

About the contest:

The AOP Photographers’ Awards were launched in 1983 and over the years have grown to become one of the highest accolades within the professional photographic industry.  Over 3,500 images are submitted annually by AOP members and the work is judged purely as photographs by a panel of highly respected professionals, including photographers and commissioners from advertising agencies, design groups and magazines.  Competition is tough and the high esteem in which the judges hold the awards, and the high standards they have maintained over the years, make the Gold, Silver and – from this year - Bronze awards extremely precious to the photographers who receive them. 

Awards here 

Which photogs do the pros admire?

Filed under: Photojournalism

British photojournalists weigh in on who they look up to. No pictures, but it’ll at least give you some names to Google if you haven’t heard of these people already.

Independent Online story 

March 12, 2006

World’s most dangerous destinations

U.S. Soldier in Afghanistan - AP photo 

Forbes has compiled a list with photos of the most dangerous countries in the world. As expected Iraq and Afghanistan made the cut. Several African nations - Sudan, Liberia, Ivory Coast, etc. - also made the list. Forbes gives some rather obvious tips about what to pack if planning a trip to one of these countries:

We cross-referenced the resulting 14 countries with the Travel Warnings published by the State Department as part of its Consular Information Program. If you plan to visit any of them, we hope you get plenty of danger pay, are equipped with the latest body armor and have an excellent life insurance policy.

Full story here 

PDN’s 30 for 2006

Filed under: Photographers

Photo by Bob O'Connor 

PDN’s list of the top up-and-comers for 2006 is out.

See it here 

March 9, 2006

Filmmaker creates movie from digital stills

Filed under: Photography

British filmmaker and producer Jerome Olivier has a seven minute clip of his movie "Missing Pages" on his site speaking-pictures.com.

Speaking-pictures.com hosts the first seven minutes of “Missing Pages (amended version),” a 24-minute short shot entirely with a digital still camera and manipulated using a method dubbed “fotomation.” Jerome’s technique brings new perspective and depth to the mediums of photography and film, compelling viewers to perceive a narrative in a new way while enthralling with flashes of astonishing three-dimensional visuals, artful camera movement and incredible images. All of this takes the fascinating time-travel thriller at its center to the next level.

It’s a pretty cool movie. I’d like to see the full 24-minute version. Some of you may have seen another movie made entirely with a Canon 20D. This is similar, but more effects are used with each still photo to give it the impression of movement.

View "Missing Pages" here

Photographer designs work flow to reclaim shooting time

New York Times contract photographer Vincent Laforet estimated that before shooting digital, he spent 15 percent of his work time actually making pictures. After digital, that time dropped to 5 percent. Looking to reclaim that 10 percent of shooting time at this year’s winter Olympics, Laforet changed his workflow by hiring an editing/transmitting assistant and using Apple’s photo editing software Aperture.

Vincent Laforet

Eager to optimize his chances for getting the story in Turin, Laforet decided to create a new digital workflow that would keep him behind the camera as much as possible. It was very much an attempt to restore in his cover strategy the primary shooting responsibility of the traditional analog news photographer, whose job was generally finished when he handed off a roll of film.

Is it just me, or was hiring the assistant a bigger factor in saving time than using Apple Aperture? Who cares what software the assistant was using? Laforet certainly didn’t. He was too busy shooting. As long as the best photos got transferred back to the newspaper, what does it matter if the editor is using Photo Mechanic or Aperture? I think we’d all be able to increase our shooting time if we had a personal editor to do all the tedious work while we shoot pictures.

Story from Apple

Laforet’s personal homepage 

 

March 7, 2006

Gordon Parks dies at age 93

Filed under: Photojournalism

Gordon ParksAnother great photographer has passed away recently. Gordon Parks, best known as a photographer for his work dealing with poverty for LIFE magazine and as a filmmaker for directing "Shaft," died today. He was 93.

Story from MSNBC 

PDN Legends Online 

 

 

March 6, 2006

Australian street photographer found dead in home

Filed under: Photographers

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

A photographer who said he "shot up smack" to get closer to the street people he made portraits of has been found dead in his Woolloomooloo home. Peter Darren Moyle, 41, was found dead in his Bourke Street Housing Department unit at 5.30pm on Sunday.

In 2002 he was the subject of an award-winning documentary, Painting With Light In A Dark World.

Story from SMH

Moyle’s photos 

March 5, 2006

Kite Aerial Photography

Kite Aerial Photography © Scott HaefnerThis isn ‘t exactly photojournalism, but it’s really freakin’ cool. Scott Haefner has a website full of photos and instructions on constructing a rig to take pictures from a kite. He actually suspends a digital camera (Nikon D70!) between two kites and takes fisheye, panoramic, or standard pictures using his personally-constructed remote control.

Scott’s Web site 

Story from Make:blog

 

 

 

 

February 27, 2006

The Olympics through his eyes

doug mills olympic photo

New York Times photographer Doug Mills talks about shooting the Olympics and shares some of his favorite images and moments from the games.

Through His Eyes

February 26, 2006

Previously unseen civil rights photos can now be seen

Filed under: Photojournalism

Unseen. Unforgotten.

The Birmingham News has published work of its photographers from the civil rights movement. Wow. Definitely worth checking out.

The section is the result of research by Alexander Cohn, a 30-year-old former photo intern at The News. In November 2004, Cohn went through an equipment closet at the newspaper in search of a lens and saw a cardboard box full of negatives marked, “Keep. Do Not Sell.”

“Orphan Works” legislation doesn’t look good for photographers

Filed under: Photo News

ASMP and other organizations are trying to gather support against a bill that will effectively make it easier for copyrighted photographs to be used without the owner’s consent.

ASMP Call For Action

Photographers talk about photo restoration project

Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star photojournalists Dave Ellis and Rebecca Sell talk about their experiences helping Hurricane Katrina victims restore damaged photos.

I’ve always wanted to do something meaningful in life. In my 37 years, I’ve hit many mile-stones. I served my country. Went to college and obtained a degree. Started a career in a field that I love. Married the best woman I’ve ever met and started a family that has become my universe. However, I was still searching for a purpose that would lead to greater individual achievement and personal fulfillment.

Full story here.

February 25, 2006

POYi Photographer of the Year

Filed under: Photo News

Dallas Morning News photographer Barbara Davidson was named POYi photographer of the year. Rocky Mountain News’ Todd Heisler was second. San Fran Chron’s Michael Macor was third. Winning portfolios found here. 

UPDATE: Dallas Morning News article here with quotes and more pictures. 

 

February 23, 2006

POYi results

Filed under: Photojournalism

POYi results are going up as each category is judged. I’ve got to give a big congrats to my co-worker Fred Squillante who won an award of excellence for the portrait category for this picture.

Winners List 

50 States, 50 Photographers

Filed under: Photographers

PDN chose a photographer from each state to showcase their work.

Hello world!

Filed under: Uncategorized

So we’ll start this blog out here and see where it goes…

The goal is to spotlight good photojournalism and keep photojournalists informed of news and trends currently affecting the profession. The blog will be updated daily with photos and links to news articles about photojournalism around the world. Please feel free to comment and link back!

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