Quick Tips & Know Your Rights

This is an updated repost of the information presented on April 4, 2008 at the New York Press Association Annual Convention.
While there is no way to "pin" a post, I have set the date to keep this post on the front page for new visitors. Please scroll down to see newer content as it's added.

video, narration, beats by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com
photos by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com, The Beaumont Enterprise and/or The Dallas Morning News

If you find the "Quick Tips" version to be visual hot sauce, please watch "Savory Tips to Improve Photos." It's the same presentation with more time to savor each image.

Additional information is located on the All PJ-related posts section of this blog. Underlined topics are linked to previous posts with detailed information about the subject.

Basics:
Read equipment manuals three times.
Have the right equipment for the job.
Know the difference between nouns and verbs.
Pre-consider potential visual problems and solutions.

Photo basics (see below for specifics) 
Fill the frame.
Have sharp focus.
Get the right exposure.
Time the images.

Fill the frame:
Get close.
Use long lens.
Crop in camera.
Get wide.
Back away when necessary.

Focus:
Stabilize the camera.
Focus on lead eye.
Adjust plane of focus / angle.
Use depth of field.
Adjust focal length for available light.
When focusing manually, use one finger.
Zone focus.

Exposure:
Zone V.
Hand meter the area.
Use alternative meter techniques: Sunny 16, palm, grass.
Understand the dynamic range.

Timing:
Have patience.
Look for repeated action patterns.
Anticipate the action.
Shoot at apex.
Shoot before collision - wind through reaction.
Get reflective shots (quiet moments)
Seek "timeless" images.
Time of day.

Composition:
Shoot horizontals and verticals.
Start with a clean background.
Have dark corners.
Place subject in background.
Use subject and foreground to cover unwanted elements.
Leave leading space.
Use Rule of Thirds/Fifths.
Build a strong skeletal structure.
Frame items within other items.
Avoid tangents.
Have clean edges.
Lead eyes with light and focus.
Layer the image.
Employ leading lines.
Employ repetition of pattern.
Block corners.
Juxtaposition (harmony / irony)

Where to crop:
Avoid cropping joints.
Contain subject within rectangle (Golden Ratio).
Avoid lights, reflections and voids.
Frame arcs and lines.

Before shooting:
Research stories - find those with emotional elements.
Verify location, access.
Double-check equipment.
Have business cards, pencil and notepad.
Refuse access contracts.

Upon arrival:
Arrive early. Stay late.
Shoot signs and rosters. Collect paperwork. Shoot name tags and numbers.
Shoot basic package: scene, normal, tight
Shoot story: lede, transitions, kicker, emotion.
Get cutline information (5W & H). Get sound if possible.


Selecting subjects:
Hunting techniques: shadows, oblique angle, concealment, pre-compose, pre-focus
Emotion
Activity
Color
Sound
Use attention span limitations.

Goals:
Tell the story.
Get main subjects.
Get emotion.
Shoot 100-frame minimum.
Use each lens.
Shoot each angle (left, right, high, low).
Shoot reflection / refraction.
Shoot silhouette / isolation.
Shoot blur.

Before leaving:
Understand the story.
Be able to tell the story in one frame, three frames, five frames, 20 frames.
Have all cutline information.
Have 100+ images.
Count equipment.

Advanced:
Find new word.
Make unique (rare) images: access, subject, news value, combination.
Multi layers
Multi meaning

Artificial light:
Use flash whenever it's helpful (no light, too slow).
Use flash from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. outdoors (fill light).
Get flash off the camera.
Understand what causes red-eye.
Try to keep flash angles from 45 to 90 degrees.
Diffuse light.
Color balance artificial light.
Learn to light large areas.
Use multiple lights to add depth.
Be ready to manually calculate exposure (guide number).
Understand inverse square law of light.
Speed techniques (stop action).
Light painting with mixed light and flash (holiday lights, fireworks, lightning).
Increase depth of field with artificial light.



 video, narration, beats by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com
photos by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com, The Beaumont Enterprise and/or The Dallas Morning News

Do you know your rights as a photojournalist?

Please watch “Know Your Rights as a Citizen Photojournalist.”

Know your rights (most is covered on this link)
It's best to be courteous to defuse confrontations.
Don't be belligerent.
The First Amendment provides the right for anyone to make photos.
Anyone can shoot in public places, streets and sidewalks.
Anyone can shoot where access is granted.
Property owners have the right to deny access.
Understand trespass law by state.
Generally, PJs can shoot until asked to stop.
Exceptions include military facilities and some areas within nuclear plants.
Model releases aren't required for editorial use (but pubs may still require).
Celebrities, politicians and emergency workers limited their right to privacy (injected themselves into spotlight).
Felony criminals have no right to privacy until in prison.
The right to privacy is seriously limited in public places.
The exception to this is medical facilities (which include ambulances in some states).
Business security isn't sufficient to prohibit photography.
Trade secrets aren't in public view. Trade dress doesn't apply to photojournalism.
Police may limit access, but can't prohibit photography (prior restraint).
You aren't required to explain the purpose of your photography.
Coercion and harassment by private security is a criminal offense in all states.
Private parties have limited rights to detain and could face criminal and civil charges.
Without a court order, private parties can't confiscate film.
Ask what law was specifically violated.
Ask for this person's name, and who they represent.
Report rights violations to police. Call before the offender does.
Enough for now,

Pandemic Help

Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com

I hope the information on my other blog helps you, your loved ones and associates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if you're surviving the pandemic with only inconveniences and Zoom meetings, you are very likely to know someone who can use the information listed below.
Since you may not know who needs help, please share this page on your social media to help your friends.

Jump to:
Suicide Prevention
Family Crisis Center / Domestic Abuse

Federal Stimulus Packages
• Federal Stimulus Checks
• Unemployment Benefits
• Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
• Food programs
• Utility, Prescription and Medical Help
• Veterans Administration

Small Business Administration Loans
• Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) Loan Advance
• EIDL Emergency Grant

Pandemic Mortgage Relief Options
• Health and Welfare Assistance
• Mortgage and Rent Programs
• Protections for renters
• Where to get additional help

Pets (food and veterinary assistance)
401K Disbursements
IRS (tax relief)
Student loans
Report price gouging

DFW city and county websites 


Stay safe! Stay healthy!
I’ve Got Your Six!

DFWmark.com

Video Portfolio playlist on NewsEagles

I created a new video Portfolio playlist on the NewsEagles Channel. It includes both PhotoJournalism and Squadron TV work. I'll add more in the future.

Enough for now,

Savory Tips to Improve Photos

video, narration, beats by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com
photos by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com, The Beaumont Enterprise and/or The Dallas Morning News

Please watch and share.

This is the long form of this video. It allows viewers more time to savor each image. For a spicier version of this same presentation, please see "Quick Tips to Improve Photos." It is only about 14 minutes long. Don't blink.

The companion "cheat sheet" on this blog is located here: quick-tips-to-improve-your-photos.

Please share and subscribe to the NewsEagles YouTube channel (it’s free and easy). Please follow this link, sign in to YouTube (or create an account) and hit SUBSCRIBE at www.youtube.com/newseagles

Although I will do some additional work in the future, this is my Magnum Opus.


Enough for now,

What is a Photojournalist? (short video version)

video by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com

Have you ever wondered about the why, how or what of being a photojournalist?
Please watch “What is a Photojournalist?” – the shortened version.

Also, if you’re not a subscriber please subscribe to my YouTube channel (it’s free and easy). Please follow this link, sign in to YouTube (or create an account) and hit SUBSCRIBE at www.youtube.com/newseagles
Enough for now,

What Is A Photojournalist?

video © Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com
photos © Mark M. Hancock, The Beaumont Enterprise or Mark M. Hancock and The Dallas Morning News

This presentation is an updated version of a speech given at the New York Press Association Annual Convention in 2008. This presentation is intended for non-photojournalists and especially students considering photojournalism as a career. To see more videos, please visit and subscribe to the NewsEagles channel on YouTube. More to come. 


