New PHO245 beat system inspires critical thinking and fear

   In education we hear a lot about the term ‘critical thinking.’

   What does it really mean?  I know we journalism educators are expected to inspire students to be critical thinkers, but there isn’t a manual for that, is there? This expectation is always in the back of my mind. How do I get students to be critical thinkers in a class packed with so much dogmatic information, like learning camera controls and caption writing?

   Well, I think I’ve found an answer.  It’s called the beat system, and it’s a powerful way for photojournalism students to become critical thinkers.   

   The beat system is a common way for journalists to cover particular topics on a long-term basis. Popular newspaper beats are cops, health and fitness, politics, local school systems, etc. The main intent is for journalists assigned to beats to become familiar with the people of those beats.

   For the past several years I’ve been struggling on how to get the Intro to PJ students to care about what they are shooting. Typically, I’ll teach them what feature or portrait photography is about and then send them out into the wild blue yonder of Northwest Ohio to stumble upon something interesting. It was frustrating for them and for me. There was little focus or allegiance. I struggled with how to make it better.

   Then late this summer it occurred to me to use the beat system. I talked to a dean in the technology school, a professor in the culinary school, and an adjunct in the Emergency Management School. I asked them what they thought about students covering their schools for the semester. They loved the idea, and so did I.

   I finally introduced the beat system to the students yesterday. I supplied them with an explanation letter to share with their contacts, and told them to go to their assigned beats and make initial contact. You would have thought I told them to go jump off the big O on top of the Health Technologies Hall building! Many of them seemed fearful to make that first step on their own. Approaching deans and instructors can be pretty intimidating to students, but that's the point. It's time to shed those shells!

  Each photojournalist was assigned a beat they were interested in.

   This is where the critical thinking comes in: I told them their beats are their responsibilities. They should be the ones to introduce themselves to the deans, instructors and students, and then dig for interesting visual stories within their own beats.  

   This strategy forces them to step out of the comfort zone of Classroom 206. They will have to be critical of whom they meet and what they find. Will they settle with the first opportunity that comes their way? Will they know when to say yes and no when offered a good or bad idea? How aggressive will they be to find a good story? Can they get past their panic attacks? Will a budding photojournalist or two discover that this career is actually meant for them?

   This is a pilot program I'm anxious to see grow through time, and one I hope they appreciate it some day.

    

Learning to be legally and ethically fit on Constitution Day

   PHO 245 students passed out these flyers on campus to celebrate Constitution Day.

   Week 5 is done, and it’s been a whirlwind of learning and doing.

   The students kicked off the week by celebrating Constitution Day. They spent their first 30 minutes of class Monday posting flyers in many of the buildings on campus. Constitution Day came at a good time, considering we were in the middle of learning about press law, ethics and the First Amendment.

   After they returned to the classroom we conducted the first weekly critique, which comprised of going over their edited blog essays on the projector, and viewing all of their individual blogs.

Students don’t necessarily like being critiqued in a group, but it helps them learn from each other’s good and bad practices. This is where mistakes tend to be nipped at the bud.

   They are certainly getting comfortable with tweeting and blogging. All of their blogs, which include cell phone photography pages in the tab bar, are up and running.  I encourage you to visit their blogs, and please let them know how they are doing. Feedback is an important learning tool.

   We finished the law, ethics and copyright lecture Wednesday morning. This is one of the most important lessons of the course. Being legally and ethically fit is what separates the amateur newsmaker from the pro. Everyone responsible for disseminating information in any way should be aware of their First Amendment rights, and have high legal and ethical standards. Photojournalists have a civic responsibility to record accurate, un-manipulated images. Ignorance is no excuse.

    I was thankful for the opportunity to show two informative online webinars on legal issues offered by the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA).  The Fine Print: a Webinar series on Legal Issues for Photographers includes two tutorials on legal issues and copyright. The content generated a few questions and lots of answers. Thank you, NPPA!

   Finally, we wrapped up the week with a lesson on caption writing and the AP Stylebook. This is the journalist part of photojournalist. By this time, however, they’ve already written four essays, so writing brief captions shouldn’t be too intimidating. The 5Ws and the H formula makes data collecting pretty easy.

   Next week we begin the photo part of photojournalism.  

Individual student blogs are now up and running

   The Intro to Photojournalism students created their class blogs last week, and all eight are available for commenting on, viewing, learning and admiring.
   The blog URLs are located in the Student Blog Roll/Fall 2012 tab bar above. Please feel free to comment on them. I'm sure they would enjoy pats on the back and constructive criticism now and then.

It's 'something cool' when students teach fellow students

   I recently received the following email from PJ student Jen Hannum:

“Hi Lori

I just wanted to share something cool with you and also let you know how I did it, and if you thought it was worthy of passing on to the rest of the class.  Check out my blog: http://jenhannum.blogspot.com/

    The pages Jen created for cell photos and her website are in the yellow tab bar.

