Photojournalism From A Student's Eye

On the move

2006-09-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

I'm finally making the jump away from blogger to a wordpress blog. I guess that means I won't be spending as much time at BloggerHacks. The new site can be found at http://www.danielsato.comI am still working on the site...hopefully I have an index page and all of that up soon.Technorati Tags: blog | wordpress | blogger | Daniel Sato | dsato

SJSU NPPA Fall 2006 Speakers

2006-09-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

Another thing that has kept me busy this semester has been the SJSU NPPA student chapter. I am pleased to post our list of guest speakers for the semester (full list of events to come).Tuesday, Sept. 19 - BBQ with new SJSU photojournalism professor, Dr. Michael Cheers. Cheers is a former professor of photojournalism and magazine journalism at the University of Mississippi. The BBQ starts at 5

Back in business

2006-09-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

It has been more than a month since my last post. I have been kept busy at my new post as Spartan Daily online editor. Thanks to Neal Waters, we started the semester off with a multimedia presentation on the San Jose Grand Prix.Neal and I are also working on a rather frustrating site redesign for thespartandaily.com. As Ryan Sholin pointed out not too long ago, it can be a pain to work in a

Leaving Nepal...

2006-08-01T05:56:00.000-07:00

As I write this I am sitting in an internet cafe located in the Bangkok International Airport. My time in Nepal has come to an end, and now I move on to a more leisurely vacation in Japan. You can continue to follow Rene Edde's exploits in Nepal and possibly elsewhere by keeping up with her blog.San Jose State University photojournalism student Diana Diroy is off in the Philippines working on

Media and Government in Nepal

2006-07-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

While in the village of Mudikuwa with Rishikesh Tiwari, we had many discussions about the current political situation in Nepal, as well as the history of both Nepal and America. Interestingly, we came to the conclusion that he is afraid his government does not know enough about its citizens, and I worry that my government tries to know too much. In a land sandwiched between two countries that

100th Post Extravaganza!!

2006-07-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

yay.

Coming to a close...

2006-07-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

I woke up today to the realization that I have but one week left in Nepal. Looking back at my time, it feels like it has been a personal test more than anything else. Could I redouble my efforts in the face of unexpected adversity? Prior to my interest in photography and journalism, I am not sure that the answer would have been yes. And yet, here I am, one month and one week in later Nepal, my

I've broken my blog.

2006-07-24T01:22:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know why my white background refuses to go all of the way down the whole page? I must have screwed it up during one of the many times I disconnected due to rain and power outtages while messing with my template.

From Pokhara to Mudikawa Village

2006-07-16T23:15:00.000-07:00

The next stop in my visit to Nepal was to be Mudikawa village in Parbot District. Here I saw the work of Rishi Tiwari, who was working to empower the farmers in his village. I began my mini-excursion in Pokhara, in the company of Ashoka Fellows Rishi Tiwari and Lucky Chetri. We traveled by taxi for two hours from Pokhara to Kusma. Here we left our ride and began our trek on foot.We descended

Life in Pokhara

2006-07-09T07:28:00.001-07:00

Pokhara feels a world away from Kathmandu, and is a welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle found there. In Pokhara I am free to walk the streets without worrying about being honked at constantly or hit by the occasional stray side view mirror. It has rained each day that I have been here (as it had been in Kathmandu), though the rain in Pokhara elicits different feelings than in Kathmandu

Social Entrepreneurs

2006-07-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

I had never before heard of the term “social entrepreneur” before getting in contact with Ashoka. With people increasingly disappointed by the lack of action taken by governments to solve problems, a growing citizen sector has emerged which seeks to enact change, often in unconventional ways. We in the field of journalism have seen the rise of citizen journalism in response to readers who have

A Quick Detour

2006-07-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

While blogging about my time in Nepal, I happened to catch the attention of someone from an organization called Ashoka. I soon met with Sadhana Shrestha, country representative of Nepal for the Ashoka organization. She informed me of the history of the organization, its founding, its current state, and the plans for the future, both in Nepal and globally. I learned of the tireless work of

Revisiting Internship Nepal

2006-07-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

I really had no intention of bringing up the Internship Nepal program again. However, I could not help but notice the redesigned website, especially when Mr. Nardev Pandey's last email told me that he would "post my part of the say in this matter in the Internship Nepal website shortly," and to "please keep watching."My first response on seeing the redesign was that it was much cleaner and