Enough for now,

Submit photos for publication

Editor's note: This piece was written for a military vehicle magazine. It's written primarily for vehicle owners who want to submit photos of their personally-owned military vehicles for publication. However, most of the suggestions apply to all photographers.

© By Mark M. Hancock for Supply Line magazine

Professional images in newspapers, magazines and books have several commonalities. First, they’re sharply focused. They are properly exposed. They have some element of timing or time (including timelessness). They have good composition. Most importantly, they contain enough information for reproduction in the medium.
How large a photo can run (be reproduced) is determined by the final file size. This size is determined by the capture size minus any crops. While film can be scanned at higher resolutions, there is no way to “add” size to a digital photo. Once a digital image is made, it can only be degraded. Consequently, it’s vital to capture images at the highest resolution possible.
Television promotes a misconception that images can be “enhanced” beyond the original. This is false. An original image cannot be improved or repaired. Color balance, saturation, contrast and definition can be adjusted, but the information contained within the image is set.
The highest quality any image will ever produce is determined at the exact moment the shutter is activated. Furthermore, each step away from this original is an opportunity for the image to be degraded.
Professional digital cameras capture images in the most direct-to-press method. However, not all digital cameras are alike, and sometimes it’s better to use quality film cameras rather than inferior digital cameras.
When film is used, it’s best to scan directly from a negative or transparency. This process ensures the image is close to the original source. If the image was shot on film, printed onto paper, and scanned into a computer, the image is already at its third generation.
A grandson may look similar to his grandfather, but it’s not the same person. Only the original is the original.
The fidelity of the image becomes most important when it is submitted for publication.
Each print medium has a set pixel per inch (ppi) requirement. Newspapers are often 200 ppi, magazines and books can be 400 ppi. By comparison, most computer monitors are 72 ppi. Consequently, an image may look fine on a home computer monitor, but it wouldn’t look good in print.



This image of a retired M41 Bulldog was made with a Nikon D300 digital camera at a medium-fine setting. The quality is good enough for newspaper publication.



This image the same M41 Bulldog was made with a iPhone 4. The quality is surprisingly good enough for newspaper publication. However, it has major limitations.

Get published

Publications most often reject submissions because the images lack enough information or clarity for reproduction. There are several steps photographers can take to get their images published.
* All images start or fail with the quality of the lens. It doesn’t matter how large an image is if it was shot through a dirty fishbowl. Cheap cameras have cheap, plastic lenses. Likewise, quality cameras can have quality lenses. The quality of the lens determines the sharpness of the photo.
The sharpness of a photo is determined by the “circles of confusion” it produces. Lenses that produce the smallest circles of confusion are the best.
* The camera itself plays a significant roll in image quality. With film, it’s less important to have a top-end camera as long as the “glass” (lens) is good. With digital cameras, the camera, its sensor and internal processing software are often the difference between instant success or failure.
It is vital that a camera doesn’t artificially increase the file size. All digital cameras interpolate to some degree to make digital images. However, cameras that immediately increase the number of pixels, have also immediately destroyed the image fidelity because more of the image is fiction than reality.
The camera adds extra pixels and “guesses” about the pixel colors between other pixels and most often averages surrounding pixels. The average between red and blue is magenta (bright pink). Magenta is not a great color for a combat vehicle.
Professional cameras have better software algorithms and more sensors to capture an image with minimal immediate destruction.
Some micro and cell phone cameras are starting to achieve significant gains by reducing the size, but increasing the number of sensors. However, they still aren’t up to the same professional standard, nor are they anywhere near professional-quality film.
* Crops play an equal role in the ultimate size of an image. A crop reduces the area viewed in an image. There are three basic crops. These are camera, software and presentation crops.
Camera crops are perfectly acceptable. The photographer simply moves around or changes lenses to isolate a specific scene. These images reproduce best because no information is lost between the shoot and publication.



Both of these images were made seconds apart with the same professional camera. The top image was not cropped. The bottom image was cropped and artificially enlarged. Professional shooters get close for detail shots.




Never use the “digital zoom” or “digital crop” software built into some consumer cameras. The camera automatically discards the excess information rather than expanding the number of sensors used to collect the image. Instead, get closer to the subject rather than throwing away those valuable pixels.
Software crops are a deliberate decision to discard valuable image real estate. If the camera was tilted, the photographer was too far away from a subject or other visual elements intrude into the frame, it’s common to crop the image in digital photo software.
Publications often have formats for specific types of images. Oddly-shaped images will often suffer crops to fit these parameters. Even if the publication accommodates odd-shaped images, the editor may choose to crop “extraneous” elements out of an image to make the main subject more noticeable.
All of these crops reduce the effective size of a digital file. When an image is 192 megabytes (Mb), such as many color Library of Congress photos from the 1940s, crops have little effect on the ability to publish an image. However, a 5 Mb image can’t take a severe crop and still be large enough for use in most magazines.
* Camera stability helps determine the sharpness of an image. Without getting too technical, greater light allows for better images through faster shutter speeds, lower film speeds and more depth of field. Low light has the opposite effect.
Camera shake is a direct result of an unstable camera. With low light, camera shake is inevitable unless a sturdy tripod or other platform is used. While it isn’t foolproof, a good tripod is the single most valuable tool a photographer can use to improve image quality.
* Interpolation is an artificial increase of a digital file’s size. As mentioned above, this can happen as the image is captured. It can also happen by well-intentioned people increasing the size of a file to make it fit a publication’s parameters.
Unfortunately, interpolation can also make images completely useless to publishers. Many publishers have specialized software and camera techniques to slightly increase the usable size of an image. However, the increases are limited and also amplify any image flaws. A larger, flawed image is simply a bigger mess.
Most software is capable of increasing file sizes. If it can be avoided, DON’T ARTIFICIALLY INCREASE FILE SIZES. While the software is helpful, it isn’t as good as a full-size original because it artificially increased the file size. Specialized programs still invent “stuff between stuff,” but it does so better than other software programs.
Many publishers can scan prints and film at resolutions as high as 9,600 ppi to ensure clarity. However, if an image was already degraded (via previous artificial increases or other software manipulations) before it gets to a publisher, nothing can be done to salvage the image.
Photographers submitting scans to publications need to maximize every scanner setting to acquire the highest resolution image possible. There is no such thing as an image that is too large to publish. It takes much longer to make several high-resolution scans, however, each second spent on the scanner is more than equally rewarded on the press.
It’s wisest to spend the same time tightly editing which photos will be submitted rather than scanning and submitting many low-resolution images. The low-res images won’t be used and wastes an editor’s time.
In short, no program “improves” images by making them larger, artificial increases only degrade images. It’s best to get the original capture medium (film, digital file, etc.) and work forward from there. Then, scan the original at the largest file size possible and run it in a location smaller than the actual file size.

