Last year, I set a precedent by creating a narrated end-of-the-year audio slideshow. Rather than doing a simple clicky-clicky "Best Pics of 2008" slideshow with captions, I thought I'd try to enlighten our readers a little bit about what I do and why I do it. The result was a 7-minute saga, but our readers seemed to respond positively to it.
This year, I may have gone overboard, but I hope I created something worthwhile. So if you have 10 minutes (Maybe 12 minutes if you count time for the show to load up enough to play without interruption), let me be your witness to 2009 in Statesboro and Bulloch County.
Go to slideshow
The Assignment: a business story on how the county and city deal with holiday trash.
The Problem: The assigned recycling center had been cleaned up. Neat as a pin, as a matter of fact. Tidily stacked recyclables. Not a stray spec. Nothing to photograph, and deadline is an hour away.
The Solution: A frantic trip to the City/County transfer center/landfill ... and there it was! Like a beacon. A weird, sad lawn ornament-of-a-horse decorated for Christmas, sent to oblivion but preserved atop a dumpster by some sanitation worker with a sense of humor (I think). A gift to me, a photojournalist desperate for anything to communicate the content of this story.
Thank you sanitation department, 1) for being so efficient and prompt (almost too much so!), and 2) for saving my skin by leaving an odd-but-fortuitous symbol to share with our readers.
Just thought this was fun. Not running in tomorrow's paper, but I think we can find some space for it sometime this week.
Georgia Southern ladies' basketball fan Wes Bonner shows some Christmas spirit as well as a soft touch from three-point range while participating in the Subway Shootout during a timeout at Monday's game against Kennesaw State at Hanner Fieldhouse. Bonner dresses as Santa Claus this time of year for his medical sales job. "The kids like it, so I thought I'd spread a little joy here tonight."
Monday, December 21, 2009
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"Okay, everybody hold still!" You're supposed to pose for the camera, right?
I have to deal with disappointment all the time when potential subjects see me lift my camera to my eye, then start hamming it up and saying "Put my picture in the paper!" Or, sometimes worse, ask me "What do you want me to do?"
Well, my typical response to the first scenario is to simply drop the camera from my eye and walk away. My response to the second query is often to tell them "Be yourself and pretend like I'm not even here."
Why the cold shoulder to people excited about the possibility of being published in their local newspaper? Well, it's nothing personal. It has to do with how I see my role as a photojournalist. My job is not to create family-style photo albums or Facebook-like galleries. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that. Those kinds of photographs create wonderful memories. I shoot plenty of snapshots of family and friends (although not enough if you ask them!)
However, my goal as a photojournalist is to always, whenever possible, capture and present honest, accurate moments that give our citizens a little deeper understanding and appreciation of their community -- not moments created for the benefit of my camera.
It's frequently a tall order, and in the purest sense, unattainable. Most of the time, my subjects are completely aware of my presence. But I strive to keep my influence on my subjects' behavior to an absolute minimum, and I never direct them how to act unless I am openly trying to create an obvious portrait - obvious to both the subject and the photographs' viewers.
Staged photographs are a serious no-no. I never ask subjects to re-create a moment I may have missed, even though they sometimes offer to. Representing a staged moment as a real one would be dishonest and deceiving to our readers. If I miss something - and it happens - I try to capture another moment that helps in understanding the story. If that fails, then, like I said, I will create an obvious portrait that also, hopefully, helps readers to understand the story.
So how do I go about capturing honest moments from subjects who are aware - sometimes painfully - of my presence? Persistence and patience, mostly. Long telephoto lenses can help, since they allow you to stay back and work more inconspicuously. But sometimes wide angle lenses give you a more interesting perspective, allow for greater depth-of-field, and give you a more intimate feeling as a viewer. In that case, you have to take the time to make your subjects comfortable with your presence and gain their trust.
One of the best examples I can think of comes from covering the last day of the school year back in May. Mill Creek Elementary School was the venue. Part of the story was to capture the principal's last day before moving on to head up Southeast Bulloch High School. I followed him around for a bit, but broke away to explore other school activities. I happened upon a classroom full of rambunctious fifth-grade girls. They were celebrating their last day in elementary school before moving on to middle school. I felt like this was a good angle to explore, so I stayed in the classroom for a good while.
As children are prone to do, many of them made their requests to be in the newspaper and made silly poses. That was fine, but I informed them that I couldn't publish those pictures. After explaining why, the girls started to go back to the business of celebrating. One of their activities included karaoke, and their performances, at first, were clearly for my camera. But again, I stayed with the subjects and began photographing the girls watching the performances because their reactions were story-telling.
