Category Archives: photojournalism

A quick trip back to Sorrento

By Michal | Published 30/01/2012

A few months ago I posted a handful of images of a bunch of Sorrento pensioners playing cards and having fun. At the same time, I started putting a short video together – or rather an audio slideshow – featuring the same images, but with some music.

Fast forward four months – and voila! I eventually dusted that long-forgotten project off and here is the outcome: a short video called “People of Sorrento”.

Apart from the chirpy pensioners playing cards, I’ve also included several of my favourite shots of the omnipresent Italian scooters and (possibly even more importantly), their drivers.

I mentioned both the card players and the scooters in my previous posts, so I won’t elaborate on that now.

If southern Italy is your thing, or perhaps if you are into black and white street photography, or if you simply have a couple of minutes to spare, here is – four months later than planned – my Italian video.

And now I officially declare that trip archived forever.

Also posted in video | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Some sound advice

By Michal | Published 17/01/2012

20120117-183557.jpg

I took this picture recently in an old recording studio in London, now converted into an indoor cycling/fitness facility.

Current owners of the space have rescued one of those ancient audio editing machines – and I love them for it. I used Studers like this when, almost 20 years ago, as a fresh radio reporter I learned the basics of audio recording and reel-to-reel editing.

I still remember the shock I got  when my editor shortened my first 50-someting-second long piece to just under 30 seconds – just by editing out the unnecessary gaps and making everything ‘flow’ and sound more dynamic. It took him just a couple of minutes, maybe even less. The difference was striking. And all that using a Studer like the one above.

(Almost a decade later, during an induction course for new BBC radio journos, I was grateful for that knowledge when I realised tape was *still* preferred over digital – and most people on the course had never used tape before.)

The more time I spend filming using DSLRs with their pathetic sound recording capabilities, the more I realise how important it is nowadays to be able to replace low-quality camera output with better quality, independently recorded audio.

Regardless of whether you use tape or digital, the quality of the actual recording is as, if not more, important as good sound editing skills. But sadly, both often seem to be neglected. And I’m not talking here about casual mobile YouTube uploads, but rather videos created with more advanced gear, sometimes for clients.

I recently watched a clip by an international video production company (no naming and shaming here), with some fun advice on how to shoot a video using a DSLR. Great clip, pathetic sound. No effort was made to rectify this or even mention this as a potential issue. Which kind of rendered the otherwise good video useless.

So what can you do?

1. Invest in good external recorders – from Zoom to Tascam, there’s something for every pocket.

2. Invest in improving your audio editing skills. If you shoot video, you probably know how to edit it too. Basic principles of both are similar. Find an online Lynda course or simply browse YouTube for free advice on levels, noise reduction and audio matching. Or anything else, in fact.

3. Learn how to get audio right from the start – think about the space in which you are recording, about who you are recording and why; avoid background noise like crowds, buzzing air-con units or ringing phones; learn the difference between different types of microphones; and read this excellent duckrabbit blog post which pretty much nails it.

Trust me, with a bit of effort, it will improve your audio immensely. And you don’t need a gigantic Studer machine and a splicing block.

With so many tools and resources to learn from, you frankly have no excuse.

 

Also posted in video | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Italian Scooter

By Michal | Published 23/10/2011

This was my favourite activity while in Italy. Watching the locals on their scooters. No, seriously. They do everything while driving: they smoke, chat on their mobiles and look after their dogs.

They allow children to drive (well, almost), cram whole families onto the back seat, yet their passengers feel completely relaxed (they must have a lot of patience, those passengers, and a firm belief in the driver’s abilities).

Shopping by scooter? Easy. Moving furniture? Or plants? No problem. A tourist with a huge case? Piece of cake.

This was a constant source of amazement and laughter.

Please click here (or on any of the images within this post) to see the whole album on my Google+ profile – I encourage you to click on the thumbnails within the album to see the images in greater detail.

Trust me, it’s worth it.