I created pages at the top, one of which is a cell phone pics page that is easy to upload to right from my cell phone.  It is actually another mobile blog that is tied to my original blog.  I attached directions on how I did it in case you wanted to pass the info along. I have an iPhone so I can only speak to how I did it with that but it seems pretty universal.

I am copying and pasting steps below:

iPhone directions to set up a Cell Phone Picture Blog 

1. txt the word register to 256447

2. you will receive an @(blahblahblah).blogspot.com and a code

3. enter that code at go.blogger.com and captcha provided

4. chose continue as this user if its not selected and click continue

5. name the blog (I chose Cell Phone Shots) click continue

6. chose a template (can be changed to match your regular blog later)

7. you now have a new mobile blog

8. go to your regular blog choose the pages tab

9. create a new page that is a website and name it (I chose Cell Phone Shots)

10. enter the web address that was texted to you back in step 2 (the blahblah .blogspot)

11. Chose location on home page you want page to show up

12. Now you have a page on your original blog that links to your mobile blog

13. Download the blogger app on your cell phone and sign in

14. In settings on the app you can choose  the new blog and send just cell pics there”

   My reply:

   Yes, Jen, what you did is “something cool!”

   Not only did you do this for yourself, but you wanted to share it with your classmates, and that makes me one awfully proud instructor!

  You even taught me something (how to link blogs via pages), which makes me a stronger instructor because I can pass on this new knowledge onto the next class. A+ for your effort!

   Thank you.

Introducing phoneography to the photojournalism curriculum

       A screen grab from Sam's cell pix on Twitter.  

   I introduced a new assignment on cell phone photography this week, and it was about time.

  Cell phone photography has become so popular in the 21st Century that it can no longer be ignored by photojournalism educators. Since the first consumer camera phone was released by Sharp in 2000, it only took seven years to reach a billion devices. By 2009, there were 4.6 billion mobile phones subscriptions (ate.blogs.com).  

   Can you imagine a college student without one?

   Since nearly everyone has a mobile phone, I think it's safe to say they outnumber traditional cameras! All eight of the students in this class have cell phones, and nearly half of those are iPhones. So it's not a big surprise that they all use their cells to take photos.

  Yes, it’s time cell phone photography is covered in photojournalism classes everywhere!

  Using a cell phone to capture images is convenient for several reasons. First, it’s accessible. Cells are always in our pockets, purses and backpacks. We never leave home without them. Secondly, they are convenient; small enough to hide, and light enough to carry 24/7. But what’s really important is the ability to instantly share images using social media tools, like Facebook and Twitter.

   Together we are learning about cell camera apps, tools and features. There’s a lot to learn, but each student brings their own experience to the table. We also had a guest speaker tout his newspaper’s Mobile Blog, which is a trendsetter in phoneography. Enoch Wu demonstrated his ability to shoot and send an image to Twitter via his cell without needing a computer.

   The students are required to tweet five cell phone photos throughout the semester. Each photo must have enough caption information to explain the photo. We also viewed a Lynda.com tutorial by Richard Koci Hernandez.

  I'm happy to witness students, like Sam Ricker, are already tweeting cell photos and experimenting with different apps! I think it's going to be a very successful assignment, and one that's here to stay.

Creating a beat system to find stories is a win-win situation

   Now that the syllabus is handed out and the first day of school is over, it’s time to get to business. While the students complete their first homework assignment next week (learning about the history of news), I will be busy creating a beat system for the course.  

   A beat system is designed for journalists to hone their expertise on a particular topic or geographical area. For our purposes, each PJ student will be assigned a school (School of Technology, School of Health Sciences, etc.) to cover throughout the entire semester. This will allow them to get to know the instructors and students on their beats, making it easier for them to find good stories that would otherwise be overlooked.

   The students are responsible for finding stories, showing up to the event or classroom on time, documenting the event, gathering caption information, and ultimately posting their photos and essays on their blogs for a grade. Most of their shooting assignments, except for sports, will be derived from their beats.

   The beauty of this system is that anyone, particularly those they cover, can view the student blogs at any time!

   So, I'm actively comprising a list of deans and instructors willing to participate in this pilot beat system. I also need to figure out the best way of communication between the PJ students and the instructors. Coordinating the work of the PJ students with the Owens Outlook is another possibility.

   At this point, the College of Technology, the culinary program, and the EMS school are on board.  If this system works, the students can continue to cover these beats each semester!
   It's a win-win situation!

A welcome letter to new Intro to Photojournalism students

   Dear PHO245 students:

   Welcome to the Intro to Photojournalism Course! 

    I'm excited to begin another semester with a new crop of scholastic photojournalists. For the next 16 weeks you will be trained to think, act and shoot like a photojournalist. 

