PSSST - We've Moved

In an effort to consolidate my life, I'm moving the UGA Photojournalism blog to another platform - it's now over at ugapj.wordpress.com. 

A little more control, a little more flexibility. Please update your feeds. 

Space Shuttle Silhouette

I've been a space junkie since I was a kid. I don't know why, but the space shuttles have always been something really cool. (And I really, really want to be in Florida for a launch ...)

So I've read some and looked at stuff and think I've seen a lot of photos - but the third image here just blew me away. It is, in two words, stunningly cool. 

Nice work, Thierry Legault. Very nice work.

And This is Why Photo Editors are Important

The Washington Times ... well ... read for yourself. 

Good grief.

MediaStorm Workshop - Tuition Free

Passed along from Frannie Fabian ... 

Given the tough economic climate and the critical need for multimedia training, MediaStorm will be holding a one-time, tuition-free Advanced Multimedia Reporting Workshop, in Brooklyn, NY from June 20-26, 2009.

The MediaStorm Advanced Multimedia Workshops are designed for multimedia storytellers who want to get to the next level. It is not an introductory course. Students are responsible for their own travel, room and board. Reporters are expected to have a high level of competency with still photography, and be familiar with audio and video techniques. Editors are expected to be comfortable in Final Cut Pro.

We only have spots for 8 participants as Multimedia Reporters, Editors or Observers so we are expecting a competitive process. Applications are due no later than Friday, May 15, 2009. Participants will be selected based on the content of their applications. (click here for application form)

For more information, and to see work produced in previous workshops, see the Workshop site. If you have any questions, please email us at workshops@mediastorm.org.

Photojournalism Workshop in Prague

FYI ...

I’m writing from Transitions (TOL), a non-profit journalism and media training organisation based in Prague. We thought that some of your students might be interested in our summer photojournalism course.

Each summer TOL brings together international groups of students and young journalists for practical training courses in international reporting, investigative journalism, photojournalism and new media.

An important aspect of the courses is the emphasis on practical training. We only work with trainers who have a strong track record with respected media.

The photojournalism course will be held in Prague over four days from August 4-7. Dean Cox, who will lead the course, is an international photojournalist whose portfolio includes work for The Associated Press, The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, EurasiaNet and Bloomberg News.

The course will feature morning classroom training sessions and in the afternoons students will go out into the city to shoot. By the end of the course, each participant will have a complete, edited photo essay. And they’ll have learned to use many of the essential tools and techniques in the process.

Dean has trained on several TOL foreign correspondent courses and we’re looking forward to a successful photojournalism courses this August.

More information can be found on our website:
http://journalism-courses.tol.org.

I’d naturally be happy to answer any questions that you or your students might have about the course. Thank you in advance for your interest in TOL’s courses; any help in disseminating the information is much appreciated.

NY Times Audio Slide Show on Layoffs

Nicole Bengiveno of the New York Times takes a look at the person who has to make the layoff decisions and notifications. While the shooting is clean, it's the interview that gets to you. It has no natural sounds, but it works - solemn, serious. 

Kent State, 38 Years Later

John Filo, who shot the iconic photo from Kent State 39 years ago, talks about the photo and meeting Mary Vecchio years later. 

Women Photojournalists of Washington Workshop

FYI, another workshop opportunity ...

WPOW ANNOUNCES WOMEN-ONLY PHOTO WORKSHOP
BOLIVIA, JULY 2009

This beginning and intermediate photography workshop will directly benefit Women
Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW), a nonprofit based in Washington, DC.
Instructors include Pulitzer winner Carol Guzy and AOL’s Cathaleen Curtiss.
WASHINGTON, DC- April 6, 2009: WPOW (Women Photojournalists of Washington)
announces a fund raising workshop for those interested in beginning and intermediate
photography in beautiful Bolivia from June 28 - July11, 2009 to support a scholarship
program for young women in visual media.

This workshop is catered to challenge any skill level but geared towards those just
starting out in their learning process. Whether attending photographers have just
begun taking pictures for fun or want to start honing the skills they have already,
this workshop will help students grow into competent travel photographers under
the guidance of WPOW’s talented members. More advanced photographers can also
benefit as instructors will work to create a challenging photo stories and essays.
Workshop instructors will be Photographer of the Year and three-time Pulitzer Prize
winning photographer of the Washington Post Carol Guzy and international award
winning photo editor and Director of Photography at AOL Cathaleen Curtiss.