Also posted in gallery/photo essay, photography | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Telegraph’s picture galleries app for iPad

By Michal | Published 28/09/2011

Another major British newspaper – after The Guardian – is attempting to capitalise on the popularity of Apple’s iPad and the general hunger for good quality photography, including news photography.

The Daily Telegraph – which some time ago launched its paid-for iPad edition – has launched its Telegraph Pictures for iPad app – and the comparison with The Guardian’s Eyewitness app is inevitable.

While The Guardian goes for one stunning news image per day, the Telegraph selects 12 images daily. They are available around 5AM (UK time) every morning. They are not necessarily mind-blowing or unique. They are there to tell a story or a series of stories.

Yet for me it’s not all about the numbers. I personally prefer The Guardian’s approach. We are bombarded daily with hundreds of images and I’m not sure I really want to browse through yet another gallery of 12 agency images. I do like the fact Eyewitness selects one high-impact image a day. I tend to spend more time looking at and analysing what Eyewitness publishes  - and the fact that each Eyewitness image comes with professional tips on top of any captions makes the app so appealing.

But that’s my personal preference.

What I really dislike about the new app is the fact it comes with no sharing options and no controls. There’s no way to favourite or share anything there. Also, there’s no refresh option, which means new images won’t appear unless you close the app completely and restart. Hmm, really?

I was trying to find out more on the Telegraph’s website, but there’s no mention of the app anywhere.

Which means it’s either an experiment or the app is at a very early stage of development. Either way, Eyewitness it ain’t.

Also posted in software | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What men really like

By Michal | Published 05/09/2011

Ah, those Italian stereotypes. Women making pasta in the kitchen, men playing cards and smoking fags in the street. Not true, eh? Or?

Well, I haven’t visited many Italian kitchens, but the bit about men sitting on corners and in various public places is largely true. Whether they gossip, smoke, quarrel loudly or play cards, they are always great subjects for street photographers.

The men from these pictures gather every day in an ancient building called Dominova Seat in the heart of Sorrento, southern Italy. They play every afternoon, sheltered from the fierce heat outside. They quarrel, laugh, chat or – in some cases at least – sit quietly reading or writing.

They’re also very friendly, and allowed me to stay with them for a bit to take these shots, for which I’m very grateful.

The building itself is fascinating too. It’s dates back to the 14th century and has two open arches, which makes it partly open to the outside world. It has a magnificent tiled dome and impressive faded frescoes.

You can see more photos from that afternoon in my Google + albums here, or just click on any of the images in this post.

Also posted in gallery/photo essay, photography | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Dead foxes and rainbows

By Michal | Published 03/07/2011


Yesterday was Gay Pride London day. I planned to film the parade – and I did (editing the footage as we speak) – but I couldn’t not take any pictures. (And I didn’t want to rely on screengrabs from the video footage).

As always, the parade was heavily political – this year probably a bit more so than when Labour was in power.

And as always, every option, every colour and every age was represented – from bears carrying dead foxes on their shoulders to drag queens and sex workers.

From those who’ve seen it all – and are probably happy they can now manifest their sexuality openly – to those who manifest it here because their native land still sees homosexuality as sin.

Here are some more pictures from yesterday, make sure to click on the Flickr gallery at the bottom for more.

Also posted in gallery/photo essay | Tagged | Leave a comment

Brighton Marina welcomes you

By Michal | Published 03/05/2011

Brighton Marina. Sounds exciting, eh? It’s actually a nice place – full of boats, restaurants, bars and people. But how do those people get there, you ask? Well, they can drive. Or, like me, they can walk. The last option is however only for the brave. And not just because of the distance from the centre of Brighton. Oh, no.

On a sunny day it’s a nice, 30-minute stroll along the pebbly beach. But nothing prepares you for the sheer ugliness of the place. Cause if you’re a pedestrian, you walk through some of the coldest, ugliest and unfriendliest public space you are likely to experience, before you reach the above-mentioned bars for a well-deserved pint. Cars approach the marina via a series of bridges leading straight to a multi-storey car park.

