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.

Students document despair and hope at the Cherry St. Mission

Amy, left, uses a digital voice recorder to interview Chantele Henry, chief operations officer. (Photos by Lori King)

Serena and Clay document life at the Men's Ministry at the Cherry St. Mission at 105 17th St. in Toledo, Ohio.

Jessica asks a 37-year guest of the Sparrow's Nest for her name.

Dear PHO245 students:

   I'm proud of you for stepping out your comfort zones to shoot your team photo story project yesterday.
   You witnessed true desperation on the many sad faces of homeless men and women at the Cherry St. Mission. Hard to believe that most everyone you met lost everything they had, for whatever reason, and their only possessions were a few trinkets they keep near their twin bunks.
   While some of the 'guests' refused to let you take their photos, others were happy to share their stories, like the woman who suffered domestic abuse and escaped to the Sparrow's Nest, a shelter for women.

  There's no doubt that documenting down-and-out people is difficult, especially when they give you dirty looks or hide their faces in shame. I know some of you would have preferred to shoot the back of their heads and not ask them for their names. Anonymous is easy. 

   However, the only way to properly illustrate this heart-wrenching story of the poor is to put faces and names on it. Unfortunately, that's the best way to prove there is a problem. Sometimes it takes the media to get the word out so people will respond.

   The Cherry St. Mission is the perfect place to learn about the human condition of poverty. It's the largest organization serving the homeless and the poor. It offers beds, warm meals, free education, medical treatment, and much more.

   You must understand that as scholastic photojournalists you should be learning more than just how to stop action at a football game. It's actually the media's social responsibility to give a voice to the segment of the community that otherwise wouldn't have one, like the Muslim woman at the Sparrow's Nest who claimed she has lived there for 37 years. I would like to know her story, and we should tell it.

   This is the media's civic duty. It's our job to show the haves how the have-nots live. It's also our responsibility to report how the community steps up and reaches out to the poor.

   That's what you did yesterday.

   (The photo story will be produced using Soundslides, and will be available on this blog in a few weeks. To see the the photos from each student, go to their individual blogs the end of next week.)

The PHO245 team prepare to shoot their final photo story project at the Cherry St. Mission. From left: Clay, Serena, Ashley Shaffer, communications director for the Cherry St. Mission, Cathy, Becci, Jessica, Amy and Cheri. (Not pictured: Jocelyn)

The end of the semester is near, but learning never ends

Genoa Comets celebrate their victory as Northwood's Samantha Solaru displays her misery. (PHO245/Serena Ortiz)

Peak action by Cathy Zeltner

    The end is near, which means the students are busy wrapping up their final assignments.
    Their last individual assignment was shooting sports. They attended a sporting event, mostly soccer and football, and were required to capture images of the fans, coaches and, of course, action. They did a wonderful job. There were a few problems with slow shutter speeds and lens length choices, but that's what learning is all about! I displayed a few images I felt worthy of sharing. 
   We also welcomed guest speaker Enoch Wu to the class this week. He is a Bowling Green State University grad and a photographer with the Bowling Green Sentinel. He shared his new website with us, and talked about his transition from being a music major to becoming a photographer. Thanks for the visit, Enoch.
   The students are currently very busy preparing for their team project on the Cherry St. Mission. They are using their sports images to learn Soundslides, and will learn to edit audio with Audacity on Monday.
   They will be divided into three teams for the project: sound, caption writing and photo editing. Every student will shoot, but the teams will collectively produce the photo story with audio recorded at the site using digital voice recorders. It's a lofty project done in a very short time, but this team project introduces them to many skills needed in today's multimedia world.
    Please visit the student blogs by clicking on the student blog roll at the top of this course blog.

