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The award is not the reward

First place Feature Photograph (Category D) Paulson the boxer 
looks disappointed as he and owners Patrick and Valorie Thompson 
depart the rained-out 2009 Kiwanis Ogeechee Fair Parade on 
Main Street.

I was in Jekyll Island this past Friday. That was the date and location of the 2010 Georgia Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet. And I won a few awards for work submitted by my boss to the contest. I'm not alone, though. Our staff did really well all around for the year 2009. The Herald won Best Web Site in the daily newspaper category and was the first place winner for General Excellence in category D (under 8,000 circulation).

It's nice to be recognized by your peers for a job well done, and the banquet is a good opportunity to rub elbows and bond with other journalists in the state.

Sometimes, I think it's useful to put awards in perspective, though. Someone recently e-mailed me a quote from the book God Never Blinks by Cleveland (OH) Plain Dealer columnist Regina Brett:

"... If the readers don't break you, the annual ritual of journalism awards will. Every year editors submit your work for writing contests. You don'twant to care about the awards, but everybody does. The news business attracts
people with twisted egos. Newsrooms are full of egomaniacs
with inferioritycomplexes. We have to be great or else we are
nothing."

Granted, I don't have experience, other than on a freelance basis, working in the newsroom of a major metro daily newspaper. It's not hard to imagine, however, the clash of pressure and egos. And I would never suggest that awards don't mean something to journalists. Awards mean additional exposure and recognition that can lead to career advancement. But I think the characterization of journalists as egomaniacs might be overstating things a bit.

The field of journalism runs the gamut of humanity, from sociopathic egotists to philanthropic saints. Most of us are somewhere in-between, just like every other profession.

First Place Photo Essay

(Category D)

Have I known journalists with big egos? Of course. Have I known photographers that shoot for awards? Sure I have. But I have also heard some readers accuse journalists of exploiting subjects for the purpose of winning awards and making gobs of money, especially when the subject involves death or tragedy. In this case, I have to speak up.

I can tell you, for one thing, it's sure not money that motivates most journalists. If the public saw the salaries that most journalists make, they would laugh – or cry. Twenty Pulitzer Prize winners are awarded $10,000 each annually. Only 2 of the categories are awarded to photographers. While 10 Grand is nothing to sneeze at, winning perhaps the most prestigious and well-known award for journalism in this country isn't going to make you financially independent. No, you don't enter this field for the money.

Do major awards feed the ego? Sure they can. But if you peruse galleries of past award winners and read interviews with the winners, I think you'll find that the subjects are intimately meaningful to those photographers. Subjects or topics they feel need exposure and discussion. The award itself isn't nearly as important to these photojournalists as the exposure. Not exposure for themselves, but rather exposure for their subjects or topics.

Awards are nice. Sometimes, they're great. But my experience tells me that most journalists are not primarily motivated by winning awards. The news media is frequently vilified and criticized by the public at large – for our egos, for our bias – regardless of the awards. Brett goes on to say:

"I found the secret to complete freedom from gossip, judgment, criticism, doubt, and the opinions of others.
Humility."

There's plenty about this business to keep us humble. Fact is, most of us won't go on to win major awards. Lots of people leave the profession for more lucrative and less stressful occupations. I think the reason most of us choose this career, and stay in it,  is because we have a talent – be it writing, photography, etc – that can be used to benefit others. I wrote a blog, Now being served: Awareness, a while back about this very topic. I think most people who enter the field of journalism have a need to share, above all else.

First Place News Photograph (Category D) Major General William 

T. Nesbitt, Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard, 

presents the flag which adorned the casket of National Guard Sgt. 

Brock Chavers to his wife, Minnie, and his two children during 

Chavers' interment at Bulloch Memorial Gardens.

Scott Bryant, award-winning photographer.

I can't help but cringe a little every time I hear that. When I think of award-winning photographers, I think of folks like fellow Western Kentucky University alumnus Rick Loomis of the Los Angeles Times, or Carol Guzy of the Washington Post, or Clarence Williams, whom I once worked with at a weekly newspaper in Northern Virginia  just to name a few. I could go on and on, but I won't.