It’s a different story though if – instead of driving –  you walk from Brighton itself.

First you pass a piece of no-man’s land. It’s partly fenced-off and fugly. There’s no better way of describing it.

Then you negotiate the lovely concrete tunnel…

…before finding yourself in the middle of a car-park (with a car-washing facility in the corner). From there, the quickest way to the Marina leads via, yes, you’ve guessed it, another car park. It’s the multi-storey one I mentioned earlier.

And unless you go to the cinema (on the other side of the car park), you need to walk (no lifts, but maybe that’s actually good) to the 4th floor as this is the only level from which you can access all the bars and restaurants.

According to Wikipedia, a planning application to redevelop the west side of the Marina was submitted four years ago and subsequently refused. Those who opposed the redevelopment claimed it would spoil the views and called it inappropriate. There was a separate plan to redevelop the eyesore, but it was put on hold too.

As a consequence, Brighton has been left with this monstrosity which even on a warm and sunny day looks cold, unattractive and uninviting.

Brighton Marina. Sounds exciting, eh?

Also posted in gallery/photo essay | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Photographing actors – my mini photo essay

By Michal | Published 10/04/2011

Recently I was asked to photograph actors during a rehearsal for a new play called “The grammar of love” at the Oval House Theatre in south London. It was an exciting opportunity as I had never worked with actors as a photographer.

My very good friend, Nuala O’Sullivan, who wrote the play, wanted the images to be in B&W. Mostly. That was the brief. The rest was up to me.

The biggest challenge was the space. A small rehearsal room painted black, with very harsh fluorescent lighting. Small and therefore very intimate too. Which was good for me, but I wasn’t sure how the actors would react to having a lens in their faces pretty much all the time.

Well, I’m glad to report they coped well. The constant clicking didn’t distract them, they didn’t fluff their lines, although I had to give up using flash as that proved too much in a small confined space like that.

The other tricky bit was the fact I saw only a few crucial scenes, but not the whole play. So I had to work out who the characters were and what the chemistry between them was.

But more importantly, I also had to remain one step ahead of them. In such a small space, without a prior knowledge of the script, I had no idea where they would move of what they would do next. There were a couple of moments when I had to beat a hasty retreat when an actor lunged towards me unexpectedly.

I guess it was more stressful for them than it was for me – after all they couldn’t stop mid-sentence to let me know they were about to move my way. But a great learning experience for me. I’m sure seasoned photojournalists deal with such situations on a daily basis.

I was wondering whether to say much about the play itself, but I won’t. All you need to know is that it takes place in Tokyo and passions run high… I’ll let the images speak for themselves.

However, I had to withhold a few shots in order not to give away too much – I don’t want to spoil it for Nuala. Or you. With a bit of luck, the play should open at the Oval House Theatre this autumn. And you should definitely see it then.

Also posted in gallery/photo essay, photography | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Arlington West

By Michal | Published 04/10/2010

In a country of replicas, another copy of a better-known icon should not surprise anyone. Yet, seeing a replica of a cemetery in the middle of one of the most famous beaches in the world and next to a loud, cheap and equally famous pier couldn’t have come as a bigger surprise to me. And Arlington West is a replica, but also a memorial in its own right – it honours those who were killed or wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And it’s a temporary memorial too. It appears next to Santa Monica Pier every Sunday thanks to Veterans for Peace. Just like the original Arlington cemetery, which honours fallen American war heroes, its Santa Monica ‘extension’ is a place of reflection, mourning and is intended to draw people’s attention to the ongoing conflict.

I didn’t notice the enormous sea of crosses at first, too preoccupied with the crowds on what was the hottest day in Los Angeles’ history. But neither did most of the visitors. The usual, colourful, loud and laid-back crowd was busy parking their SUVs, cycling along the Malibu to Venice path, eating ice cream and rinsing their flip-flops from the sand on the unbelievably wide and long beach.