PHO245 student gets crash course in tackle football, but she's ok

PHO245 student Becci Okenka is nearly tackled on the sidelines while covering the Whitmer football game Oct. 28.
(Photo courtesy of a friend)

      I've been shooting sports for the Toledo Blade for 16 years now. That's a lot of basketballs, footballs, volleyballs, golf balls, baseballs and players that could have caused me harm.
      I've only had minor incidents. One time I was shooting a profile of a high school pitcher. I told him to throw directly at the catcher so I could capture the ball zooming right at me. I was confident the catcher would, you know, catch it. He didn't. The ball hit my fingers and I thought they were crushed.
     Another time I was standing behind the pitcher during a charity softball game. Again, I had faith the pitcher would field the ball to protect me. He didn't. I had the biggest bruise on my thigh.
      Sports shooters are always at risk for getting injured or killed because we are so close to the action, where anything can happen.
      I don't think Becci Okenka, a current PHO245 student, realized this when she went to the Whitmer football game Friday to shoot her sports assignment for this class. She said she was on the sidelines shooting the action, totally focused on the ball as it soared through the air, when it landed on her forehead! To make matters worse, she was nearly run over by two football players who were chasing down the ball.
     Fortunately, she and her camera weren't injured, though I bet her pride is a bit bruised.
     Getting run over during games or being nailed by a ball is a fairly common occurrence, and it could happen to anyone. However, I think I neglected to mention this little fact during the sports lecture. Sorry that you had to learn the hazards of the sports photography the hard way, Becci.
     Even though she was shaken up a bit, she still managed to complete her assignment! To see her photos from the game, go to her blog: http://rebeccaokenka.blogspot.com/.

PHO245 students participate in art show at Toledo Museum of Art

 

Opening reception for a student art show at the Toledo Museum of Art attracted lots of attention from family, friends, instructors and art lovers. The show is called 4 Art: Student Art from Bowling Green State University, Lourdes University, Owens Community College and the University of Toledo. (Photos by Lori King)

Former PHO245 student Kathie VanNess, left, with family members, shows her Ballerinas, a digital print.

Former PHO245 student, Katherine Cedoz, takes a photo of her photo, Toy Camera Triptych/ All in a Day. Holga C-print.

This great studio portrait is by current PHO245 student Amy Everett. This is what I'm talking about!

This digital photo, entitled Honey Pot, is by current PHO245 student Cheri Guthrie. It wasn't her favorite, but my mom
likes it!

    Congratulations to the former and current PHO245 students who were among 100 college artists chosen to display their photography in the new exhibit at the Toledo Museum of Art.
   The free exhibition will be shown through Jan. 12, 2012 in the Museum’s Community Gallery.
  

So it's raining...that's what trash bags are for!

Reaction can be just as powerful as the action.

Southview vs. Northview in district semi-final Oct. 26.
Metadata = Lens: 300mm / ISO: 2500 / Aperture: 4 / Shutter: 1/500

   I stood in the pouring rain for nearly two hours shooting a soccer game for The Toledo Blade last night.

   It was cold and miserable, but that didn't prevent me from enjoying the game. In fact, every time I poked my head out from under the cover of a large trash bag that I used to protect my 300mm lens and Canon MarkIV camera, I marveled at the beauty of the fall colors that surrounded the field, and how the rain looked like falling snow in the stadium lights. I kept thinking how lucky I was to be there. 

   We are in Week 10, and it's time for the students to shoot their sports assignments. I gave them two weeks to find a sport and shoot the heck out of it, which includes covering the fans, coaches and players.  Because they have to produce a Soundslides photo story, they must have at least 20 photos that document the entire game, on and off the field.

   Their biggest challenge won't be what to shoot. There's plenty of exciting action at any game at any given moment: angry and happy fans; yelling coaches; injured players; winner and loser reactions; and, of course, the peak action. As long as they keep their eyes open and pay attention, they will have moments to capture.

   The limitation will be their lenses. All of them have decent Canon and Nikon bodies, but most only have a wide to medium variable lens. If they shoot football or soccer with a 55mm lens, there's little chance they will get the shots  displayed in this blog post. They are aware of this, and have expressed concern in class. I told them to make up for the lack of peak action with great fan coverage.
    Make lemonade out of lemons!

   Next week they will post three photos on their blogs: the best action, best coach and best fan shot, as well as produce a Soundslides project. Check out their blogs to see how they did!