Historic images


German plane C.L. III A 3892/18 was brought down in the Argonne by U.S. machine gunners, between Montfaucon and Cierges, France on October 4, 1918. (Pvt. J. E. Gibbon / U.S. Army)

While photographers have complete control over the quality of their own images, sometimes historic images are needed to completely tell a story.
The most important issue when submitting images to a publication in the U.S.A. is ownership of copyright. In the United States, the person submitting the images must either have made the images, have reproduction permission from the copyright owner, or have acquired an explicit “public domain” image (from a governmental organization).
The image above is an example of a public domain image acquired through the U.S. Department of Defense official internet site (www.defenseimagery.mil). It was made by Pvt. J. E. Gibbon for the U.S. Army in 1918. It is a 1.1Mb scan of a print from a film camera.
Additionally, it illustrates that high-resolution historic images are available from the Civil War to present day.
Unfortunately, the digital image above has also been manipulated by someone along the line and would be rejected by most newspapers and magazines as a credible image. However, it illustrates today’s topic while image manipulation is a subject for another day.
Recently, photographers (and other copyright owners), have voluntarily elected to allow their private images to become part of the public domain through Creative Commons agreements (www.creativecommons.org). While there are various licensing agreements within this range, many photographers have released all claims to images.
However, most publicly accessible photos on the internet are protected by copyright and permission must be acquired to use them. Without getting too deep into media law, here are some copyright basics.
The second a photographer makes an image, it’s protected by copyright. Nobody else can use or has any claim upon the image (latent or digital) unless the photographer has expressly given his or her rights to another person or entity. Professional photographers generate income and perpetuate their profession by leasing limited reproduction authority.
Some employees of several companies automatically surrender this copyright to the company while working on the behalf of the company (such as news organizations or military manufacturers).
When displaying an image in public, there is no legal requirement to notate an image as copywritten. Through its existence, it automatically has a copyright. Smart photographers also file for an explicit (hard) copyright through the U.S. Copyright Office (www.copyright.gov) to collect additional punitive damages for infringement, but it isn’t required by law.
There are always exceptions concerning image ownership, but it’s best to ask before assuming ownership or availability of images.
Furthermore, possession of an image (in print or digitally) doesn’t equate to ownership. The purchase of a print or digital file doesn’t equate to ownership. Only original creation, signed reproduction permission or verifiable public release of an image allows others to legally publish images.

Online images

Another issue with images found online is file size.
Images posted online are expected to be viewed on 72 ppi monitors. Furthermore, designers want pages to load rapidly to keep the attention of visitors. When both of these demands collide, low-resolution images will be used.
An image that appears to be 5.5 inches on a computer monitor may only reproduce at 1 inch in a magazine due to the ppi conversion. Therefore, it’s imperative to ask image owners for high-resolution images while getting publication permissions.
Digital processing of photos is a relatively new process. Although the first digital camera was created in 1975, almost all images made before the 1980s should have been made on film. If a low-resolution image exists, a high-resolution image or original document (negative, slide or even a print) should also be available.
Again, it’s best to use the original source materials to get the best reproduction materials at the highest resolution to meet any dimensional requirements.
Image dimensions are expressed in various terms. The actual number of pixels an image contains is fixed until it is cropped. A 4,000-pixel-wide image remains 4,000 pixels wide even if the file format or image resolution is changed.

Understand megabytes (Mb)


The image above is a tightly cropped version of an iPhone 4 photo. It held up better than expected when compared to images from a professional camera. However, the dynamic range (steps between white and black) doesn’t have the same quality, nor does it have the same overall .jpg file size or color clarity as its competition.


Some publishers prefer to receive images with specific pixel minimums (photographers are welcome to exceed this number). This ensures an image will fit into a “hole” on a page. Unfortunately, if a crop is needed for proper display, a just-large-enough image could be rejected.
Other publishers prefer to have a minimum megabyte count. While megabytes of information ultimately determine if an image has enough information, various factors play into an image’s megabyte size.
The camera determines the file size. Cameras are sold based on megabyte (Mb) count. In theory, an 8Mb camera should make a better image than a 3Mb camera. However, this could be an illusion.
If the camera artificially increases the file size to get a larger Mb file, the images are largely useless. Furthermore, if the camera’s lens or other optical qualities are inferior, no Mb count is going to make it better. A 100Mb image shot through a dirty goldfish bowl is the same as a 1K image to a publisher. Neither will run.
Additionally, file formats increase and decrease Mb count.
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG or .jpg) images are the most common photo compression format. It compresses the file size to its smallest possible size to save computer space and speed movement from machine to machine. These images can also move freely among various software programs.
However, each compression creates a loss of information. Publishers prefer .jpg images to move directly from a camera to a pre-press operator. The direct route limits number of Saves (and image compressions).
The next type of file is a Tag Image File Format (Tiff or .tif). Tiffs are more “change friendly” because it doesn’t compress and lose information on each Save. Tiff images tend to be four times as large as .jpg files. Consequently, if a publisher requires 5Mb .jpg images, the Tiff equivalent would be 20Mb.
The largest common file format is Encapsulated PostScript (EPS or .eps). This is actually a vector format designed for graphic artists. Because photos are pixel-based (raster), it’s not an ideal format for photographs. However, it creates a large, loss-free image file. It’s best to avoid this format.
A 5Mb .jpg image can save as a 28 Mb .eps file. This is essentially a temporary size illusion because the file will be converted to a .jpg or .tif file by the publisher. When a publisher requires a 5 Mb .jpg, a 5 Mb .eps won’t work.



Photographers should also remember to make vertical images and move around to get multiple angles of the same subject to show the environmental context. The results may reveal something unexpected.



Enough for now,
 

Understand PPI, DPI and LPI

Definitions
PPI = Pixels Per Inch
This is a clarity measurement used primarily with monitors. It's literally the number of linear pixels visible on a viewing screen. Digital camera file sizes are measured in pixel dimensions and megabytes of storage memory.

DPI = Dots Per Inch
This is a clarity measurement used primarily with home printers. It's literally how many dots of ink are placed along one linear line of paper.

LPI = Lines Per Inch
This is a clarity measurement used primarily with commercial presses. It's literally the number of etched lines packed into a single inch of a single printing screen (plate).

While ppi is roughly comparable to some printers' dpi if the display size is set to the correct proportion, lpi isn't. In essence, it's the difference between a tattoo and needing a tourniquet.

A tattoo is made of hundreds of tiny pin pricks on the skin. These can be seen as dots per inch.

A single full-page lpi can be seen as an 11.5-inch cut from a razor. Imagine what 275 of these razor cuts within one inch would do. Then, multiply these cuts times four for the four plate screens involved on a cyan/magenta/yellow/black (CMYK) press. Next, place these razor cuts at the correct degree angles (15C, 45M, 0Y, 75K) to ensure coverage.

Yup, you'd need a tourniquet or at least a skin graft. ;-}

Why do PJs need to know?
Working PJs need to know this information to adjust to the needs of different clients. For example, books and magazines are frequently printed at 275 lpi or higher while newspapers are more likely published around 85 lpi.

The required lpi is ultimately determined by paper quality and "dot gain" (ink bleed). Glossy (coated) paper has little dot gain and higher clarity. The ink on newsprint paper has serious dot gain and less clarity. When ink is absorbed in a wider circle by the paper, it needs a lower lpi to appear as a "full color" image.

These differences mean PJs may need to adjust their capture quality sizes. For most newspaper gigs, it's acceptable to capture .jpg images at fine quality, but medium size (roughly 3M). However, anything larger than 1M after a crop works.

For most magazine and book gigs, it's best to shoot RAW+.jpg at fine quality at the maximum file size (roughly 6M to 30M, depending on the camera). Most high-lpi publications seek images in a range higher than 5M (jpg).

Pixel measurements
Dots and pixels per inch are close measurement approximations, but they're not exactly the same. Furthermore, most dedicated computer monitors are set at resolutions of 72ppi (low-res Windows) or 163ppi (iPhones). While images may appear clear on some monitors, they won't necessarily reproduce well.

Most newspaper staffers use 200 ppi as a baseline measurement. However, for general PJ work, 400 ppi is a better working number.

Depending on the actual use of the image, these ppi measurements approximate how large or small an image could be used on the printed page.

For example images posted on this blog are set at 92ppi. At 92ppi, an average image may appear 3.565 inches tall or wide. However, at 400ppi, the same image is only 0.82 inches tall or wide.

The size will appear larger on a low-resolution monitor, and tiny on a high-resolution monitor. Nothing changes except the resolution of the viewing monitor.

Dot measurements
As stated above, dpi (dots per inch) is a measurement of most home computer printers. In casual conversation, it's often (incorrectly) used as a substitute for ppi.

Folks would like to imagine dpi is a universal "standard." It's not. Nobody could give a definitive answer for the size of a single dot because it varies between machines. It's deliberately vague.

