Here’s the deal WNPA members: I am going to be gone all weekend. And while deadline are important in this business, this one is not as important to me as having a great contest.

If you can manage to get your CD entry delivered to the WNPA entry box at the photo desk at the Journal Sentinel or files FTPed to me before 5PM on Monday March 3rd you will be “in like Flynn” and have a chance to win.

Thanks to everyone who entered on time. The rest of you owe me a beer or some good karma.

Nathan Pier

WNPA POY Contest Chair

Posted by Nathan Pier as 2008 Convention at 7:03 PM EST

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Updated February 29, 2008

Eugene Richards is joining the list of speakers for the 2008 WNPA Convention. He is making his appearance as a Canon Explorer of Light speaker.

Eugene Richards is a photographer, writer and documentary filmmaker who is best known for his books and photographic essays on such diverse topics as breast cancer, drug addiction, poverty, AIDS, and aging in America.  He earned a degree in English and journalism from Northeastern University in 1967, then studied photography with Minor White at M.I.T.  He received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Lesley University in 2005.

In 1968 Richards joined VISTA and was assigned as a health care advocate to eastern Arkansas.  Two years later he helped found a social service organization and a community newspaper, Many Voices, that reported on black political action and the response of the Ku Klux Klan.  After publication of his first two books, Few Comforts or Surprises: The Arkansas Delta (1973) and his self- published Dorchester Days (1978), Richards was invited to become a nominee at Magnum Photos.  He was a member of the cooperative until June 2005 and a member of VII from 2006 to 2008.

Eugene Richards’s subsequent books include Exploding Into Life (Aperture,
1986), which chronicles his first wife Dorothea’s struggle with breast cancer;
Cocaine True, Cocaine Blue (Aperture, 1994), a study of the impact of hardcore
drugs on American cities; Stepping Through the Ashes (Aperture, 2002), an elegy
to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001; and The Fat Baby
(Phaidon, 2004), a collection of fifteen textual and photographic stories produced
during the 1990s. The Blue Room, a collection of his photographs on abandoned
houses of the West and the Midwest, as well as A Procession of Them, which
confronts the plight of the institutionalized mentally disabled, will be published
in Fall 2008. His current book project, War Is Personal, is a documentation in
words and pictures of the effects of the Iraq war on the lives of a dozen
individuals.

Among numerous honors Richards has won a Guggenheim Fellowship, National
Endowment for the Arts grants, the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Award, the Leica Medal
of Excellence, the Olivier Rebbot Award twice, a Lucie Award for Outstanding
Achievement in Documentary, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement
Journalism Award for coverage of the disadvantaged.

Richards has written, photographed, directed, and produced six short films,
as well as one hour-long documentary.  But, the day came, which chronicles the
difficult passage of a 93-year-old Nebraska farmer to a nursing home, received
the Best Short Film award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

Original Post February 27, 2008 

Eugene Richards, formerly with VII agency, is best known for his books–he has authored thirteen–and photo essays on such diverse topics as breast cancer, drug addiction, poverty, emergency medicine, pediatric HIV and AIDS, the meat packing industry, the plight of the world’s mentally disabled, aging and death in America.

His work has appeared in countless publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, TIME, Newsweek, the New Yorker, Fortune, Mother Jones and LIFE.

Among numerous honors, he has won the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, three National Endowment for the Arts grants, the Leica Medal of Excellence, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the Olivier Rebbot Award twice, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Journalism Award for coverage of the disadvantaged.

He is a Canon Explorer of Light and we are extremely grateful for their continued support.

More details to come in the next few days.

Posted by Guest Author as WNPA Report, 2008 Convention at 9:04 PM EST

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The Eddie Adams Workshops are now accepting applications for this once in a lifetime experience.

If you are in college or new to the photojournalism field, chances are you are eligible to apply for the Eddie Adams Workshop. Many WNPA members and photojournalists in Wisconsin have attended the workshop over the years.

The Workshop is an intense four-day gathering of the top professionals in photojournalism, along with 100 carefully selected students. The Workshop’s purpose is to create a forum in which an exchange of ideas, techniques, and philosophies can be shared between both established members and newcomers of the profession of picture journalism. The Workshop is tuition-free, and the 100 students are chosen based on the merit of their portfolios.