Other thoughts on Kathmandu

2006-07-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

Fellow former Internship Nepal intern Rene Edde, a photography and journalism student at Columbia College in Chicago, has also put up her thoughts on living in Nepal. You can view her post here. And be sure to check out her flickr account as well.Technorati Tags: Rene Edde | photojournalism | blog | Nepal | Daniel Sato | dsato

Rewat Timilsina

2006-07-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

Rewat Timilsina left his home at only seven years of age, dreams of fame and fortune filling his mind. Unfortunately, what awaited him was not acting stardom but a life on the street. It was this life though, that shaped Rewat into who his is today, the head of an NGO who works tirelessly to help those who find themselves in the position he was once in.Growing up on the street, he turned to a

More work on the site

2006-07-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

I have been fiddling again with the structure of this blog. For a while I had multiple headers, might put that back up. I added a new category system as found here. I have also added a js that lets me easily append technorati tags. I am still debating if this is better or worse than the last js which added del.ici.ous tags which are also recognized by technorati (or so I've come to think...).

Expectations of Kathmandu

2006-07-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

If there was one word to sum up my experience of Kathmandu and Nepal to this point, it would simply be; unexpected. This doesn't just cover the fact that I am no longer with Internship Nepal and that I have found my own projects to work on. Kathmandu is definitely not the Kathmandu I expected from reading the Lonely Planet guidebook. In preparing for my trip, I was expecting a culture that was

A Music Filled Day

2006-06-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

I decided to bring my MiniDisc recorder to the JAFON center in the hopes of interviewing Rewat about his background, why he started the program, and where he hoped it would go. Instead, I was greeted with guitars, a drum, and singing. I will post audio as soon as I download and edit it from the recorder.Tags:nepal summer2006 photojournalism

15 days in...

2006-06-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

and I am wearing the same pair of pants.Tags:nepal personal

Sorting at JAFON

2006-06-26T05:52:00.000-07:00

Today was the second time I visited the JAFON center in Patan. As with the first visit, the children and youth at the center were more interested in posing for the camera than anything else. They did appreciate the photos that Rene had printed the night before, and I plan on bringing more from this visit the next time I go. After about half an hour of posing for the camera in front of the

Update from Kathmandu

2006-06-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

I am no longer staying at the Kathmandu Guest House. In an effort to save some money, I now reside at Hotel Northfield, about four buildings down from KTM Guest House. I have gone from spending $7.50 a night to $3 a night. As far as wireless internet access is concerned in Kathmandu, I know of three hot spots, all within the Thamel area. At Java Coffee House, you can purchase internet access

A New Purpose in Nepal

2006-06-25T00:39:00.000-07:00

I am now taking photos for an organization called Jagaran Forum Nepal (JAFON). JAFON is a non-profit organization started by Rewat Raj Timilsina to help deal with the problems that children living on the streets in Nepal face. We were put in contact with Rewat through Kishore, a photographer who worked with Rene at VOW and BOSS magazines. According to Rewat, who once lived on the streets

Parting Ways with Internship Nepal

2006-06-21T01:30:00.000-07:00

On June 20, 2006 I parted ways with the Internship Nepal program. Though I imagine working at the Nepali Times would have given me access to events that were more interesting than tea parties and fashion shows, such as what Rene experienced with VOW, I found it too difficult to remain in a program that was headed by someone who I had difficulty placing my trust in. The day before, we had gone

First days in Kathmandu

2006-06-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

Three days later and I finally arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal. Spending a night in Bangkok was interesting as my hostel happened to be right next to the red light district of Patpong, made infamous by American GI's who were on R&R during the Vietnam War. I went out for a walk to buy some souvenirs for people and was constantly propositioned to go into bars, watch shows, get massages, etc.

Summer Trip: Day 1

2006-06-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

The first day of my summer trip transpired without too many problems. This was the first time I had ever traveled outside of the United States and I quickly learned one thing: don't choose a window seat on a 12 hour flight. I was only able to sleep for two hours, though that did allow me time to watch Big Momma's House 2, Match Point, some movie about saving sled dogs in Antarctica that had the

Dusting off the blog

2006-04-17T03:49:00.000-07:00

It has indeed been some time since my last post. As occured last semester, I hit a period in which I was caught up with schoolwork and life. The posts will most likely continue to be few and far between until the end of finals at SJSU. In the meantime, here are some useful photography/pj links:A Photo A Day: Exactly what is sounds like. A photo a day on the main page. There is also a blog

Camerapedia.org: A Camera Wiki

2006-03-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

While it is no muppet wiki, Camerapedia.org aims to "be a repository for information and links to information about all still camera brands and models" and could develop into a great resource for every photographer.Currently, some camera models have been covered extensively, such as the Canon 300D, whose entry includes official product sites, reviews, links to firmware updates, links to

SJSU bloggers unite...