This benefit workshop will features lectures on the history of photography, how women
have influenced the media, understanding how to build your documentary portfolio
and so much more. Students will photograph every day with instructors and staff who
will help each photographer craft a narrative documentary essay on Andean culture
and history. Students will get 1-on-1 editing with WPOW’s amazing instructors daily
and they will soon become proficient in travel photography. Proceeds will help form
the basis of a scholarship program benefitting young women in visual media.
All information for the workshop and registration online is available at http://www.
momentaworkshops.com/bolivia09.php.

Momenta Workshops has agreed to do logistics for this benefit trip and donate
instructors to make this a success. Visit http://www.momentaworkshops.com for
company information.

WPOW is a 501 (c) 3 organization based in Washington, D.C. and dedicated to the
advancement of women in the media and educating the public about the work of
women photographers around the globe. Visit http://www.womenphotojournalists.
org to learn more about this nonprofit.
############
For additional information on Women Photojournalists of Washington, please contact
WPOW President Jamie Rose at 202.203.2598 or jamie@womenphotojournalists.org.
WPOW’s outreach programs are growing every day, please check our site frequently for
the most up to date information. Women’s Photojournalists of Washington, WPOW, and
our logo are trademarks of WPOW. Copyright WPOW 2009

Pictures with Purpose

FYI ...

2009 Pictures with Purpose Details


Who should attend?

Photographers who have a desire to increase their visual storytelling skills, learn how to use their “voice” in a more meaningful way or revive a spirit numbed by the daily grind.

What to expect?

A magical, life-changing experience! Be prepared to shoot pictures, look at pictures, talk about pictures, discuss careers, and share your dreams in an intimate setting with a caring teacher. This year we will be focusing even tighter on advocacy and intervention photography.

What NOT to expect?

To be bullied, embarrassed or intimidated. This is not a “knock-you-down” boot camp. Nor is this workshop about gear or stuff or computer programs. It is about people, and telling their stories and learning about yourself in the process.

When?

This year's workshop will begin Sunday, July 12, at 2 p.m. and run through Sunday, July 18th. We cut the days in half and lowered the price.

Where?

The 2nd annual Pictures with Purpose workshop will be held again in Oak View, California, about 70 miles north of Los Angeles, 30 miles south of Santa Barbara.

Cost & Size?

Tuition for the workshop is $795.00. A $200.00, non-refundable deposit will hold a spot.
Workshop is limited to 12 students
8 spots left as of March 18

What do I need to bring?

A digital camera or cameras, laptop computer (not required), good attitude and a willingness to work hard and learn. You are welcome to drive but a car is not essential for this workshop.

Housing? Food?

Students are responsible for arranging their accommodations.We will provide information about housing upon request. Students are responsible for their meals.

Contact?

Email us at labelledave@gmail.com

The Mexican Suitcase Unveiled

Lost for years, some of the negatives of Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymour found in the "Mexican Suitcase" are starting to be shown. 

Oh, how I'd like to see the whole set ...

Two Down, One to Go: Student Work Roundup

At the end of every semester, the deluge comes in: semester-long projects, last minute reshoots - they all flood in. They come on my class server, by CD and flash drive. In the last week alone, I have ingested 8 gigabytes worth of images, audio and video ... the little iMac in my office was really looking forward to this weekend, after having pulled two over-nighters compressing video. 

But it's worth it ... I think ... as two of the Documentary Photography projects are now in the wild. The first was a look at Rural Health Care issues in the counties around Athens, done in collaboration with Prof. Patricia Thomas's graduate Health and Medical Reporting class. Students tackled everything from aging to gangs in text, photos, audio and video. Considering only two of my students had ever shot video seriously before this semester, the results are pretty amazing. Spend some time with those stories.

On Friday, I built and released the second project - A Day at UGA: One campus, one hour, one story. This was a joint effort with Prof. Valerie Boyd's class and is fairly close to a dreaded "day in the life," but man ... some of these stories just rock. My sixteen students worked on profiles with the sixteen students in Prof. Boyd's class, but that left eight hours uncovered ... so my students paired up and did eight more. 

We'll launch one more project next week - and it's huge. I'm hopefully these sixteen students realize what they've accomplished this semester. It would have been very easy for this class to become a technical class - shooting HD video, editing in Final Cut Pro, refining audio - but they never once looked at it that way. During our weekend workshop in early March, when they were struggling with the tech stuff, they did not waste time with editors asking about those problems - they talked about their stories. 

