Improving Your Profession

[Chicago Dog]

I'm tired of hearing "nobody cares about quality." It's an excuse for lazy photographers to make themselves feel better about doing "good enough." It's an excuse to lower the bar.

What do you do in a daily effort to make your place in our business worthwhile? I'm not just talking shooting tricks (though they help). This is a chance to toss out ideas others might not have thought about. I'm not interested in hearing why you think viewers don't notice quality. Start your own thread. This is not the place.

Sometimes, I'm editing a package using someone else's video. I'll look for the steady shots, I'll try to find nat-sound opportunities. You name it. I treat the video as my own. I'm not interested in making someone else look bad.

If I'm out at a liveshot, I'll do what I can to make it worthwhile. Of course, there's shots that will have pretty much no way to be "interactive." In my opinion, "dog licks" are your opportunity to surprise a few people back at the shop.

 

[Lensmith]

We have to admit..."quality" is in the eye of the beholder.

There are days I'm shooting and I know the way I'm shooting it would be consider "lesser" by some who live in other cities. I know how to do the job just about every way possible. Front rock steady and heavy sequences to "48 Hours" hand held reality and sound.

Both can be quality. Each takes it's own set of skills to achieve that quality. It's not just about deciding whether or not to leave the tripod behind.

Learn to shoot more than one way. Don't get in a narrow rut, expand your abilities. Become more than a single style photographer. Being able to deliver "quality" in several ways means you are more employable...or continue to stay employed at the same place even if management should change.

 

[Buck]

Keep an eye on technology. There are some that are always behind the curve and look lost when the station buys new gear. Watching some people try to edit painfully slow on a computer not good for job security.

We use laptops on the road. Learn the laptop functions and how it works long before you find out you are going to need it. Try doing that instead of sitting out in the news unit reading a book while hiding from the assignment desk.

 

[NEWSSHOOTER3]

The Time is Now

I agree and will take it one step further...

There has never been a time more crucial to prove our worth. In an age where some, including my own station, are moving toward OMB's, we HAVE to step it up and make the visual difference. Other wise, we will be obsolete far sooner, than later. So its time to get off our collective lazy arses and take it up a notch... BAAM!!! (sorry)

 

[newz2me]

I'm tired of hearing "nobody cares about quality." It's an excuse for lazy photographers to make themselves feel better about doing "good enough." It's an excuse to lower the bar.

Sadly the more I look around, it's not lazy photographers that don't care about quality but companies that don't care about quality. That's a harder battle to fight.

 

[Chicago Dog]

... companies that don't care about quality. That's a harder battle to fight.

While I understand your point, that's not really the topic of this thread.

I will say this: regardless of difficulty, it's a battle that must be fought.

I'm not trying to shoot you down, though: I think that's a good topic to discuss. I suggest starting another thread.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

I agree and will take it one step further...

There has never been a time more crucial to prove our worth. In an age where some, including my own station, are moving toward OMB's, we HAVE to step it up and make the visual difference. Other wise, we will be obsolete far sooner, than later. So its time to get off our collective lazy arses and take it up a notch... BAAM!!! (sorry)

Great point... I found myself in a rut a few years ago when I was so burned out that I never wanted to up my game. I could have easily pointed fingers to management, but that would have been the easy way out.

The truth is I never got in the game for news, I got in for video production. I was just fortunate enough to find a way out of the news business while still remaining in the production game. Now I have made the time to up my game, whether learning new shooting techniques or increasing my post production skills. But truthfully, I wish at times I would have pushed myself harder when I had the chance at the TV station.

But what do we do to increase our skill set? I firmly believe the more that anyone can add to their skill set, in addition to increasing their current skill level as photographers, then that will make them valuable. The more shooters can learn about post production the more they can increase their value. Being able to learn more about advanced CC and compositing might help if you have time to work on a sweeps piece. I wish I had the opportunity now to use some of my skills in After Effects on a sweeps story, taking still images and bringing them to life in engaging ways. (Beyond the Ken Burns effect)

As far as live shots are concerned... I worked a morning show shift for a year that really upped my handheld work, and I'm a firm believer of handheld liveshots... when engaging that is! But on the average live shot I firmly believe that what makes them stand out is depth of field and strong lighting. Those two simple details can transform an average live shot into a very compelling one.

But I can only imagine the challenge these days is to try to improve your skill set in an environment where much of the time you are run and gun. Is anyone able to take the extra time these days to take a good story and make it great, or are you just running and gunning, trying to simply get content on the air?

 

[adam]

Two things that I started doing to make easy shots a little more engaging;

1. Editing in camera. Unless I'm trying to really catch a moment I work to make every frame count. If I'm at a breaker where police lines keep us from getting really good pics then I cut the thing in camera (just wide with tape, tight with tape, cops talking, flashing lights etc.) so I can feed the thing raw, but ready for air. It's not a hard and fast rule but a mode of thought that pays dividends over and over.

2. Lighting. Break out a bunch of lights or just play with a 250 and some bounce or diffusion. A two head light kit with a reflector can do amazing things, finding them is half the fun and seeing the results is the other half.

