Thinking out loud: We need some new tricks

So here's a thought. When we were just starting out in multimedia a short 2 (3?) years ago, we were all giddy and excited and couldn't wait to play with our new toys. And very quickly we started experimenting and trying new things and after a short gestation period with the basics many of us started thinking about how we edit in four dimensions rather than just two, or three when it came to layout. All of a sudden we had Time to deal with, and that made everything a lot more interesting.

So we started doing fancy stuff like tiles, fades, cross-fades, pans, and then we got even fancier with split screens and flipbooks (or if you prefer a more avant guard, montages), but what since then?

It's like we're running out of tricks. Maybe it's just me, but I haven't seen anything new. When I started playing around I used all the basic film editing tricks I had picked up, and by the time everyone else was doing the basics I moved on to experiment with flipbooks, and when others started doing that, I had already started experimenting with split screens and selective crop-ins and other goodies.

I felt that each time I had managed to stay ahead of the curve and was trying something new, but now I'm just not seeing it. I'm still doing flipbooks and split screens and pans and whatnot, but now so is everyone else. It's like we've all run out of new tricks.

We're all doing the same thing, I mean EVERYONE is flipbooking today! And it's starting to get stale and homogenized.

I think that may be because we're still looking to film for our guide map. Perhaps it's time we stop looking to mimic everything that's come before and start creating.

We need some new tricks.

*Thinking out loud is where Shaminder just blabs about whatever pressing thought is on his mind.... so in other words it's just like Twitter, but he refuses to remember another pair of passwords and log into another program everyday. He also refuses to say 10-4 on the Nextel, but that's another story.

Organizing photos goes all Philip K. Dick

I don't write about technology often, I know, this coming from the guy that posts about video-hosting websites, new cameras, RAW processing and Microsoft's table computer thing, but honest I don't do it often, check!

Anywho I was looking at the Natchway speech from the TED awards again, and I saw this other video on the site for a software application called Photosynth, which presents us with a new way of organizing, manipulating and viewing digital images.



(They were recently acquired by Microsoft as well... It looks like Microsoft is positioning itself as a major player in digital imaging?)

Pretty amazing right?

I think it's cool to think about organizing and being able to move stuff around and arrange your files in a GUI that's both slick and fast, not to mention the amazingly innovative and revolutionary idea of, as its creator Blaise Aguera y Arcas calls it "creating hyperlinks between images" based on the content of those pictures. Which is like the Google Maps new local pictures tab (which got into some trouble) but ten times cooler!

Still not getting it?

Imagine all the pictures on Flickr of the Golden Gate bridge being combined to create a mosic of images rendered into a 3-D space that you as the user are free to move around, zoom in and out off, click on any point to see a real picture of that point, from that point and from virtually every angle allowing for you to generally direct your own unique navigational experience though the collection.

This is revolutionary and can change the way we store and call up information.

It creates a "collective memory" of the real world space and archives it for anyone looking to see it.

Think of it as a visual wiki (btw, if that term catches on, I coined it!)

I've seen some baby steps made into this area in journalism with data based multimedia, most notably Andrew DeVigal is steering some really intertesting experiments in this area at the New York Times, but after seeing Photosynth in action, it only hints at the potential and challenges us to go much further.

What I find really interesting

Now this is all new and as you can see, quite fascinating (for me) and "from the world of tomorrow!", but what I find to be really the most interesting thing is what's found at 1:42 of the video.

The video goes on to show how this technology is so developed for image processing and delivery, that it can not only store entire novels, but also newspapers; that can be zoomed in and out of and navigated from pages within a section or other sections all together within seconds. (Look just watch the video, I'm never going to do it justice by trying to describe it.)

My pal Ryan's been talking about e-Paper for a while and how it's going to replace printed newspapers, well, as much as I'll miss the smell of ink (maybe they can sell it in a mist?) and tearing out interesting articles, pictures, comics and ads that I'll want to place in my sketchbook or research more about (maybe e-Paper can come with del.icio.us.) I can't deny it.