  

A photojournalist's portrait studio is...everywhere

To overcome her fear of photographing strangers, Amy took a deep breath and began chatting with her subject, the owner of an optometrist store. "It's amazing how fast you can complete these assignments once you find your subject and overcome your fears," she said. Read her story about her portrait assignment experience on her blog: http://amyeverett2.blogspot.com/

   When my students were told they were going to shoot portraits for their next assignment, they probably imagined using a studio, where hot lights and background paper are standard equipment. It’s natural to link portraits to this controlled environment because that’s where many families and high school seniors often go for their portraiture sessions.
  Portraits are also a part of a photojournalist’s daily agenda, but instead of subjects coming to a studio, we go to them. This is called environmental portraiture because we, the photojournalists, capture the personalities of our subjects in their natural environment, whether that be in their homes, businesses, schools, sporting venues, etc.
  Shooting portraits is not easy. There are many factors to consider, like light and background, but the most important element is that the photo tell their stories. Who are they? Why are we taking their photos for the newspaper? What's their environment like?
  Students have a hard time with shooting portraits because it can seem so...intimate. To shoot a good portrait, you have to get to know the person a little bit in a short amount of time. Social people don't have a problem with people photography, but shy people do. Serious scholastic photojournalists who are in their junior and senior years accept this. However, community college commercial photography students, like those in this Intro to Photojournalism course, are just wrapping their brains around the "getting to know your subject" concept. They're used to shooting things like trees, stuff in their apartments, old buildings and their kids.
  I'm trying to coax them out of their comfort zones, to find people they don't know with interesting hobbies or jobs, but it's not easy. Some did, some didn't.
  Because of this dilemma, I've decided to add a new instructional block next semester on how to find stories on campus. This will force them to cover their own community, which is Owens. That way, the students will feel a connection to their stories, which will be available to our school online newspaper, the Owens Outlook: http://www.owensoutlook.com/. I guess the lesson learned for me is you can't expect a baby to walk without first teaching her how to make those first steps.
  I encourage you to visit each student's blog. I have faith they will all eventually stray from their own backyards, but at this point, I know they trying hard to stand on their own two feet, and that's what counts.

It's true...shooting features 'is hard'

This weather feature photo was captured by Jessica, a student in the PHO245 course. She conquered her fear of strangers and shot this photo without a panic attack! Read about her panic attack experience in her blog: http://jessicaverhoff.blogspot.com

       Panic attacks. Excuses. Pictures of dogs, cats and decapitated toes.
       These are what the PHO245 students experienced or shot this week for the feature shooting assignment. One student summed up the whole experience in two words: it's hard!
       The working life of a photojournalist constantly consists of turning bad light and cluttered backgrounds into wonderful captured moments of time.
       Seldom do we show up on a scene where everything is picture perfect. It takes work. It takes knowing how to handle light, whether it be too much or too little. It takes being able to scan the area and instantly know which angle is best. It takes getting photo subjects to be comfortable enough to ignore you, and then get them to tell you their life stories. All of these things take experience and knowledge.
      Experience comes with time. Gaining experience is totally up to the will of the student photographer. But knowledge, well, that's currently my responsibility. It's my job as their instructor to give them the basic tools they need to go out into the community and tell stories with their camera. The tool kit includes, but is not limited to, knowing their rights, being ethically and legally aware, understanding how their camera works, and knowing how to shoot different types of assignments, like features, portraits, sports and photo stories.
      Doesn't shooting stories for a living sound like fun? Honestly, that depends on the photographer. One student admitted she suffered panic attacks when she had to approach strangers for a feature assignment. Another tweeted this comment on Monday: "I learned that when shooting in photojournalism...don't try to be creative."
     What? Actually, it's the complete opposite. You should be creative in photojournalism, but the integrity of the photo/story needs be the first consideration.
     Students, don't beat yourselves up. It will get more fun and a little easier as you add experience into your tool boxes. After all, isn't that why you took this class?

Addition of pages

   I just discovered blog pages, which are like chapters in a book! So, I've reorganized the class blog by adding pages in the tab bar. Now you can easily view the syllabus and the class blog roster without having to search for them.

Ready, set, tell stories!

One of my favorite feature photos I took years ago.

