Lab Times

Lab hours through the remainder of the semester ...

Monday, April 27: 8-10 a.m., 3:15-5 p.m.

Tuesday, April 28: 12:30-2 p.m., 4:30-7 p.m.

Thursday, April 20: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Friday, May 1: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Monday, May 4: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tuesday, May 5: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Wednesday, May 6: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Portfolio due date: Wednesday, May 6, 5 p.m. SHARP. Once the clock on Computer 0 in the lab clicks past 5:00:00, no portfolios will be accepted. If you haven't turned in your portfolio by then, it will be recorded as a zero. 

Please, don't push the deadline. Really, just don't ... 

Burnett in Vietnam

Here's the post I mentioned (to the afternoon section) about how David Burnett missed the photo of Kim Phuc running after being hit with napalm in Vietnam. (This came up when someone asked how Nachtwey managed to reload film in combat situations.)

Regardless of this instance, Burnett is still my hero ...

Lab Hours for the Spring Semester

We may adjust as the semester goes on, but these will start today:

Tuesday: 12:30-2:00, 4:45-7:00
Thursday: 12:30-2:00, 4:45-7:00
Friday: 12:15- 5:00

Merlin Mann on Accepting the Learning Curve

Merlin Mann is one of my favorite bloggers - he's kind of a hero. He writes about a lot of things, including efficiency, getting your email box down to zero and general creative stuff. I know of no one who's as creative writing about being creative.

In early December, he posted a piece on getting better at photography, something he wants to do. "Photography, and the Tolerance for Courageous Sucking" is all about how the only way to get better at something is to do it. A lot. 

I love this line:

I think finding your own comfort with the process (whatever that process ends up being) might just be the whole game here — being willing to put in your time, learn the craft, and never lose the courageousness to be caught in the middle of making something you care about, even when ... you might look like an idiot fumbling to make it. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

I apologize for the language in a few places, if it bothers you, let me know and I'll generate a synopsis for you to read. 

(I wrote about this on my blog, as well, back in December and what I'll be doing to deal with my own acceptance of failure.)

ASSIGNMENT: Read and Clips

For Monday, please read through page 91 in the National Geographic Photography Field Guide, we'll be discussing that material over the next week or so.

Also, by 7 p.m. Sunday, please email me links to three photos: one which you think is a strong news photo, one which you think is a poor news photo and one that you have a question about. Please give me a sentence on why you chose each image.

And welcome to the class, it's going to be a fun ride.

Three days

Syllabus is up, will anyone look? Will we have any real journalists in the class?

Four Days

Curious if any JOUR3610 students for the spring semester have found this yet ... the new syllabus should be up by day's end. 

Five Days

The countdown continues.

Lab Hours for the End of the Semester

Lab Hours:

Monday, December 8 - 3:30-6:30
Tuesday, December 9 - 9-5
Wednesday, December 10 - 9-5
Thursday, December 11 - 9-5
Friday, December 12 - 9-5 (3710 deadline)
Monday, December 15 - 9-5 (3610 deadline)

Equipment must be turned in with your portfolio.

Lab Hours

A reminder that the lab will only be open on Thursday, October 30, from 1:45-4:30 p.m. On Tuesday, November 4, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Your photo story images are due by 4:30.)

The OTHER Blog

As a reminder, there's another blog I run for all photojournalists, particularly students - the UGA Photojournalism blog. It has info on industry news, local events, tips and tricks of the trade - including info on Thursday night's speaker.

Lab Hours

Lab hours through the end of the semester:

• Wednesday, April 23 - 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday, April 24 - 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• Friday, April 25 - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, April 28 - 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 29 - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 30 - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Thursday, May 1 - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Friday, May 2 - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Deadline is at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 2. No exceptions - if your completed portfolio is not turned in by 5 p.m. on May 2, it will not be accepted. The clock on computer 0 will be the time standard used; time will be counted down throughout the day on Friday. Camera kits need to be returned with the portfolio.

Multimedia Handouts

Have posted the multimedia handouts on the class web site, also available here.

Assignment: Clips, Light Redo and Portrait

For Wednesday, March 5, please collect five clips, one each of general news, spot news, feature, portrait and sports images. Look for the best examples of each.

For Friday, March 7, have your light redo on the server by 5 p.m.

For Wednesday, March 19, the clips will be on portraits - one great one, one bad one, one you have questions about.

For Friday, March 21, you need to have an environmental portrait on the server by 5 p.m. You choose who this is and you have total control over how this comes together - location, pose, clothing, time, light, etc. Find someone newsworthy and then show us them clearly in their (newsworthy) environment.

How do you define newsworthy? Write the lead graf in your head for the news story, would that play on the front page of the Red and Black?

No Clips for Wednesday, Feb. 27

No need to bring in clips this week, will post requirements for next week's on Wednesday.

Remember to have your Campus Scene photo on the server by 5 p.m. on Friday. Also be sure to bring your camera to all classes this week, we may do some in-class shooting exercises.

ASSIGNMENT: Campus Scene

DUE: Friday, Feb. 29 at 5 p.m. (for review in class on Monday, March 3)

Sometimes called feature photos or enterprise photos, these are stand-alone images that can really get to the heart of a community. They tell smaller stories, slices of life and there are some photographers who are absolute masters at these.

There are two ways of approaching this: wandering and hunting. The former is the more common and less successful way of doing this. You wander around, hoping something interesting just happens to happen right in front of you.

Yeah, it's a very low percentage way of getting good feature photos.

The better way is what David Labelle refers to as hunting (he even wrote two books on it that are amazingly good). It's about planning ahead, knowing where you're going to find great moments, great stories. It involves reading everything and talking to everyone. And leaving your business card with everybody you meet, asking them to call you.

So, your assignment: One amazingly great photo from this campus. Tell me a story, share a piece of someone's life, in just one frame. This is all about moment.


Somethings to look at for more ideas:

The National Press Photographers Association runs an annual Best of Photojournalism competition where there is an Enterprise category.

The University of Missouri runs the Pictures of the Year competition and they have a Feature Picture category you can browse though. (Although that first photo is more of a Spot News image than a Feature, to me.)

ASSIGNMENT: Light

Due on the server by 5 p.m. on Friday, February 22: One photo that shows the beauty of light.

PLEASE NOTE: Set the White Balance to the Sun setting ("WB" button on the back of camera, rotate dial from AWB to the sun icon) - or else all your beautiful color will get wiped out.

Remember we shoot news photos - you need to be thinking about what types of images newspapers run. People and moments are needed.

Clips for Wednesday, February 20, should be one each of hard light, soft light and diffused light.

Assignment: Reading

Please read pages 134-159 and 174-253 in the National Geographic book for Wednesday. (And bring your clips in from last week.)

Found: Blue Notebook

In the lab after Wednesday's class. If it's yours, let me know. I'll be in my office Thursday morning, in the lab between 11 and noon.

Assignment: Wednesday Clips

For Wednesday, Jan. 30, please bring in seven clips hitting the following things we discussed in class:

• Rule of Thirds
• Leading Lines
• Framing
• Filling the Frame
• Use of Negative Space
• Shallow Depth of Field
• Extensive Depth of Field