Please check out www.eddieadamsworkshop.com for more info!

Posted by Administrator as WNPA Report at 11:24 AM EST

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Our volunteers are currently hard at work readying this year’s WNPA Convention and both College and Professional contests. Whether it’s lining up speakers, managing WNPA’s finances or all the contest entry forms and membership dues there are people hard at work for you.

In addition, we have a new monthly clip contest chair, and WNPA will receive some additional help with the website during contest time.

So here’s your big chance: If you haven’t done so already, or have never had the chance to specifically thank anyone for their hard work, here’s your opportunity.

You never know. A quick note might make someone’s day.

Posted by Administrator as Webmaster's Column at 1:39 PM EST

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John Maniaci, photojournalist with the Madison, Wis. Wisconsin State Journal, won this year’s WNPA Monthly Clip Contest. Maniaci served as the Clip Contest chair during 2007. He finished in third place last year. Congratulations to all who competed this year!

FINAL STANDINGS (JAN-DEC. 2007) 

John Maniaci, WSJ 985
Dan Lassiter, Janesville Gazette 815
Kristyna Wentz-Graff, Journal Sentinel 785
Evan Siegle, Press-Gazette 735
Dan Powers, Post-Crescent 640
Mark Hoffman, Journal Sentinel 545
Terry Mayer, The Week 530
Corey Wilson, Press Gazette 510
Dan Reiland, Leader-Telegram510
Al Hoch, Janesville Gazette 455
Gregory Shaver, Journal Times 375
H. Marc Larson, Press Gazette 335
Mark Hertzberg, Journal Times 320
Tom Loucks, Daily Telegram 315
Andi Stempniak, Leader-Telegram 280
Jaslyn Gilbert, Herald Times Reporter 230
Steve Kinderman, Leader-Telegram 225
Michelle Stocker, Capital Times 220
Kevin Poirier, Kenosha News 195
Eric Young, Herald Times Reporter 170
Susan Pichke, Herald Times Reporter 160
Brian Passino, Kenosha News 120
Patrick Ferron, Post-Crescent 90
Jack Orton, Journal Sentinel 80
Doug Alft–Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune 60
Corey Dellenbach - The Shawano Leader 50
Sharon Cekada Post Crescent 50
Mike De Vries, Capital Times 50
Gary Klein, Sheboygan Press 40
Dan Plutchak, The Week 15

Posted by Administrator as Clip Contest Update at 2:15 PM EST

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Hello Friends,

The photo staff at the Oregonian in Portland did us a solid and have returned the clip results for the 12th month of 2007. Thank you for your efforts and please send a file of your winning clips to Scott Anderson.

SPOT NEWS

1. Gregory Shaver–The Racine Journal Times==Adam Smith tows a Reinhart Food Service Truck.
2. Corey Wilson–The Green Bay Press Gazette==Firefighter Rescues Santa Claus.
3. John Maniaci–Wisconsin State Journal==Dorm Fire

PORTRAIT

1. Jaslyn Gilbert–Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter==Gymnast Cierra Anderson
2. Dan Powers–Appleton Post-Crescent==Accordion Player Nora Vanesky
3. Mark Hoffman–Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel==UW professor Laura Kiessling

FEATURE

1. Dan Reiland–Eau Claire Leader Telegram==One-eyed girl at Winterfest
2. H. Marc Larson–Green Bay Press Gazette==Green Bay Press Gazette==Tauscher Farms Milking Parlor
3. Terry Mayer–The Week (Delavan)==Fog lifts off of Geneva Lake on a chilly winter morning

GENERAL NEWS

1. Terry Mayer–The Week (Delavan)==East Troy Railroad silver spike drive
2. Mark Hoffman–Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel==Richard Snake injects a buffalo (totonka)
3. Michelle Stocker–Capital Times (Madison)==Bucky Badger On The Beach

SPORTS

1. Evan Siegle–Green Bay Press Gazette==Arizona’s Tasha Dickey gets kicked in the face
2. Andi Stempniak–Eau Claire Leader Telegram==Memorial’s Jefforson Dahl scores V. Conrad Kersten
3. Evan Siegle–Green Bay Press Gazette==Nick Barnett gets tackled by a referee
HM. Dan Lassiter–Janesville Gazette==Whitewater’s Neil Mrkvicka dives through the snow V. Wabash
HM. John Maniaci–Wisconsin State Journal==Middleton Wrestler Fights Off His Back

