National Geographic and the art of photograhy

Great words and images from some of the best 
photographers today.

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"If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front 
 of better stuff." Brilliant!

41 Mega Pixels and press photography

All photographers carry phones along with all their camera equipment but how long before the phone is the only thing we will carry?

As well as Nokia, companies like Samsung are embracing the convergence of cameras and phones.

With Nokia's new 41 Mega Pixel camera / phone it's only a matter of time before a phone is the only thing we will use to shoot, sort, caption and upload our images to the web or agency.
The quality of the images coming from a phone like the Nokia is of course the determining factor.

Here is a link to the Nokia website and the possible future of 
media / press photography.

 http://www.nokia.com/global/experience/photography/

Shooting at the TIFF

                   Short story about the Toronto Film Festival photographer
                   Jeff Vespa.  

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2013/09/09/official_photographer_jeff_vespa_shoots_scores_at_tiff.html

The Imaging World is Changing

When Reuters, one of North America's largest picture agency, starts to let photographers go, you know the world of professional photography is changing.

Is it a creative change? Not quite, according to Toronto-based freelancer and Reuters photographer, Jon Blacker. It's a business decision made by Reuters. Strictly business.

While I can't argue with a business decision made by, and for Reuters, I can't help but feel for the photographers who have contributed their best work to Reuters, and who are now affected by this wonderful "business decision".

Even though professional photographers are resourceful, I can't see all of these sports-only photographers moving to strictly news. And that means Canadian jobs are lost.

http://petapixel.com/2013/08/24/reuters-ditches-north-american-sports-photogs-strikes-deal-with-usa-today/#more-121414

The price of Twitter.

When a tornado drops down in Ontario, that's a news story to be sure. But when every single image posted in a slide show of that story is from a Twitter feed, today that's not much of a story. Or does anyone really care that all of the images come from Twitter?

I can remember as a young photographer coming across a fire at an apartment building. As the fire department had just started to get the fire under control, I felt it would be okay for me to take photos of the blaze. As soon as I had images that I thought the local paper might use, I headed out. My local paper did use two of the images and I got paid for both. That's right! I got paid to take pictures of a news event!

Now my point is, how many of those images of the tornado used from Twitter were paid for by the news source? Some of them? All of them? Or is it what I think the total money spent for these news images. Zero!

As long as people are happy just to see their images on the web and not get paid for them, and editors do not have to pay for images, your local photo-journalist is out of work.

Free is the best price I have ever come across to be sure...but it won't pay the rent.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/photos/tornadoes-spotted-in-ontario-slideshow/another-pic-of-the-arthur-tornado-onstorm-tornado-pic-twitter-com-wac5l1k8dz-photo-1375970615471.html

Freedom of the press... kind of.

Here's an interesting link about freedom of the press in Canada. Even if the story is about anyone who holds a camera and feels the need to video a local news event.

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/07/28/freedom_to_photograph_under_threat.html

You're under arrest... for what?

Another troubling story about photographers just doing their jobs and getting arrested for doing so. Again, not a Canadian incident but this kind of thing is happening everywhere.
Click on the link and after read some of the stories at the side of the page.

http://petapixel.com/2013/07/16/detroit-newspaper-photographer-arrested-while-covering-police-action/#more-117604