2006-03-04T04:07:00.000-08:00

in meme form. Thanks fling.Four Things...Four tv shows I like:Aqua Teen Hunger Force (quality programming, I know)MythbustersFamily GuyCurb Your EnthusiasmFour movies I enjoy:The Big LebowskiGarden StateTonari no TotoroAmelieFour jobs I've held:High school tutorJamba Juice juicerator extraordinairePark NaturalistPhotographer (okay, it's an internship, but I have nothing else)Four places I've

Spartan Daily Multimedia

2006-03-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, February 21 and Wednesday, February 22 the first annual Amgen Tour of California raced its way through San Jose. For the Spartan Daily, it was a great opportunity to attempt our first online multimedia project; tons of action, crowd noise, etc.While there is much improvement to be had, it is an important step in a direction that makes our school newspaper more relevant and teaches

SJSU vs. Fresno State Basketball

2006-02-25T05:54:00.000-08:00

View Photo Slideshow Tags:slideshow photography sjsu

Photoblog

2006-02-22T00:51:00.000-08:00

I take a good amount of photographs throughout the week. Some are for an assignment, many are not. Some have a story behind them, most don't. Nearly all of them are bad. As a result, I have created a photoblog to house some images. No stories, just photos (one per page, unlike flickr).In other news, I swear I have three posts in the works that are NOT about something I created or added to

Archive of Page Layouts

2006-02-16T02:02:00.000-08:00

I have created a page to archive the page layouts that I do this semester for the Spartan Daily. As with my portfolio, I have linked to this page under "Personal Links" on the sidebar to the right.Tags:sitenews

The Politics of Shooting Politics (SVCN Week 5)

2006-02-16T00:38:00.000-08:00

I had always read about just how frustrating photographing politics could be. Events are staged, backgrounds arranged, photographers are limited in the areas that they are allowed to roam, etc. I had yet to experience this firsthand (and still have yet to experience it to a high degree) until the San Jose State of the City address on February 8, 2006. Though I had not been told where to stand,

Some RAW Data

2006-02-01T23:45:00.000-08:00

Photographers all know the basic difference between RAW files and jpgs. Put simply, RAW files are uncompressed and are more analogous to shooting with negative film, while jpgs are compressed and resemble shooting with transparencies. For those seeking a more technical explanation that is still easy to read, check out Bruce Fraser's article (note: link to pdf) from Adobe that was recently

Kodak's Digital Sales

2006-01-31T09:14:00.000-08:00

While this no longer comes as a huge surprise, especially after stopping their production of black and white paper, changing their logo, and introducing a digital camera with two lenses, it is still a bit strange knowing that sales of Kodak's digital equipment exceeded that of film during 2005.Tags:photography technology

The Cutout

2006-01-30T14:11:00.000-08:00

At the end of the Fall 2005 semester the photo staff gave each other various gag gifts. I received a cardboard cutout of myself, whose purpose was to sit in on all of the classes that I was missing to go take photos (I did manage to reasonably salvage the semester).Not knowing what to actually do with the cutout, I started to use it for class assignments such as this magazine cover for my

Lightbox JS

2006-01-26T02:19:00.000-08:00

I had been trying to find a better way to display my work on the blog. While I love Flickr, I did not want to hassle readers with having to keep clicking back and forth between this blog and my flickr page if I wanted to display multiple images. Luckily, fellow SJSU photojournalism student and blogger Shaminder Dulai pointed me over to Lightbox JS, a script that overlays images onto the window

Adding del.icio.us tags

2006-01-24T01:35:00.000-08:00

In trying to add some form of category system to the blog I have killed two birds with one stone. After browsing over the various ways one can add a category system to Blogger, I decided upon a method which (I think) relies on tagging posts through del.icio.us and then pointing to my del.icio.us page. I apologize for I am probably wrong in my explanation. However, adding this little aspect to

