December 21, 1998

The events of this week have made me think a bit more about good photojournalism and history. Until today, the front pages of The Orlando Sentinel have had what we sometimes call DBI’s - Dull But Important photos. Various white guys in suits and ties at podiums. These photos are often difficult to get but visually they are repetitive and often dull.

Today our front page had a staff photo by Frank Rivera of National Guard troops saying goodbye to their families as the they ship out for Kuwait. The photos are a million times better than the talking suits in terms of good photojournalism but they aren’t historic.

I’m beginning to wonder if the Clinton story is so inside-the-beltway that only politicians and journalists are excited about it. (And perhaps historians. ) For newspaper photographers outside of Washington, what do we shoot now? Perhaps the crisis isn’t between Democrats and Republicans or Liberals and Democrats. Maybe the crisis is between the politicians and the people at large. And where are the better pictures? I think it’s with with the people at large.

Newspaper photography is about local news and recent surveys show that is why people buy newspapers. They know that newspapers are better at documenting their community than any other medium.

©1998 Orlando Sentinel

©1998 Orlando Sentinel

Tom Hubbard, a recently retired photojournalism professor from Ohio State University, has pointed out that in today’s world we all know what is going on in Washington or Iraq because of television. But even though we know everything about celebrities and scandals, we typically don’t know much at all about our next door neighbors and that’s where still photographers can do their best work.

This past week made me think even more about Tom’s perspective. And Mark M. Hancock, who wrote ion the internet NPPA-L listserve in a still photographers resolutions thread ;"I will change the life of one of my readers. ... Then, I will change another." I’ll make a more modest proposal. Let’s just show our readers their neighbors. It may not change anything, but maybe first we have to stop and really see the people around us. Maybe that’s the greatest service of photojournalism - to help people really see each other.

December 21, 1998

Tom Burton

 

December 21, 1998 Impeachment, Iraq,
and Imagemakers
Special Journal

December 21, 1998 President Clinton pulled the trigger last Wednesday, unleashing four days of aerial raids against Iraq, and we reacted by ordering a half-dozen pizzas. Mark Hertzberg

December 21, 1998 As the scene in Washington changed, so did the landscape of the Bee's front cover.Joe Jaszewski

December 21, 1998 The events of this week have made me think a bit more about good photojournalism and history.Tom Burton

December 21, 1998 Covering the President's impeachment from ground zero: George Bridges, Freelance GUEST JOURNAL

December 21, 1998 "He defended the Constitution". Lynn French

December 20, 1998 Newsday's Page One Dick Kraus

December 18, 1998 "Who has a valid passport?" Tom Burton

 

 

earlier journal home later journal
Tom Burton
< twburton@aol.com >
Senior Staff Photographer
The Orlando (FL.) Sentinel
Other journals by Tom Burton
347 February 18, 2000 Love
341 January 6, 2000

Baby, Baby Baby

333 Is Photojournalism Dead? Tom Burton My comments today will reflect both my love for photojournalism and my respect for its basic tenets.
327 November 8, 1999 Roller Coaster
319 September 19, 1999 The headline on Tuesday’s newspaper was direct. PREPARE YOURSELF
301 July 15, 1999 Burton Rosevear
280 May 10, 1999 I am a certified platypus. It's time to confess.
262 April 16, 1999 "Thank Mr. Burton"
258 March 30, 1999

A "Typical" Day?

 

238 February 27, 1999 Time
227 February 14, 1999 And by the way; the subject - Zora Neal Hurston - has been dead for almost 40 years.
209 January 29, 1999 Ok, I’ll answer the most-asked questions first:
200 January 9, 1999 Could there be a photo-columnist?
186 December 12, 1998 The Nutcracker
167 October 29, 1998 The launch of Discovery and STS-95
166 October 28, 1998 Huber is one of a handful of photographers who has been setting remotes since the very first shuttle launch in 1981.
156 October 9, 1998 The waiting is the hardest part
147 September 15, 1998 When we edited the film, this last photo kept jumping up at us. It was far less planned than any cover we’ve done - in fact, it was probably the least calculated photo of the entire shoot - but it had that certain "ooomph" we wanted.
139 August 28, 1998 A firefighter returns
128 August 4, 1998 How to be a Model - or Just Look Like One!
124 July 30, 1998 I recently did something I’ve never done before. I went to a press conference without my cameras.
123 July 29, 1998 Some of the newest members of our staff were surprised at the persistence of the British press. They just won’t stop and they want everything. It is quite the clash in cultures when this kind of story goes global.
108 July 6, 1998 For more than a month, it hasn't rained much more than a spit in Central Florida
106 June 30, 1998 Yesterday I was part of the pack, looking for the celebrity of the moment and facing Armageddon.
105 June 27, 1998 At my newspaper, we run photography-based illustrations to illustrate stories that don't lend themselves to documentary styled photojournalism.
94 June 14, 1998 "I'm on vacation..."
81 May 29, 1998 When I decided to shoot a figure drawing class, I knew that I’d be up against some newspaper taboos.
75 May 22, 1998 An open letter to Joe Jaszewski
69 April 30, 1998 The Last Word
61 April 16, 1998 Femme Fatale
55 April 5, 1998 Finding "life" in photojournalism
38 March 15, 1998

Spring Fashion - The Printed Page

March 6 , 1998 Spring Fashion - a final editWhich photo do you think would make the best cover?

February 27, 1998 Spring Fashion - the fifth day As a photographer, I try to

anticipate anything that can go wrong. February 26, 1998 Spring Fashion - the fourth day The shoot went very well and there may be one or two more contenders for the cover

February 25, 1998Spring Fashion - the third day...the most debated, discussed and sometimes over-thought decision is which photo will be on the cover.

February 24, 1998Spring Fashion - the second dayBut during a fashion shoot like today, I shoot Polaroids proofs on everything

February 23, 1998Spring Fashion - the first dayThe phone rang at 6:30 a.m...The obvious question was, "what's going on?"

20 February 19, 1998 While photojournalists seek to document the reality of their world, fashion photographers conspire with beautiful models and clever stylists to create a fantasy.
10 February 1, 1998 Last night, I had a dream
8 January 28, 1998 I’ve found that my best work happens when I surprise myself
 
Contributor since 1998
 
   


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