From Photographer to Photojournalist


Verdict: It put the journalism back in photojournalism.

By Lindsay Moore

Photo Manager


For me, the College Media Advisers convention was a success. Being new to the multifaceted world of journalism, there is a lot for me to learn. Up until now, I have considered myself a photographer, not a photojournalist. Key word: journalist. I had no idea what it takes to be a photojournalist and how important the journalist part of the word is. From the sessions I attended, I learned what it means to be a photojournalist as well as some helpful tips on professional life.


Yes, I admit it. Not every session I went to was the greatest. There were some that I had a hard time keeping my eyes open in, and a couple I waited unsuccessfully for something useful to write down. But all and all there were a few sessions that made a lasting impression on me.


“Why does this photo have six columns?” focused on image appropriateness and what it means to be a news photograph vs. a photo illustration. Steve Snyder from Houston Baptist University was informative and funny. He kept me interested as I tried to jot down as much information as possible. Looking back at my notes, I have realized how different contemporary photography is from photojournalism. When photography was first created, people used photographs to document the world around them. A photograph was seen as fact with no distortion to reality. Since post modernism, this ideal has changed. Especially with the digital format, photographers are now editing, cropping, cutting, pasting, layering and saturating everything. This manipulation is fine - for a photo illustration. But photojournalism - more specifically, news photography – has maintained the value of “tell it like it is.” Snyder explained that a news photographer’s “goal is to make the photograph look as it really is.”


One of the most important things that Snyder pointed out is that as photographers we cannot depend on the digital format. Photoshop can be our biggest crutch and our worst enemy. We could have the best photograph, with the most interesting subject and composition, but if we rely on Photoshop to fix our technical mistakes, we are asking for a death sentence. Having a background in film and art photography has made an easier transition for me from photographer to photojournalist. Although occasionally I am guilty of saying to myself “oh, I will just Photoshop that later,” I still hold on to those early 20th century technical and aesthetic values. Only now I am not only a photographer, I’m also a journalist.

Session: The ABC's of Web 2.0

Verdict: You better jump on the bandwagon if you aren't already there.



By Dori Zinn

Assistant Web Editor



It's unfortunate for me to have to say that two out of my three sessions on Thursday discussed media convergence (what we are, in fact, already doing with our Web site). But then at 8 a.m. this morning, I had another encounter with a motivational speaker, telling me what I need to do in order to be successful.



Thanks, we're way ahead of ya’, buddy.



There were good perks, however, that seemed to give me some insight on how to improve what already existed… my entire purpose for this trip.



Bryan Murley, from the Center for Innovation in College Media, said that employers specifically look for any multimedia exposure or experience possible in the hiring process. Over the last six months, Web exposure has dramatically increased to the point where no one has one specific job title anymore. Murley discussed that there is no such thing as the "not my job" excuse anymore. Everyone needs to be versatile to the point that the only reason someone doesn't do anything is because of pure laziness, not because they aren't familiar with how to do it.



Murley says that college newspapers need to get rid of that name: newspapers. We are now "media agencies," since we are continually incorporating every part of media in our news releases. If you haven't already, get television, radio, a Web site and anything else that incorporates media convergence.



A great thing Murley pointed out was that media is no longer a lecture, it is now more conversational. We no longer give or get our news by purely educating people. We write the same way we speak in order to have the humanistic aspect more appealing to our readers/listeners/viewers. Something we should all be doing is looking into improving what we already have, and using the resources that are available to us (especially the ones for free).



The best part about the session was finding out that it's possible to edit video on the web for free (kudos to Murley for sharing that with the world... or at least the 12 people that showed up to the session). Jumpcut.com is something I will be using in the future. Watch out Katie Couric. We're taking over the world.

Session: Bringing Sexy Back to the News Room

Verdict: Interesting, informative and inspiring.



By Michele Boyet & Dori Zinn

Media Business Manager, Assistant Web Editor



This session was great. Toni Albertson was a motivational speaker and her ideas were creative, informative and not too overbearing. Unlike other speakers today, Albertson actually had a personality and really knew what she was talking about. With years of experience in journalism, public relations and teaching, she had something to offer to both students and advisers.



One of the main ideas that Albertson stressed was the importance of protecting your journalism program and your paper from scary administrators and dwindling communication programs. The other idea she stressed was implementing media convergence to better your paper and help recruit new staffers. She discussed joining forces with the radio and TV stations as well as the business, computer technology and English departments. She also mentioned that you should consider your newspaper as a business.



If you missed out on the session today, we highly recommend that you check out Albertson's session tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. called "Revamping Journalism: a new model for journalism education."

Session: First Amendment Events: Go big or go home!

Verdict: Good information, but it may have been for the wrong crowd.



By Michele Boyet

Media Business Manager



First off I'd like to say that I fully support the First Amendment. That said, if you were looking for innovative and creative ways to celebrate the First Amendment on your campus, this session probably didn't benefit you too much. While what the student newspaper from Loyola Marymount University did was pretty cool, it probably wouldn't work at most public universities due to apathetic students and a lack of money. (Loyola is a private Jesuit University in Los Angeles, which happens to have a lot of funding). If spending big bucks to get hotshot speakers to come to your campus isn't your school's kinda’ thing, then this session may have left you with some questions.



If any of you attended the CMA convention in St. Louis this past October, there was a session about "exciting First Amendment events," which was cancelled. Instead of moving along to another session, I decided to throw away the cancelled signs and hold the session myself. I had a blast. I'd love to do it again.



While it may not have asnwered everyone's questions, I do need to give Loyola credit for the philanthropic aspect they added to their week of First Amendment awareness. The Loyolan had "I love the First Amendment" shirts made and sold them during their First Amendment week, donating all the proceeds to the Press Institute for Women in the Developing World, an international non-profit organization that trains women in developing countries to report and write news within their countries. If you can afford to have the shirts made, this is an awesome idea.



The biggest critique I had of this session is that they barely touched on how to get funding for the type of event they did. For a school like mine, this is a big concern. Also, students at my school - which is almost 85 percent commuter students - probably wouldn't care much about a bunch of speakers, mostly because they're pretty apathetic or really busy.


I was the student coordinator for a First Amendment event on my campus last year, and we tried to overcome this problem by being a little bit more interactive.



Our apathetic students only come out for one thing – free food. So in order to inspire them to learn about the First Amendment, we tempted their stomachs. At our First Amendment Free Food Festival students "theoretically" signed away their First Amendment rights for a chance to get from free grub. Once inside our hedged-off and gated spot we made sure that all five of your First Amendment rights were violated.


The event was a pretty big success. It has become a template for other schools around the country. Loyola even adapted the idea and added it to their First Amendment week. I'm also flying out to Houston to put on the same event at the University of Houston next September. Check out the slide show from the original event at www.collegemedia.org/images/stories/1AFFF.



And if you're interested in putting on a FAFFF at your school, e-mail me at mboyet@gmail.com. We might even have some money to give you as well as supplies and help to make this event successful at your school.

CMA Blog

Starting Thursday we'll be posting critiques on the sessions. It's our aim to call it like we see it at this year's CMA convention in New York City. We'll tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth...honest. Questions, comments and wisecracks are all welcome. We want to know what you think, too.