Ivan ends up on Time.com

Old friend and SJSU alum Ivan Kashinsky recently had a story published on Time magazine's Web site. Ivan documented Pablo Fajardo, a lawyer who represents 30,000 Ecuadorians in a lawsuit against the oil giant Chevron.

The lawsuit alleges that Texaco, acquired by Chevron in 2001, left behind oil waste pits during the eighteen years in which it drilled in the region and that this has contributed to a higher rate of cancer and other ailments among the settlers and indigenous people who live there.

Take a look! I thought it was worth mentioning, besides his work always inspired me so why not share it.

Joe Swan, former SJSU PJ professor dies at 78

I never had the pleasure of meeting him, be even then, he was part of the San Jose State University family. And a man who helped make the photojournalism program at SJSU what it is and was.

I probably would not be a SJSU grad today if he hadn't been there to continue the work started by PJ program and School of Journalism founder Dwight Bentel.

According to Mack Lundstrom, a current SJSU professor and good friend, "He died Sunday night. Joe taught Steve Starr, Kim Komenich and Doug Parker, who individually or leading a staff have won four Pulitzers."

He clearly left his mark.



The Spartan Daily, my old college paper stomping grounds, published two stories on Swan. A Feb 20 interview with Swan shortly after he decided to take himself off kidney dialysis, a decision that he made knowing it would mean death. A second story, published today, announces his death at home Sunday.

At the time he said, "I just try to look at what's ahead as maybe an adventure." And why not, from reading the article, it looks like living for an adventure is how he ran his life.

SJSU Multimedia Academy launch

I may not be at San Jose State University anymore, but last week one of our projects during my time finally moved from a great idea to the real deal.

The SJSU Multimedia Academy was brainstormed last spring as a multi-year, world-wide program to explore the stories that litter the planet, just waiting to be found.

And if that's not enough, we (somehow) got The San Jose Mercury News and National Geographic on board as co-sponsors and then got them to commit one staffer as a faculty member on each trip.

Like those ping-pong tables we raised money for in the 8th grade, I won't be around to enjoy the fruits of our labors, but trust me, if you have the cash as the desire, apply!

Here's the official word:

Students are invited to the SJSU Multimedia Academy. Jim Gensheimer from the Mercury News will co-teach in South Africa and Sadie Quarrier, Sr. Photo Editor, at National Geographic Magazine, will co-teach the program in Ghana from June 16 to July 4, 2008.

www.sjsu.edu/studyabroad

Students can earn three units of credit. The cost is $4,200.
SJSU Special Session Tuition (3 Credits @250/unit) $750
SJSU Program Management Fee $200
Program Fee $3,250

The registration deadline is March 3. The monies are due at a later date.

MCOM 180: SJSU’s Multimedia Academy
• Co-instructed by National Geographic Photojournalist
• Explore Real World multimedia journalism
• Produce compelling multimedia stories in the field and on deadline
• Learn the importance of discipline with time, shooting, and gathering information necessary to advance the story
• Learn the importance of research, organization, adjusting, adapting and patience
• Earn 3 units of SJSU credit

This program is open to all undergraduate and graduate students who are matriculated towards a degree at a U.S. university or college. Students who have successfully completed their advance photojournalism and or broadcast sequence courses are especially welcome to take this course.

Proudly co-sponsored by National Geographic Magazine and the San Jose Mercury News, the SJSU Multimedia Academy is an ambitious, three-year program designed to give photojournalism students and broadcast journalism students the opportunity to gain an edge in the competitive job market. The San Jose Mercury News has committed one staff photographer or multimedia editor to co-teach the three-week course in South Africa.

Besides Ghana and South Africa, the multimedia academy will explore Brazil, India, Bangladesh, The Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, China and Dubai. Each program location will have a National Geographic or San Jose Mercury News staff photographer or multimedia editor to co-teach the program. At the conclusion of the program, a coffee table book exhibiting the students’ work will be published, along with a behind-the-scenes DVD documentary. A photography and interactive multimedia exhibition featuring the students’ work will also travel the U.S.

The fee includes tuition, air fare (West Coast departure) and hotel accommodations. These estimated coasts do not include personal expenses as this varies among different participants.must take the following MCom 180 (INDIVIDUAL STUDIES) 3-unit course. http://jmcweb.sjsu.edu/courses.html

Prof. Michael Cheers, who coordinates the photojournalism sequence at SJSU, will lead this program. Cheers, the 2007 Faculty Fellow at National Geographic Magazine, worked more than 20 years as a photojournalist in Africa. Jim Gensheimer, an award-winning staff photojournalist for the San Jose Mercury News, will co-teach this course.