Posting my portfolio

2006-01-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

While I do have the random strip of pictures from my Flickr account running across the top of the page, I felt I should post a quick and easy link to my portfolio. Thanks to this handy guide, I was able to do so, and the resulting flash presentation is now linked on the sidebar under Personal Links. Tags:sitenews photojournalism portfolio

SVCN Week 2

2006-01-22T12:39:00.000-08:00

Two weeks into my internship at the Silicon Valley Community Newspapers and all is well. I have shot nine assignments and find the hardest part (aside from portraits) is remembering which of the six papers I am shooting for at the time.It has been great to get back to shooting often again following a short winter break. To be honest, after shooting nearly every day for a whole semester while on

Photography on a Budget

2006-01-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

Photography is an expensive hobby/profession. This blatantly obvious statement is especially true for students who already have to contend with rent, tuition, living expenses, etc, and may or may not have a full-time or part-time job.As a photojournalism student, there are certain tools that I know I will need. A sturdy DSLR (20D, D70, 1D Mark II, D2X, etc.), a nice wide angle (16-35mm f/2.8),

Intended Consequences

2006-01-13T04:22:00.000-08:00

In October of last year the Silicon Valley Community Newspapers were purchased by Knight Ridder, which also owns the San Jose Mercury News. Upon purchasing SVCN, the Mercury News discontinued its publication of "The Guide," an insert focused on local communities. Knight Ridder Senior Vice President Hilary Schneider explained the purchase in the following way: We believe strongly in the

Adobe Answer Back

2006-01-09T00:39:00.000-08:00

As many photographers are aware, Adobe has responded to Apple's Aperture program with their own application, dubbed Lightroom, which, according to this article in Macworld, is to be released in beta form this Monday at the Macworld Expo.While Aperture has won many over with its sexy styling and intuitive controls, many photojournalists, especially students, do not have a machine powerful enough

Internship No. 2

2006-01-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

I have begun an internship with the Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, shooting for six of the eight papers under their watch. While I doubt I will be as prolific in my blogging or my photography as Joyce Lin was while taking a photo an hour and recording her experience for The Digital Journalist, I hope to be more thorough in recording my experiences than I was during my time at the Rafu

Learning Graphic Design

2005-12-19T02:08:00.000-08:00

The Thursday, December 8, 2005 edition of San Jose State University's Spartan Daily was the last issue of the Fall 2005 semester. It was also my first issue as a production editor, laying out the news pages, a job that I will hold during the Spring 2006 semester.I have had mixed responses about my decision to spend a semester doing graphic design. Some have encouraged my choice, viewing it as

Spartan Daily - Fall 2005

2005-12-06T02:38:00.000-08:00

Photo by Zach Beecher - Clockwise from top middle: Elizabeth Nguyen, Kevin White, Ben Lui, Daniel Sato, Phil Bedrossian, Shaminder Dulai, and Diana Diroy.As the Fall 2005 semester draws to a close at San Jose State University, I must thank the photo staff on the Spartan Daily for all of their hard work and dedication. Despite various challenges facing the photojournalism department, the San Jose

60th Annual CPOY

2005-11-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

In speaking to students during San Jose State University's Professional Development Day, Santa Cruz Sentinel photographer Shmuel Thaler mentioned that he was glad that he was not in our shoes, trying to enter photography at a time when the quantity and quality of student portfolios is numerous and outstanding. For examples of some of this work, one needs look no further than this years College

Why Flickr?

2005-11-10T01:09:00.000-08:00

For some photographers, the thought of sharing their work with the public is unimaginable. Photographs are a personal look into themselves and are meant to be printed and hung up on the wall, kept in shoeboxes, and shown to only the closest of confidantes.This being so, many are surprised to hear that I share much of my work, especially the work that I am proud of, through a photo sharing site

Flying Short Course Eugene, OR

2005-10-08T02:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I attended the 48th Annual NPPA Flying Short Course in Eugene, OR. The seminar, which first stopped in Boston, MA and then Austin, TX, included workshops on Saturday and the speakers on Sunday. As a beginning photojournalist, the short course was very helpful in teaching me how to improve my photography, allowed me to meet many professionals as well as fellow students, and