   It's finally time to pull out that camera and push the shutter button. You are ready to tell stories.
   You've been busy the past six weeks learning the journalism part, which concludes this week with lessons on how to write accurate, concise captions using the Associated Press Styleguide. Now it's time for the photography part.
   You're first shooting assignment will be hunting for features, an integral task of all photojournalists. What are feature pictures? Features document life around us in a positive way. They are the photos that make readers smile. They are the snapshots of people that end up on refrigerators and office walls.  Feature pictures also help take the sting out of the hard news photos, and that's why photojournalists like taking them - for the balance of good and evil.
   Keep these things in mind when I send you out there Monday to find people doing everyday things, like flying kites, fishing, enjoying an ice cream cone on a hot day, or fighting with a broken umbrella on a rainy day. Whatever the subject matter, try to remember that you're not just taking a photo for yourself, you're actually freezing someone's moment in time, and how cool is that?

Teaching what the heck reciprocity means

   We officially ended the law and ethics portion of study today with a fitting conclusion - a 40-point test. I'm happy to report everyone passed! So, with a basic understand of what news is and what their rights are, we are moving on to my favorite part of the course: explaining camera controls, exposure metering and compositional elements.
   This morning, when I asked the students what reciprocity means, I mostly got blank stares. I understand that, considering it took me a few weeks just to learn how to say the word. I know what they were thinking: what the heck is reciprocity? It's a math miracle! The concept of taking these weird sets of numbers (ISO, shutter speeds and f/stops) and making them work in unison is amazing stuff, and I love teaching it. OK, I admit the reason I enjoy teaching is because it makes me feel, well, smart.
   I started out as a journalist. I'm pretty good with words and have a knack for spelling. So, when I started taking photos for my stories (when I was a cub reporter), the camera controls were totally confusing to me. It wasn't until I was an assistant instructor at a two-week Army photojournalism workshop in the early 1990s that it clicked. I've had a yearning to be a teacher ever since.
   Maybe it's a good thing that a word person is teaching a numbers game...because I can sympathize with the blank stares and the resistance to memorize 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 and 22. Brilliant.

Our First Amendment rights

The First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.


   The First Amendment is only 45 words, but among those 45 words are five personal freedoms that guide how Americans have governed our lives since 1791. 
   This first amendment in the Bill of Rights is uniquely American, though I think this world would be a far better place if it was a document that governed every nation on the planet. Can you imagine if leaders in Iraq, Africa and Syria were committed to The First Amendment of the Planet Earth? 
   The freedom of the press is especially valued by our democratic nation because it allows journalists to report on our own government without fear of being arrested or murdered. This is not a right we should ever take for granted, which is why the PHO245 students dedicated this past week learning and understanding what the First Amendment means to them, as scholastic journalists.
   Check out their most recent blog posts to see what they have to say about this very important subject. Links to all of their blogs are available at the top of this blog.

All blogs accounted for

  I'm proud to announce that all nine student blogs are available for your viewing pleasure. Just click on the links above. Thanks.

Let the blogs begin

   It's already Week 3, and the students are busy tweeting and blogging. I couldn't imagine teaching photojournalism without social media.We must adapt and embrace technology as the delivery system of the news changes. And it is changing. In fact, a few days ago I received the Buckeye Guard Magazine in my snail mail box. It came to me the old fashioned way, but on the cover was the announcement that it was the final issue. The hard copy of the award-winning monthly military magazine is going online. This sentence in the article titled Farewell to an icon: Buckeye Guard in transition on Page 4 says it all, "Please join us and engage in our social media space at...Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Flickr."

   I'm keeping this issue because not only does it represent the future, it reminds me of my past. I was a military photojournalist for that magazine for 13 years.
   Social media is not the future anymore. It's the present. It's here right now, and students need to be prepared to share their photography, stories and experiences anyway they can in order to compete in a point and shoot world. This is my justification for teaching them to be engaged in social media.
   As of late Monday night, there are only two students who have their blogs listed in the blog roll, but there will be nine by the end of the week. I can't wait to see what they all have to say!

Tip 2: shooting through fences

 This is the backstop fence at Fifth Third Field. String is medium thickness. 