   My primary goal is to help you become a visual storyteller with a heightened sense of purpose and ethics. I also hope you gain an appreciation for the social responsibility photojournalists have in documenting life and death throughout the world.

   Because this is an introduction class, you will be taught a wide variety of subjects, including:

• Law, ethics and copyright 
• Caption writing
• Photo editing tools (Photo Mechanic)
• Social media tools (Twitter and blogging)
• Using your camera to tell a story

   Ever semester I add something new to improve the course and keep up with technology. You will be the first PHO245 class to use your cell phone cameras as another way to tell visual stories. 

   You will be the first class to be on a beat system. This means you are responsible for covering a school (culinary, transportation, etc.) at Owens throughout the semester.

A sample of photos from Rust Wire's Flickr Group

   I'm also happy to announce that for your final individual project, this class is collaborating with rustwire.com. Rust Wire is recruiting photographers in our area take part in a photo project attempting to capture the "unique essence of individual Rust Belt cities."

   We are privileged to have Kate Giammarise, one of the rustwire.com founders, guest speak with you Sept. 24 about the Big Urban Photography Project.

   Needless to say, this is a fast-paced course because there is so much to learn. Every week you will learn something new, and Dave Cantor and I are confident you'll benefit from nearly every assignment, no matter what photography career you choose.

   Again, welcome and have fun!

   

  
  

   This blog is temporarily inactive due to another blog I maintain for myself.
   I will resume posting to this blog in the Fall.

The end is here but changes will never end

   The semester is over, the grades are posted and I am already looking forward to next semester.
   I'm contemplating a few changes:

• Swap Soundslides with iMovie so they can learn a new storytelling tool. A prerequisite for this class is Digital 1, where most students are already introduced to Soundslides. Soundslides is fading away, so I now prefer Final Cut Pro/Express, but our classroom MAC computers aren't equipped with this video editing software, yet.
• Add an assignment on cell phone photography, which is becoming more popular and viable in the digital age. Knowing how to use your cell phone for a spot news photo is becoming a must.
• Look into teaching a block of instruction on Pinterest and other popular ways of sharing photos.
• Change from Blogger to Wordpress, which is more standard in the journalism world.

    Looks like I have some research and assignment development to do!
    I also will be working hard this summer on completing my master's project so I can finally graduate with an MA in journalism education from Kent State University in December. My project consists of designing a photography class geared for area high school journalism/yearbook/photography teachers who were thrown into teaching those subjects because they teach English or like photography.
    Forcing English teachers to teach journalism due to budget cuts is a pathetic national trend that hurts the future of the profession. The CEU (continuing education unit) course I am proposing, which I hope will be available next summer at Owens Community College, will help better educate journalism/yearbook/photojournalism teachers/advisers on the basics of photography and photojournalism. This project is in its infancy stage, so I don't have much information to share at this point. 
    Okay then. This is my final blog post for the Spring 2012 class. See you in August!

You have the tools, so get out there and tell photo stories!

      Dear PHO245 students:
      The end is here.
      You've spent 4 months learning the basics of a photojournalism career. I'm confident you will walk out of the classroom tomorrow thinking photojournalism is harder than you first imagined. There is more to photojournalism than just capturing a moment.
      I threw a lot of stuff at you in 16 weeks. You learned about the definition of news, law and ethics, caption writing, social media and editing audio. And, of course, you took pictures. You learned how to shoot feature, portrait, sports and photo stories. We also looked at the work of a lot of NPPA and ONPA award-winning photojournalists online.
     In a nutshell, you learned that photojournalism is about capturing a moment and sharing it with the community. It takes being aware of the environment you're in. It takes being able to deal with all kinds of people. It takes being patient and knowing when to push the shutter button. It takes getting over your panic attacks. It takes understanding that photojournalists have a First Amendment right to be most places because you have an obligation to document life around you.
     I hope some of the training in this class will help you in whatever career you pursue. You might not end up being a photojournalist, but you will always be an educated citizen communicator - with a camera.
     Don't underestimate the power of the citizen journalist.
    
     

PJ student turns a portrait assignment into real news value

This photo might not be a Pulitzer Prize winner, but it earned Shalisha Russell the Student of the Week title!

The following is a portion of a blog post essay written by Intro to PJ student Shalisha Russell:

"Toledoan Bonnie Burnside purchased a vehicle at Toledo Auto Finance. After having the vehicle for only five days, the transmission went out. She claims the dealership is being uncooperative and refuses to fix the vehicle. The only offer the dealership made to Burnside was finding a transmission and a mechanic.

She is protesting the auto dealer’s actions by showing up every day with her signs to inform the public about her bad deal, and to show the dealership she’s serious. Burnside says she'll be out there 'come rain, sleet or snow.' 