It's safest to work in ppi when referring to images. A single pixel is made of red, green and blue light in combinations of millions of colors. A dot is just a single-colored dot.

Line measurements
Printers use LPI (lines per inch). This a far more detailed measurement because a million or even 10 million dots still don't technically fit into a solid line. Consequently, there is no real digital equivalent to press numbers. So, we use 400 ppi to approximate one lpi line because the dots become so small they appear to be a solid line.

Please understand the press reproduces every defect down to a single pixel, dot or snigglefritzel.

Book requirements
During the day, I'm a book Editor at a specialty publisher. At night and on weekends, I still shoot and write for newspapers and magazines.

The book publisher requires authors submit 1M (megabyte) .JPGs images for quarter-page placement. Full-page images must be 5M .JPGs to approximately fit on the page at the correct proportions. Other format images - such as .TIF or .EPS - should be much larger. To get the approximate proportions for layout, we divide the image dimensions by 400 (ppi) for an inch count. Then, measure the placement box.

For example, an image could be 2100 x 1575 pixels (683K). This means its maximum size is 5.25 x 3.9375 inches. It can’t be laid out to fit in a hole that is 11.25 x 8 inches because it's about half the size it should be. It’s too small.

To make the example image fit a full-page, the layout program (InDesign) would stretch and degrade (interpolate) the images. When we fit the image to fill the full-page hole, it's 161.904 percent at 300 ppi (the lowest acceptable setting for the press).

We can improve an image's resolution by sending the image through a software program to increase the file size with minimum degradation. The new file size would be 5.13Mb. If the original image had started as a 5.2Mb file, it would have been the correct size.

Artificially increasing file sizes
Most software is capable of increasing file sizes. If it can be avoided, DON'T ARTIFICIALLY INCREASE FILE SIZES. Most programs "invent" pixels between other pixels. This is called interpolation.

During interpolation, most software averages surrounding pixels and approximates a solid pixel of the average color. The average color between a red pixel and a blue pixel on a football uniform is magenta (bright pink). Magenta isn't exactly a "football color."

If required, let the publisher increase file sizes because they'll have special programs to accomplish this with minimal damage to the original image.

We use PhotoZoom Pro 3. It can be tweaked to increase resolution with minimal degradation of the original. It still degrades the image, but it's nowhere near as bad as "upsizing" through basic photo software.

While the software is helpful, it isn't as good as a full-size original because it artificially increased the file size. It still invented "stuff between stuff," but it does so better than other software programs.

If authors wanted to mail prints to our office, we can scan up to 9,600 ppi to ensure clarity. Otherwise, the software can handle minor "upsizes" if the images are clear.

However, if the image was already degraded (via previous artificial increases or other software manipulations) before we got it, the program simply enlarges all previous problems. The program can be set to fill pixel gaps and smooth lines, but this only degrades the actual image more.

In short, no program "improves" images by making them larger, artificial increases only degrade images. It's best to get the original capture medium (film, digital file, etc.) and work forward from there. Then, scan the original at the largest file size possible and run it in a location smaller than the actual file size.

Enough for now,

Be careful with cell numbers

I was up to my ankles in mud and ashes as I tromped through a forest fire when I got an urgent call from a reporter about a possible school shooting in another city.

After I explained I was in the middle of a burning forest, she said she'd get more info about the school incident and call me back if it was something they needed.

I kept working the fire.

A few minutes later, my cell rang. I answered it expecting to hear from the reporter. Instead, it was a (semi-famous) model from a commercial shoot.

Not wanting to upset the model and lose access, I tried to delicately say I was indisposed at the moment. It didn't work. The model wanted to talk about getting prints.

Finally I said, "Can I call you back? I'm in the middle of a forest fire right now."

The model said, "Yeah, we're all trying to put out fires..."

Fortunately, a firetruck's speakers blared. When it finished, I said, "No, I'm surrounded by flames at the moment and need to concentrate on staying alive please."

The model said, "Oh yeah, you cover the news," and let me get back to work.

While this one incident is memorable, it's not unique. I've answered strange calls from literally around the world - including some completely unknown-to-me languages. I've even gotten a panicked call from an 8th grader who needed to interview any photojournalist "right now" for a forgotten homework assignment.

Cell phones are for work
It's not difficult to find my cell number. It's listed on my Web site and printed on my business cards and invoices. I want clients to contact me when something is urgent.

For non-emergencies, I prefer e-mails.

My family rarely calls my cell because they understand what I do for a living. They'll call my home number or drop me an e-mail. They know I'll return the message. Not everyone understands the life of a pro PJ.

Before I post my next entry, I needed to clarify this issue about mobile phones.

PJs often don't know what we'll be doing in 10 minutes. Anyone with our cell number certainly doesn't know what we're doing when they dial our number.

Unless it's urgent and work related, we don't need our cell to ring when we're in the middle of a courtroom. We really don't want it to ring while we're sneaking up on a bear or dangling off a mountain. While it's wise to set our phones on vibrate only, even this minor noise could get a PJ killed.

Often, we're surrounded by too much noise to hear it ring. At other times, we're surrounded by destruction or simply too far away from a signal.

So, PJs should carefully select the people who know our cell number. We don't want to make it too easy for everyone to dial our cells. PJs considering a completely wireless life might want to hire an answering service as a main number.

While we want clients to contact us, they can e-mail or leave a message on our main work number. This also means it's vital to quickly return messages via e-mail or from our voice mail.

Enough for now,

Get insured

Insurance is a business issue most PJs want to avoid. It falls somewhere below root canal on a pleasure meter. However, we need it. So, let's understand it.

I've upgraded all kinds of insurance lately, so this information is current. Folks reading this in a few years need to check with their insurance agents.

Basically, insurance is legalized gambling. We're betting something horrible happens. Large corporations are betting it won't. The larger the amount at risk, the more money either side must ante up.

However, there are some caveats. First, almost all the money we pay is a business write off (auto and home are percentages). So, we get to reclaim most of our payments.

Second, there's no measuring the value of peace of mind when something bad could happen. If we have health insurance, we're far more likely to get a wide-angle shot of a gator or snake. Without insurance, it's a 300mm or longer moment.

The same peace of mind applies to where we drive, where we shoot, what equipment we use, where we park, who we invite to our home, etc. Essentially, every "freedom" we tend to enjoy as PJs is covered by some form of insurance. Yes, we can do whatever we want in America, but we are entirely responsible for the repercussions and expenses if something goes wrong.

Considering the PJ profession, it's wise to bet something will go wrong.

Auto liability insurance
In most places, auto insurance is required to operate a vehicle on the road. It's also most PJ's first experience with insurance.

For most staff PJs, it's a non-reimbursed job requirement (no insurance = no job). Some staffers get a monthly car allowance to cover some of the expense, but this has become increasingly rare.

Basic liability is required by state. However, new car loans often require full coverage. This costs quite a bit more, but it means the car will be fixed if it's damaged or replaced if it's totaled or stolen. It can also include provisions for medical expenses of occupants and security of equipment in the vehicle.

These risks become higher or lower depending on the PJ's location. However, auto insurance is already starting to overlap other insurance expenses and might reduce the costs of supplemental premiums (this is good).

Health insurance
Health insurance is often the reason most PJs prefer to be staffers. We know we're covered and can get semi-repaired or if something goes wrong. It allows us to take calculated risks at our job without too much fear.

This doesn't mean PJs with acrophobia won't be screaming like a monkey during a skydiving assignment. But if they shatter on impact, they don't have the additional worry of a $50K hospital stay, loss of income, etc.

For most PJs, this is the single most expensive form of insurance. Staffers have a significant portion paid by their employers, but still have a hefty portion taken out of their income. Meanwhile, freelancers are on the hook for the whole amount or have a beautiful, kind, loving spouse with good insurance paying the premiums for us. ;-}

Homeowner/Renter insurance
By itself, homeowner/renter insurance can be quite expensive. A low-value rental policy can cost more than $100. However, when it's purchased as a bundle with auto insurance it can actually cost less than the auto insurance alone.