E-paper is coming, assuming RSS and online delivery doesn't replace it as wi-fi comes to cell phones and everything from a PSP to TiVo to refrigerators with built-in screens (I've still got one on reserve Hanna ;) are starting to connect to the web and offer information everywhere anytime whenever.

I can see e-paper and something like photosynth combining and giving us the next newspaper, or newspaper 2.0 or whatever the techie marketers will call it.

What I find really-really interesting

Ok, that's what I find to be really fascinating, but what I find to be really-really fascinating is the new forms of multimedia we can produce with this technology on newspapers.

Yes folks, this is the most important part and the ideas that I think are relevent to our industry and to me as a photographer and new-media thinker.

Say we're sent out to cover another protest story (yes, another one) and we're looking for a new angle (just to challenge ourselves if nothing else) and of course if you're anything like me, you're thinking multimedia. So why not cover the protest and get all the killer pictures you always do (you're so good) and of course we'll get the ambient sounds and interviews (of course) but what about the presentation?

Many of us just throw it in soundslides or edit a video in Final Cut, Premier Pro or iMovie, but we never really think about presentation or what sort of interface the viewer will use to engage with our work.

Some of this can be caulked up to time constraints and impeding deadlines (I know every time I've done multimedia it's always been on my own time) but a larger reason is that everyone already at a paper is so busy trying to learn the new programs and tools used to make these new things that no one is thinking about how to show them off... because Flash is hard and many papers don't have multimedia editors (yet) to budget for these things.

So I'm looking at Photosynth and I'm thinking of that protest story and I'm getting excited thinking about all the possibilities.

Like rendering the photos into a 3-D environment and interviews could be mapped to the subjects with a picture of them where they were in the 3-D space when you spoke to them and then map the ambient sounds to their sources within the environment. Birds chirping in the tree, the plane flying over at the end of the street, the ding-dong of the cross walk sign, the wheels of the skateboard from that kid on the sidewalk...

This could allow letting people navigate their own way through the story and find interviews and story blocks and pictures in completely unique and innovative ways.

Copy from a story could show up in newspaper boxes, posters on walls could link to related stories, zooming out to a birds eye view could turn the scene into info graphics or other data-based multimedia).

And we can then take it one step further by inviting the public to submit their pictures from the event to further develop the archive of the collective memory.

How cool is that?

I know some folks on photo staffs will hear things like this and fear it, but I say embrace it. Embrace it before the kid fresh out of college (me) embraces it and comes into your newsroom.

Want more? Here's NASA's take on it.

There isn't any reason why we shouldn't be doing this.

Less pin-up, more set-up

I’ve never had cable TV before, but at my new place I’ve been watching it a bit and I’ve noticed there are a lot of advertisements with scantily clad women and commercials of models having their picture taken.

My roommate also buys a bunch of tuner magazines and these always have scantily clad women all over them as well.

A quick search for “model shoot” on Google’s video search just now, turned up pages of segments with models having their pictures taken with flashes popping and bad music playing.

Where am I going with this?

You know what I’d like to see, less of the scantily clad women, bad music and random beeps and flashes and more of the behind the scenes set-up from the photographers.

With my rejuvenated interest in lighting, I think it’s be cool to see photographers break down how they do what they do.

I haven’t found to many places where I’ve seen this, but last fall when I brought Michael Grecco to San Jose State University to speak, he showed us a time lapse video of a recent shoot that really helped break it down.



Also from time to time Strobist posts about set-ups and includes some videos from other folks.



And although he doesn’t do it often enough, when Kevin German talks about his newest studio project, it’s a treat.

I think there’s a niche here that could be filled by NPPA, PDN, Stobist, the Discovery Channel, MTV (“I wanna be a fashion photographer,” huh MTV? Wanna sign me on to produce? It is my idea) or some enterprising blogger. Why not create a 3min video segment that walks us through how a shoot was done and actually talks to us about the craft rather than just throwing bad techno over lazy footage.