    Tip 2: Did you know you can shoot through a fence as if it wasn't there? It's not a miracle; you just have to consider the following things:

1. It depends what lens length you're using. Wide lenses, like a 35mm, won't work, even at 2.8. Long lenses are the key. I recently shot these photos to illustrate this point:

16mm lens shot @ 2.8, 1/2700 of a second, 400 ISO

300 mm lens @ f3.2, 1/1600 of a second, 800 ISO

   2. It also depends on the aperture. Using a long lens, set your f/stop to around f2.8 and put it right up against the fence and focus on the subject on the field. The closer you are to the fence, the more invisible the fence will be. (Don't forget to set the shutter speed accordingly.) If the lens is not close to the fence, you will end up with faint lines, like on the photo below:

      This was taken with a 300 mm lens at f2.8, but the fence was about 20 feet or so from the pitcher.

   3. It also depends on the thickness of the fence. A thick fence might not be completely invisible, so you'll have to look through the lens and place your subject in the middle of the fence lines.
   So, next time you think a fence is an obstacle, experiment with different lens lengths and f/stops to solve this problem.
  

Tip 1: Grap that camera when you need it!

Sunset beyond the I280 turnpike (Photo by Lori King)

   Tip 1. This is a beautiful reason of why you should always carry your cameras with you. If you're worried about theft, keep the cameras in a camera case in the trunk, not in your front or back seat where they can be seen!
   Photographers never know when a moment will happen in front of them. For this shot, I was driving on the turnpike and noticed the sun setting rather quickly. I knew I only had a short amount of time to take this photo, so I pulled over and took the shot. Within minutes the moment was gone.
   Lesson here: Be prepared. This includes keeping a loaded, fully-charged camera nearby. That doesn't mean you have to have it hanging off of your shoulder every second. The trunk is fine, as long as you don't have vanity plates that give you away.
   Sunset pix metadata: Lens = 300mm  ISO = 640 / Aperture = 5 / Shutter = 1/1250  / Exp. Comp.: 0.0

  
  

Hear that? It's a tweet!

    It's a new semester, which means a new crop of students. There are nine enrolled in this course, which is nearly double from last semester!
    In a few weeks this blog will feature an updated student blog roll, as soon as they create their blogs. Believe it or not, not a single student has a blog they currently maintain. That has been the case for all four PHO245 classes.  
    In the meantime, yesterday they created Twitter accounts. They will have their individual accounts, but the primary course username is @PHO245, managed by me. All PHO245 tweets will be hash-marked with #PHO245. Have something to share with them? Drop them a tweet. 
    Next up:

• How to manage social media, which includes being ethical and responsible with these public, power communication tools;
• Learning about the history of journalism, and what news is.

Welcome back!

    Greetings scholastic journalists! 
    Prepare to be educated about the field of photojournalism and the growing role social media plays in our lives. Here are a few highlights from the course:

• Learn how to shoot feature, portrait and sports assignments;
• Know your law, ethics and photographer's rights;
• Use social media to share yours stories and lessons learned;
• Work as a team to document an event and produce a Soundslides story;
• Build a portfolio.

    New to the course this semester is the requirement to tweet. Blogging and tweeting are essential skills to learn in a very competitive market. 
    I struggled with the decision on whether to add Twitter to the curriculum, considering this is only an intro class. Since my goal as an instructor is to prepare the next generation of citizen communicators, how could I not include it? But tweeting is not an additional lesson; it simply replaces the discussion board, which students were required to use last semester. The discussion board is a good tool to practice writing skills, but their comments were enclosed in a bubble. That changes with Twitter, a micro-blogging tool that is a nice addition to the storytelling toolbox.
    So, let's get to work, shall we?

My aha moment

Click here.  
This is for all of the past and future students who make my classroom experience so enjoyable.

The End

   The semester is over and grades are posted.

The new poster for the PHO 245 class,
designed by CRT student Brian White.

   It was a wonderful class. They all worked hard, yet seemed to keep their sense of humor. You need that balance of work and fun.
   This list sums up what they've learned in a nutshell (which is actually a journalism term):

• What journalism means
• How to write AP style captions
• Learned press ethics, rights and the First Amendment
• Created their first blog
• Learned to capture live sound and how to edit audio using Audacity software
• Shot sports, feature and photo story assignments

     Three of the students blogged about their overall experience and offered advice to the Fall 2011 class. There is nothing like learning from your peers.
     I hope these students continue to respect truth in visual storytelling.
     This blog will continue in the Fall with a whole new set of student blogs.