It's unbelievable, but I'm living proof. It also means I have a full-service insurance agent, full coverage on two autos, good driving histories, are over a certain age, married, and so forth. But, it's possible to pay less for more insurance. Check with your local insurance agent for the best prices.

If you own the property, you need this insurance and are required by a mortgage contract to have it. Considering what I've photographed in my career, it's a good investment against something tragic.

For PJs, this is a partial write off for the business-use percentage of our home. We write off the same percentage of the insurance. However, it covers much or all of our home-based equipment and archives as well as claims against us if something happens to our home or someone gets injured at our home.

Again, this coverage overlaps into our business insurance needs.

General business liability insurance
When I went freelance, I knew I needed this coverage. If a staff PJ drops a camera on a pro boxer from the catwalk, the paper is on the hook for expenses. If a freelancer does it, it's a life-halting event.

Even something as simple as a person tripping over a wire or a light stand accident can become a career-ender for freelancers without this insurance. Consequently, don't consider mounting cameras and strobes in remotely dangerous locations without proper coverage.

Some cities have ordinances requiring this insurance before photographers are allowed to make images within the city limits - even in public places. While the Constitutionality of these ordinances might be questionable, it would cost more to legally challenge the ordinance than to pay the premium and have some peace of mind.

While this may sound like staffers can skate, they're skating on thin ice. If a staffer takes a freelance gig, it's not covered by the paper. They might try to sneak it in under the radar, but it could cost the staff gig in the long run.

Consequently, it's wise for staffers to purchase this insurance as well if they plan to accept freelance gigs.

Again, when it's bundled with other insurance, it's surprisingly reasonable. For about $30 per month, PJs (staff and/or freelance) could get about $300K liability, $20K business property theft/loss, $5K medical liability, $10K equipment breakdown, attorney's fees and actual losses sustained.

The price goes up as numbers increase, but it's still reasonable when bundled. Again, check with your local agent.

From my point of view, it's probably the best $30 I could spend as a pro PJ. It also makes my service more appealing to other businesses because they know I'm absorbing basic liability. If I'm dumb enough to drop a light stand on a new car, it's covered.

Property insurance
Property insurance covers all our equipment. While it's taken years for us to acquire all the gear we use every day, it can be gone in seconds.

Most gear is covered under auto, homeowner or business insurance, but it can be covered separately as well. Again, freelancers are on the hook for the whole amount of the gear lost if it's not otherwise insured.

Staff PJs normally have their gear covered on a company-wide program. Unless staffers want to replace everything out of pocket, it's critical to routinely update company records with equipment lists and serial numbers.

I keep a spreadsheet of all my equipment and serial numbers. Part of my workflow is to add all new equipment and serial numbers to the spreadsheet before I allow myself to use the equipment once.

Loss of Business insurance
This is catastrophic loss insurance. Wedding PJs in hurricane areas as well as flood and fire zones are most likely to consider this coverage.

This insurance is relatively inexpensive because it's a back-end rider on other policies and is often considered a "last resort" claim. It's also difficult for PJs to claim this insurance because the kinds of disasters that lead to this claim are exactly the kinds of disasters we typically cover.

So, PJs are likely to earn equal or greater income from alternative sources while other businesses lose all income. Traditional (studio) photographers and wedding PJs may want to still consider this option while primarily news PJs aren't as likely to pay this premium.

Errors and Omissions insurance
This is considered "special business insurance" for professionals. It's commonly purchased by technology professionals for protection from data liability (real or alleged).

It's also used by some photographers to guaranty delivery of professional services. Again, wedding PJs are far more likely to need this coverage than primarily news PJs. In a worst-case scenario a wedding PJ snowed into Buffalo might be happy to have this coverage while the nuptial service continues in LA without a photographer.

It won't help with the mother of the bride, but it might help return the PJ fees. I'm not sure if it would cover the bulletproof vest needed afterward. Again, check with your local agent. :-)

Travel insurance
Unless PJs are certain their insurance is universal, it normally stops the second a foot or tire crosses a border or the PJ boards most forms of interstate mass transportation. This is when travel insurance must be in place.

Staff PJs normally have this covered by the company. Be certain the company has plenty of supplemental insurance before pitching the story about guerrillas in the Peruvian Andes or Congo.

Freelance PJs must arrange travel insurance. This is a complete business write off. We'll hope freelancers already have a client before they take off to points unknown. The client pays these expenses as part of the invoice total. If not, the images are part of the freelance PJ's stock portfolio, so it's still a complete business expense.

No matter what, this is very important insurance.

Most frequently, PJs need all-inclusive international business insurance. This covers medical, dental, emergency evacuation, cars, property rentals, liability, trip interruption, cancellations, baggage, property theft, identity theft, loss of business, accidental death and return of body (funeral shipping).

These are sold for single trips or for multiple business trips over the course of a year (typically with total-time restrictions). There is also insurance to cover longer trips (more total or consecutive days), but these have much higher premiums.

Check with your local agent before dealing with an unknown national or international organization.

As with everything in this world, make sure the company has a reputation of delivering when needed. Research, research, research and remember to look for negative information posted on the Web. When your leg shatters in Peru, it's not the time to find out the emergency medical evacuation required pre-approval.

Life insurance
We're all going to die eventually. All PJs have the potential to die before expected.

Life insurance is the biggest gamble of them all. We're betting we'll die (a certain bet). The insurance corporations are betting we'll run out of money or change insurance carriers before it happens.

The most secure is staff PJ life insurance. It's typically paid by the company as part of the terms of employment. The company knows when you die, and human resources will help your family recover what's rightfully theirs.

The next most secure is "whole life" or "permanent life" coverage. Most PJs don't need this. It's far more expensive than term insurance. It's essentially a tax shelter for wealthy individuals. The policy collects interest and pays a tax-free, lump-sum death benefit. If you're already rich, go for it.

Term life insurance is best for most freelance PJs. It gets progressively more expensive as individuals age. Premiums also increase based on the amount of death benefit we request. Some PJs may want to think they're worth millions and millions. Unless they earn it annually - they're not.

Keep premiums reasonable by only purchasing the amount it would take to cover funeral expenses and keep your family as secure as if the PJ was still alive. Unfortunately, this isn't very much, but it's also fortunate because it means the premiums are lower.

It's vital to let the beneficiaries know about term life insurance policies. Term policies expire if they aren't paid - because the payer, you know, died and stuff. So, beneficiaries need to know how to quickly claim their prize. :-)

Final thoughts
Unfortunately, insurance is a bet we really don't want to win. It means something horrible happens to us or our property. For the sake of our business and loved ones, we must win this bet when the time comes. It's their future we're gambling.

Enough for now,

Categorize multiple photo groups

Between competing in contests, studying competition winners and judging other competitions, I've learned a few things about multiple photo submissions. Judging probably taught me the most. Once I looked at a few of the submissions, I immediately knew what NOT to do.

This post should keep some folks from making the same mistakes I've seen/made in the past and others inevitably will make in the future.

Photo clump
I've already detailed what a photo clump is. While it isn't anything to aspire to make, readers enjoy them. They also work well in several en vogue presentation formats (namely SoundSlides and videos from stills).

If a PJ is covering a festival, state fair or some other large-scale event where a photo clump seems the best solution, be certain to get everyone's names. At least this makes the clump of photos have some meaning. It's best if the clump is visually rich with plenty of variety to keep viewer interest as well.

Package
A package is the basic story-telling unit. It's typically three to six images. It's small enough to be packaged together in a stand-alone box on one page of a broadsheet newspaper.

A typical package includes a wide shot to set the scene and a tight detail shot while the remaining shots are the best images from the take.

If nothing else, this stresses the importance of lens and perspective variation and getting detail shots. If there's no wide or detail shots, there probably isn't a package. Otherwise, the package looks like a clump.