These are people who win Pulitzer Prizes and World Press Photo contests. Regular winners in the Best of Photojournalism or Pictures of the Year contests. They are the big dogs in the photojournalism world. They are the ones who sacrifice personal lives, immerse themselves in cultures and conditions that are often emotionally wrenching, and sometimes put themselves in harm's way to bring us images that enlighten us about the world we live in. More than ever, the world is our community.

The decisions we make can have global consequences, and we need to make decisions with our eyes wide open. We need these great photographers to help us see.

Me? Mentioned in that same breath? Award-winning?

I've made a life working at smaller newspapers, in smaller communities. Partly by choice. Partly by circumstance. I doubt my work will ever be considered for major national or international awards. But I'd still like to think that my chronicles of daily life here in this community have value. When my photos win awards, it means exposure for my community. That Statesboro and Bulloch County are too part of the human experience. That we live meaningful lives that are worthy of attention outside of our own community.

So, congratulations, Statesboro Herald readers, on your GPA awards!

Monday, June 21, 2010 | posted in , , | 3 comments [ More ]

You Tubing - expanding my multimedia horizons

In an effort to garner a few more eyes for myself, the Statesboro Herald, and for the community we cover, I recently opened a YouTube channel.

I opened up this channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/SBryantHerald) as an additional repository for my multi-media projects, primarily audio slideshows and some videos. The original slideshows are Adobe Flash-based, so they can't be viewed on iPhones and iPads. Of course, YouTube has non-Flash options for viewing, so hopefully everyone can check out the presentations, now.

My most recent show is up, and I am currently in the process of uploading some past projects, so check in and browse. I'll add new projects as I complete them, too.

I've gotten a few views. Hardly anything that might even remotely be considered "viral." Interestingly, the most popular piece, by far, has been a video I shot about lifeguards at Splash in the 'Boro last summer. In fact, LifeguardHub, a web site being developed to help lifeguards all around the world connect asked if they could post it on their Facebook Fan Page and their Twitter feed.

Of course, you can always bookmark the Herald's Audio Slideshows page and view the original Flash-based presentations for the best image quality.

Also, please feel free to leave comments. And I am always looking for story ideas for multimedia projects. Any suggestions are welcome.

Monday, June 14, 2010 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

The importance of photo captions and the anatomy of a correction

Statesboro High School honor graduate Anissa Fetzer 

I screwed up.

Plain and simple. It was an honest mistake, but an avoidable one.

We just finished up graduation season. A couple of Saturdays ago, I had to cover all three Bulloch County public high school graduations in one day. It means shooting an insane amount of pictures and dashing around to get proper identifications for any pics that might get published.

Those IDs are mandatory. It's a non-negotiable professional standard for any photojournalist because proper captioning is elemental. Good captions are part of what set a real pro apart from the rest.

And I dropped the ball. Sometimes IDs are difficult to acquire, but the effort should always be made – if you're a pro. In most cases, that means approaching your subjects and asking them for their information. It's not always possible. While I was covering the first graduation ceremony, I noticed an ecstatic graduate, sobbing uncontrollably, shedding unmistakable tears of joy when she returned to her seat. I focused in with my telephoto zoom and was able to make several frames of a moment that I hoped would move our readers as much as I was moved. I was sure I had my lead picture for the next day's front page.

The problem? She was seated right smack dab in the middle of the seating area with a steady stream of graduates exiting the stage between me and her. Sometimes, I will approach – as stealthily as possible – a graduate at or near the end of a row to make sure I get the proper information. This was going to be a tough ID, though, because access was nearly impossible.

Darren Brinson, center, waves to family and friends.

Plan B. I moved to the other side of the arena where the teachers were seated and quietly approached. I whispered to a couple of them that I need some help. I pointed out the student I had photographed. Then I showed them the pictures on the LCD on my digital camera. One teacher said she didn't know her, but another said she thought she did and checked her program. She conferred with another teacher and asked a student at the end of the row. She gave me the name and I felt confident I got it right. Still, I intended to seek out the student after the ceremony to double check, but she disappeared into the crowd at the conclusion and I never was able to catch up with her.

That picture did end up running as lead on the front page, and all was well – until the graduate's mother called the paper on Tuesday. Great picture. Wrong name.

