Photo News Blog

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 

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