It's best to shoot details as both horizontals and verticals. There needs to be variation of orientation to make an effective package. The detail shots "fill in" the layout gaps.

Every daily assignment can be shot as a package. Although they won't all run as packages, introducing variation to every assignment makes for a more interesting newspaper because the best shot from each assignment will likely result in a different focal-length lens, perspective, depth of field or detail.

The individual images from disparate stories can complement one another on a page rather than appearing redundant.

Photo packages are like stone soup: each minor improvement to options yields a much higher overall affect. A folding chair in an empty room can be successfully shot as a package. Put a person in the chair, and it'll work better, etc....

Series
A series is a set of images which show change over time. The entire point of a series is to allow the reader to compare the images to graphically see the change. If the images don't show a significant change, a single image is better.

Some classic successful series might include:
An extremely fast, active news event to establish timeline.
A tree shot from a similar location during different seasons of the year.
The sun moving across the horizon on the longest day of the year on the North Pole.
A rose in a vase degrading from fresh to dust.

Photo story
I'll do a specific post on photo stories soon. A photo story is the format PJs prefer to use and appreciate the most. A typical photo story uses multiple photos to explain or expand on a subject or issue.

A quality photo story has all the elements of any great piece of story telling. As such, it has a lead (lede) image, a kicker image, transitional images, timing, pacing and surprises. Redundancies are eliminated in the editing phase and the finished product is polished and tells the story completely, succinctly and aesthetically.

Photo essay
A photo essay is different than a photo story. An essay is an exploration of a theme. Unlike a photo story, which is propelled by action (visual verbs), a photo essay is typically steeped in nouns (people, places, things or ideas). Either the theme is a noun or the images are nouns relating to the theme.

See this essay about Cottonwood Abstractions as an example. I could have easily covered the event as a photo story. The festival occurs twice each year (spring and fall). It's ranked in the top 25 art festivals in the United States, so there are always plenty of people doing things. However, the paper wouldn't want to run the same story each spring and fall. It would become redundant and meaningless to our readers.

Consequently, I made it a differently themed essay each time. It actually took much longer to conceive and shoot the essay than to shoot a story. The year it rained, the theme became "Water colors." Another time it was "Reflections of Cottonwood."

Judging from the feedback, our readers liked the essays and appreciated the thought put into them.

While the examples are one-day essays, others may take weeks or years to complete. Many documentary stories - particularly in National Geographic - are actually essays. They explore global warming, drought, famine, rain forest reduction or some other theme. Often, the theme is the noun. In other essays, the images are the noun. Sometimes both the theme and the images are nouns.

Choose the best approach
Understanding how groups of photos are categorized (clumps, packages, essays or stories) is the first step toward making photo stories. Next time, we're going to decide the best approach to a subject. Often, this is decided by the story idea or subject matter. However, the approach can sometimes change in the middle of the shoot or during the editing process.

Enough for now,

Dead PJs don't make deadline: tips on cover and concealment

I've covered both hostage standoffs and warrant roundups with other shooters (mostly TV). I've also been consistently shocked by how little they knew about staying alive.

Recently, I covered a county-wide warrant roundup. We didn't know what any of the offenders had done. Considering how heavily-armed the deputies were, I guessed it wasn't helping little old ladies jaywalk across the street.

When we arrived at the first location, the deputies surrounded a house. I settled down with a telephoto lens behind a large steel air conditioner within site of the house and made myself as small as possible.

Meanwhile, one of the TV folks stood in the middle of the street with his feet planted and a camera on his shoulder. Luckily, nobody was home, or there could've been blood and camera parts scattered throughout the neighborhood.

Most working photojournalists (PJs) aren't in combat zones, but a hostage standoff or warrant roundup can turn ugly fast. At least once each year, I've needed to know how to avoid bullets. Hopefully, this knowledge won't be used. However, it's too late to figure out what to do once bullets start flying.

Don't go out in someone else's blaze of glory

The speed of sound is 1130 feet per second (fps). A 9mm pistol round moves at 1175 fps. Military-grade 7.62mm and 5.56mm rifle rounds travel at about 2850 fps. In other words, nobody is going to hear the first shot before they're hit.

If surrounded people don't want to go to jail, they may decide to go out in a "blaze of glory." If these people are well trained and armed, they're going to take out the easiest targets first - namely the TV shooter standing in the middle of the street without body armor.

While this may make our front page more interesting, I'd rather get photos of a docile arrest or maybe a tackle and arrest. Everyone lives through the event, and everyone goes where they belong.

What's concealment?

Concealment is the ability to disappear from the view of others. Most people can't kill what they can't see with a direct-fire weapon. In practical terms, it means the bad guys won't put a bullet through our lens.

To me, anyone firing live rounds at unarmed PJs is a bad guy.

Practical concealment is like a game of hide-and-seek. PJs find a bush or some other object to mask our presence. This makes it easier for us to work without notice and, sometimes, without a trip to the hospital.

Often, police try to clear an area for "safety reasons." Many of my colleagues have images of governmental authorities doing some not-so-safe things to people when they think they're out of the limelight. Consequently, it's important to quickly find concealment and vanish not only from the subject, but also from authorities.

A thick bush is the fastest and easiest form of concealment. Shadows on sunny days can work if there are no other options. A combination of the two is always good. The point is to avoid being seen. This lets us stay in the area where breaking news is happening and live to tell the story.

What's cover

While concealment reduces the risk for PJs, cover ensures reasonable safety. Cover is an area of protection. Cover may also conceal a PJ, but it's primarily a place to avoid fire.

There are different levels of cover, but there's also a tradeoff with the ability to work. We need to find something thick enough to absorb or redirect rounds or shrapnel while allowing us to make images.

A tree with a thick trunk is cover. A brick wall is cover. A concrete or steel post is cover. An armored car or personnel carrier is cover. All of these items will absorb or redirect potentially harmful projectiles. Each also creates challenges for PJs to do their jobs.

All a PJ actually needs is a hole in a cement wall large enough for a lens. Unfortunately, this is all someone with a rifle needs as well. However, the less exposed we are to fire, the less damage we're likely to receive.

Types of fire

We must choose cover based on the firepower we're facing. If we encounter a single gunman in a one-story house, a low brick wall could be enough cover.

If we're facing an incoming army with artillery and tanks, we'll need more fortification and overhead cover.

The key is to understand the weapons we face. There are two basic kinds of fire. These are direct and indirect.

Direct fire
Direct fire involves a line-of-sight weapon. Pistols, rifles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) are the most common direct fire weapons. A projectile is aimed and fired at a target.

Basically, if a PJ can focus on a person with one of these weapons, that person could do the same with a direct-fire weapon. Aren't we glad we understand concealment now?

Indirect fire
Indirect fire involves using an arc to place a solid, fragmentary or combustible projectile in a location where direct fire isn't possible or feasible. Molotov cocktails, rockets, artillery, mortars and launched grenades are the most common.

These weapons give little or no warning before they explode beside someone in a seemingly "safe" environment. Indirect fire weapons are the most difficult to protect against and require solid overhead cover.

Types of projectiles

While we now understand we can face direct or indirect weapons when we get called away from the annual kindergarten parent's day, we also need to understand how particular weapons work for more unstable assignments.

Solid rounds
Most common weapons fire solid rounds. From slingshots to rifles, a solid object is hurled downrange toward a target. The purpose of the weapon is to place a single round in a single target.

As stated, these are the most common weapons PJs face. As long as we keep our eye on the weapon, and have adequate cover, we should live to tell the story.

While solid round weapons may appear easiest to avoid, it's important to understand the round can ricochet or create a fragmentation of other objects it hits. Consequently, it's best to find forward cover, but leave plenty of room behind yourself to let the round continue traveling. It sounds logical to hunker down between two walls until a round starts bouncing back and forth overhead.

