The obituary of newspapers has already written as major newspapers like the Detroit Free Press are laying off dozens of staff members (including their entire photo department).  However,  surprisingly (or not so surprisingly) thousands of papers across the country are flourishing!

You heard it!  Unlike the once mighty, daily newspapers in big cities, small-town newspapers are still holding their own and in many cases are still lucrative.

USC journalism professor Judy Muller points out that “thousands of newspapers are not just surviving but thriving.” They are thriving by practicing “Hyper-localism” and providing a “…steady stream of news that readers can only get from that publication — the births, deaths, crimes, sports and local shenanigans that only matter to the 5,000 or so souls in their circulation area.”

Of course, television news and newspapers have always tried to find a local angle on even the most remote major news story.

During the war in Iraq, they featured local service people or their families.  When Prince William and Kate Middleton got married, they featured local people who took the day off to watch on TV, if not someone who happened to be in England at the time.  And so on.  You get the picture.

But this hyper-localism is much more than that.  It is reporting on local news that directly affects its readers… and that is not covered anywhere else.  The small-town newspaper fills this void left by national television news and online wire services.

“And what of the Internet threat?”  Muller points out that “many of these small-town editors have learned a lesson from watching their big-city counterparts: Don’t give it away.”

In fact, that is exactly what successful papers like the Ellensburg (WA) Daily Record are doing.  This 6,000 daily circulation publication offers limited “free” content and then requires readers to subscribe.

www.dailyrecordnews.com/subscriptions/

According to Daily Record staff photojournalist Brian Myrick (a former colleague of mine from the Daytona Beach News Journal), not only is this model working very well for the Daily Record, but other newspapers in the area are quickly following suit.

As Mark Twain once said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”  Well let’s hope the same is true about the newspaper industry!

Angel and I recently took a trip up to Atlanta to visit some friends (including Valerie  & Mike Bean) and to see some sights including the Georgia Aquarium (which was incredible) and the World of Coca Cola (Angel’s nirvana).

We know Valerie & Mike from many years of attending Habitat for Humanity International’s annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project.  In fact, Valerie and I both attended our first Carter Work Project in 1999 which was held in the Philippines.

Speaking of Jimmy Carter, the last stop on our Atlanta trip was the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum.  Politics aside…  Jimmy is probably the hardest working former President in the history of our country.  In addition to his work through the Carter Center, one of his favorite charities is Habitat for Humanity International which was founded by his good friends Linda and Millard Fuller in Americus, Georgia…  just a stones throw away from their home in Plains.

As a photojournalist, I have witnessed first hand politicians (of both parties) working posing for photo-ops.  But not President Carter.  Year after year, Jimmy and Rosalynn toil in the same dirt and heat as the hundreds of other volunteers to help build a house in one week during the annual project in their namesake.  In fact, I believe that if it were up to President Carter, none of us photographers were be present; that way he could concentrate on the work at hand.  But thankfully, the former President understands the importance of publicity for Habitat… so I get to keep my job.

But I digress…  Before entering the actual museum, visitors are shown a biographical film of President Carter…  from his days growing up in rural Plains, Georgia…  to attending the US Naval Academy… to ultimately becoming our 39th President and beyond.

To my surprise, one of my photographs of the Carters building with Habitat in Pascagoula, Mississippi was shown during the video!  I wasn’t positive that it was mine until I sat through a second screening and snapped a shot of the movie screen to check later.

And sure enough.  Once I got back to Gainesville, I checked my archives and confirmed that indeed it was mine!

Then on our way out, I noticed that among the books for sale in the gift shop was “If I Had A Hammer” by David Rubel (and foreword by Jimmy Carter).  This book which chronicles the history of Habitat for Humanity International also features several of my photographs.

Needless to say, it was a thrill to see my work in a Presidential Library!
This was a great end to a great trip!

Recently, a group of us from ACEL (Alachua County Emerging Leaders) spent a day building with our local Habitat for Humanity.

It felt good to get out there and play with some power tools…  Arrrr Arrrr Arrrr Arrrrh!!!
I think that Tim “The Tool Man” would agree.

We all felt good about helping someone less fortunate in our community…  AND we all actually had fun.  Yes.  Despite sweating in the hot sun and waking up sore the next morning, we loved it and had fun working.

Wow, since its so much fun…  I guess that professional contractors never work!   After all, they say “If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.”

But, then again, unlike pro contractors, we don’t build everyday AND our livelihood isn’t on the line.

I guess its like when you were a little kid…  washing the car or cutting the grass was fun.  But once you are expected to do such tasks as chores (or do them for a living)…  not so much fun.

Certainly, doing what you love is way better than doing what you hate.  But when it comes down to making a living…  work is…  well… work.

I love photography.  And, yes, I love what I do.

That said, things definitely changed when I started doing this as a living.  Before the Daytona Beach News Journal hired me as a photojournalist, photography was solely for me…  or my easily impressed family and friends.  But now my audience is much more discerning and demanding.