And that’s my thought of the day.

How is news changing? Ask some experts!

I spend a lot of time talking about and thinking about new media and how it is going to change the news business and what we need to do to make sure we change with it. There's been more than a few posts here on SLR and talks in person to anyone willing to listen. But have no fear, this isn't a set up another such topic, this time I'm going to point you to some experts on the matter.

Found this event in my inbox and I thought I'd share.

The Silicon Valley Social Media Club is holding an event tonight at Yahoo! headquarters on just such a subject; and they're invited some of the most involved minds to chime in on how news aggregators have created a new model for news sources and a new conversation between comsumers and producers.

Look at that lineup, I think this might be more then the "we already know this stuff" discussion.

No longer is the news a static product which only reports, now it is a conversation between readers that shapes which stories rise to the top, which points of view prevail and provide on the fly feedback on what the public needs to know and wants to know.

Thursday, August 23, 2007
6:30 pm PT - 8:30 pm,
@ Yahoo! Sunnyvale, CA

I'd go, but I'm in New Mexico.

If you make it, let me know how it went. (Psst... podcast it!)

Later

Woo-hoo! SJSU is (back) in the house!

Just moments ago, SJSU PJ Department head Dr. D. Michael Cheers, and this summers fellow at National Geographic, sent me an e-mail that our project, formerly under wraps, had a new national backer. National Geographic.

He asked me to pass the word, so, here we go: National Geographic has joined The San Jose Mercury News as the national and local partners, respectively, for a series of summer multimedia workshops over the next couple years.

From Cheers' e-mail:

National Geographic Magazine just agreed to be the national media partner on the three-year round the world student documentary multimedia expedition! That means that they will supply us with a photographer or editor for one week during the summer school course(s)....for the next three years beginning summer 2008.

Each year a select group of students and professionals will travel abroad and spend a week to two weeks producing stories employing every form of media under the sun.

Excited? You should be.

More details and formal applications will be coming soon, but if you really want to know more about it, ask us in person at the west coast stop of this years NPPA Flying Short course.

We've been working on it behind the scenes for a while and couldn't really talk about it, but with the last issue of News Photographer, the cat was out of the bag, San Jose State University will be hosting the last leg of the one of NPPA's biggest events.

Oct 27, mark your calenders now! (If you have suggestions or ideas for things to do/ pitfalls to avoid, let me know. Please!)

In a couple weeks SJSU will also host Gordon Parks: Crossroads, a traveling exhibit of the late master's work.

A personal source of inspiration in my early development, I've long turned to his pictures, films and writing for that extra oomph when needed.

On display will be his work from Life magazine, personal projects and there are plans for a screening of "Shaft", his cop drama that introduced the blacksploitation sub-genre.

And if you think all we're doing is scoring events and putting on workshops, think again.

Of course Daniel, Lauren, Hanna, Fang, Felix, and Jordan (who am I forgetting?!) have or are just about ending their summer internships, but that's not all, the internship love continues as San Jose State University students continue to make new strides in the fall.

Lawrence has something cooking, Diana is in the midst of something big, Neal is going to Russia and Germany, and Kyle Hansen just scored himself the dream job with Rob Curley and company at Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. (Yes, that Rob Curley.)

I was also up for it to for a while, I think I went through two, maybe three, rounds of interviews before I got the sad news (but it's cool, Curley still answers my calls).

I know what Kyle will be up to, having talked to so many people, but they always told me we can't talk about it (there's a lot of fear that other papers will catch wind of it), so all I'll say is, it's really really awesome, a lot simpler and useful then you might think, the thing that will prove newspapers will never die and I'm very very VERY jealous.

Kudos Kyle, it's going to be a great four months.

As for me, I've got a few things cooking, but more about that in another post, this one isn't about me.