Burnside made this assignment easier to complete because she was so open to being photographed. I am grateful that I saw her. I couldn’t have chosen a better subject to be a part of my assignment."

 Russell wrote that essay and took the above photo for her portrait homework assignment last month. 

I can't tell you how excited I was to see a commercial art photography major in an introductory photojournalism class actually cover a real news story. In the two years I've taught this class, this is one of the first times an assignment had real news value. Sure, my students shoot real sports and features, but this story had an element of controversy that could make even a senior PJ major think twice about getting involved. 

This is what Russell tweeted verbatim the day she discovered her lemon story:

 "just saw the perfect subject for portrait excited. lori would've been a proud pj instructor for the way I hopped out of the car & interviewed a lady at a car lot who bought a lemon." 

Darn right I'm a proud PJ instructor! I'm also happy to announce she was recently hired as a part-time reporter/photographer at the Toledo Journal. For these reasons, I've chosen Russell as my Student of the Week.

To read the rest of Russell's blog, and those of the other PJ students, click on the student blog roll in the menu bar above.

Assertiveness is just one of many attributes of a photojournalist

PHO245 student Paul Murray works the room in the Sunshine Home. (Photos by Lori King)

Be assertive, yet respectful.

   While watching the students work during their team community project at Sunshine Home this week, I was struck by a single observation: BE ASSERTIVE PEOPLE!

   Being timid is a natural instinct in the beginning for most scholastic photojournalists. It seemed the students felt uncomfortable disrupting the working environment of the nurses and therapists working with the residents of the Sunshine Home, which serves people with developmental disabilities. There were several times I had to push and prod them to see and capture what was happening right in front of them, like when a resident was wheeling a laundry cart down the hall piled with folded clothes. Or when a therapist was holding hands with an energetic and social bed-ridden man in his 70s.

   “Shoot a close-up of their hands! Get in there!” I energetically instructed.

    There is no doubt photojournalists sometimes walk a fine line between shooting the need to know (news) and sensationalism (paparazzi). That’s a big reason why  photographer's rights, the First Amendment and the definition of news are covered during the first month, before they shoot a single photo.

   If you are there to tell a story, then you need to tell that story in the most truthful and thorough way. Sometimes that means getting close to your subjects. And sometimes that means being noticed.

    Learning to see everything around you and only shooting what is relevant is a learned skill that takes training (school) and experience (on-the-job). This team project satisfied both of those requirements.

   I’ve come up with a list of attributes I think the average photojournalist should possess:

• Be assertive, yet respectful
• Be curious
• Pay attention to detail
• Be ethical to a fault
• Be cautious of being manipulated
• Don’t be shy, yet don’t be disruptive, either
• Develop a keen sense of news and what makes a good photo
• Be well aware that there is always room to learn and grow
• Have an attribute you think I’ve left out? Please comment!

   Obviously, I can’t follow around students during most of their assignments, though sometimes I wish I could. Heck, even I, an experienced photojournalist, would benefit from following around another experienced photojournalist because there is always room to learn and grow.

PhotoJ students get out of the classroom to document real life

Christian climbs a fence for that perfect shot of a horse grazing at the Sunshine Home barn! (Photos by Jolee Hatfield-King)

Aaron and Shalisha coordinate caption information before the shoot.

   I'm happy to report that this morning my students have successfully accomplished the 3rd annual Intro to PJ community service team project.  

   The team project gives the students a real-life shooting experience, and I am there to help them with things, like capturing live audio for a one-on-one interview, how to handle difficult light, and how to SEE photo ops all around them.

   Each semester I pick a different organization that fits these requirements:

•  It needs to be big enough for all students to shoot without duplicating photos.
• The workers and those they serve need to be welcoming to our cameras.
• The organization could use our photos. We reciprocate by handing over our best work, as long as the photos are credited to the students.

    This semester I chose the Sunshine Home in Maumee. For 61 years the Sunshine Home has been

"creating community among people with developmental disabilities in northwest Ohio." 

   We first met for breakfast at Georgette's Grounds & Gifts coffee shop in the heart of Maumee. Georgette's is a fair trade cafe and gift shop owned and operated by Sunshine Inc. of Northwest Ohio, so it was a logical choice to converge and discuss our game plan. Carolyn Miller, Sunshine's enthusiastic communications coordinator, was kind enough to join us there. Then we headed over to Sunshine and spent two hours documenting life there.

   The first two team projects were at Bittersweet Farms and Cherry St. Mission. Carolyn has already put bids on the class coming out next Fall. As long as the welcome mat is spread out before us, that is certainly an option!

The team from left: Carolyn Miller (Sunshine Home), Sydney, Aaron, Mariah, Lori (me), Christian, Shalisha and Paul.

Twitter allows me to escape from my isolated hometown bubble

Twitter comments by PHO245 student Aaron Gonya.

