Inventing Twenty-First Century Photojournalism – PDN:
As the debate over the future of journalism—how it will be created, distributed and paid for—rages in boardrooms and in the media, the role of photojournalism is rarely discussed. When newspapers talk about charging for content distributed online, there are clearly no guarantees that a new online revenue model will reinvigorate traditional photojournalism clients.
PDN recently sat down with VII Photo Agency managing director Stephen Mayes to discuss how the agency’s business is evolving and to get his take on photojournalism in the new millennium.
News organization’s objected to the SEC’s original credential agreement because it prevented newspapers from using video and audio game highlights on their Web sites, put time-limit restrictions on post-game and pre-game audio and video; restricted photo usage online to editorial content only (no archives or sales); granted the SEC and universities licensing privileges to use a newspaper’s images for their own use; and prohibited blogging or Web publishing during the course of a game.
Sony has clearly decided that they want a major slice of the DSLR pie and are pulling out a lot of the stops to make this happen. With the new A850 they are taking no prisoners, undercutting their only real competitor, Canon’s 5D MKII, by 25% in terms of price. Few observers thought we’d see a 25MP full-frame camera for under $2,000 this soon, but I can’t see anyone complaining about it, except maybe the competition.
AMERICANSUBURB X: INTERVIEW: “John Tusa Interviews Don McCullin”:
It can’t be easy bearing the title of the world’s greatest war photographer, but that’s only one of the burdens that Don McCullin carries around with him. But after 20 years of confronting the world with unforgettable images of war, from Congo to Biafra, to Beirut , to Cambodia , and of course to Vietnam , and many, many more, he doesn’t have much alternative. It all used to be addictive too. By his own admission, McCullin used to be ‘a one-war-a-year man’, but then it grew to two, and then to three, until it had it stop; not, you understand because wars stopped, or killing stopped, or inhumanity stopped, but because there came a natural limit to ‘looking at what others can’t bear to see.’
Keeping a Visual Diary in a War Zone – At War Blog – NYTimes.com:
Christoph Bangert adds: When I spent about two months on assignment for The New York Times in Baghdad this year, I proposed to Stephen Farrell, who was in charge of At War’s predecessor, the Baghdad Bureau blog, that I post one picture online every day during my stay in Iraq.
Lo-Fi Zumi-Cam Shoots Blurred, Film Style Video | Gadget Lab | Wired.com:
And now we have a digital video equivalent of the Lomo, an antidote to quality and hard-drive eating files we suffer today. The Zumi shoots both stills and video at either ISO 100 or 800. You can pick the resolution: Hi (1600×1200) and Lo (320×240) and the images and movies are captured to a microSD card (included in the kit, along with USB adapter).
The software is a big upgrade from the original, and adds support (at last!) for Nikon DSLRs, as well as a slew of essential new features. To use DSLR Camera Remote you need to hook the camera up to a computer via USB cable and switch it to Live View mode. Then the computer takes over and beams the video stream to your iPhone, as well as offering you remote control of the camera.
Photography Tips and Advice from Deane Fitzmaurice | Silber Studios:
My favorite part was her description of what makes a very powerful image: Layering. No, not as in layers in PhotoShop, but in the images themselves as she shoots them. I’ve studied a lot of photography and talked with many, many photographers, but I’ve never heard this concept so well articulated. Watch the video for this; it’s worth the price of admission alone.
PDNPulse: Mary Morris Lawrence, First Female AP Photographer, Dies at 95:
Her obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle ends with the suggestion: “In lieu of flowers, Mary would ask you to join the League of Women Voters, shop at Farmer Joes, write a letter to the editor, or break a glass ceiling!”
The 37th Frame – Celebrating the Best of Photojournalism » DEEP SLEEP MAGAZINE – Call for Submissions:
We are making a last call for submissions to our third issue on the theme of ‘dance’ . The final deadline has now been extended to the 1st September 2009.
Deep Sleep Magazine was launched earlier this year, a brand new, quarterly online photography website founded by and featuring work from a small group of contributors sharing an office space in Shoreditch, east London. Each issue is on a specific theme and guest contributors are invited to submit a set of images based on that theme. The only stipulation is contributions must, in our judgement, fit the theme and that we are seeking photography of the highest calibre, whether from award-winning and exhibited contributors or emerging young talents in search of an outlet for their work. There’s no money involved, of course. Not for anyone. In fact, one of our motivations was to do something untainted by the demands of the marketplace. So it is very much a labour of love and we welcome anyone who would like to share in that.
PDNPulse: Mystery: Who Asked Flickr to Delete the Obama Joker?:
If we rule out Time and DC Comics (both owned by Time Warner), and Platon, who else could have a reasonable copyright claim over Alkhateeb’s image? If someone with no credible case for copyright ownership submitted a takedown request, shouldn’t Flickr have rejected the claim?
CLICK NOTE: It’s almost too much. A Rene Burri rip-off being promoted on Shepard’s site for only $100 per print. I love you Shepard, but this print is basically like someone took the original negative and printed it on high-contrast paper. The money should go to the photographer, Magnum’s Rene Burri.
El Che – Obey Giant:
My friend Ernesto Yerena did this awesome portrait of Che Guevara. He created an original mixed media painting and then made screen prints in 2 color ways based on the art. They look great in person.
-Shepard
Socialites Without Borders Teach Rwandans How To Mingle | America’s Finest News Source:
“These poor souls, there’s so much we can do to help to them,” said Tinsley Rothschild, an event planner for the non-profit organization, while surveying the country’s bleak and arid landscape. “Just look around, there’s nothing here: no hors d’oeuvres, no towering ice sculptures, nothing. Nobody should have to live like this.”
I’ve been a longtime fan of Keith Johnson, his images and his person, and recently spent some enjoyable time on his site catching up with his world. Keith has several new bodies of work and several exhibitions on the horizon. A new exhibition at the Garner Center for Photographic Exhibitions at the New England School of Photography, opened August 24th and runs through October 2nd, featuring work from his Extended Landscapes series.
Last week I packed up my car and hit the road for a 5-day 3,500 mile drive across the country with my new (yet old and beat up) Hassleblad and a bunch of chrome
Essay: Cowboys and Photojournalists – Lens Blog – NYTimes.com:
While watching the 4-H youngsters going about their business at MontanaFair in Billings this month, I was struck by a parallel. Here I am in 2009, at a fair ground: a photojournalist, making pictures of cowboys in every direction I look. Don’t any of us know that none of us are supposed to exist?