FEATURE MULTIPLE

1. Terry Mayer–The Week (Delavan)==Families Who Ballet Together.
2. Dan Lassiter–Janesville Gazette==Homeless Shelter’s are filling up
3. Dan Lassiter–Janesville Gazette==Tavern Dart League

ILLUSTRATION

1. John Maniaci–Wisconsin State Journal==UW students back from war
2. John Maniaci–Wisconsin State Journal==Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace
3. Mark Hoffman–Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel==Red-Eye Braised Beef Sandwich

Thank You For Playing. It has been a pleasure to be your clip chairman. As always, please share
your work with us………………………………………………

Important things you should know before sending in your winner:

Make sure the file is a JPEG
72 dpi resolution
1000 px maximum dimension
Make sure caption information is present in file info or in the body of an e-mail
Make sure captions are written in complete sentences and checked for spelling/grammar/punctuation errors, captions are posted as-is
Submitting Via E-Mail:

WNPA Clip Contest Winning Images Only may be sent to the WNPA website administrator for posting in the monthly clip contest winners gallery also embedded in an e-mail. Send e-mails to:

scander03@yahoo.com

Submitting Via FTP:

WNPA Clip Contest Winning Images Only may be sent to the WNPA website administrator for posting in the monthly clip contest winners gallery via FTP as of April 2006. If you have a File Transfer Protocol, or, FTP, program such as Fetch, WS_FTP or Transmit, you can enter in a few login protocols and drag your winning files right onto the WNPA web server without messing with e-mail or file attachments. Here are the login protocols:

Please note login changes
Host: www.wnpaonline.com
Username: clips
Password: 07WNPAclips

Posted by jmaniaci as Webmaster's Column, Clip Contest Update at 6:45 PM EST

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As the newspaper industry focuses more on Video and multimedia production for online presentation, more reporters and photojournalists are reaching for video cameras instead of pens, notebooks, voice recorders and still cameras. At many newspapers, reporters and photojournalists are learning new techniques together, giving them more common experiences and further blurring the distinctions between traditional writing and photography roles.

Journal Times reporter Janine Anderson (spouse of Journal Times photojournalist and WNPA Webmaster Scott Anderson) wrote about her first experience as a video journalist for the paper. Here is her insightful and occasionally humorous report.

By Janine Anderson
for the WNPA

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton visited Kenosha for a campaign stop on Saturday, February 16, 2008, three days before primary day here.

I learned she would appear at the Brat Stop in Kenosha. Our newspaper, the Racine Journal Times, had a photographer all ready to go, and I had my two assignments: write a story about her speech and write one about the crowd. No big deal.

But just as our newsroom settled on a game plan, I got another phone call. Scrap the pen and notebook routine, I’ll be shooting video.

I’ve never been trained on the paper’s advanced video equipment, so I got a crash course in the high-tech Canon XH-A1 from Scott and off I went.

I rolled into the Brat Stop about 1:45 p.m. and found the press area. Greg Shaver, our top-notch photojournalist, was there already and staked out a prime spot for me to set up.

I set up the tripod, screwed the shoe on the camera and hooked it all together.

All right. Good to go. But wait! It’s a video camera, so I needed to figure out the sound.

The windshield for the shotgun microphone was missing, so I wanted to try hooking into the venue’s audio system, but we didn’t have any cables.

I borrowed one from Dave, a local radio guy, and a videographer from a local television station helped me hook in. Greg loaned me his iPod ear buds, and I tried to figure out if I was getting any sound.

I pushed record and waited a few seconds, hoping to be able to review the footage to see what was coming through. It took 20 minutes and three people to figure out how to get the thing to play the clip back. And I wasn’t getting anything.

So, the helpful TV guy managed to track a staffer down for a sound check. That I could hear. Ok. Now I was all set, right?

Channel 4 to my left, a still shooter in front of me, and a clear shot to the podium where Clinton would be speaking.

