Insomnia Photo Festival - Friday, April 27

Want a new MacBook Pro, 80 GB iPod and a copy of Aperture? Then plan on being wide awake for 24 hours starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 27, for Apple's Insomnia Photo Festival. Register in advance and at 5 p.m. Apple will give out the info on what to shoot.

Pay close attention to the details on how to submit - sizing and what not are on the web site. All photos need to be shot in that 24 hour time span and processed on an Apple MacIntosh. (I'm sensing a Saturday afternoon gathering at the R&B ...)

I've perused the terms and conditions - you are giving Apple the rights to use your photo and likeness, but only in connection with promoting the competition. Not a bad deal, IMHO.

Irreversible vs. Irrevocable

A recent entry by Ray Bacchetti on the Tomorrow’s Professor Blog has had me playing with words. Towards the end of a piece titled “Birthright” he has a simple three word sentence - “Education is irreversible.” And I like that sentiment, but in talking about the line I quoted it wrong to my class today, saying instead, “Education is irrevocable.”

The more I think about it, though, the more I like my butchered version. An education once given can’t be taken away, but it can be left to erode. And erosion of education is close enough to reversing its effects, I think.

All this has been rattling through my head as today was the last class for my advanced students, half of whom will wear the funny gowns in two weeks and then go do good things. Some are excited, many are nervous. What comes next is huge - and hugely important.

One of my favorite journalists, William Jeanes, wrote many years ago that, “Today is always better than yesterday. Tomorrow, better still.”

So a word or two for them - it gets better from here. Take what you've learned and go apply it. Be good journalists. Be good students. Be good citizens.

Your education is irrevocable, use it.

Alterations, Again

News Photographer magazine editor Donald Winslow reports on how several publications digitally altered one of the images from the Virginia Tech shooting, allegedly to protect a student's dignity.

What The Duck's 200th strip

Today, Aaron Johnson posted his 200th What the Duck comic - a must read for photo-folks. In addition, he asked others to post their versions of some older strips - his drawings, their text - and they are a riot. (The Ansel Adams-button made me laugh out loud.)

Bad Exit Interviews

When you wrap up a job, either of your own volition or your now-former employers, you'll usually go through an exit interview. Across the transom came this report today:

We let a photo intern go today because he was nuts. During his exit lunch he was talking about how he thought he'd improved and his boss here said, "If it wasn't for your lack of professionalism and technical ability, you'd be okay." And she said it so straight faced and nicely he took it as constructive criticism.

So, listen closely in those exit interviews, could help you decide if there's a reference you'll want to use later.

NBC Logo - To Alter or Not

Jim Romenesko asks whether NBC's act of stamping their logo on the photos and footage they received from the Virginia Tech shooter is the same or different from Allan Detrich altering a photo for the Toledo Blade last month.

Eddie Adams Workshop - Barnstorm XX

For twenty years, some of the best editors and young photojournalists have gathered for a fall workshop in upstate New York for Barnstorm - the photo shooting seminar organized by the late, great Eddie Adams. Resgistration is now open, deadline is May 14. Tuition is free, though you need to get yourself up there for the week of October 5-8. Go, apply. Then GO!