After some time passed, the girls began to be more natural, eventually ignoring my presence and the click of my shutter. After hundreds of frames, the sound became background noise. As the end of the school day approached, the girls started to become emotional, realizing that some of their classmates would be going to different schools. Tears and hugs started pouring forth, and it was like I wasn't there, even though I continued to make photographs. The story had taken a different turn, one of a much more intimate nature, but a completely honest one. Human experience encompasses so much more than smiling faces and cute poses.
By staying with a subject and spending the time to develop just a little trust, I was able to go beyond the obvious. It wasn't a completely unique moment - it's one most of us have experienced at one time or another. But it was a touching alternative to the many cliche pictures I have taken on the last day of school over the years.
So, when you see me coming with my gear, don't start posing. Save those for your Facebook pages. Don't ask me "What do you want me to do?" Be yourself. Let me share something about who you really are. It's those kinds of moments that will have real value to our community.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
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UGa photojournalism students document professionals at work
My good friend Mark Johnson teaches photojournalism at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. As one of their projects, he has his advanced photojournalism students shadow a professional photojournalist and create a "day in the life" multimedia slideshow. I thought I'd share a couple of examples of their work so a small voice visitors can learn along with the students.
Student Jake Daniels followed Miami Herald staff photographer Patrick Ferrell. Ferrell is the latest recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for his photographs of the people of Haiti in the tragic aftermath of back-to-back hurricanes. His work and his words carry a lot of weight. Listen carefully to his account of the experience, and you might begin to understand how and why photographers make pictures of such horrific events.
WARNING: Many of these pictures are of a graphic nature and may be upsetting. They should be. Many people died, including a lot of children. But Ferrell's photos gave a voice to people who desperately needed one.
Daniels' classmate Lindsay Dobras shadowed yours truly. I can't say her experience fits the headline of this post, but I enjoyed our time together and I hope she learned some things. To view her slideshow, click here: A Day in the life with Scott Bryant.
Good job Linsday, but it still feels weird being on the other side of the camera!
If you're interested in seeing more of the students' work, click here: Advanced Photojournalism. Then click on the names to view their work. The "Day in the Life" slideshows are featured on the "November 17, 2009" link.
Monday, December 14, 2009
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Still doing your holiday shopping, and you've bought a camera for a love one or yourself? Spend an extra $10 for the perfect compliment. My college photojournalism professor, David LaBelle, recently published a book titled "I don't want to know all the technical stuff ... I just want to shoot pictures."
Today's digital cameras have made photography more simple, and more complicated, than ever. All those bells and whistles can make your head spin. But the basics of good photography remain the same: timing, light, and composition, or TLC. In very simple-to-understand terms, Dave will walk you through the basics and help you learn what the pros already know. It doesn't matter if you're shooting with a $3 disposable camera or $1000+ model. Like Dave says, "Good people make good pictures, not good cameras."
You can order the book from Dave's "The Great Picture Hunt" web site, or find it on Amazon. Best $10 you can spend on a budding photographer.
See Dave talk about the basics on Fox 12 TV in Boise, ID:
There are certain assignments that make most photojournalists groan when they come across the picture desk. It's not that we're above photographing certain subjects. Rather, it's that we care and want to use the medium to it's best advantage. Space is tight in most publications these days, so publishing photographs that are purely informational really isn't the best way to use that precious space. And sometimes the information recorded really isn't very interesting or relevant.
Not every assignment is going to produce award-winning photographs, and sometimes we photograph certain events to foster relationships with important organizations in the community. But settling for lackluster or cliche photographs is usually the result of a lack of time before publication, a lack of planning, or editors that just don't understand how photographs communicate.
One of the most egregious offending assignments is what we call the "Grip and Grin." I'm sure we've all seen them: check presentations, plaque passings, award ceremonies, ground breakings, people shaking hands and smiling for the camera, etc. Why so offensive? Outside of the people in the photographs, their families and friends, they have very little value to 99.9% of our readers. You have to read the text if you want to find out why people are smiling as they shake hands, exchange objects, or pretend to shovel dirt with spray-painted shovels. And a good photograph should communicate something without having to read the text.
We publish many of these kinds of photographs at the Statesboro Herald. Why? Well, most of them are submitted by people in the community because organizations want people to be aware of their contributions, and our small news staff simply can't cover every event. And the contributions are newsworthy. I would encourage our contributors to explore ways to shoot different kinds of pictures as an alternative to the standard Grip and Grin. For example, if someone is receiving an award for their charitable works, photograph them doing their charitable activities. Instead of lining them up and posing them, perhaps make candid photographs or a portrait of the recipient that reveals something of his or her personality -- don't stand them up against a wall and photograph him or her with their plaque. If some organization is making a donation, show us how the money or goods are being distributed. If a new building is being built, show us pictures of the people who will benefit or send us a picture of an artist's rendering of the proposed building.
