Thoughts & Theory – Page 24 – Visual Journalism

July 13, 2013

The Sound of a Generation Goes Silent

This isn’t about photojournalism or even journalism, I suppose, but it touches me a bit: Amar G. Bose, the founder of the Bose Corporation, has passed at 83. When I was growing up in Massachusetts, everyone revered Bose for the high quality, realistic speakers they made. Their 901 Direct/Reflecting series speakers were an aspirational item for everyone I knew and,...

Advice & Learning/Business & Industry/Tech Talk/Thoughts & Theory

July 7, 2013

Journalism Summer Camp

A little too close to home … Brian McFadden’s New York Times comic hits us where it counts. And where we should be hit. (Thanks to alum Yasmin Yonis for the link.)

Journalism/Thoughts & Theory

July 6, 2013

What Makes a Photo Private?

Think about the question for a few moments, then head over to read this story from AZCentral.com by Shaun McKinnon and Rebecca McKinsey about an image, released on Facebook, that shows the flag-draped remains of the 19 firefighters who died in Arizona this past week. There is some confusion about who took the photo and how it ended up being...

Photojournalism/Thoughts & Theory

July 6, 2013

Why Photography Wil Survive

Nick Bilton has a story up at The New York Times about why the death of photography has been greatly exaggerated. And I agree, completely – the human brain is wired to remember singular moments and context, not fluid spans of time. (Thanks to colleague Prof. Kent Middleton for the link.)

Photojournalism/Tech Talk/Thoughts & Theory

June 21, 2013

Comfort Through Rituals

As I was driving yesterday, I heard this NPR piece by Steve Inskeep and Shankar Vedantam about how rituals give us comfort and affect our enjoyment of food. I talk with my students about building a routine with carrying their cameras, forcing themselves to make images. Over time, that routine – something I have told them they must do –...

Craft/Photojournalism/Thoughts & Theory

May 30, 2013

Processing, Second Post

I know I already posted that the Chicago Sun-Times has decided to layoff what appears to be their entire photo staff, but I’ve been processing this for another hour or so. And, still, I’m dumbfounded. It goes against everything we know about delivering the news, that you need to have as many channels as possible for your audience to choose...

Business & Industry/Photojournalism/Thoughts & Theory

May 29, 2013

Light, Color and Gesture

The Big Picture put together a short documentary on photographer Jay Maisel that is about to become a must-watch for my intro students. I’m embedding it below, but click through to YouTube and watch it big, just to revel in his work some. I love this line about shooting: If you not scared that you’re going to lose it, it...

Craft/Good Work/Photojournalism/Thoughts & Theory

May 28, 2013

Shooting Color, When Color Wasn’t Cool

I have a circle of craftsmen around me. Not physically, but there, in my mind and, occasionally, at my side. These folks go beyond colleagues, beyond mentors – they are photographic friends, people who feel images as much as see them. People who passionately believe in the power of a single frame, a moment in time. An image that can...

Good Work/Photojournalism/Tech Talk/Thoughts & Theory

April 24, 2013

Simple vs. Small

Over at The New York Times’ Lens blog, Whitney Richardson has a story up about Paul Kwilecki and his photographs of Decatur County, Georgia. Well worth a read and a walk through the gallery. But it raises a couple of question that, probably, only I can answer … why did Mr. Kwilecki reach out to Duke University to help with...

Advice & Learning/Craft/Good Work/Photojournalism/Thoughts & Theory