   The other day I was surfacing Twitter and discovered a new blog about journalism ethics called Ethics Matters (thanks for the link, Dave Cantor). I also learned that the investigation of a recent Maumee, Ohio fatal apartment fire continues, and looked at Wall Street Journal photos of the day.

   Sounds like a lot, but it's only a tiny fraction of links to national and local stories, websites and photos that are available at any given time on Twitter.

   When I tell students they will tweet as part of their course work, their reactions are all the same: they don't like it. Why? Because they don't understand it. The most common complaint is they don't want to hear what people had for breakfast, or any other insignificant banter. But that's not what Twitter is about. It's more for professionals, and that is what separates it from Facebook.

    Like it or not, tweeting is a part of journalism that's here to stay, at least for now. It's a quick and easy way to

•  stay in touch with your community, including classmates, educators, colleagues, photographers, news sources, etc.

•  receive and disseminate news tips, stories, photos, etc.

•  learn about journalism-related information, like tools of trade, websites, training, etc.

•  advertise your own or someone else's stories and photos that run in newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs, etc.

•  keep connected to whatever field you're interested in.

A few of the journalism profs and orgs I follow.

   Those are just a few reasons why I like Twitter as a collaborative way to stay connected to people, organizations and news outlets.
    Twitter, launched in 2006, is an online social networking service that limits you to 140 characters. So there's yet another benefit: it forces you to be concise, which, as you know, is a key ingredient of journalism. 
   I wrote this post about Twitter because I am amazed at how much information is available at my fingertips. 
   I think of it this way: I am only one person, so it would be unfair to my students if I only offered them what I know about the business. Twitter allows me to expand their knowledge beyond the classroom.
    I no longer feel I am confined inside this tiny Toledo bubble. As a PJ instructor, I must ensure that my students don't live in their own tiny bubbles, either.

End of semester means community project is near

Photo by PHO245 student Mariah Teet

Photo by PHO245 student Shalisha Russell.

   Wow. That's all I can say when viewing the sports photos taken by the students. They would look fantastic in any newspaper. Nice job!

   Tomorrow they will be working on their portrait assignment, which is the final regular assignment before we dig into the photo stories.

   Speaking of photo stories, I'm happy to announce that the class is doing their group community service photo story at Sunshine Home, a special place that services people with disabilities.

   Carolyn Miller, the Sunshine Home's communications coordinator, is coming into the classroom on Wednesday to talk about the shooting opportunities the students will have. The community service project is one of my favorite assignments because everyone involved benefits: the organizations we cover get fresh photos, and the students get to shoot a real-world photo story as a team. It's a win-win situation.

   The students will be divided into teams: sound, writing and editing, but they all shoot. It's a total collaborative effort. The end result is a Soundslides project that the organization can put on their website, if they so choose.

  In the meantime, view their great feature and sports photos by clicking on the student blog roll above.

   (UPDATE: The class will be going to the Sunshine Home April 9)

Learning to capture motion and moments through sports

Intro to PJ student Paul Murray, front, shoots his first basketball game...EVER! He shot the Lady Rockets as they blasted Cincinnati to advance to the 3rd round of the WNIT. (Photos by Lori King)

Aaron was excited to use his new camera on motor drive, though he admits he has to get used to shooting JPGs. 

     I'm looking forward to reading what Paul has to say about covering his very first basketball game tonight. He's not a fan of sports, so I wonder if the few thousand screaming fans at the University of Toledo Lady Rocket's game influenced his lack of love for sports. Guess we'll find out when he posts his sports assignment on his blog. He's a writer, so he'll probably enjoy expressing his view on the matter than actually shooting the game, and I hope he's candid and honest.
   Aaron, on the other hand, was totally in his element when he shot a basketball game and a hockey game last week. He had the right equipment and the right attitude. Though he won't have as much fun editing his thousand (not exaggerating) or so photos down to the three required photos for his blog. Despite the work that still is to come (editing and caption writing), I could tell he was having a great time and would love to do it as a living.
   PHO245 students don't shoot sports for the sake of shooting sports. The assignment actually is a good exercise in capturing motion and moments. You know the saying: if you can shoot sports, you can shoot anything.
   Sure, it helps to have decent equipment, particularly a fast 2.8 long lens. But ultimately, sports shooters should have a basic understanding of the sport so they can anticipate the moments. But is that always absolutely necessary? Not too many of the students are sports fans, so that theory will be tested this week.
   Shooting sports is also a good lesson in storytelling. There's more to a sporting event than just a bunch of players in action. There are the fans, coaches and reactions.
   In the end, it's a LOT of work to cover sports. I hope the students had fun, too.

Intro to PJ student conquers his fear of feature photography

Mages gather for Friday Night Magic. This is a strong overall shot of the gaming scene. (PHO 245 photos by Paul Murray)

Nice detail shot to compliment the feature story.