The memorial is erected next to the northern entrance to the pier and contrasts sharply with the carnival-like atmosphere of the area. Surfers and coffins. Roller coasters and roll calls of thousands of American soldiers who will never see this beach again.

But the memorial also honours Iraqis who were killed by the Coalition troops, as well as the fallen Coalition soldiers.

Despite the appearances, the site does attract a lot of interest, both from casual passers-by like me and from those who came here to reflect and leave their condolences.

But somehow, like in our everyday lives, the moment of reflection evaporates with the scorching heat and soon posters of Miley Cyrus and Usher, and Spiderman impersonators, take over. Everything goes back to normal on Santa Monica beach.

Until next Sunday.

See the full gallery of images from there on Flickr:

Also posted in gallery/photo essay, photography | 1 Comment

Bland, tired, clichéd. Welcome to the world of stock photography

By Michal | Published 21/06/2010

Everyone is complaining that it’s more and more difficult to make money on photography and that the stock photography market has become too competitive. Stock libraries spring up every five minutes and they all overflow with images.

Yes, that might be true. But when you really need a good picture, micro stock libraries disappoint.

In my job I often need to browse for images to illustrate various stories. The subjects vary wildly, but in many cases the requirements are not too taxing: a picture of a child using a laptop; or an image of nice garden; or a messy room. You know the score – no latest Reuters shots from Afghanistan or galleries of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Just some interesting, clean, fairly generic, but hopefully inventive images. The last bit – inventive – is however the source of my frustration.

Photographers submitting their images to stock galleries seem to have a problem with thinking outside the box. They either repeat the same bland – and often detached from reality – clichés which over the years have become a norm, or go for very artistic images, which, although technically perfect, are hardly usable.

This morning I was looking for an image of a car with a few rust spots. Had I known I would need one, I would’ve snapped my own rusty car as it combines the two things I was after: it’s relatively modern and working, and it has a few rusty spots. But try searching for a such a car on a certain well-known stock image website and all you get is numerous images of old rusty Dodge trucks, abandoned somewhere picturesque and artfully photographed in HDR. It ticks all stock library boxes, so it gets accepted, yet from an editorial perspective it’s mostly useless.

Next one: knitting. Here’s where all those predictable clichés come out in force. Because if you were to believe in what stock libraries have to offer, you’d have to conclude that knitting is for old frumpy pensioners in rocking armchairs. Therefore, a story on young trendy mums meeting in gastropubs to knit and chat simply cannot be illustrated by a stock image.

And don’t even get me started on corporate photography. Or rather, don’t get me started on images with keywords ‘meeting’ and ‘office’. Seriously, have you ever been to a meeting, mr stock photography? Do you really think that all meetings involve extremely good-looking people in blue shirts, pointing at a laptop screen or shaking hands or gazing at a whiteboard graph?

I recently needed an image to illustrate a story about tackling challenging meetings. The choice was between a group of happy suits gazing at a graph/laptop/whatever else or a room full of snoring office workers. All looked very corporate because yes, in real life meetings only involve airbrushed 30-somethings in Armani suits, sitting in sterile air-conditioned office towers.

Stock photography now appeals to a much wider audience, the rules have changed a bit. It is no longer just a repository of clinical images for brochures and PowerPoint presentations, or at least it shouldn’t be.  Media outlets use stock images to illustrate their content because it’s cheaper. This creates more demand for more original imagery. Stock photographers must start thinking like journalists to differentiate. There is no point reproducing the same old crap – find out who your audience is and do some research on what works for them.

I know there are people who probably make a fortune on those clinical corporate images – and I agree there is and probably will always be a market for those. But budget cuts and/or smarter thinking have forced many newsrooms to rely on cheaper alternatives. Therefore standing out in a sea of blandness is the only way forward.

Maybe the new Flickr-Getty deal will provide editors with more ‘real’ images? But I should deal with that can of worms in a separate post perhaps…

Related articles by Zemanta
Enhanced by Zemanta
Also posted in photography | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
UA-5427288-6