San Jose City Hall

2005-09-28T01:28:00.000-07:00

In the latest update from the US Census Bureau, San Jose, CA recently surpassed Detroit as the nation's 10th largest city, third in California behind Los Angeles and San Diego. Perhaps in trying to reflect this big city image, the new City Hall was recently completed and opened up for media tours (the grand opening is Saturday, October 15, 2005). What some now call the "Taj Gonzales," after San

Hitting the Wall

2005-09-28T00:50:00.000-07:00

I have hit a wall.Perhaps I was a bit overzealous in enrolling in five classes in addition to the school newspaper, the Spartan Daily, which has only four photographers on staff this semester. As with any job, there is always a matter of time management and prioritization of energy and effort. In majoring in photojournalism, this process has proven to be very difficult. Do I attend every class

SJSU and the Great Feature Hunt

2005-09-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

Shooting for San Jose State's Spartan Daily for just over three weeks now, I have found shooting features and wild art to be one of the more difficult tasks. Limited by the size of the campus, shots that have been taken every year, and attitude that feature art is simply space filler to be taken at a moments notice, I have struggled to find fresh ways to view the campus and campus life.

2005-08-30T01:24:00.000-07:00

This past summer I spent my time shooting photographs for the Rafu Shimpo, a daily (Tuesday-Saturday) paper printed in both Japanese and English and with a long history in the Little Tokyo community of downtown Los Angeles. While it may not have been some of the other well-known internships that I hear returning students talking about, it was definitely one of the most rewarding experience I've

VICTORY: A Boxer's Story

2005-08-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

Looking back on my time at Brooks, there is one project that I am truly proud of. In what was my final class at Brooks, myself, Daniel Corson, and Alex Zuccarelli, produced a documentary following a 17 year old boxer named Victor Ortiz. Thanks to Alex, who also pushed the boxing documentary initially, the film now has a proper website and is available for download. In describing the genesis of

CA Nisei High School Diploma Project

2005-08-24T01:37:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I had the privilege of photographing a high school graduation. However, it was nothing at all like your typical graduation. Instead of parents in the audience, it was sons and daughters, and the graduates had not a lifetime of possibility ahead of them, but a lifetime of experiences to reflect back upon. Held in the Los Angeles Trade Tech College auditorium, the graduation is one

Nisei Week 2005

2005-08-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

Nisei Week, a weeklong celebration of Japanese and Japanese American culture, was held from August 13 to August 21, 2005 in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo. Being a 4th generation Japanese American and having only been to Nisei Week once as a child, photographing the 65th incarnation of the event taught me a great deal photographically and culturally.As far as the photography went, I probably took more

Mammoth 2005

2005-08-03T00:44:00.000-07:00

This summer has seen scant few posts, partially due to work, the internet being down, and also vacation. I have been back for a week or so now and I thought I would post a few of the pictures from my camping trip to Mammoth Lakes, CA.Tags:personal

Brooks cont.

2005-07-28T01:17:00.000-07:00

The July 20 article regarding Brooks Institute of Photography on the Inside Higher Ed website includes interesting commentary left by former Brooks students, current students, those who support the school, and those who do not agree with the school.Tags:education

Possible Brooks Closure

2005-07-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

While reading the APAD Weblog, I found that Brooks Institute of Photography , located in Santa Barbara and Ventura, CA and subject of my first post, faces possible closure over false recruiting claims. According to the Los Angeles Times: After a review that included an undercover visit, the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education told Brooks to prepare for closure in 2007 if it

London Bombings

2005-07-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

Following the attacks on the World Trade Center in NY on September 11, 2001, a photo began circulating that allegedly was the last picture ever taken from atop the WTC observation deck by an unassuming tourist. While receiving a picture from his wife, SJSU Tech Guy Steve Sloan asked his readers to "Imagine if folks on the top of the world trade center on 9/11 had such phones." In the June 06,

Truly Revolutionary

2005-07-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I was in a podcast put together by Steve Sloan. Apparently some commotion has resulted from that event, but luckily, it seems to have sorted itself out. During that podcast I made a comment to the extent that the technology being developed today was not actually revolutionary. It seems that being without the internet for a week or so has made me realize just how dependent I am

podzilla

2005-06-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

While going through digg.com, I found one of the now many posts on running Linux on your iPod. The iPodLinux Project offers Linux software for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation iPods and is currently working on support for the newer 4th generation iPod, mini, Photo, and shuffle.Why would you choose to run "podzilla" on your iPod? As the iPodLinux site points out, running podzilla adds many