But wait. We forgot about the traveling press. Clinton’s staff started buzzing around, trying to figure out where the national guys would get to set up.

Suddenly, I was in the way.

I dropped the tripod down about 18 inches, to try to free up some room over my camera for people to shoot from behind, but that wasn’t enough. They wanted me to back up 2 feet from the edge of the stage.

Suddenly, I had to find a way to protect my shot. This isn’t something I usually have to worry about. There’s no shot to protect when you’re taking notes. I’ve just got to be able to hear and see what’s going on around me. I don’t have to capture the view in any concrete way, so I’m generally willing to give space up to the folks with the cameras.

This time, I was one of the ones with the camera, and I had visions of the traveling press swooping in at the last minute and setting up right in front of me. Greg came up and gave me a quick bit of advice: “Don’t move any more.” Then he scurried back to his spot.

The Secret Service guys perked up, the traveling press stormed the stage, and my heart rate went up.

CNN was so close to my right side that I couldn’t pan without catching his sleeve in the frame. The still guys in front of me lifted their cameras up to get a better view of Clinton’s approach which gave me a clear shot of the back of their gear, and not much else.

Flashes went off everywhere, huge cameras swung around, and I was stuck in the middle, unsure how to use my gear, and completely unprepared for the pre-event frenzy.

When Clinton started speaking, everything slowed down. There was no more need to jockey for position.

Just at the moment when I would have had to really start working to write a story, I was pretty much done. All I had to do now was keep the camera rolling.

And that I could handle.

Posted by Administrator as Webmaster's Column at 3:27 PM EST

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The National Press Photographers Associated reported February 7, 2008, that staffers of the Madison-based Capital Times newspaper were shocked earlier in the week when management - with little or no warning - announced the paper is shifting its focus from its print edition to the web.

The 90-year-old newspaper will stop printing its six-day afternoon edition and shift to publishing a tabloid-sized edition only twice per week while expanding its website.

Capital Times chief photographer Rich Rygh was interviewed in the NPPA story. Here is his reaction to the news:

“It was a surprise to the staff,” chief photographer Rich Rygh told News Photographer magazine today. “We came in this morning for the usual news meeting and were told there would be a staff meeting at 8:30. We had no idea at all.”

Rygh has been at The Capital Times for 30 years.

“For photo, it’s a major change in our department. There’s me and four full-time photographers. In the new plan there’s only going to be two staff photographers.” Rygh and three others will take the severance package the paper offered today. “And those two photographers that are left, they’re going to be run to death covering everything seven days a week.”

“We don’t have much of an option,” he said. “It was basically, ‘Take your buy-out and go,’ so unless something changes I’m going to take the buy-out. I’m 57 years old and I had hoped to retire here, but I can’t see working in the situation where it’s going to be ‘grab a photo anywhere you can and use it regardless of quality,’ that’s unprofessional. They’re also going to have freelancers shoot, and the reporters were told they’ll be shooting for themselves,” Rygh said.

Here is the NPPA’s full report

Posted by Administrator as WNPA Report at 12:53 PM EST

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John Maniaci of the Wisconsin State Journal recently completed a video project of a female distance runner in the Madison, Wis. area. It’s pretty cool. You can check it out here: http://www.madison.com/wsj/media/brewster/index.html

Maniaci had this to say about his most recent project:

This is a video that ran with a Sunday feature story. I brought the idea to the newsroom. They found a reporter to interview the runner. I found a driver to drive me around town to film the athlete while she ran. We filmed her during 3 different runs. Filmed interview took place in the WSJ studio. I put it together with FinalCut Pro and I’m looking for a new project now.

I wanted the sound of her breathing and footsteps to be the soundtrack. I edited her interview first, begining to end. Then I put down the video of her running. I didn’t have quite enough footage so I had to keep going back to her interview. Then I laid the sound of her breathing and running underneath and adjusted the sounds to a good blend.

Posted by Administrator as WNPA Report at 12:52 PM EST

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Hi Everyone!

Below is link to my plunge (pun intended) into video. I admit I have much to learn, and would appreciate feedback. Thanks for looking.

http://www.madison.com/tct/polarplunge/video/

Mike DeVries
Photographer/The Capital Times

Posted by Guest Author as WNPA Report at 11:02 AM EST

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