Recently in The Photojournalist Category

I had the opportunity to speak with the journalism class at PCC yesterday, asked to talk about multimedia and where newspapers are going. We are at a seed change about we acquire news and distribute it. From the conversation I had with the students and staff, it isn't only newspapers who will have to change.

Journalism departments around the country, if their ears are to the ground and looking at newspaper Web sites, are seeing more and more online video. Newspapers, ours in particular, have quickly moved into the world of video. Interviews, game action, profiles, stories... you name it and we'll likely be there with cameras.

The surprise that I sprung on the students is that a lot of video is being shot by reporters, not just the photographers. Two reporter applicants, with equal reporting abilities will find it a lot easier to get the interest of an editor if they can shoot and edit video too. This is also true of photographers.

When I was in school, video wasn't even a consideration unless you went into broadcast journalism. We didn't have video cameras in the newsroom until a little over two years ago. Now we have quite a few of them and we're very close to putting together the ability for streaming live remote video.

Today's journalist should learn video. They should learn to shoot a story and take notes at the same time; how to edit a video and get a story written by deadline; troubleshoot when the microphone isn't working. Where should they get the experience. In school. It starts in school.

Rachel Fermi, the photography instructor at PCC is already on track with the multimedia projects she's introducing. Students are creating online slideshows using primarily photos and high-quality audio to tell a story. She agrees the next step is video.

I think gone are the days of push-back from the traditional journalist. I still hear it today that it's too difficult to balance the demands of a camera and a video camera, or a reporter saying they still have to write a story, how are they going to edit the video.

The old ways are dying hard, but they are also dying fast.

Freelance photographer Mike Mullen, who shoots for our newspapers, happened across a woman who was pulled over in a stolen car. Another woman who saw Mike video taping the ordeal attempted to get in Mike's way as he recorded. Thank you to the Azusa P.D. who defended Mr. Mullen's right to record the news.

AZarrest.mov
Video by Mike Mullen

It was our time to be just like the paparazzi today, at least I'm sure that's what the perception is. One of our staff photographers, Raul Roa was in court to photograph a drunk driver accused of running over and killing a 15-year-old kid. The courtroom allowed Raul to shoot in court and he did his best to get a photo of the woman, Melissa Serrato, but she pulled some hair in front of her face obscuring it from view. This is the photo of her in court.

Raul Roa/Staff©

Raul knew he didn't have a clean photo of her face and decided to go outside and wait for her to leave the courthouse.

(FYI: The rules of the court are that court approved photos do have limits when on the premisses of the courthouse. Photos can only be shot inside the courtroom and designated places inside the courthouse. In most cases, there are not limitations outside the courthouse where it is considered public.)

Raul waited outside on the sidewalk and she with her attorney came around a corner, spotted Raul, and moved back inside the building. Raul was then verbally attacked by people who yelled at him saying he was invading her privacy. He got this photo of her before she moved behind a corner.

Raul Roa/Staff©

Paparazzi photograph with the idea that the photos they get will make them money due to how valuable the people are that they photograph, whether they are in the news or not. Photojournalists shoot with the idea the photos they shoot due to the news value.

Imagine now the celebrities feel now when they get arrested for drugs or drunk driving. News value, and valuable news with the paparazzi rubbing shoulders with the news photographers. News photographers, in general, don't like it when they have to hang with the paparazzi to shoot celebrities in trouble, but for the news photographer, shooting the celebrity isn't much different than shooting Melissa Serrato.