More info,
D. Michael Cheers,Ph.D
Director of Photojournalism
San Jose State University
mcheers@casa.sjsu.edu
408-795-5062 or 408-924-3259

Study Abroad Office:
International Programs & Services San José State University
Located in Clark Hall, Room 543 One Washington Square
study.abroad@sjsu.edu
San Jose, CA 95192
408.924.5931 408.924.5976 Fax

NPPA Flying Short Course at San Jose State University

I can't make it unfortunately, darn this actually working and getting paid to take pictures thing, but we worked real hard at SJSU to pull this off so if you make it, let me know what you thought.

Also, check out the new site we created for the short course.

To keep the theme of new media and embracing the change of our industry we started brainstorming months ago about how we as a campus can push that envelope, one of the simplest ideas we had was to create a website and post Flickr feeds, videos, blogs, podcasts and slideshows to it.

That came to fruition a few days ago when http://sjsushortcourse.wordpress.com/ went live.

Check it out and while there click on over to the local days events and national events links to get a run down of everything you can expect.

And if you feel like participating, (blog some? Flickr some? Video some?) be sure to hunt down Daniel Sato (he's the fellow in the video on the SJSU website) and he'll get you all set up.

Have a blast, wish I was there.

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.

Portfolio always in flux

The last couple months I've been living and dying with my portfolio as I look through it over and over, change it up constantly and formulate game plans for future stories.

I've been thinking of what works and what doesn't. What editors will want to see and what they couldn't care less about. What will make me stand out and what will make me just another face in the crowd.

I'm still working on it, but I thought I'd share some of my tips and tricks.

Enter every contest there is
Whether you think you have a great collection of work or not, entering contests is a great way to think like a professional. And quite bluntly, if this is to much work for you, then you will never make it, because in this business no one is going to hand you a job. I have meet some great photographers and I've got a few of these people's personal cell phone numbers to call at any time I choose, but that does not mean that The Mercury News, Michael Grecco, the AP or Golf Digest is going to hire me just because I happen to be a nice guy who they can have a conversation with. I need good solid work to even be considered, and one of the side effects of entering contests is that you start shooting for the contest and

Don't be afraid to ask for help
You should have some like minded people in your circle of friends. Ask them to look at your stuff, listen to your ideas and generally help you sort things out. I often hit up my friends, mentors, teachers and even writers that I've met for advice and feedback on what I'm cooking up. If nothing else it gets me to think of stuff from another angle. Plus sometimes you need someone else to tell you that the picture that you love because it reminds you of a hard shoot or a that you had a great idea, is better forgotten.

Keep a best twelve wall
One thing that I've started doing that I find helps is keeping a wall of my best twelve in my room every month.

This serves three purposes:

1. It forces me to re-examine my best work everyday and recognize where I need to improve.
2. It helps me recognize when I'm shooting similar styles and challenge myself to experiment.
3. I'll always know what my best twelve pictures are at any moment for contests.

Why twelve? Aside from that it looks nice, if I framed those 4x3 squares I could sell them as art, most regional and national contest are limited to two dozen singles.

Devour greatness
When I was younger, while my friends were looking at Nintendo Power and the latest version of an import tuner magazine, I was reading National Geographic at the library and grocery store just for the pictures. I was subscribing to Sports Illustrated mostly for the Leading Off pictures (and the NBA coverage... oh and Rick Reilly's column).

I was studying the great light painters of the Renaissance age. I turn to movies and study cinematography, and once flirted with the idea of pursing film editing. I've turned to music and music videos for editing tricks, storyboarding visual exercises (try closing your eyes and thinking of your video for a song next time you're in a quite place) and innovative camera work (plus, I believe half of multimedia is the audio experience and this helps reinforce the education).

I cruise the net for inspiration and using tools like Popurls, RSS feeds, and del.icio.us I am able to find much to keep me saying, "Damn, I gotta try that!" Plus today I'm having an easier time keeping up thanks be being surrounded by like-minded folks (what, connect with like-minded folks? That sounds like a tip).

Keep a journal
Seriously try it, it works wonders. I've been keeping a sketchbook/idea book/journal since I was 15 and it's done wonders to help me develop my style and projects (and it's also resulted in waking up at 3 a.m. and jotting down many an incoherent note). I like the Moleskine because of it's small size and sturdiness, but the guy inside of me who remembers what it was like growing up poor won't actually let me write in one. Long story short, I have many blank Moleskines and many many more filled in cheepie notebooks.