3. (I lied) Look for sound. Even courthouses make noise, I need to get better at this but the nats are everything and everything has nats... you just have to find them.

 

[servo]

I got really burnt out after working at a bureau with an old reporter fart who hated ideas and just wanted to get the job done. That rubbed off on me.

I left that place nearly 6 years ago and have only upped my game tremendously. I find I love my job more than ever now.

Reporters I work with now recognize my continued drive after 15 years of doing this. I attribute that to habit. I was well indoctrinated at a young age.

My idea is to have at least one story per week that I would put on a resume tape. Also, I want the prods. to call after my live shot and compliment the reporter on "What a great story that was. Who were you working with?"

I live for being stopped in the hall and given props on a story I did. Sounds a bit narcissistic but it's what keeps me going.

I had an instant where a reporter was having a bad day, week....I was assigned with them and I told them, "let's get some compliments today."
They said, "that never happens."
I replied, "you haven't worked with me in a while."
I was told I was arrogant in a half joking way but sure enough, that day, the reporter got several calls from middle management giving her props on her story.

Who cares if viewers, who don't know the craft, don't notice. It's the people I work with that matter to me.
It's what I do and I take personal pride and want to make it worth my time.

 

[Shoeless]

What are you saying? Becoming complacent and jaded is NOT part of the job description?

 

[sixtycyclehum]

I got really burnt out after working at a bureau with an old reporter fart who hated ideas and just wanted to get the job done. That rubbed off on me.

I left that place nearly 6 years ago and have only upped my game tremendously. I find I love my job more than ever now.

Reporters I work with now recognize my continued drive after 15 years of doing this. I attribute that to habit. I was well indoctrinated at a young age.

My idea is to have at least one story per week that I would put on a resume tape. Also, I want the prods. to call after my live shot and compliment the reporter on "What a great story that was. Who were you working with?"

I live for being stopped in the hall and given props on a story I did. Sounds a bit narcissistic but it's what keeps me going.

I had an instant where a reporter was having a bad day, week....I was assigned with them and I told them, "let's get some compliments today."
They said, "that never happens."
I replied, "you haven't worked with me in a while."
I was told I was arrogant in a half joking way but sure enough, that day, the reporter got several calls from middle management giving her props on her story.

Who cares if viewers, who don't know the craft, don't notice. It's the people I work with that matter to me.
It's what I do and I take personal pride and want to make it worth my time.

You and I are a lot alike...

 

[cowboynphilly]

light it up

I think a big difference is lighting. I will light a shooting that's just a vo or a weather shot, I work nights, just to punch the video up a little. It's a lot better than just reaching for the gain switch. I have had managers notice so I don't buy the "they don't care" angle.

 

[krazycamera]

Yep, what a revelation, I'm there too

I got really burnt out after working at a bureau with an old reporter fart who hated ideas and just wanted to get the job done. That rubbed off on me.

I left that place nearly 6 years ago and have only upped my game tremendously. I find I love my job more than ever now.

Reporters I work with now recognize my continued drive after 15 years of doing this. I attribute that to habit. I was well indoctrinated at a young age.

My idea is to have at least one story per week that I would put on a resume tape. Also, I want the prods. to call after my live shot and compliment the reporter on "What a great story that was. Who were you working with?"

I live for being stopped in the hall and given props on a story I did. Sounds a bit narcissistic but it's what keeps me going.

I'm totally there.

I think the complete focus we have to adopt is one of not only proving out worth in a OMB climate, but of taking every chance we get to show our skills and build on them.

My only other contribution would be an echo of others who've posted here : Lighting.

I regularly try to sell reporters on the idea I might do better with a bit more time to do it right.

Funny how, if it looks ok after my efforts, no-one often notices, but if I'd left it as is, it would have looked a bit dire. Better is good, feedback happens on occasion, but if we didn't make the effort to light it, would the bosses notice? I know I notice.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

I got really burnt out after working at a bureau with an old reporter fart who hated ideas and just wanted to get the job done. That rubbed off on me.

I left that place nearly 6 years ago and have only upped my game tremendously. I find I love my job more than ever now.

Reporters I work with now recognize my continued drive after 15 years of doing this. I attribute that to habit. I was well indoctrinated at a young age.

My idea is to have at least one story per week that I would put on a resume tape. Also, I want the prods. to call after my live shot and compliment the reporter on "What a great story that was. Who were you working with?"

I live for being stopped in the hall and given props on a story I did. Sounds a bit narcissistic but it's what keeps me going.

I had an instant where a reporter was having a bad day, week....I was assigned with them and I told them, "let's get some compliments today."
They said, "that never happens."
I replied, "you haven't worked with me in a while."
I was told I was arrogant in a half joking way but sure enough, that day, the reporter got several calls from middle management giving her props on her story.

Who cares if viewers, who don't know the craft, don't notice. It's the people I work with that matter to me.
It's what I do and I take personal pride and want to make it worth my time.