    PHO 245 student Paul Murray is the shy type who admits he doesn't really like people. That's a pretty bold confession considering his major is journalism.
   "I was never very thrilled about photos that involve people," he wrote in his most recent blog post.
   "I think the world is a beautiful place, but I tend to dislike most people in general. The thought of approaching a random stranger with a camera is probably one of my biggest fears."
  For Paul, taking this Intro to Photojournalism course took a lot of guts. Most of my Intro to PJ students come out of Black and White 1 and Digital PHO 1, where they hone their camera control skills on inanimate objects. I can't tell you how many railroad and tree photos I've graded over the years. Taking photos of complete strangers opens up a whole new world to them. Some will love it and some will hate it, but all photoj students have to at least experience it.
   I have no grand illusions that PHO245 students take the course because they want to become photojournalists. Most of them have hopes of becoming commercial photographers, though, which means dealing with people. So this course is probably the first one that forces them to meet strangers and visually document their stories.
   It's easy to sip cappuccino at a coffee shop and criticize the photos in the local paper, but until you walk in our shoes, well, let's just say it's harder than it looks. And that's why I've chosen Paul as my  blogger of the week.  This week he posted his essay about feature photography, and I have to say his feature photos were good. He tried hard not to let his fear of photographing strangers inhibit his creative side.
   Visit his blog to see his other photos, and read about how he stepped out of his comfort zone. I also encourage you to read the blogs of the other PJ students. Their blog links are in the Student Blog roll above.

Capturing famous politicians and media frenzies

Media frenzy captures glimpse of Newt Gingrich as he exits a campaign speech at BGSU. (Toledo Blade Photo/Lori King)

    Sometimes it's a dog-eat-dog world out there in the media, especially when it comes to covering famous people.   
   It's no secret that the lower you are on the media chain, the harder it is to get close-up views of the well-known athletes, celebrities and politicians we are tasked to shoot. But I wonder just how important it is to get a photo that's shot within a pack of crazed photographers.
   The photo above was taken at a recent political event at Bowling Green State University. I didn't shoot this particular photo for my newspaper because I seriously didn't think they would have ran it. I shot this to demonstrate to my students what you sometimes have to do to get close to a subject.
   On this night, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum spoke separately at a Republican dinner. To get the the job done right, it took a 300mm lens with a 1.4 extender on a monopod. Using a long lens for the podium shot enabled me to get a nice, clear view of each speaker's face.
   But there is always more you can and should do. You also need to document them shaking hands with supporters and holding babies. You basically have to capture just about every move they make while they are in your viewfinder.
   To get the above shot I needed to get a little creative. I noticed a  row of empty chairs that were near the rope that separated the speakers from the masses. The chair occupants were standing in hopes of shaking hands with the famous as they passed by. I asked one of the occupants, an older gentleman, if it was alright if I stood on his chair, and promised I would wipe it off when I was done. He was happy to oblige, so I stood on his chair. That higher angle allowed me to document the media frenzy.
    I initially had to push my way through the supporters and media to get to that chair. A TV photog was chiding me to lead the way, so I did. Bottom line is you have to be a little pushy to get close, even if the shot you got (Newt shaking the hand of a supporter) wasn't used, after all. Believe it or not I was the only one who stood on a chair!
   Yes, you absolutely need to shoot what the other photogs shoot just in case your boss demands you provide it, but the challenge is to also find other angles that's unique to you. Separating yourself from the pack is what can make you special and marketable. I should heed my own advice.
  
 

Feature photography documents slices of life

   It’s  week 8 of 16, or hump week, and we’re right on schedule.

   Last week the students were given their first shooting assignment: features. They have to shoot one “weather rover,” which is basically driving around and finding something interesting that depicts people dealing with Mother Nature’s elements. They also have to shoot an event and produce a single feature-type image from that event.  

   Feature photography is documenting our everyday slices of life. Features are spontaneous, candid moments. It's the act of freezing shutter speeds of time. It's “a visual dessert to subscribers who digest a daily diet of accident, fire, political, and economic news,” according to Photojournalism: The Professionals' Approach.

   Feature photography is timeless, although it can tell a story about specific time.  Weather art is a great example of this. During every change of season photojournalists are dispatched by their editors to shoot the first snowfall, the first budding flowers, the first hot day of summer, and the first round of falling leaves.

   Feature photography is the one category that encourages photojournalists to rove around aimlessly for hours looking for people doing something. It's called roving (at least that's what we Blade photographers call it) for this reason. It's also called wild art if the photo is without a story.

   The rover can be shot anywhere, but the event photo must be shot on campus. After all, photojournalists cover their community, and Owens is their community.

