February 2, 2018 Storytelling Lessons My friend Al Tompkins at the Poynter Institute has broken down a couple of Super Bowl commercials to help us become better storytellers. Worth clicking through for the other ad breakdown. Categories Craft/Journalism/Thoughts & Theory/Video
January 6, 2018 Getting the Big Picture, Leaving a Legacy A wonderful piece by a gentleman whose work I admire and whose character I deeply respect – Billy Howard writes about making a group photo at a summer camp and becoming part of the camp’s legacy. Too often we drop into people’s lives, quickly assess what makes them who they are and then dash off. If the photo succeeds, if... Categories At Work/Craft/Photojournalism/Thoughts & Theory
December 23, 2017 Visuals for Radio My friend Regina McCombs posted a gallery of the work her staff and stringers did this year for Minnesota Public Radio – a gallery of stunning visuals. Think about that – great visuals made for radio. What a wonderful world we live in. Categories Business & Industry/Craft/Good Work/Photojournalism
December 6, 2017 McCullin in Kolkata Yes, this is a PR piece from Canon Europe. Yes, it’s designed to get you interested in spending many, many dollars on Canon gear. But it’s Don McCullin talking about the way he makes images while he makes images in Kolkata. Categories Advice & Learning/At Work/Craft/Photojournalism
November 18, 2017 Look Versus Feel The New York Times’ Todd Heisler writes about covering tragic events like the church shooting in Texas. Because of this, it is important to make images that go beyond grief and crime scenes. Step back. Give a sense of place. Show not just what a scene looks like but, more important, what it feels like. That last part – about... Categories Advice & Learning/At Work/Craft/Good Work/Journalism/Photojournalism/Thoughts & Theory
July 5, 2017 A Little Larceny I love this idea from J. Scott Applewhite: Little stolen moments, some of my best pictures have a little larceny in them. Scott Applewhite: Lifetime Achievement Award from The Associated Press on Vimeo. Categories At Work/Craft/Good Work/Photojournalism
June 22, 2017 Hops and Millimeters I will admit, there is this internal conflict when it comes to one of my photographic heroes, Henry Cartier-Bresson. The work, the elegance of it, the preservation of a moment in time … it resonates with me deeply. But then there are pieces I read, interviews and stories, and I’m left wondering whether he was a charlatan of sorts. He... Categories Craft/Good Work/Journalism/Photojournalism
June 17, 2017 Auto Photo Business If you’ve spent more than four minutes with me, you know one of my passions lies deep in the automotive realm. Old cars, new cars, broken cars and the old, new and broken people that go with them – I love being a part of those stories. So it should come as no surprise that I tend to look at... Categories Business & Industry/Craft/Good Work/Photojournalism
February 21, 2017 Gordon Parks, Back to Fort Scott This was posted two years ago, but it’s still worth putting in a little time: A collection of images Gordon Parks made for Life magazine about segregation. It’s about both access and understanding the story you’re trying to tell, both are needed to succeed. Categories Craft/Good Work/Photojournalism
February 18, 2017 Photojournalism’s Future Two interviews that James Estrin did this week at The New York Times Lens blog have had me pondering the future of photojournalism. Up first was an interview with Donald Winslow, the editor emeritus of the National Press Photographers Association’s News Photographer magazine and a long-time supporter of photojournalism. A few days later, Leslye Davis, a staffer at the Times,... Categories Advice & Learning/At Work/Craft/Photojournalism