If I have more time, I talk to the recipient after the ceremony and see if I can photograph them in their environment. I did this recently with the Farm Family of the Year. They were gracious and let me spend some time with them at their farm after the luncheon. The result was a family portrait that communicated what they did for a living for the next day's paper, and I was also able to create a multimedia slide show for our web site.
Grip and Grin ceremonies can be newsworthy because they help us learn about our communities. But the resulting photographs usually aren't particularly interesting or instructive. However, there are always issues and events behind and leading up to the ceremonies, and those can produce newsworthy pictures. So, citizens, share the stories behind the Grip and Grins. That's what I want to photograph!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
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"Angle" is a term commonly seen and heard in journalism. Generally, when we think of stories and words, angle is the focus of, or approach to, a story: So-and-so wrote her story from a human-interest angle.
In photography, angle is a more literal term, usually describing the physical perspective from the photographer's point-of-view. Angles are extremely important. Perspective can change the way we feel about a subject. A picture from below can make a subject seem more powerful. A picture from above can make a subject seem more vulnerable. When we view a subject eye-to-eye, we see the subject as a peer and can make emotional connections.
Sometimes people chuckle when they see me lying prone with my face pressed against the floor or ground, or climbing a tree or ladder with my cameras dangling precariously. Fact is, most of us view the world around us from a standing or seated position. The world looks different from ground level or from high above. When photographers explore different angles, it allows viewers to see things in new and interesting ways.
Trying different angles is a great way to clean up busy backgrounds that can distract from your subject, too. Sometimes moving a few inches to the left or right, bending those knees, or stepping up on a chair can make the difference between a busy, confusing photograph and one that really communicates your intent.
So all you budding photographers, don't wear your good clothes when you're shooting -- it's all about the angles!
Monday, December 7, 2009
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"Images ... represent a time capsule, a link to the past. To hold an image and look into the soldier's eyes, just as he was the day it was taken, always gives me goose bumps."
These are the words of David Wynn Vaughan, whose collection of Confederate Civil War soldier photographs are currently on display at the Georgia Southern University Museum in the "Portraits in Gray" photography exhibition. In fact, his quote is displayed on one of the exhibit panels and serves as a reminder of the power of photography to make connections, even with those long gone.
And the earliest photographic technology makes this possible. We would like to think that modern technology has made photography better. That today's images are superior to those made in the past. But it's simply not true. Digital photography has made the medium more accessable than ever. No doubt. But the quality of digital images simply isn't the same. The images reflect the medium - images today are simply a collection of ones and zeroes, a cold, digitized description of light and color processed from tiny electronic photosensors.
The old tin plates and paper photographs from the mid-Nineteenth Century somehow bring us closer to the source of those images - the people depicted in them. Not only are the images something tangible, something we can reach out and touch, but they are created directly from the light reflected from the source. The negative and the print were one in the same.
The original photos in "Portraits in Gray" are too precious to display in public. There is only one, under glass, to show what the oringinals looked like. Through the magic of digital enlargement and printing, we get to gaze into the eyes of people from nearly 150 years ago. Images made with digital cameras today lose detail as they are enlarged. The more they are enlarged, the softer and fuzzier they get. These photographs from another era, on the other hand, simply reveal their details, gloriously, under enlargement. It's a convergence of old and new technology. A convergence of past and present.Today, photographs are typically viewed on a computer screen or television set, or worse yet, as tiny images on a mobile phone. These display mediums make photographs a snap to share with friends and family, or with people all over the world. But they are simply incapable of reproducing the detail on display at the Georgia Southern Museum.
If you ever get the chance, try to extract yourselves from your digital devices and mosey into a gallery to view some photographs from the past. The details of a Civil War soldier's face and uniform. The incredible range of tones in an artfully printed photograph by Ansel Adams, reflecting the great American landscapes. The faces and scenes from the Great Depression produced by photographers working for the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s.
You'll be amazed at what you have been missing on your iPhone or your Facebook gallery.
As is custom at these Rotary meetings, a member chooses a song for everyone to sing while kicking off proceedings. "You Are My Sunshine" was the song of choice, and it was dedicated to Grube and his wife Kathryn. And they joined right in with the singalong.
President Grube is leaving his post under a bit of a cloud. The firing of a football coach as one of his last official acts at a college like Georgia Southern is always bound to create a degree of controversy, warranted or not. But I chose to present a picture that speaks to the first couple's relationship -- a relationship that has been an asset to both the university and the community.