   I can’t wait for them to begin posting their photos on their blogs. At this point, they have had lots to say, but nothing to show. That’s about to change.

Camera gear show and tell includes 600mm lens

Intro to PJ student Mariah Teet cradles a 600mm lens, the monster of all lenses.

   Today I hauled in to class most of my camera gear for show and tell. It included a 600mm lens, a 300mm lens,  wide and telephoto zooms, flashes, and, of course, my beloved Canon Mark IV.
   Most of the students are at the point where they would do just about anything to trade in their kit lenses for decent glass. A variable lens is fine for learning camera controls, but not if they want to make a living with their cameras. That extra stop or two of light can make or break a photo shoot. F/2.8 rules.
   We also went over caption writing and the AP Styleguide. I was impressed that about half the class purchased their own AP Styleguide, even though it was optional. Next week they will learn Photo Mechanic and garner editing skills.
  They are just about ready to start shooting their assignments.
   Students, get those shooting fingers ready!

A photojournalist strives for perfection commits career suicide

   Last week the students were introduced to the First Amendment and photojournalism law and ethics.

   I explained to them that law is what you have to follow (don’t slander, libel or steal copyright work), and ethics is basically doing the right thing when no one is looking (don’t manipulating digital photographs or set up a shot if you missed it the first time). 

    Our discussion on ethics also included how to write unbiased captions, avoid conflicts of interest, and not be prone to bribery (refusing food and gifts). 

    Training the next generation of visual journalists and citizen bloggers to be ethically fit is what ultimately will help keep journalism credible. Without credibility, we would simply be spreading lies and being deceitful. The communities we cover need to TRUST us as their news source.

   One way to preserve the integrity of future visual journalists is by introducing them to sound ethical codes and policies. Photojournalists follow the NPPA Code of Ethics.

   Another way is to show them good ethical and unethical examples. Good examples are harder to demonstrate for the simple fact that if you’re doing the right thing, well, it’s not news. In other words, being ethically fit is expected, and is rewarded with credibility and trust.

   Bad ethical behavior, on the other hand, is easy to demonstrate. There are way too many photojournalists who have been fired because of unethical behavior. They certainly know better, but their drive to be perfect and/or the best causes them to commit career suicide.

   Just this week I added yet another bad example to a growing list of disgraced photojournalists. Sacramento Bee photographer Bryan Patrick was caught combining two photos into one. In the scheme of things, it was such a small, insignificant detail. But a reader noticed the fakery, and that’s all it took for a working, award-winning photographer to suddenly become unemployed.

   Is it really worth it? Now everything Patrick has shot will be in question. His journalistic integrity is ruined. The paper’s credibility is sullied. The journalism profession is harmed.

  No! It’s not worth it! The only benefit anyone gets out of their bad decisions is that we instructors have more good examples of what not to do.

Social media gives students a voice in the Blogosphere

   It was exciting to see the students create their blogs last week.

   There were lots of questions on how to create certain elements, how they will use their blogs, and if they can post what they want.

   Let me preface by saying creating a blog is not as easy as it seems. We use Blogger.com, but there are so many other choices these days. I plan to look into Wordpress this summer, to see if it offers other features we could use. But for this semester, we are sticking to what I’m familiar with.

   Anyway, students are required to add certain elements, like a blog description and a blog roll. Besides learning how to accomplish doing these things, they also have to learn how to design their blog, post text and photos, follow other bloggers, and share their posts on Facebook and Twitter. But like anything else, you have to use it to know it, so they have the weekend to get comfortable with their new blogs before I post their URLs.

   They will use their blogs to post their mandatory essays and photo assignments. I also encourage them to post anything else they deem interesting or newsworthy, as long as it has to do with photojournalism, photography, media or education. I want them to make their blogs their own.

   Inside their course manual is a list of legal and ethical guidelines for using social media. This includes not posting personal information, like phone numbers, and not spreading gossip. This latter comment refers to ensuring that they verify anything they post or repost.

 Their URLs are now available in the Page bar at the top of the blog. 

 Right now their heads are spinning, and it’s fun to watch. 

Students will blog for more than letter grades

   The first block of instruction on the basic meaning of news ended today.
   Now that the students are aware of the major elements of a newspaper (headline, logo, cutline, etc.), the six basic news values (impact, immediacy, proximity, novelty, conflict and emotions), and the history of news, they are ready to add another tool to their photojournalism toolbox: blogging.
   They will create their blogs on Wednesday. Maintaining a blog in this class will be easy because of the mandatory posting assignments. The challenge will be writing weekly essays that keep your attention, and posting captioned photos that warrant your viewing.
   The beauty of blogging in a college class is that the student's homework assignments will earn more than letter grades. These scholastic photojournalists will gain experience by blogging for a real-world audience (you), which will help prepare them for communicating in the 21st Century.
   Social media is here to stay, so they better embrace it now, when they can make mistakes without being fired for them.
   