An Online Presence

2005-06-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

If you were to visit the website for the Rafu Shimpo, which has been published since 1903 and is the largest bilingual English/Japanese daily in the United States, you would find...nothing. With newspaper subscriptions on the decline, especially for a paper such as the Rafu whose readers (Issei and Nissei immigrants) are growing older, the internet is proving a vital resource in attracting a new

Looking For Visual Variety

2005-06-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

I have found, in the short period of time that I have been interning, that the images that I like the most are often not the ones chosen to be placed in the paper. When photographing an event, I try to get the standard/necessary shots. I had assumed that I should then be experimenting to try and find new ways to tell the story. I climb under, look over, and can have other photographers looking at

A Taste of Ethics

2005-06-15T01:26:00.000-07:00

When studying journalism, photographic or otherwise, the issue of ethics is always addressed thoroughly. From Brian Wolski to Jason Blair, the examples seem endless. One would hope that journalists have learned their lesson, and do not want to risk their jobs for the better story/photo. Unfortunately, there will always be pressure to come back to the office with that great image or amazing

1st Assignment

2005-06-07T00:37:00.000-07:00

Spending most days getting images ready for print, I was given a chance to go out and photograph for the Rafu Shimpo this past Sunday at the 21st Annual Gardena 5000, a 5K run held in Gardena, CA. The day started with the open 5K run in which hundreds participated. Next came the invitational 5K run, which featured 17 elite runners. The day ended with short kids runs and the passing out of awards.

Another Relaxing Summer...

2005-06-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

The spring semester has ended at San Jose State University. Like most students, I looked forward to summer as a time to relax, go on vacation, and get away from school for a few months. Having planned camping expeditions across the Western United States, I quickly learned that this is not the case for the student photojournalist. In order to get ready for shooting on the Spartan Daily, and to

Interview with a Photojournalist

2005-05-27T23:45:00.000-07:00

One of the last assignments in Beginning Visual Journalism at SJSU was to interview a photojournalist and find out a bit more about their background and how they broke into the field. I decided to post the interview here because I feel that it is always interesting to know the various ways that people found their way into photojournalism and their differing opinions on the field. Hopefully this

Advances in Photography

2005-05-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

As reported by DPReview on Tuesday, May 24, 2005:Scientists at Canada's Universite Laval have invented a lens that is five times thinner than a piece of paper and can zoom without using mechanical parts. The lens is created by adding a small quantity of photosensitive material to a liquid crystal cell. When a weak electrical current is applied, the crystals realign differently from those in the

PJ and the Internet

2005-05-23T01:27:00.000-07:00

This month's Digital Journalist features an article by contributing columnist Bill Pierce. Pierce asks the question: Is it possible that photojournalism is not a good profession for young people to enter?The article focuses mainly on the numerous downsides facing those who wish to enter the field of photojournalism: Today, most photographers sell all rights, losing not only all future income from

Tiger's Meow

2005-05-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

On April 29,2005, Apple released Tiger, OSX 10.4. Hyped by Apple, and given high praise by many, as seen in this Slashdot post, many Apple users quickly upgraded to the latest OS. Not that Tiger is not a worthy upgrade, but as Steve Sloan explains, there are still some bugs to be worked out. While I have not had a chance to really use Tiger (aside from messing around with the computers at the

Student Podcast pt. II

2005-05-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

The aforementioned student podcast held by Steve Sloan on emerging technology was held this past Wednesday, May 18, 2005 and has been uploaded to the Edupodder website. Mr. Sloan, SJSU Mass Comm grad student Ryan Sholin, Computer Engineering student Harry Wu, and I discussed podcasting, blogging, and wireless internet access among other things, as well as their effects on education in this 48.15

Just digg It

2005-05-18T02:27:00.000-07:00

Just what is digg? According to their website, digg is: a technology news website that gives editorial control back to the community. Most technology websites allow users to suggest content by submitting links or stories to an editor. If the editor believes the story to be relevant to the masses, he or she moves the story to the homepage. With digg, users also submit links for review. But

Student Podcast

2005-05-18T02:21:00.000-07:00

SJSU Tech Guy Steve Sloan is holding a podcast for students who participate in blogging and other forms of technology. SJSU, IRC302...2-3pm and a day, Wednesday May 18...please email me at s_sloan@mac.com and let me know if you can or can't come to the conversation. Faculty and staff are also invited but the focus is going to be on students.Tags:education technology podcast