That little bit of emotional connection again elevates this picture above the mostly informational ones taken at the event. Connections: that's the goal, always.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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My blog is intended chiefly for the Herald's local audience, but at times I'd like to use this forum to raise our citizens' awareness about great photojournalism by posting links and embedding media.
This is a presentation by National Geographic Director of Photography and Visuals David Griffin. National Geographic remains one of the best sources to see truly great photography, and no one sets the bar higher for their standards. Here, Griffin demonstrates the power of still photography in its ability to make connections between people and the world around them. It lasts almost 15 minutes, but it's well worth the time. I'm inspired every time I view it and use it as an introduction to my photojournalism class at Georgia Southern University.
On a daily basis, I try go beyond the superficial whenever I'm shooting an assignment for the Herald. It's a high bar, indeed, and my level of success varies greatly. But it's a great standard to strive for.
Audio Slideshow:
Meet the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee 2009 Farm Family of the Year.
(Click on lower right-hand corner of slideshow for full-screen view)
Today I made photographs at the local food bank as they distributed food for Thanksgiving. The food bank required paperwork from the DFCS office for distribution, and I missed the Tuesday rush without realizing that DFCS would be closed on Wednesday. I was worried I wouldn't be able to make pictures that showed both food bank volunteers and the people they service. So I began shooting volunteers counting and sorting donations. Soon, a woman came in and was able to get an emergency Thanksgiving dinner package for her family, and allowed me to photograph her as volunteers filled her box. Everyone went about their tasks in a friendly but business-like manner. The photos weren't extraordinary, but they would function well enough to support the story.
I then turned my attention to photographing a volunteer, a food bank board member, as he began wheeling out donated bread to church members for distribution when the recipient of the above-mentioned meal returned for her pumpkin pie. As she stepped back out, she waved to the volunteer and thanked him for her meal.
It won't be an award-winning photograph, but I feel that little gesture and her smile elevated the photograph above the others, which were of a basic informational nature.
On Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for people who may needy or down-and-out, but still allow me to share just a little of their story with my photographs. They don't have to do it, and I try to be respectful if they choose not to be photographed. But we learn so much more when we can put faces on issues that affect our communities.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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What does an overworked news photographer do in his/her sporadic off-hours? This one tends to put the camera down, most of the time.
That might surprise some. Don't we live and breath photography? Yes, and no. After lugging around one's equipment for 40+ hours a week, you like to get a breather. It keeps you fresh, and a fresh eye is vital. You're always looking at light and imagining what everything might look like through the viewfinder, but sometimes you simply need a rest.
Of course, that doesn't stop family and friends from designating you as the "official" photographer for events and get-togethers. And you try to oblige. I try to leave my work gear at home. Tossing a point-and-shoot camera in the pocket is more handy.
Some photographers really do live and breath with their cameras everywhere they go. They have personal projects. Favorite subjects not covered typically on the job. Maybe I'm different. I'm not a particularly good landscape photographer. I used to enjoy photographing musicians performing, but the late hours cut into family time. Not surprisingly, the subject of most of my off-hours photography is my son. I try to imagine what the world must look like through the eyes of a two-year-old. It's a pretty good approach for a photographer, when back on the job.
"Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes one photograph, or a group of them, can lure our sense of awareness."
Photojournalist W. Eugene Smith said this. This is what I believe. It's what I live by. I usually prefer to let my photographs speak for themselves, but I've decided to give them an additional voice -- my voice.
Let's see where this goes.
Visitors can comment on any of the individual posts, but this page is dedicated to your input.
Let us know what you are thinking. Got suggestions or criticisms? Tell us about your events and story ideas. We want your input.
You can always e-mail Scott, as well.
This page is dedicated to taking reader questions.
Most anything is fair game. General photography questions or requests for tips. Photojournalism. Professional ethics. Industry trends.
I will answer most questions directly in the comments, but I may respond to some with separate posts if I think there might be wide interest.
You may also directly e-mail me.
is a frequently misunderstood profession.
We are not the paparazzi. While photojournalists often have to photograph famous people, we do not stalk our subjects, provoke them, and then sell the photographs to the highest bidder. We do attempt to fade into the background and be unobserved ourselves. Not to steal moments in a voyeuristic way. Rather to get out of the way and let life's honest moments present themselves. A photojournalist is an observer. And a recorder. And a sharer.
One could describe a photojournalist as a reporter, and photography is his or her medium, instead of words. But that would be inadequate, as well.