What should have been a keepsake front page for a graduate and her family turned out to be an embarrassment for myself and the Statesboro Herald. In the end, most of our readers will forgive the error. The picture still conveys an honest, story-telling emotional moment, but the accompanying information was inaccurate. And if you've been reading this blog at all, you know that I've been beating the accuracy drum when it comes to images. It's a mistake and it underscores the importance of photo captions.

Shouldn't a good picture speak for itself? Well, yes, to the extent that it can speak for itself. Photographs are a powerful means to communicate some things better than any other medium. Emotions, first and foremost. They can confirm reality of an event or situation, also. However, pictures often – if not most of the time – need a little help from words to best understand what they are communicating. Captions add information to help us place photographs in their proper context.

Ronnie Arline, center, conducts as Jarrell Robinson, left, 
auditions for Chelsea S. Waters, right, who's preparing 
to sing the national during Portal High School's 
Commencement at Hanner Fieldhouse. Robinson

wanted Waters to know he was there for her

- in case she needed help.

So what makes a good photo caption? It starts with the inclusion of certain basic information. One of the first things you learn in journalism and news writing is The Five Ws: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. They are basic questions a news story should answer. They are the starting point for a good photo caption, as well.

Photographs, as they are initially captured, don't lie. But they can mislead or misrepresent if the context in which they were taken is not made clear. Good captions can also expand on the understanding of a photograph. A quote, a fact, or a statistic can reinforce what the photograph is meant to convey.

Eye-track studies on readers tell us captions are extremely important. The older studies done on newspaper readers suggested most test subjects read photo captions before they read story text. Newer studies on web-reading habits are even more interesting, suggesting that story briefs and captions get eyes even before the photographs themselves. Because of that, captions become a critical measure of a publication's credibility . Captions count!

The photograph below, from Georgia Southern University's Spring Commencement, is an example how words and pictures can work together to tell a story within a story, and how it's relevant. A picture that ran on Mothers Day, no less.

Catherine Shirley gives daughter Beth Roakes, 24, a big hug at the conclusion of Georgia Southern University's Spring Commencement at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga. on Saturday, May 8, 2010. Roakes, an Information Systems major from Newnan, Ga., tricked out her graduation cap to thank her mother for putting her through college.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 | posted in , , | 1 comments [ More ]

Police in some states are arresting those videotaping their actions: an assault on YOUR First Amendment rights?

Are Cameras the New Guns? (via National Press Photographers Association)


This is disturbing, folks. Read the article linked above. Some states are now saying that it is illegal to video tape or record on-duty police officers, citing wiretapping or eavesdropping laws which state that all parties must consent to the recording.

The incidents are increasing and several have every bit the appearance of reprisals on the part of police since the arrests have happened well after the initial incidents. What's even more surprising is that state supreme courts are actually upholding the arrests and convictions. 

I teach a section on First Amendment rights and Press Law in my photojournalism class at Georgia Southern University, and I know for a fact that Federal courts have already ruled on this matter. In Smith v. City of Cumming, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled in 2000 that that citizens have a First Amendment right to videotape the conduct of police officers in public places. Further, that 
"The First Amendment protects the right to gather information about what public officials do on public property, and specifically, a right to record matters of public interest."

First Amendment rights are all too often framed in terms of "freedom of the press" – or in modern terms, the news media – in their freedom to gather and disseminate information. In the eyes of the law, the news media is not afforded any freedoms beyond that of every citizen. This is really about all of us. 

Part of my job is to witness and record public officials doing their duty. An elementary part of the job, in fact. I am happy to say that I have never photographed an incident of police abuse. I have seen overwhelmingly professional, sometimes downright heroic actions on the part of police officers.

Personally, I just can't understand the mentality of some who would hinder the efforts to bring to light the conduct of our public safety officers. Frankly, they don't get enough coverage for all the good things they do on the job, as opposed to the the cheesy things done on the side to garner positive publicity. They should want to be seen as both the professionals and the human beings they are.

On the other hand, police officers should want abuse of authority to be exposed and properly dealt with. That kind of conduct sullies and dishonors the entire profession, just as the conduct of a few unethical journalists compromises the credibility of the rest of us.

Seriously, can anyone make a rational case that recording the actions of public officials on public property is NOT in the public interest? 

Seriously?

What do you think?



Thursday, June 3, 2010 | posted in , , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

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