And now, here's some advice from people who actually know what they're talking about

Jim McNay relayed the advice of Sports Illustrated editor Jimmy Colton and offers up:

"Less is more. Don't feel like you have to send 20 because that's the limit. says Colton." Send as many good, strong, solid, speak-for-themselves pictures that you have....UP TO 20... Remember the portfolio and personal statement you send should be from your heart. They should reveal who you are."

And the folks over at the San Jose Mercury News second that opinion. During a recent visit with Dai Sugano and Richard Koci Hernandez (who says SJSU and SFSU can't be friends?) they loved referencing a story about the intern that got in on the strength of only five pictures (they misread it as five clips for writers as also meaning five clips for photogs). It's uncommon, but the point is, if you edit down to the strongest work and don't leave them anything to nitpick at, you'll be a strong candidate.

My former instructor Dennis Dunleavy gets a little more analytical with the process and focuses on the whole package, not to mention he drops in his trademark three-I's along the way:

"Although we tend to think of a resume in terms of words, we can also extend the idea to images in a portfolio as well. Your portfolio, in fact, is a visual resume. Every image that weakens a portfolio through poor technique, composition or ambiguous content sends a message to the viewer... The words and images that work in the resume or portfolio are those that shows not tell the viewer about your strengths, attributes and qualities. For me, the power of an image is in its ability to communicate universal human meaning with immediacy, intensity and intimacy."

Lastly here is some advice that has deeply resonated with me. Sol Neelman of the Oregonian offered me this in a recent e-mail:

"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... 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."

A long overdue "yippie!"

With all the commotion in my life the past few months, I virtually forgot all about this post I've had in mind for a while.

Things within the photojournalism department at San Jose State University are happening, the community is buzzing, the new crop of students are involved, and many of my colleges are getting out there and getting it done.

I'm interning at the Santa Cruz Sentinel as I've mentioned when it was pertinent to the topic, but I'm not the only one diving into the deep end of the professional world.

Hanna Thrasher and Jordan McKone are motoring around as interns at Scoot Magazine, the number one magazine about scooter culture in the world.

Diana Diroy is an intern at the Oakland Tribune and is producing some fine work. (*This just in, Diana's photographs have found their way into the Mercury News for a page 1B news article on a SJSU student trip to Louisiana and the student organization that is trying to rebuild the region. The story is online, but her pictures are only in the paper, good thing I subscribe.)

Ashley Bess is interning with the city of San Jose and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. library, the biggest and freshed library west of the Mississippi.

Lawrence will be trading the left coast for the right* this summer for an internship at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Daniel Sato will be taking a hike to the St. Cloud Times in Minnesota.

And our photojournalism department head, Dr. Michael Cheers just found out that he'll be spending his summer as one of this years crop of Faculty Fellow at National Geographic in Washington D.C. (Booya!)

I just wanted to take a moment to recognize these people and wish them all the best of luck.

*The west coast is always the right coast however.

New faces, old faces, many laughes and a sunset on the beach

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of hanging out with some of the new students in the PJ program at San Jose State University during our NPPA chapter sponsored Spring Shootout in Capitola.

In between lessons of technique, I had a great time getting to know some of the new faces I keep seeing and finding out more about the thoughts floating around behind those faces.

Here's a bite-sized snack-sized taste of the day's events (extended cut to come).

Many of the students doubled up and turned the shoot into an opportunity to do some multimedia projects. One such project was Daniel Sato's exploration (and Mark II N envy inducement production) of movement and lyrical storytelling.

And if you'd like to see some of the projects, the students will be presenting them soon to their classes and then posting them to the SJSU NPPA website.

24 on|24 off :a documentary

"24 on|24 off" is a documentary where I shadowed the firefighters of the C-shift of Engine 2 in San Jose, Ca. My intention was to show the "family" side of life in the firehouse and rather than documenting the fires, which I saw as cliché, I wanted to go deeper into who these people were and how they live in this place that is both home and work.

This multimedia piece was created in the days before soundslides (remember, soundslides only blew up a year ago) and I culled it together using Adobe Premier and Audition, where I took the firefighter’s story and set it to a musical piece I edited together. My aim was to explore the full canvas of presentation and envelop the viewer in my piece. It also allowed me to change the pacing of the story and expand on the images to give a richer sense for who these men who live in this house for 24 hours at a time are.

They do more than fight fires; they have lives, personalities and develop friendships we seldom see.