Ever wondered what it’s like behind the scenes of trying to cover a war? Here’s a few videos I found thanks to the web site From the Frontline. They are pretty disturbing.
A Georgian TV journalist is fired upon and injured during live shot.
TV journalists coming under fire in Gori, the Georgian town 30km from South Ossetia. It aired on the Turkish NTV channel.
And perhaps the most disturbing is this one. Which reportedly shows the aftermath of an attack that killed a Dutch cameraman.
The other day I was reading a discussion on a popular forum for photographers about Twitter, the micro blogging tool that’s becoming ever more popular. The basic consensus from these photographers was “I don’t get it.”
I use Twitter, however it’s pretty easy to say that not every one gets it. And those that do understand what it’s about have thousands of reasons why they use it. I myself have more than one reason to use Twitter besides the obvious reason; that I’m a geek.
One of the reasons I use it is for crowd-sourcing things that correspond with my job. Here’s an example.
We had an incident a while back where I had to quickly choose an image for the paper. Then I spent a little time putting the rest of the pictures together for a slide show.
After everything was published I had someone question why I chose one photo over another. I sent this person a detailed email stating my thought process and that was the end of it. But later it occurred to me that it would be interesting to find out what a variety of other people thought.
So I posted the question to my twitter feed. It was quite interesting to see the responses I got back. Not only did other photographers and photo editors chime in with their thoughts. I received compelling answers back from local readers too.
Click though the slide show below to see my question, the pictures and some of the answers.
This little exercise really brought home the potential benefits being involved in social networking such as this. It allows me to connect with people in my profession and with local readers. It allows them to feel in touch with me, and what I do.
Sometimes I find comfort in making cliché photographs.
These same photos have been taken numerous times and the one of the mill exists on a postcard available for purchase inside. These photos are not new. They are not different. They are not bold. They are expected.
While I have to admit these images are pretty to look at they are not about the scene or the photography. They are about me going through the motions of being a photographer. Being a photographer is something I’ve not done much lately.
You see, just as I find myself invigorated, creatively, by making a picture of something new, I also find rest in photographing something the same way everyone else has. It’s nice to make pictures with out pressure, external or internal. It’s nice to just be.
Rest is a good thing. We are wired to rest. We need it. Our bodies need it. Our minds need it. I think people who work in creative endeavors need it most.
For a shot about using food as beauty products. I was almost able to pull off an equipment cliche trifecta. I used a Lensbaby that I borrowed from Nick and a DYI ring flash made by Parker.
Some times it’s the test shot I like the most. When I get the lights close to how I want them and want to check what’s going on I tell the subjects, “this is a test shot.” They let down their guard. They get lost in thought. I make a snap. They come back to the present and I say, “Ok, we’re ready for the real pictures.” But now I think that the test shot is the real picture. Even when it’s from a sort two minute portrait session. One problem. No one sees the real pictures. Most go unseen. Well almost, most.
