September 13, 2012 One for the Nikon Geeks At the big Photokina trade show, Nikon introduced a new, full-frame D600 camera that should retail for about $2100. I think that makes it the lowest-price full-framer out there. Categories Business & Industry/Photojournalism/Tech Talk
September 13, 2012 Pricing Multimedia It’s one of the most persistent questions my students ask me – how much should I charge for this freelance gig? I have some answers, but the multimedia realm is a whole new world to me. Over at Photo District News, Brad Horn answers some questions about how he prices this stuff and it’s a great read. This one graf... Categories Business & Industry/Journalism/Multimedia/Photojournalism
September 12, 2012 I need some aspirin … over at the Nieman Lab web site, Dan Kennedy has an interview with Gage Skidmore, a 19-year-old student who has been shooting politicians and giving the images away for free. To quote the kid: I don’t really think I’ve had an effect on professional photojournalists, as I still see their photos widely used by many... Categories Business & Industry/Journalism/Photojournalism
September 7, 2012 Well, Scratch California Off the Vacation List … Why? Well, in Los Angeles, you can now be arrested for taking photos. Now I could go on and say that all cops are goons who hate the media. But I know that’s not true – my brother is a police sergeant (not in LA) and he’s a smart, well educated guy who doesn’t make ridiculous snap decisions. Come to... Categories Business & Industry/Ethics & Legal/Photojournalism
September 6, 2012 Burnett Fan Club Post #317 You’re probably sick of me linking to stories about David Burnett. Tough, here’s another one from Film Is Not Dead. And, aside from a massively wrong word choice in the second graf (arrogation in place of inauguration), it’s pretty good as it has Burnett talk about his experience covering the Olympics. Loved this quote: The one worry of the Olympics... Categories Craft/Journalism/Photojournalism/Tech Talk
September 5, 2012 The Professional Instagramer That headline was hard to type … as a journalist, I find much of what I see on Instagram as not-journailsm. It’s art, some of it amazingly good, but the filtering and intentional degradation of images bothers me when it’s put forth as journalism. And I know I should now yell, “YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!” But that’s the... Categories Business & Industry/Ethics & Legal/Photojournalism
September 4, 2012 How National Geographic Catches Lies Over at the Poynter Institute, Craig Silverman has a post up about how the National Geographic catches faked photos in its contests. (Dan) Westergren (Senior Picture Editor at NatGeo’s Traveler magazine) says one fundamental question judges ask of every entry is, “Does this picture show what it felt like to be there at that moment, to combine the human elements... Categories Advice & Learning/Ethics & Legal/Photojournalism
August 31, 2012 Better Truthiness Through Photography Science Daily is reporting on a recent study lead by Eryn J. Newman of Victoria University in New Zealand that looks at the effect of photos on readers’ decisions about whether a statement is true or not. More evidence that photojournalism needs to be both true and accurate, I think. (Thanks to Billy Suratt for the link.) Categories Ethics & Legal/Photojournalism
August 30, 2012 Steroids, Ethics and Photojournalism Sean Elliot, president of the National Press Photographers Association, wrote an intriguing post questioning whether you can draw a parallel between steroid use in athletics and manipulations in photojournalism. It’s a great question that he poses and I think the answer is yes. Photojournalism – not photography, photojournalism – is about truth, accuracy and fairness. Doctoring your images in Photoshop,... Categories Ethics & Legal/Photojournalism/Thoughts & Theory
August 29, 2012 California Anti-Paparazzi Law to be Challenged A California statute that allows prosecution of photographers who drive recklessly while pursuing subjects is going to be challenged in court. Uhh … if they drive recklessly, isn’t that already against the law? Why single out photographers? (Thanks to Mickey Osterreicher for the link.) Categories Ethics & Legal/Photojournalism