Fragmentary
Fragmentary weapons break apart and send shrapnel in every direction. Common fragmentary weapons include grenades and almost all indirect weapons. The goal of the weapon is to inflict damage in every direction around the point of explosion.

Almost every terrorist device is fragmentary. The entire point of the weapon is to maximize damage. If PJs cover a known fragmentary attack, understand a delayed, secondary attack is very likely. It's important to stay low and move from cover to cover. Drop to the ground if there is a flash of light.

Combustible
Combustible weapons are similar to fragmentary weapons, but create additional problems after deployment. Common combustible weapons are Molotov cocktails as well as many military-grade bombs.

PJs are most likely to face Molotov cocktails during riots and other domestic disturbances. The best defense is to make images from the sidelines as a crowd faces authorities or another crowd.

As soon as a these devices are spotted, stay away from walls or other solid structures. The bottle can be broken against a building or tree and rain liquid fire and glass shards onto PJs.

Calculate the risks

Last time, we discussed the importance of living to tell the story. This involves taking calculated risks. When in doubt, err on the side of caution because a dead PJ doesn't make deadline.

This post explains the potential weapons we can face as we cover breaking news. While most tense situations allow a few minutes of mental preparation while we're en route, others can erupt without warning during a city hall meeting.

Most conflicts we cover end in an arrest or suicide. However, good PJs react quickly to breaking news and often arrive before S.W.A.T. teams. We better know what we're facing and how to deal with it.

Next time, we'll discuss how to apply this knowledge to survive dangerous situations.

Enough for now,

Neighbors in Need project

This project could be implemented at every newspaper (or initiated by a concerned bank). It's a helpful way to involve readers in communities and help communities become better places. It also benefits front-line news professionals as well as the publications themselves.

Currently, news professionals include known donation information in stories. However, the subjects of breaking news situations almost never have an account for donations and/or rarely know to get one. If this project is implemented at several newspapers, communities could immediately help their neighbors.

While this pitch is designed for newspaper management, it could also be a grassroots project from news professionals upward.

Purpose:
Increase circulation, advertising revenue, employee morale and retention as well as access to news subjects while helping distressed people within a newspaper's readership area and creating goodwill with our readership.

Project:
Create one general and multiple individual relief fund accounts for subjects of local news stories. Reporters, PJs and management could have the ability to assess distress levels of story subjects and easily create accounts for the subjects.

Print and online readers as well as advertisers and other concerned organizations would be able to make donations directly to the subjects through the newspaper and its banking partner.

Donors could also contribute to a community's general need fund. The general fund would supply seed money for new accounts while individual accounts would get direct funding from donors.

Although it would be best to set up these accounts as a not-for-profit foundation affiliated with the newspaper (to allow donations to be tax deductible), it would be fair in the interim to simply state donations aren't tax deductible.

Means:
Cost:
This project can be completed without any cost to the newspaper. Reporters and PJs currently complete this work without a way to benefit the subjects of our reports.

To make the project more viable, it could cost some administrative time to establish payment and accounting methods. It could also cost some additional time and expense to establish an affiliated non-profit foundation.

Ideally, the newspaper would donate some seed money to the project or offer some additional matching funds as the project progresses and fulfills the desired goals of increasing readership, circulation, ad revenue and employee recruitment and retention. Obviously, this could be tax deductible in many circumstances.

Bank Partnership:
Initially, a partnership must be established with a bank of management's choosing. This could most likely be a current advertiser. The partner bank should be encouraged to add this distinction to their advertising plan and help establish the initial seed money for the project.

It's critical that the partner bank charges no administration fees to these accounts and understands why.

The bank would create a general fund and a simple system for newspaper front-line personnel and/or editors to establish new accounts for subjects named in news stories (individuals or organizations). Individual accounts would be seeded from the general account and then remain open for a designated amount of time.

Upon creation of an account, the bank would send the recipient a debit card to access the account. With the card and/or proper identification, the recipient would be able to immediately draw from the account. All taxes are the responsibility of the recipient.

Reporters and PJs with stories of legitimate-need about people within their readership fill out an online form prior to publication for an account reference. The account reference is listed with the published story and online.

Donors can either deposit directly into the account via traditional means or through online transfer through a secure porthole of a newspaper's Web site.

Need assessment:
As stated, reporters, PJs, editors and management with stories of legitimate-need about people within our readership create accounts for story subjects.

While approaching the subject for news stories, reporters and PJs should assess the need of the subjects. The following would be need indicators:

* Immediate potential loss of life or property.
* Total loss of life or property.
* Uninsured severe need of medical supplies or attention.
* Uninsured loss of property (home or business).
* Management-approved charitable organization.

Periodic updates on various subjects (particularly near the end of the donation period), would reward readers for their compassion.

Benefits:
Increase readership
People prefer to know about the needs of their neighbors more than the needs of someone they don't know. As such, people with the ability to contribute to help their neighbors would like to do so and need a source to clarify legitimate need. This project would fill this need.

Consequently, it's anticipated more people will read these stories to know how to help their neighbors or get help for themselves in times of need. Simply stated, it's a community-wide, need-based insurance policy.

Increase circulation
As readership grows, so shall circulation. As an additional motivation for significant donations, a one-month subscription could be granted to donors who identify themselves. Since these particular donors have sufficient income to donate, it's understandable these same donors have sufficient income to purchase a subscription but haven't completely familiarized themselves with the newspaper.

Online donors could be rewarded with archive access if the newspaper has a paid archive system.

Increase ad revenue
As circulation increases, so can ad revenue from both advertiser motivation to contact readers as well as proportionally increased ad rates.

As advertisers are motivated to join the project, they'll have created a vested interest in the project and the viability of the newspaper itself.

Advertisers receive an additional incentive by having their name listed periodically on a "thanks to our partners" house ad. Furthermore, they're encouraged to include their donor partner status on future paid display ads within the newspaper. Hopefully, this reminds them to place regular ads.

Advertisers get additional clientele from the house ad and realize the usefulness of placing display advertisements in the newspaper. If the donor business stops donating to the fund, its clientele may question the stoppage. Since there are no administration fees and each recipient is confirmed by reporters, the business would be urged by their regular clients to continue to be a part of the program.

Increase goodwill
Although a newspaper's primary function is to make a profit, its special status in a community is to inform the public. This information often surrounds subjects in dire need.

When a reporter or PJ approaches these subjects with nothing but a request to collect personal information, the subjects have less incentive to cooperate and may become hostile toward news gatherers. This program allows the front-line personnel to gain access, trust and information while helping the community as a whole.

News gatherers could, over time, be welcomed and actually invited to collect news about the people most in need of help. This could additionally elevate the status of the newspaper in the eyes of our readers.

Increase employee moral
Great reporters are caring, passionate professionals. Although motivated by adequate income, they're often equally motivated by performing a greater good for readers. This project is exactly the motivation needed to help recruit, retain and motivate great reporters.

With this tool to help alleviate some of the misery news professionals encounter, they could be motivated to help others through their work. This doesn't mean the professionals are doing less without this project, but it's a significant motivator to recruit and keep quality newsroom personnel.

At the end of each day, our readers, news professionals, management and advertising partners should feel they've been a positive influence to the community.

Enough for now,

Surface computing could change newsrooms

Who said broadsheet layout was dead?

Fayrouz sent me a link and said she wants a surface computer for her birthday. I told her we need to wait until next year (at $10K, I probably need to win the Lotto first).

It's a new form of computer by Microsoft code-named "Milan." See the Popular Mechanics presentation.

This table-sized unit incorporates an array of infrared cameras to identify a multi-touch interface with a large, high-resolution tabletop screen. Rather than the standard one or two input locations associated with mouse and electrostatic interfaces, this allows each finger touchpoint to track unique coordinates.

This also allows interaction with objects on the surface because the cameras recognize the objects and interface with them. Furthermore, the surface computer allows content to be wirelessly transferred between these objects by dragging the information across the table.

While it looks cool as the "must have" gamer table, it has major real-world applications for newspapers.