Those are some great thoughts. I'm the same way with complements. No one goes into the TV business for the money. You do it because you love what you do. When I was in news I lived for compliments simply because I never got any other boost. There wasn't a financial incentive. You spend most days scarfing lunch. You go into work never knowing what time you'll get to go home to your family. So a compliment every now and then isn't too much to ask.

Now I'mm in the best of both worlds. I'm the only video pro at our company, so my peers pretty much take an audience's perspective. Ultimately that's who I'm trying to communicate to anyway. So if they like it, I'm happy. But it's an added bonus when a professional peer can comment and critique a story. Yesterday I had someone in the office who knows his stuff. I showed him a piece I just finished and he complimented me on it. Comments like that can keep me going for weeks.

And I don't think it's narcissistic to seek those compliments. Feeback is essential to communication, and that's ultimately what we're doing anyway.

 

[AKinDC]

What are we talking about here, improving our skills as photographer/editors, or improving our worth in the newsroom? All of the comments made here are excellent; they're good ways to make you better, but if we're talking about improving our worth in the eyes of those controlling the purse strings, there are other things that I think are more important.

Go to morning meetings and pitch stories if possible...especially sweeps pieces.
Set up and shoot your own nat sound pieces.
Practice writing...be able to write a good vo and PKG.
Practice being on camera.
Learn to take your video and put it on the web.
Learn the entire Final Cut Studio pkg.

I'm not saying you should work to become a OMB...ideally, you'll be able to keep the job you have now. But if there are cutbacks, you should be able to prove that you are more valuable to the newsroom than the average reporter.
In a perfect world, being the best photographer or editor in your shop would be enough to keep you employed, but it doesn't always work that way.
Be the best you can be at your current job, but don't ignore the possible changes in the future.

 

[woodsiecam]

keep 'em coming

First of all, great thread. I often feel like I'm scraping the bottom of the idea barrel, so it's nice to get some new ones tossed around.

Keep an eye on technology. There are some that are always behind the curve and look lost when the station buys new gear. Watching some people try to edit painfully slow on a computer not good for job security.

We use laptops on the road. Learn the laptop functions and how it works long before you find out you are going to need it. Try doing that instead of sitting out in the news unit reading a book while hiding from the assignment desk.

That's a BIG one. Technology can really help to counter the time crunch that most newsrooms are putting on their crews.

Just a week or two ago, we had very little time to shoot our story and the b-roll was almost all family pictures. I ended up having to shoot all the pictures very quickly - some of them handheld - but made sure to get each one framed up and in focus long enough so I could freeze frame it in the Avid back at the station. And because I had trained myself on the effects during my down time, I was able to slam together a pretty decent and moving story with only 15 minutes of edit time.

Know all the tools available to you, and become proficient in their use.

Another thing - always shoot as if someone else will be putting the story together. Nothing irritates me more than having to put together a story with someone else's shaky, blurry video. The only reason you should ever have shaky, blurry video is if the situation is causing it - like an earthquake, or a hurricane, or you're running with the bulls. OR, like the situation above, you're up against it and have a plan to salvage it later. If that's the case, leave a note with the video. It doesn't take much time to do so, and helps everyone involved.

 

[ItsStillFun]

I've been a photojournalist for almost 10 years. And I still try to look at everything like I'm a 'newby.'
I still want to learn new tricks- I'm lucky to work with many talented folks who like to share.

If another station does the same story, I like to watch objectively and openly admit if I like what they did better- Wants me to work harder next time.

My attitude is there is NO perfect pkg, always could do better.

I find little games or daily challenges, like: "how fast can I lay my a-roll," "find and capture the nat," make the reporter have fun, "lets try this angle."

I try to surround myself with those who care, it rubs off on me. If you surround yourself with negative people the same thing'll happen.

And most important I try to have fun.

 

[Chicago Dog]

And most important I try to have fun.

Damn straight! One of the reasons I decided to get into this crazy profession was because of its often-unusual experiences (not to mention the great war stories filled with circumstances spearheading those experiences).

 

[Brock Samson]

I agree and will take it one step further...

There has never been a time more crucial to prove our worth. In an age where some, including my own station, are moving toward OMB's, we HAVE to step it up and make the visual difference. Other wise, we will be obsolete far sooner, than later. So its time to get off our collective lazy arses and take it up a notch... BAAM!!! (sorry)

The one comforting notion in all of this is that the ones who strive to do their best and work hard will do well. It is the ones who do not who will find themselves applying for that security guard job.

Even if it isn't in news, history has taught us that there will always be a place for those who are willing to learn and apply themselves.

 

[CHIEFPHOTDOG]

I tend to make each shot count; even if means walking a block away or parking the unit in the back so it's out of my shot. Even when it comes to my Vo's they have to be in sequence and not just random jibberish. Back in the day they had me edit to script I put a stop to that and now when I come in they write to my video. I also shoot to edit; on vo's only. I have two speeds; I always play hard, but if my reporter is cool I will hit it into high gear to come up with a solid stand up. To get sloppy only makes the decision to go with one man banders that much easier; we only have one competitor so when we shoot we go all out. If we don't go all out; you will get called out.