Reporting is the act of gathering information and presenting it to an audience. Journalism, on the other hand, is more complex. Reporting is part of it, but journalism requires the analysis of information, then breaking it down, sorting through it, and presenting it in a compelling and relevant way for audiences. And the whole process is guided by an ethical code including the concepts of fairness and accuracy. The viability of information must be confirmed and its meanfulness should be established.
In this sense, the mission of the photojournalist is the same as his word-plying brethren, be it the spoken or written word. The standards are the same: citizens must be able to trust that the pictures they see are fair and accurate representations of the content depicted.
One question I am often asked is “Do you write stories, too, or are you just a photographer?”
It’s evidence of a word-centric society that doesn’t realize just how important visual communication is becoming in the modern world. Since its inception, photography has always played an important role in documenting the world, but more and more, society is bombarded with images meant to communicate. However, we are often unaware or ambivalent about the motivation behind the images, and we tend to lump them all together.
Most people view photography in a rather casual way. You know, the “Kodak Moment,” with people smiling and acting silly for the camera. Warm, fuzzy moments. But still photography is one of our most effective mediums for communication, even in today’s world of viral videos and endless blogs.
The way photographs depict frozen moments in time is extremely powerful. In photographs, moments are no longer fleeting. They stare us in the face and allows us to examine their messages in great detail. That characteristic creates a direct link to our primal emotions like no other medium of communication. A great photograph is something that you feel. Something that hits you in the gut, not in the head.
That emotional link offers an opportunity to make connections between the viewers of photographs and their subjects. The connection may be with those who live in abject poverty halfway across the world, or the victims of war or abuse. It could be with characters or personalities right here in our own community. Sometimes a connection is as simple as seeing a mother cradle her child at a local festival.
We can see ourselves in other people. Most emotions are universal, regardless of culture or personal beliefs.
The ability to make connections and see beyond the superficial level is what makes photography a powerful tool for communication, whether viewed in a newspaper, in a magazine, on your television, or on your computer screen.
After attending Western Kentucky University as a photojournalism major, he has worked most of his adult life as a newspaper photojournalist, starting at community weekly newspapers in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. before spending twelve years on the staff of the Savannah (Ga.) Morning News.
In 2005, Scott married Kathryn Neville, a lifelong resident of Bulloch County and alumnus of Georgia Southern University, and now employed by GSU. Near the end of 2006, he was offered an opportunity to join the staff of the Herald and continue practicing his craft in his adopted home community.
While many in his profession have scoured the globe, producing work of great social importance, Scott has found his niche producing visual chronicles of life in Statesboro, Ga. and surrounding Bulloch County. Sometimes those photographs win awards. But the ultimate goal is to help people remember and reflect on people, events, and issues in the community, and hopefully to create conversation and make connections with one another.
Being a one-man photo staff has advantages and disadvantages. The position offers an unique opportunity to have significant input into the content of the Statesboro Herald and statesboroherald.com. It allows a certain amount of freedom to pursue stories from a personal point-of-view. There is an amount of personal pride that comes from belonging to the community, to be its eyes and sometimes ears with today’s multimedia presentations. But with that responsibility comes the realization that one person can do only so much. There are simply too many stories to pursue, too many events that happen concurrently.
So if Scott can’t make it to your event, don’t take it personally. Many events are the result or culmination of ongoing endeavors or issues which are frequently more worthy of photographing than the event itself. So please feel free to share your stories and information.
is Statesboro Herald staff photographer Scott Bryant’s blog.
Mass communications in the era of the internet is a two-way street. Journalists are now seeking more interpersonal communication with their audiences. Hopefully, this blog will offer statesboroherald.com users an opportunity to interact with their local paper’s photojournalist and provide feedback and conversation.
Scott hopes to reach out and provide insight about his job and his mission to help his community reflect and learn about itself through photography. Sometimes he may bring to light larger issues about the profession of photojournalism. Other times, he may muse about the stories behind the photographs that are published, or sometimes unpublished. He loves photography, and could post tips about the medium he loves. There might even be a rant, here and there.
The blog gets its name from great photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, who once said
“Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes one photograph, or a group of them, can lure our sense of awareness.”Smith, first known for his intense photographs of WWII in the Pacific Theater, virtually created the modern photo essay in his work for Life magazine in the 1940s and 1950s. He was obsessive in his pursuit to document the human condition through pictures and words, uncompromising in his professional standards and idealism, and notoriously difficult to work with. He once took a three-week assignment to document the city of Pittsburgh in 100 photographs and turned it into a three-year crusade that produced over 20,000 images. The resulting work was too unwieldy to ever publish with Smith’s stipulations. Despite his fanatical and frequently self-destructive behavior, Smith set a standard of compassionate and positive photography for all later generations of photojournalists.
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