Dan Gillmor launches Bayosphere

2005-05-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

Dan Gillmor, author of We the Media: Grassroots Journalism By the People, For the People has started his Grassroots Media project known as Bayosphere. According to the site, the Bayosphere will: be a medium through which we could connect and collaborate, for mutual benefit. It's happening. As the Net matures, we are learning to write as easily and fluently as we read.At Bayosphere, we're going

Buyer Beware

2005-05-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

In trying to make my blog more functional, I decided to add a google search bar to search the contents of my site. I found this great guide on how to do this from the Six Apart website (owners of TypePad, LiveJournal, Moveable Type). I also found this site, which claims to "Put the power of blogs to work for your business." The site promised to provide the same service, adding a search bar to

Electronic Waste pt. II

2005-05-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Professor Dennis Dunleavy recently found this item at SJSU. It is a monitor which as been labelled "TRASH" and left out in the hallway.It reminded me of the G4 CubeQuarium project, and that items can find new creative uses other than filling landfills.Think different.

This Week in Tech

2005-05-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

In a bit of old news, some of the members of the now defunct "The Screen Savers" have gotten together to produce a podcast they now call This Week in Tech. TWiT is hosted by Leo Laporte and also features former TSS co-host Patrick Norton, G4TV Attack of the Show host Kevin Rose, and Robert Heron. You can subscribe to the podcast through feedburner here or access the BitTorrent files here.Tags:

World Press Freedom Day

2005-05-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

May 3, 2005 marked World Press Freedom Day. According to UNESCO, this day is a date: ...which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.Journalists from around the world marked the

Electronic Waste

2005-05-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

As many photographers and all computer users know, rapid increases in technology render much of our equipment outdated in just a few years. When businesses, professionals, consumers, etc. purchase new equipment, their old "electronic waste" often finds its way into landfills. The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA) highlighted this growing problem with the

PhotographyReview SF Gathering

2005-05-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 30, 2005 some of the members of PhotographyReview held a gathering in San Francisco. We met at 9am and toured around parts of San Francisco. Unfortunately we had to end early, but everyone had a great time. __ Tags:photography personal

Tools for Freelancers

2005-04-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

While I have made mention of making connections/mentoring/interning at newspapers with the intent to one day be employed as a staff photographer, I realize that this is not the only career option for photojournalists. Freelancing gives a photographer the ability to negotiate fees as well as retain the rights to images. However, it is not always simple knowing how much to charge for your work,

RSS Feeds and Dwindling Circulation

2005-04-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

Are blogs and RSS feeds destroying the business that I am attempting to enter? According to this article written April 25, 2005, by Randy Dotinga of the Christian Science Monitor, newspapers are facing increased competition from blogs, RSS feed readers, and sites that run their own news aggregators such as Yahoo! News and Google News. The article points out that "the percentage of adults who

Joining the Blogosphere pt. II

2005-04-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Ryan Sholin, a SJSU graduate student in Mass Communications summarizes and offers his insight on the previously mentioned Joining the Blogosphere event on his J-School Blog.Tags:technology blogging

Mentoring Opportunities for Students

2005-04-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

One of the many opportunities provided to students is the availability of mentors to help develop provhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifide advice, develop ideas, and improve portfolios among other things. On Wednesday, April 20, 2005 I had the pleasure of visiting photojournalist Dai Sugano at the San Jose Mercury News. Mr. Sugano, and his fellow photographers, were all extremely friendly

Joining the Blogosphere

2005-04-20T01:10:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, April 19, 2005 at 7pm I attended the Joining the Blogosphere talk held in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library by the Commonwealth Club. The talk featured Dan Gillmor, founder of Grassroots Journalism, David Pescovitz, co-founder of boingboing.net, Jude Barry, Co-founder of Catapult Strategies and contributor to sanjoseinside.com, and Chuck Olsen, producer of Blogumentary. While

Emulating Film with Digital

2005-04-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

This list was made in response to a fellow student's desire to emulate the look of specific slide films on a digital image in post processing. I hope that it can prove useful to others. Techniques were taken from various internet sites and have not been verified. Most sites listed have directions for how to achieve the look in Photoshop. Some have downloadable actions to streamline the process.