Evening update: Well it appears the early bird gets the worm. I had started writing this post just before I forwarded Dr. Cheers' e-mail with the National Geographic news to the rest of the SJSU PJ crew, but had to cut and run when pre-internship errands proved more pressing. Well it looks like where I dropped the ball, Daniel and Ryan picked it up, I not so sure about the headline however... I almost doesn't make sense to post the same thing again, but well... I already started the post so... meh.

Sitting on the advice of giants... or knowledge bombs from people who are better than me

From time to time I get to talk to people who I genuinely admire and turn to for advice and debate the latest news with. Up till now, I've always said I'd post some of these talks to SLR, and they've always given me permission to, but I've just never gotten around to it.

That changes today (and hopefully it continues to be that way).

I've decided to launch a new series of columns that I'm calling "Sitting on the advice of giants,"
because thus far, that's what I've been doing with these nuggets of gold, but today I'm sharing some of the wisdom I've been imparted from Sol Neelman.

I only met Sol a few months ago, completely by chance come to think of it, but in the short time I've known him he's always been quick to lend an ear, look at my work, give feedback and just talk about anything whenever.

And when it comes to his advice, he's frank, honest, from the heart and a straight talker. Exactly the type of real speak you sometimes need.

On portfolios:
I think putting together a portfolio is one of the greater challenges out there for a photographer. I'm lucky to have some talented friends help me - they make me look smarter than I really am! Don't ever make excuses about your work when showing it to someone else. Hold your head high and realize that not everyone is going to get or like what you're trying to say. But don't let that stop you.

When something strikes a cord of truth with you, embrace it.

On taking chances:
The thing for me: experience is key, regardless of where it's at. You're not getting married, just moving for a few months. If you don't have anything else going on, jump on it.

Also, always follow your instincts. They usually hold the answers for you.

On internships:

Forget the idea that you need "big-name" internships. Anyone with half a brain will tell you that you'll get more out of the smaller market papers than a major metro, where you'll get lost in the shuffle.

On schmoozing:
I'm not good at schmoozing, either. But after awhile, you realize we're all peers, only at different stages in our career. Everyone has been in your shoes. And if they can't remember that, then forget them!

On having fun with photo:

Just look at his piece from the 2007 a Photo a Day meet up and remember why we got into this field in the first place. It's a "fun, inspirational weekend - minus the egos and b.s." and the core of what photography is about when you take the pictures for yourself and only yourself.



That's it, the first installment is in the books, and I hope you've found Sol's advice as helpful as I have.

I'll have some more coming in the future, just have to make sure I have permission to share publicly the private conversations I've had.

Stay tuned.

A serendipitous end at the Santa Cruz Sentinel

My time at the Santa Cruz Sentinel has come to an end, last Wednesday was my last. I worked Mondays, and it was kinda weird waking up and not having to drive for an hour over over the hill today. Everything has to come to an end sometime.

For my last day there wasn't much on the roster, but it was a hot day (the first of a mini heat wave actually) and so I went out looking for weather art. When I returned I filed my stories and didn't have much left to do, and seeing as how it was my last day and I had time, I pitched an idea to produce a slideshow.

I find it kind of fitting that my last day at the paper ended on the beach... and with a slideshow.
I wanted to try something different and sorta went nuts with the editing. Take a look, it's sorta my parting valentine for the paper. I had some good times there and I'm gonna miss it... hmm.. that sounds like a list full of reminiscing...

