Archive for January, 2008
Newspaper photographers are OVERWORKED!
Its true, and its been said before, but I don’t think i’ve seen it more so than this past year in the industry where photographers on staff at mid to large newspapers are absolutely working their tails off. Great example of this came across my browser today when I found this feature article on the Associated Press Photo Managers website about the multimedia projects by the Indianapolis Star:
Without judging the merits of their work, which is pretty good and certainly valuable to the newspaper’s online content library, it amazes me how these Indy photogs have to do all of the following at one road game assignment:
1. Shoot footage of pregame fans
2. Capture sound and interviews from pregame fans
3. Photograph the game in both traditional stills and rapid-shutter burst modes.
4. Film the post-game press conference in video
5. Edit the post-game press conference video and upload to website on deadline
6. Edit the game still photos on deadline for next-day paper
7. Edit and produce from all the audio captured, fan interviews, and rapid-burst photos a multimedia slideshow.
And not a single one of them have probably gotten paid more for all their extra new responsibilies than in the old days (2-3 years ago) when they probably only had to do #3 and #5 on that list!
When I look at how papers I’ve dealt/worked with have been moving their photo staffs into multimedia journalism, I’ve at least seen some reasonable separation of duties in the field. For example, the Free Press and Detroit News both produce a ton of videos now for their websites, shot by staff photographers—but when they’re covering an event (say the Auto Show), they have staffers that are solely filming video and editors that are solely producing them, and separate staff photographers (more veteran ones) shooting the still pictures.
As a wire photographer who still only focuses on getting the single, defining, STILL, picture from my assignments, its scary to think of how much more is demanded of a photojournalist in this online multimedia world in the future—-or scratch that: TODAY.
Photog documentary from 2008 Detroit Auto Show
This is my first attempt at a still-to-video documentary-style video from event coverage. Was working the annual auto show in Detroit again this year and since I had great help from Daily photographer and UM student Max Collins, you get to see what we did all day.
Feedback welcome as always on these experiments!
Highlight (or Lowlight?) of the Detroit Auto Show
This past week was the start of the annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and along with the new cars and thousands of reporters, photographers, and other media types who flocked to it—myself included—the show also saw the frenzied tours by all three of the top Republican Presidential candidates. I was already dog-tired after two full days of shooting the auto show’s media preview events Monday night when we were told to be ready to catch Republican candidates around 5pm.
What ensued was probably the most ridiculous and out of control media scrum circus I have ever been involved with…. Mobs of hundreds of reporters, video and still photographers, sound boom operators and campaign entourage formed huge living blobs of flashing lights and shuffling feet, with all of us trying to get shots of the candidates, backpeddling, all the while attempting not to bang into the sparkling (expensive) new cars around the Cobo Hall show floor. Funniest moment was when Romney and Hucklebee came to within 20 feet of each other in the GM display and the massive media mob around the two men momentarily merged into one.
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 Joe Lieberman showed up first to stump for John McCain |
 One of the few moments I didn’t have to hail-mary my shots above a scrum |
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I really appreciated the technique of camera-on-monopod in being able to get shots like these… plus the monopod does a great job of keeping other press jockeys from getting in your way. |
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This reminded me of Dukakis in a Tank….. |
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Hucklebee, the family man, checks out a Hummer. |
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Hucklebee in the left corner, Romney in the upper right, FIGHT! |
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Who’s really running for President here? VP? |
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Way to pander to your non-existent Black vote John |
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Haha look at Leiberman trying to fits-bump! |
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Senators drive? Themselves? |
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McCain shows his age… |
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Leiberman cracked me up… looka him yaking away on the cell |
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I was really expecting more aggressive Secret Service protection for these guys, but we were basically in their faces…. I had to really try hard not to fall and collapse into them. |
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I don’t know why McCain didn’t turn around here and try and greet some of those blue-collar unit carpenters there working on the General Motors display. |
Photographer’s “Guilty-pleasure” Reality-show
I’ll admit it, I’m watching Bravo’s new “Make Me a Supermodel” reality model-search show. Just all the camera shutter sound effects, Tyson Beckford hosting, CO-ED model contestants, and sappy cheesy reality style—makes for some great TV… haha. The photoshoots are kinda interesting from a photog’s stand point, seeing really what you shouldn’t do as a fashion photog…
What else can we get in this writers strike that’s better?