A Competitive Field

2005-04-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago in SJSU's MCOM 72 (Media & Society), which is taught by Professor Rucker, The Apprentice was assigned as a JAM (Journal Analyzing Media Strategies). The class was asked to discuss what was expected out of today's youth in the business world. To many, The Apprentice demonstrated how cutthroat and competitive the "real world" could be. It seemed as though your equals would be

How it all Works

2005-04-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

I have been making a great deal about technologies such as blogging and podcasting which have the potential to be huge academic tools for students and teachers. As pointed out by Janet Stemwedel however, "it's at least as easy for students to avoid viewing a lecture that's available online as it is for them to skip a live lecture."From a student's perspective, these new tools should be used more

Anonymous Blogging

2005-04-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

One of the most common complaints about the blogosphere as a legitimate news and/or educational source is the anonymity that is possible within the internet. As has been continually noted, with only a computer and internet access anyone can publish his or her thoughts onto the web. However, we should not forget the need, at times, for anonymity. As political humorist Ana Marie Cox noted while

Further iPod uses...

2005-04-05T01:24:00.000-07:00

Though podcasting is relatively new, it has long been known that the iPod can be used as a portable hard drive. I assume that many photographers (especially students, as we seem to be purchasing iPods in huge numbers) have considered the image storage possibilities of the iPod. Unfortunately, photographers had little option when looking for camera to iPod connectors. Our prayers were seemingly

First Blogging, Then Podcasting, Now...Video Blogging?

2005-04-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

As a quick follow-up to my previous post, I recently read an article on advancedIPpipeline, part of TechWeb, that discusses Google's plan to allow video uploading to its servers. As stated in the article, this would add on to Google's existing services; Blogger, which allows users to publish blogs like this one, GMail, which has expanded its storage from 1GB to 2GB and counting, Picasa, which

Emerging Technologies Change Education

2005-04-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Recently there has been a great deal of media coverage on the emergence of the "blog-o-sphere." Much of this attention has either been focused on its ability to diseminate information quickly and easily as well as the huge number of personal blog communities that have formed. Equally important has been the emergence of blogging as an educational tool. Educational blogs provide students with

Power of Photography

2005-04-02T00:14:00.000-08:00

ABC World News Tonight ran a segment on the Heart Gallery Photographers. For those that missed the segment, the photographers involved donate their time to photograph and raise awareness for the over 130,000 orphaned American children. With the constant news of photographers harassing celebrities, the public opinion of journalists as being less honest than state and local officeholders, and

Journalism School Blogs

2005-04-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

In writing my own blog, I thought it would be a good idea to research what other students and journalists were doing. While searching I came across A J-School Year. This blog is written by University of South Carolina students who are supervised by Doug Fisher. After reading the blog I decided to email Mr. Fisher and ask him more about the program that he runs. He was kind enough to let me

J. Bruce Baumann

2005-03-31T14:15:00.000-08:00

I wrote Mr. Baumann, executive editor of the Evansville Courier & Press, in regards to the article in News Photographer. He quickly returned my email with the following response:Daniel:Certainly photojournalism takes extra effort to perfect the discipline, but when someone interviews with me and hasn't read a book (except in school), doesn't have a hobby and can't discuss world issues, I find

How to Really Get a Job

2005-03-31T02:54:00.000-08:00

Within the March 2005 edition of News Photographer magazine can be found an article by Jenni Kolsky Goldman, photojournalism professor at Cal Poly Pomona. The article, entitled "The First Job Out of College: What Are Editors Really Looking For in a Recent Grad?" laid out what current photojournalism students must strive for in order to better their chances of being employed as a photojournalist

Why I Enrolled at SJSU

2005-03-31T01:53:00.000-08:00

After leaving Brooks, I had to find a school that would allow me to pursue a degree in photojournalism while receiving the type of education that I desired. I ultimately chose San Jose State University after corresponding with the Photojournalism Professor, Dennis Dunleavy, through email.In corresponding with Professor Dunleavy, I got a better sense of what SJSU was all about. I learned of

My Portfolio

2005-03-30T21:26:00.000-08:00

Tags:photojournalism portfolio personal

Some Background Information...

2005-03-30T03:25:00.000-08:00

I became interested in photography about a year and a half ago. After researching the options that I had, my family and I decided that I would attend Brooks Institute of Photography. At the time, we felt that Brooks offered the best opportunities for future success despite its high cost. We had also read praise of its photography department and felt that it would translate over to the visual