If a newspaper invests in a few of these and places them strategically at universities, bookstores and trendy, all-night coffee shops, they could generate significant income.

Brand recognition / subscriptions
Traditionally, newspapers include logos on the sides of the tables to embed brand recognition. It should still be done, however it's now more of a secondary function. Somewhere on the table would be a permanent interactive form to order a subscription to the newspaper as well. Although this is interactive, it's again a minor piece of the puzzle.

What makes this really rock is programming the table to automatically display a fully-integrated broadsheet newspaper edition. It could be programmed to always refresh to the newspaper every few minutes (keep those wandering eyes on the paper).

This way, the tables could be known for the newspaper and could be called "The XYZ News" table (if publishers jump fast enough). This is precisely what publishers want.

Editorial applications
Because the table is large enough, it could easily hold the entire (two page) broadsheet layout. Additionally, the extra computing horsepower would allow the paper to directly download high-res (but protected) versions of all content including layout, images and videos that would play in real-time with original resolution (ja-la-peño, ja-la-peño, ja-la-peño).

Viewers can turn pages with a touch, enlarge images, view videos and read stories - at whatever size they desire. Because it's linked directly to the paper, the layout would be "live" and change as news happens. Breaking news could create an alert, and the paper could change. Videos could be displayed in areas where a still frame would normally go (just like in Harry Potter).

When readers touch the jump link, they're taken directly to the page and the jump headline could flash a few times to identify the correct story. This helps readers stay focused on the story when they might have gotten lost at the jump in traditional pulp papers.

Interaction
Where the table becomes futuristic is through its interactivity. Some of these suggestions should make traditionalists squirm, but roll with it. The world changed and continues to change faster than we particularly desire.

Most online outlets have moved toward a "good enough" approach. Information is processed until it's "good enough" to present. Then, it's displayed on the Web until the final version is ready and replaces the original post. This approach can lead to errors and wasted time, but it's important from a branding and revenue point of view.

In blunt terms, scoops still matter and are measured in seconds (and ad dollars) rather than days now.

The best way to know what's happening around town is to enlist readers to interact with the newsroom. This must be done in realistic terms rather than mere lip service. When a newspaper reader reports (legitimate) news, action must be taken. Sometimes, the action may be citizen-generated content.

The table itself communicates with digital cameras, cell phones, laptops and other digital devices through infrared technology. As such, a citizen might see a fire and shoot it with a cell phone. Then, they'll know to go to the bookstore (or wherever) to instantly and wirelessly download it to the local paper.

Although this may sound like it's eliminating PJs, it's not. It's actually allowing us to cover the news as it happens rather than rushing to get "anything" onto the Web and missing the actual dramatic moments. Because the paper gets the CJ images first, they have "something" for the Web while we get to work the event for the best image.

Later, the CJ image is replaced by pro images. The paper had "something" before everyone else. The CJ had a moment of glory. The PJ got to work the scene without transmitting and missing the key moments. The readers get immediate information followed by quality information. The finished, historical product hits doorsteps with the best of everything. Everybody wins. The biggest winner is the advertising department, but we'll get to that in a moment.

Additionally, podcasts and freebie MP3s from local bands can be wirelessly copied from the newspaper to iPods, phones and other portable players.

Involve readers
Let's talk a little more about this interactivity. The goal of the table is to compel readers to interact with the newspaper in real ways. They can suggest changes and see the results.

The retired teachers, librarians and professional know-it-alls can point out grammatical and factual errors all day. These can be changed on the fly (when warranted). The end result is a higher quality product for the pulp readers.

Likewise, the readers could interact with reporters before the story goes to print to include unexpected interviews. Anyone sitting at the table can interact with the newsroom.

Who knows, a criminal might be dumb enough to admit something via the comment section. Reporters can get an exclusive interview until the cops arrive. ;-}

Moreover, there could even be a special section just for these coffee table interactions. Reporters could solicit comments and story ideas. Readers could post photos and videos. It could be a community-based porthole into the newsroom. Not only would the newsroom benefit from the interactions, the community could feel an "ownership" of the newspaper's content. This alone could translate into higher circulation and ad rates.

Cool, but how's it paid for?
Simple, each table is located at a specific location and has a specific niche of clients. The university table has the most-coveted male demographic. The bookstore captures a large percentage of the upwardly mobile. A trendy all-night coffee shop caters to both of the above.

This is valuable information for advertisers. They know Page 4A was opened 25 times an hour at the bookstore. So, their ad was seen 25 times. How much is that worth? A buck each? Sure.

For those doing the math, that's $25 per hour times the number of display ads on the page. Even if there are only two ads, that's $1,200 per day. The table is paid off in less than 10 days. More likely, one new table could be purchased per day simply from "temporary ads."

Here's where it gets interesting. Each ad is also interactive. If a reader wants to enlarge an ad, they touch it and stretch it to whatever size they choose. What's that worth? Another two bucks, maybe three?

OK, that's penny and nickel stuff. Where's the real cash? Fine. Let's say the reader wants to purchase the advertised item right there, right then. They whip out their debit card, lay it on the table or swipe it under the table, confirm their info and the advertiser just sold a $5,000 bedroom set. What's that worth? Oh, now we see.

Even if they simply order a pizza to be delivered to the table because they found a coupon, the information about the ad itself is priceless to advertisers.

Let's say the newspaper only got $5 for each sale (although a small percentage plus transaction fees would be a better operating procedure). Either way, the advertiser got a confirmed sale from a reader in a specific location at a specific time.

This is what both businesses want. Advertisers want sales and publishers want advertisers to make those sales. This table gives newspapers the ability to deliver what advertisers have wanted all along. Advertisers will pay for this.

Wise publishers can reinvest this income (easily doubling each month) into more tables until there's enough scattered throughout the city. After the tables are paid off, maintenance and service fees continue, but the rest is profit.

Another option is temporary, targeted ads sent to specific tables. These would also cost advertisers a premium fee and might have a limited number of coupons at a specific (higher) price per coupon. The ad would be replaced with a house ad once all the coupons are claimed.

This could involve including some receipt printing mechanism for only these coupon ads. Again, this is a very powerful computer. It can handle minor functions such as printing receipts.

Newsroom applications
Layout
While papers below 50K probably couldn't save enough time to justify the expense of these tables, the 50K+ dailies could.

The most obvious application would be in composition. With the ability to manually manipulate text and graphic elements, layout designers could rapidly design pages and make changes. This would save time and allow for more frequent updates.

Online production
Online producers must coordinate all online content simultaneously. Using a traditional screen is fine to check the user interface, but more organizational space surely would help. This table is perfect for the job.

Baskets track incoming alerts, stories (wire and staff), images, videos and CJ/reader input. The producers can use both hands to make changes, piece together content, package it for the Web. Major changes would only take seconds.

Ready or not, news gathering is heading toward "live." These tables speed along the process, preparation, delivery and interaction.

Advertising department
The ad department needs a table as well to see how their products look. This table can't be connected to the stat counter for obvious reasons. However, it would also make paste-up simple and easy as other departments. As video ads are becoming more important (and lucrative), these tables make sorting and editing fast and painless for both the ad side and the newsroom.

Photo desk
At very large metro papers, the photo desk could use the table to edit multiple contact sheets (PhotoMechanic) simultaneously. More importantly, an interactive map would let assignment editors know the locations of all on-duty shooters. Cop shop reporters (and/or alert services) could report the locations of breaking news.

These alerts could appear on an interactive map and allow assignment editors to send two or three of the closest shooters to the location. Simply press the PJ's location icon and the cell phone is dialed. If the PJ isn't sure how to get to the location, the map is handy and large enough to provide turn-by-turn directions.

VJs
VJs could also rapidly edit videos on these tables. Manual cropping tools and ability to display clips like the old slide sorters would make editing fun again. Scoop the video together, add an end tag and post. Yeah baby. :-)

Enough for now,