  
 

Photojournalists should first have a keen sense of what news is

   What is news?
   That's a good question that really doesn't have a definitive answer. News means different things to different people. What is news to me might not be news to you. That's the challenge of trying to answer this question.

   So, what's news? Let's start with why we need news. According to David Zeeck, who wrote an article on this subject for the Poynter Institute, “News is the ultimate manifestation of a human desire to know what’s going on, to make sense of the world, to catch up on the latest.”
   Okay. But how do we find out what's going on? Who helps us make sense of the world? Journalists do. It's a journalist's job to report on whatever is deemed “news,” make sense of it, then share that information with others. Report. Explain. Share.
   Photojournalists do the same thing, with the added task of reporting the news in a visual way. To a photojournalist, news means house fires, car accidents and political campaigns. It also means shooting food arrangements, rich people at society events and kids having fun at a playground. And don't forget sports and entertainment.
  To document life around us, photojournalists should have a keen sense of observation, anticipation and reaction. We need to be curious about life, even when it's extremely boring. But most importantly, we must understand that we are the eyes of our community. Without photojournalists, society would be blind. Can you imagine if we didn't have photos to prove that the Holocaust existed?
   The homework assignment this week focuses on this topic, because before they begin to represent this class as scholastic photojournalists, they must understand the responsibility that comes with that title.
   Their homework includes:

• learning the history of journalism. One of their first blog posts will be on what they learned in the history chapter of their textbook, Photojournalism: The Professionals' Approach; and in the Poynter NewsU course: The Building Block of News.
• studying an issue of the local paper. They are to label the parts of a story and of a page.
• filling out a questionnaire to see if they got what it takes to be a journalist.

   Once they have a good, basic sense of what news is (which is life-long lesson), they will learn their ethical and legal rights as photojournalists.
   The students will create their blogs next week, and they can tell you themselves what is news to them.

Welcome new Intro to Photojournalism students!

   Dear new students:
   Today I welcome you to the Intro to Photojournalism course.
   You're a small class, only eight registered, but considering this course was intended to only run during Fall semesters, I think 8 is great!
   Become familiar with this blog because you will be a big part of it during the next four months. Why? because much of your course work will be learning about social media, like blogging and tweeting. These are only a few communication tools that you will undoubtedly use someday no matter what career you end up choosing.
   Of course you will also learn more about your camera, and how to think like a photojournalist. I am confident you will enjoy this course as you learn about your First Amendment rights, your photographer's rights, your ethical and legal boundaries, and much more.
   Thank you for choosing this course as part of your curriculum.
   Sincerely, Lori King, your instructor.


 

Winter break

   This blog is on winter break until Jan. 9, 2012, when a new crop of collegiate photojournalists begin their citizen communicator training.
   See you then.

The end of the semester is 'bittersweet'

   Tomorrow is the final day of class this semester. As one student wrote in her blog yesterday, it will be "bittersweet."
   My small class of eight gradually came together as a team. They did a wonderful job on their team photo story on the Cherry St. Mission. They also flourished individually.
   Please take the time to read their blogs, located in the tab bar under Student blog roll. They deserve readership. You can also follow them on Twitter.
   Go forth and prosper PHO245 students!

Me and my shadows: Owens students follow me around on the job

Owens student Cheri Guthrie shares the photo box with CatTrick at a Walleye hockey game Nov. 30. (Photo by Lori King)

   With only a week left in the semester, the pressure was on for photography students at Owens Community College to finish all of their homework assignments.

   One of the final projects for the Photo Seminar course, taught by Margaret Lockwood-Lass, was to shadow a photographer of their choice and create a PowerPoint on what they learned. I'm a little flattered that four of her students, including Cheri Guthrie, chose to follow me around during my 'day' job as a photojournalist with the Toledo Blade newspaper. Cheri worked on her panning skills, and I think she nailed it!

   I don't have grand illusions that any of the four students, or even my own PHO245 students, will go into the photojournalism field. First of all, the competition is very, very steep. There are so many so-called photographers out there, thanks to digital cameras with auto capabilities, that finding a good paying job these days is nearly impossible. Secondly, aren't newspapers supposedly dying a slow death?

   As dismal as that sounds, I still believe that my role as an Owens photojournalism instructor is vital because the students become informed citizens with photojournalism sensibilities. The education taught in that classroom helps them to better understand the basic legal, ethical and civic responsibility of the news industry.
   We can not survive as a free society without trained journalists and citizen communicators.

   Yes, modern journalism is complicated, but it allows non-traditional photojournalists to tell truthful stories via social media, which makes it possible for them to have a voice without a newspaper to print it.

   This my train of thought when I'm in that classroom, or when I'm being shadowed by eager students who think photojournalism is cool.