As with many things in life, both good and bad comes along with this profession.

I have had many wonderful experiences as a professional photographer!  I have been paid to travel around the world, I have met famous people like Garth Brooks and Pres. Jimmy Carter, I have photographed the Super Bowl…  and the list goes on.

Plus, I have learned that my images have the power to evoke emotions, tell stories, and, in some cases, change people’s lives.  How great is that?!?

However, with great power, comes great responsibility…  OK…  that’s a Spiderman quote…  but professionalism does come with lots of responsibilities.

Professionals have responsibilities not only to their clients, but also to their families (who depend on their income to keep a roof over their heads, food on their tables, to pay all of their bills).

Professional photographers’ clients (or employers) expect consistency, high quality, creativity, and more… all under tight deadlines… with no excuses.

We are expected to create dynamic images in all circumstances… Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night… oh wait… that’s the post office.  But then again, it might as well be our motto as well.

It doesn’t matter whether it is a beautiful sunny day outside or inside the darkness of a cave…  whether it is a boring, mundane assignment or a hectic, chaotic breaking news event, we are expected to get “the” image.

To say that photography is all fun and games would be a lie.  And that goes for other professions that so many people think would be fun:  professional athlete, top chef,
movie actor, rock star… and so on.  Just ask any of them and I am sure that
they would agree.

It is more like fun AND work.
Fun because we like what we are doing (& choose to do it).
Work because we have responsibilities (& must always meet high expectations).

After building for a day (and proverbially walking a mile in the shoes of professional contractors), I have an even greater respect for their knowledge, talent and skills.
And even with my professional DeWalt drill and Makita circular saw…
no matter how much fun I had building with Habitat for Humanity…
I have concluded that I am NOT a contractor…

I will leave that up to the Professionals.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer stated at a recent press conference, “There’s no such thing as Flickr Pro today because [with so many people taking photographs] there’s really no such thing as professional photographers anymore.”
Needless to say, this comment set off a fire storm in the professional photography community!

In an attempt to do damage control, Mayer responded by saying that “It was a misstatement on my part and out of context.  [It] was about the terabyte on Flickr & how many photos everyone takes.”

Out of context?  Really?  Here is her entire quote:

“There’s no such thing as Flickr Pro, because today, with cameras as pervasive as they are, there is no such thing really as professional photographers, when there’s everything is professional photographers. Certainly there is varying levels of skills, but we didn’t want to have a Flickr Pro anymore, we wanted everyone to have professional quality photos, space, and sharing.”

Veteran Newsweek & Sports Illustrated photo editor Jimmy Colton hit the nail on the head with his blog posting (including responses to negative comments) on this subject:
http://jimcolton.com/blog/2013/5/21/spitting-on-the-grave

So, yes, professional photographers have taken offense.  Many of us have spent years studying, practicing, and honing our skills in an on-going process.  Unfortunately, not everyone is visually literate.   Those people who are can see the undeniable difference between good and bad images (objective qualities like exposure and sharpness) and they appreciate the skill it takes to achieve professional images on a consistent basis.

I would no sooner call myself a professional basketball player because I own a “professional” official NBA basketball and can make an occasional 3-point shot.  Nor would I call myself a chef because I own “professional” Calphlon cookware and can make an occasional gourmet dinner.

The problem is that too many people with a “professional” camera think that they are professional.  Take enough snapshots, eventually you will get a good one.  Get a handful of good ones…  add “Photography” to your last name…  post them to a website…  and voila, you are a professional!  Correct?  NO!

Unfortunately, Ms Mayer’s statement plays right into this theory.  Shoot lots and lots of photographs…  post them to the same place as professionals (in this case Flickr)…  and suddenly everyone doing photography is equal.  That is absurd.

Like making a 3-point shot, anyone can take a great photo.  But can they do it every time and on-demand?  Can they do it under pressure and in any conditions?

In addition to shooting skills, part of the art of professional photography is the ability to edit (and I mean cull) your work with the objective of only choosing the best of the best.  According to veteran photo editors, “Knowing what not to show is as important as to what to show.”  This is a point that is too often missed.  And if you ever sat through tray full after tray full of your neighbor’s vacation slides you would know what I mean.

With the public’s conception of professional versus non-professional photography blurring…  and the onslaught of mediocre images flooding the internet which are becoming accepted as the norm (and “good enough”)…  the comments of people like Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer bolstering this idea…  the ability to actually make photography one’s “profession” has become harder than ever.

Ginny Haeseler was born with a congenital heart defect which made it necessary for her to spend the first several weeks of her life in the NICU at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida.

Due to her condition, her parents Rachel and Jason were not able to pick her up and hold her.   Making matters worse was that they had no idea how long they would have to wait.

On day 21, they got news from the hospital that they could finally hold Ginny.  According to Rachel, “It was like Christmas morning!  We were so excited!”

As soon as Rachel and Jason called with the good news, I rushed over to Shands to capture that special moment.