• I'll miss debating the latest news or ethical developments in photojournalism with Shmuel Thaler.
• I'll miss running into Ryan Sholin everyday and having one of us say "did you see this online..." But seriously brah, you can't let you're daughter's first movie be Transformers, that's child abuse :P
• I'll remember that first day of looking though the archive and seeing all the cool stuff in there... and then wasting all that time looking at old movie stuff and press packets for TGIF (if I have to explain it, you're to young... and a loser).
• I'll chuckle when I think of all the office politics and romances that I'm not supposed to know about.
• I'm miss getting to joke around with Anthony L. Solis in the office and then checking out his photos on Flickr.
• I'll remember getting lost twice on the way out to an assignment with Soraya Gutierrez and talking about Rage Against The Machine... not to mention rage in general (I still say it was her fault!)
• I'll wonder how it was that I always (well 99% of the time) ended up driving the reporter to all of our assignments... I'm the out of townee after all.
• I'll remember the day I got the frantic phone call that the front page story fell through and I'd better do a really really good job (no pressure of course the message said) to help fill the gap "or else."
• I'll always wonder why it took me three weeks to finally go to a beach.
• I'll remember the hum of the printing press in the basement as it rumbled to life each night and vibrated the floor in the photo room.
• I'm not gonna miss waiting for a free computer... or saving all my Photoshoped work to a portable hard drive to move over to the only Mac with soundslides (but no Photoshop) only to discover it's behind a door that was supposed to be unlocked.
• I'm not gonna miss waiting 15 minutes for Photo Mechanic to start up for that matter either.
• I never did figure out how to check my work e-mail... I hope there wasn't anything important in there.
• I'll laugh at all the times I ran out on false alarms for spot news... like going out to a fire and instead finding Frisbee golf (which it turns out is normal) and the time a guy brought dynamite to Costco in his car and went inside to ask "Should I have this?"
• I won't miss (or understand) having to move my car every hour in Watsonville.
• I'll remember the day I spent on a story covering bookstores and discover that book stores are pretty cool places.
• It's a sad fact, but no one actually ever drives the speed limit... unless a cop is around, and even then the cop doesn't drive the speed limit either.
• I'll sorta regret not going to New York City for spring break.
• But I'll miss being the point man while two of the three staff shooters were on vacation during spring break.
• The day I was told that I'm getting too many front pages and doing too good of a job (apparently it's possible).
• I'll remember when everyone felt I was being taken advantage of with an unpaid internship and they threw a few bucks my way.
• I'm gonna miss the photo advice from Matt King, less art, more limbs. Got it dude!
• I'm not gonna miss becoming known as the go to guy for pictures of pets and kids during my first month there. Thankfully that changed.
• I'll always remember the day I finally got to go to the beach.
• I won't miss the racist old woman at the bank who asked me where I'm from and wanted to teach me the ways of America. I told her "I can't help it if they let brown people and white people walk on the street together in Canada." (I'm not from Canada.)
• I won't miss the hippies who believe that listening to George Harrison's post India sitar and doing Yoga somehow makes them spiritually enlightened and somehow as I'm an Indian, that makes me their mystic conduit into the mysteries of the East. Seriously guys, we're just different, stop thinking you're somehow better than others in the West just because you want to be different like us.
• The day I returned the light kit at school only to need it on the very next assignment. Lesson learned, take out a loan and buy a light kit.
• I won't miss the time I was blocked in at the fairground with a deadline and couldn't get my car out until way past midnight. (I meet my deadline, don't ask.)
• I won't forget the garlic fries on the Boardwalk or standing in the framework of the Big Dipper and trying to hold the camera as steady as possible while the roller coaster shook the rails and wooden structure almost violently.
• I'll remember the letter from a reader who cried after seeing my pictures.
• I'll miss going down to Watsonville and sharing in all sorts of censored shenanigans... and telling them they were better than the main office and then doing the same when I was back in Santa Cruz.
• And this will be my last time being a part of the week in pictures.
• There's so much I'll remember and look back on... but mostly I'll always remember all the cool people I met while on assignment and all the things I learned about them, from them and about myself.

It's been fun, but every chapter has to come to a close.

Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks passed away. He's one of the guys I looked up to, and he's one of the photographers and filmmakers I aspired to follow in the steps of.

I'm not going to try and say much more of anything here, rather I'll just share of the pictures that have resonated with me.



Harlem, LIFE November 1, 1948
LIFE, May 31, 1963, accompanied by Parks's essay "What Their Cry Means to Me—A Negro's Own Evaluation."