And that, to me, is what this class was all about. Stories. 

Fisheye on CNN

CNN has apparently modified a Flip camera with a fisheye lens and is giving you - yes you! - a tour of their work space. 

Nice to see they're using technology to save journalism ...

(Okay, that was pretty snarky, and it is kind of cool ...)

Ethics ... What Else?

Here we go again ... is The Washingtonian a journalism entity? Or did they step over a line? You decide. 

SEPPA Show in Athens

The Southeastern Professional Photographers Association's 2009 convention is being held later this week in Athens. Some things work looking into. 

Rural Health Care in North Georgia

Over the last few months, the students in Documentary Photography have been working with students in Prof. Patricia Thomas' Health and Medical Reporting class to look at health care issues in the rural counties around Athens. A few moments ago, the final package went live on The Grady Journal.

Working in teams, 22 students produced eight videos, eight audio slide shows and eight text stories covering everything from aging to teen pregnancy. Go take a look and leave a comment, they'd love to hear them. 

Truth With A Camera Workshop

This note came in from Josh Metzler about the Truth With A Camera workshop, well worth investigating as I've heard many positive things about it ...

Truth With A Camera will be held here in Guadalajara, Mexico at the end of May. We're very excited about the workshop, which continues a 15-year tradition in the workshop which has before been held in Norfolk, VA. The course, a weeklong intensive photojournalism course, will pair American students with Mexican journalism students as they spend the week covering a story found in one of the partnering local NGOs on topics ranging from healthcare, migration, and children's rights. At the end of the week, a small portfolio of images will be donated to the NGOs for their use.

The course, which is designed for undergrad and grad journalism students, is affordable (around $1100) and is nearly filled. The deadline is fast approaching and we hope to fill it up very soon. I hope that you'll get a chance to pass the info around and mention it to your classes this week. I really appreciate it.

Here's the site for more info and for registering.

www.truthwithacamera.org

Women in Photojournalism Photo Competition

Women in Photojournalism Call for Entries
Juried Exhibit and Gallery Reception Information

There are no categories, only your interpretation of the theme, "Celebrating Our Past Looking, Towards the Future". Your photographs can represent your definition of the theme through people, place, action or event milestone. Submissions must be by women photojournalists. Single entries only.

Photos must have been taken between July 1, 2008 and April 25, 2009.

Deadline for entry is Midnight, May 1, 2009.

Up to 50 winning images will be selected by judges, including up to 2 best of show. Winners will be contacted and asked to submit an exhibit quality 14x18 matted print for the opening reception June 11, 2009. Copyright holders retain rights to the photograph. NPPA will have the right to print winners in the magazine or on the official website for conference or promotional materials.

~SUBMITTING YOUR PHOTOS~
You can submit by clicking here or going to the Convergence09 page and clicking on the link to enter the Women in Photojournalism Contest. Once you click the contest link and login it will automatically take to you to the entry form. Enter info in each field, then hit the browse button and select image from your computer. When done hit "Submit." You must do this for each photograph you want to enter. Files need to be 200-300 dpi, jpeg files and Include the following information under the Photoshop FILE INFO or IPTC fields for each image: 1) Caption Field: image title followed by complete caption (DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME HERE). 2) Caption Writer: your initials. 3) Headline: image title. 4) Byline: photographer’s name. 5) Credit: your affiliation or school. 6) Source: copyright holder.

~ENTRY PAYMENT~
Payment must be made with a credit card at the time of print submission.

~CONFERENCE INFORMATION~
Women in Photojournalism Conference – June 10, 2009
Juried Exibit June 11, 2009
Flamingo Hotel – Las Vegas
FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO WWW.WOMENINPHOTOJOURNALISM.ORG
Join our group at Linkedin.com to get up-to-date news and information.

Get A Job, Kid ...

And here's something that may help: The Poynter Institute's News University has an upcoming webinar on getting your first journalism job. It's cheap, and you can do it from the comfort of your chosen coffee shop. It goes live on April 8 from 2-3 p.m. (though they usually archive them for later viewing).

Can Design Save Newspapers?

So asks Jacek Utko at this year's TED conference.

Earth Hour Sequences

Boston.com's Big Picture blog has collected a series of time-lapse photos from Earth Hour. Most of these come from Reuters, and I have to give them credit for coordinating this idea - very thoughtful. (Some of the images came from other places, too.)

Click on each image to watch it fade, click again to watch it come back.