Visual Journalism

John Loengard on Being a Picture Editor

Mark E. Johnson — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:39:44 +0000

John Loengard has a guest post over on Scott Kelby’s site, and it’s an entry that every aspiring photographer and picture editor has to read. The role of the picture editor is, perhaps, the most misunderstood one in the communication industry. No one likes their picture editor – not the photographers nor the editors on high.

But the role a good picture editor can play is so crucial it amazes me that there is not a great university program designed to produce great picture editors. Many schools have a class, but none (of which I’m aware) have an entire program dedicated to the art and business of visual editing. (Are you reading this, boss?)

A few quotes lifted from Loengard’s piece …

Other editors, with the story’s text in hand, may judge photographs by what they have read. Don’t join them. The reader sees before he ever reads and may never read if there’s nothing interesting to see.

The number of complaints I received as a picture editor from the word and design side regarding the photos not matching the story, with an assumption we had gotten it wrong, was uncountable. And asking, “Are you sure the reporter got it right? Where they there?” never went over well …

Before I became a picture editor, I assumed that “good photographers” took “good pictures” because they had a special eye. What I found was that good photographers take good pictures because they take great pains to have good subjects in front of their cameras. (Reflect a moment on what cameras do, and this makes sense.) Good photographers anticipate their pictures. What good picture editors do is help them.

I will admit I was a good photographer and probably a better picture editor (though I enjoyed shooting far more than editing). Where I put so much of my energy was in helping my staff get into the right place to tell a story. Once I had opened as many doors as I could and led them down the right hall, it was up to them.

Text editors do their work after the fact. But because photographers have something in common with Babe Ruth-they either hit the ball or they don’t-almost everything a picture editor does is done before the pictures are taken. What can you do after a home run except smile?

Another dilemma photographers run into. In the newsroom, the reporters are slaving away over their keyboards while the photo staff is relaxed, jovial even, at their work stations. The reporters response to this, verbalized or not, is that the shooters have it easy. What they fail to understand is the photojournalists who are no so relaxed are unwinding from having to tell an entire story in a split second, from having a massive amount of pressure dropped on them and then removed. There are no re-shoots in news, a picture editor can rarely rework an image to get a better story out of it. The timing of the pressure point is different. In fact, it may not even be a pressure point for the reporter as their agony can be dulled over time. For us, it is instantaneous and the bitterness of failure lasts a very, very long time.

Belle Isle, Over Time

Mark E. Johnson — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:13:01 +0000

(Photo/Brian Kaufman, Detroit Free Press)

Gina Damron and Brian Kaufman from the Detroit Free Press put together a wonderful video piece that looks at a year in the life of Belle Isle, Detroit’s island park. Spend the time on all three pieces, worth it.

(Thanks to Seth Gitner for the link.)

Uhh, Really? A Musical About an FSA Photographer?

Mark E. Johnson — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:06:39 +0000

I am as big a fan of Dorothea Lange as you will find. Take away all the issues around her life, just her work alone is amazing stuff.

But to make a musical about her life? Uhhh … hmmm … okay, I won’t pass judgement on this. Because, well, I like the overture … oh, wait, I just listened to the Excerpt from Maynard … I may judge this soon …

(Thanks to Donald Winslow for the lead.)

Denver Post on the Days of Summer

Mark E. Johnson — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:23:34 +0000

Meghan Lyden is just one of the best picture editors around … she puts together the Denver Post’s Plog (photo blog) and has collected a great set of images looking back at the summer that was.

I want to live in about two thirds of those images …

Secs in the City

Mark E. Johnson — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:30:34 +0000

Up at My Old School, incoming grad students go through a six week boot camp that now includes a multimedia component. The students are required to produce a 60 second video or audio slide show about someone (or thing) within the neighborhood of Syracuse, New York.

I think this is brilliant. And, given the quality on some of these first-attempt pieces, they’re teaching this right.

Go Orange.

Clever Designs

Mark E. Johnson — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:03:18 +0000

It's for a food writer ... get it?

Second post linking to the other side of the pond today … I may need fish and chips for lunch …

Design Shack has a collection of 50 clever logo designs. I am in awe of people who come up with such things as I have tried and not had a tremendous amount of success with them over the years. Every time I end up behind a FedEx logo I feel a little twinge of jealousy – that arrow between the E and the X? Genius, pure genius. It says everything about the company in just five letters.

(Someone Else’s) Five Step Guide to Blogging

Mark E. Johnson — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:54:35 +0000

Adam Westbrook, who is pretty smart even by British standards, did a five-part series on blogging for journalists. Won’t take too much of your time and, if you’re not blogging, you need to do this to survive in journalism now …

Great info in each of those posts, even if you’ve been doing this for a while.

Internship Opp.: The White House

Mark E. Johnson — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:22:10 +0000

That time again … application deadline for the next round of internships at The White House is October 3.

More Advice for the Journalism Student

Mark E. Johnson — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:53:31 +0000

Well, Robert Niles over at the Online Journalism Review has presented almost all of my ideas in one handy post. All five of his ideas are solid and, if you’re not already doing them, it’s time to get going.

Several of these have been incorporated into my advanced class and, next semester, may trickle down to the introductory courses, as well.

Reporting Skills for Today and Tomorrow

Mark E. Johnson — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:37:35 +0000

Mindy McAdams, the Flash Goddess (her words), posted a question about what skills a reporter needs now. She started with a basic list, but go through the comments (and add your own), some interesting ideas in there.

I’ve added a few in there, as well.