For Photographers

Photojournalism Conference, Vancouver, May 2015

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For those with an interest in photojournalism, documentary photography or newspaper photography, the News Photographers Association of Canada (NPAC) is presenting its annual Photojournalism Conference on May 8 to 9, 2015, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

This year’s keynote speaker is photographer Eli Reed from Magnum Photos. Other speakers are Andrew Burton, John Moore and Darcy Padilla.

The two-day event also features a trade show, portfolio reviews, camera clinics by Canon, Nikon and Sony, and the annual National Pictures of the Year Awards gala.

The conference is a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk shop with others in the business. For photojournalism students, this should be a must-attend event not only for the guest speakers but also for the portfolio reviews and career advice.

This is the only conference of its kind in Canada. NPAC is non-profit and volunteer-run.

 

Photo Psychology

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A McGill University psychiatry graduate student, Jay Olson, and his fellow researchers last month published a study titled Influencing Choice Without Awareness which examined the psychology of magic. Olson is also a professional magician. The research showed how various psychological factors are used to influence someone’s decision making especially when it comes to magic.

The use of persuasion extends far beyond magic. In fact, some photographers already know this and they use psychology to influence their customers.

1) Some wedding and portrait photographers know how to properly list their photo packages. Never start or end with the lowest priced package unless you’re trying to sell that low-priced package.
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Two Quick Thoughts

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An event organizer was looking over my shoulder while I was photographing a keynote speaker at a business conference last week. When I stopped for a moment, he said, “That should be a good picture. Can you upload it to our Twitter account right now?”

I replied that it wasn’t possible with my camera but I could transfer a photo to my nearby laptop and e-mail it to him. He said not to bother. His cell phone was raised, a picture was snapped, and then uploaded to his company’s Twitter account. He seemed quite pleased with himself.

I was shooting at ISO 6400 with a 500mm f4 lens. He was using an iPhone 5. You can probably guess how his picture looked.

 

I received an e-mail from a magazine editor looking for a Toronto photographer. He wrote that his magazine pays based on what camera the photographer uses. A “big dslr” is $400. A small camera is $200. A “pocket camera” is $100. The editor explained that this was fair because big cameras cost more.

He added that he checks a photo’s EXIF data to see what camera was used so a photographer couldn’t claim they used a bigger camera when they didn’t.

I asked why they didn’t pay based on the actual photography. That was too complicated, the editor replied.

 

Door-to-door Energy Scams

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(This post has nothing to do with photography).

If you received an e-mail saying you just won a million dollars, would you believe it? If an e-mail said your bank account or credit card was compromised and you needed to “click here” to verify your information, would you do it?

Someone came to my front door today saying he was with the “Ontario Energy Safety Board”. He was here to do a furnace safety inspection. Of course, he was lying. There’s no such thing as the Ontario Energy Safety Board. The company name he used was meant to be confused with real Ontario Energy Board.

Now that warmer weather has begun, many homeowners will be receiving similar knocks on their front door. This will go on for many months. Sadly, all levels of Canadian government have refused to fix the problem of door-to-door scams. We have Do Not Call and CASL but we don’t have “Do not knock” like Australia.
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Print it or lose it

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As you might know, the most archival storage medium is paper. It’s also the most common and the cheapest. (Yes, rock is more archival but paper is easier to carry around.)

Yet we still digitize almost everything in the belief that this will preserve that information. But as file formats, storage formats, software and hardware become obsolete, this information may be lost.

Vinton “Vint” Cerf, recognized as a founder of the Internet and currently vice-president of Google, this week stated:

In our zeal to get excited about digitizing, we digitize photographs thinking it’s going to make them last longer, and we might turn out to be wrong.
(…)
We are nonchalantly throwing all of our data into what could become an information black hole without realizing it. We digitize things because we think we will preserve them, but what we don’t understand is that unless we take other steps, those digital versions may not be any better, and may even be worse, than the artifacts that we digitized. If there are photos you really care about, print them out.

In 2013, the Photo Marketing Association launched its Print it or Lose it campaign to encourage consumers to print their valuable photos rather than risk accidental loss of those digital images.

 

Anybody For Nothing

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The 1969 American cult film Putney Swope, a satire about the advertising world, corporate corruption, politics and more, has horrible acting and lots of great quotes. It also has this scene which has been posted on many photography sites:

I can get anybody for nothing.

The running gag in the film is that the commercial photographer appears at inopportune times always showing his portfolio but not getting any work.

A satire is something that pokes fun at a vice, foolishness or human folly. Feel free to interpret what the photographer represents.

 

Industrial Workwear for Photographers

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Most corporate photographers and editorial photographers will, sooner or later, have to shoot in a factory or on a construction site. This means you have to wear safety gear.

I’ve photographed in factories and construction sites for many years. I did two jobs today, one at an aerospace manufacturer and the other at a hospital construction site. Here are a few suggestions to photographers who will be shooting in similar situations.

Safety Boots

They may look fashionable but do not buy safety shoes. Get 6″ or 8″ safety *boots*. Safety shoes may be allowed in some factories and warehouses but they’re not permitted on construction sites.

Safety boots must have the CSA green triangle patch which confirms that the footwear has a Grade 1 protective toe and a puncture-proof sole. It helps to also have electrical shock resistance.
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