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,

Photo-ready Treat House!

Our Treat House on Meadow Glade in Frisco is decorated and ready for family photos each night for about four hours after sundown through Thursday, 31 Oct. 2024. It will be turned off during any rain.

Located at the DEAD END of Meadow Glade in Preston Glen in Frisco, it’s the place to be to get a treat. The yard features a high-end gravestone along with skeletons as well as plenty of spiders of all sizes and shapes. The planters and glow web feature energy-saving LED lighting while the sidewalks include retro-style stake lights with modern LED flair.

Younger children should feel safe for photos because nothing jumps or screams. Bring your whole family for ghoulish portraits in our yard if you wish.

I’ve Got Your Six!

Mark M. Hancock, GRI, MRP, AHWD
REALTOR, New Construction certified
214-862-7212
DFWmark@kw.com
DFWmark.com

#DFWmark #Halloween #TrickOrTreat #TreatHouse #decorations #inflatable #Frisco #lights #spider #ghost

Happy Thanksgiving 2023

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!

I’ve Got Your Six!

Mark M. Hancock, GRI, MRP, AHWD
REALTOR, New Build certified
214-862-7212
DFWmark.com

#DFWmark #REALTOR #inflatable #turkey #Thanksgiving #YardDecoration #Frisco #CollinCounty #sunshire #pumpkin

Open House Toys

I’m preparing for a weekend of open houses. Please visit, get some information, get a snack, get a toy, get a dog treat (because it’s a “ruff market”) and have some fun. See you soon!

I’ve Got Your Six!

Mark M. Hancock, GRI, MRP, AHWD
REALTOR, New Home certified
214-862-7212
DFWmark.com

#DFWmark #REALTOR #OpenHouse #toys #freebies #ToyCars #PlayDoh #ZooCandy #CollinCounty #DentonCounty

Just Takes A Little Dough

It just takes a little dough to buy a house! Veterans and USDA loans allow $0 down while conventional can be as little as 3% down. If you want to move ANYWHERE, I’m ready to help!

Enough for now,

Mark M. Hancock, GRI, MRP, AHWD
REALTOR, New Home certified
214-862-7212
DFWmark.com

#DFWmark #REALTOR #LittleDough #DownPayment #RealEstate #HomeBuyer #FirstTimeBuyer #dough #OpenHouseTreats #SillyScents

Watchful Gaze

The old timers watch the new kid with awe. This is going to get messy. Expect new images soon!

Enough for now,

Mark M. Hancock, GRI, MRP, AHWD
REALTOR, New Home certified
214-862-7212
DFWmark.com

#DFWmark #REALTOR #photos #annual #PhotoShoot #NoteCards #Celebrate #treats #gifts #camera

Christmas Day Memories 2022

A fresh poinsettia rests on the kitchen table

on Christmas Day.
(Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com)

A Louis Jadot chardonnay cork remains amid the peels

of apples and oranges on Christmas Morning. They all

went into a slow cooker with lean beef, dried cherries

and seasonal spices. 

A centerpiece rests on the kitchen bar on Christmas Day. 

Appetizers greet guests on Christmas Day. Offerings
include sweet gherkin pickles, olive medley, assorted
cheese cubes, dried apricots, assorted nuts, mandarin

orange slices and garlic-parmesan pita chips.

Memories from our warm house in Frisco on a cold Christmas Day 2022.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Mark M. Hancock, GRI, MRP, AHWD
REALTOR, New Home certified
214-862-7212
DFWmark.com

#DFWmark #Christmas #food #wine #poinsettia #corkscrew #appetizers #centerpiece #MerryChristmas #HappyHolidays

I'm Obsessed with my drone

© Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

OK Y'all,
I'm going to be obsessed with the drone for a while. It lets me get the angles I've always wanted. That's how sunsets should look!

I love that the police were patrolling the neighborhood at the perfect time to be in the photo.

#DFWmark #REALTOR #LittleElm #drone #sunset #police #pond

Ready to Celebrate in 2022!

It's been a while since I broke out the big lights. Let's celebrate often in 2022! 

I've Got Your Six!

Mark M. Hancock, GRI, MRP
REALTOR
214-862-7212
markhancockrealty@gmail.com
DFWmark.com

#DFWmark #REALTOR #RealEstate #celebrate #confetti #stars #happy #joy #gold #ChampagneFlute

Quick Tips to Improve Photos Video

 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 “Quick Tips to Improve Photos.”
The companion "cheat sheet" on this blog is located here: quick-tips-to-improve-your-photos.

This version is visual hot sauce to some. There is a slower version to savor each frame. It's located at "Savory Tips to Improve 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,

Instagram Posts - August 2018

video, photos and SoundStripe by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com

This is the recap of the Instagram feed at https://www.instagram.com/mark.m.hancock.

This is the recap of the August 2018 Instagram feed. This month includes colorful candy, toys, nature, various military uniforms, a pet rock in Indiana, a bottle of Iraqi Arak in Rochester Hills, Michigan along with ever-evolving food. All photos made with an iPhone and includes an original SoundStripe music composition.

Instagram Posts - July 2018

video, photos and SoundStripe by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com

This is the recap of the Instagram feed at https://www.instagram.com/mark.m.hancock.

This is the recap of the July 2018 Instagram feed. This month included our patriotic Independence Day yard decorations, images from a trip to Rochester Hills, Michigan (near Detroit) along with tasty food and lots of summertime flowers. All photos made with an iPhone and includes an original SoundStripe music composition.

Instagram Posts - June 2018

video, photos and SoundStripe by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com

This is the recap of the June 2018 Instagram feed at https://www.instagram.com/mark.m.hancock.

This month included images from two trips to Rochester Hills, Michigan (near Detroit) along with even more tasty food. All photos made with an iPhone and includes an original SoundStripe music composition.

San Diego - Art

photos, soundstripe and video by
Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com

Various modes of art imbue the Southern California city around San Diego on April 8 to 11, 2018.

This is the second of the San Diego series. Please subscribe and be the first to see additional slideshows about San Diego’s Animals, Art, Architecture and Aquatica.

Included in this slideshow video are images of various art: public art, statues, landscape, flowers, mosaics, tile, steel, chrome, food, culinary, cuisine, graffiti, kitsch, functional, municipal, fountain, waterscape, wrought iron, colorful pinwheels, windsocks, kites, fountains, abstracts, performances, corporate, glass, safety, camouflage, natural, transportation, tourism, plaza, dessert.


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


Enough for now,

Mardi Gras World Tour

photos and soundstripe by Mark M. Hancock / © DFWmark.com

Artisans work while tourists are guided through the Mardi Gras World fabrication areas and float den in New Orleans on April 13, 2015. The facility prepares and manages more than 500 floats. Artists work all year, and tours are available every day except Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday).


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


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,

Know Your Rights as a Citizen Photojournalist

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.”


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
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,

Bronner's Halloween section

photos © Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

An entire scene of Halloween decorations appears in the midst of the massive Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Mich. on Tuesday, June 2, 2009.


A farmer prepares to slaughter animals near a barn in the "An Ax To Grind" Halloween Village decoration at Bronner's.



Mechanical witches fly on brooms around a Jack-O-Lantern water tower in a Halloween display at Bronner's.


A threadbare skeleton waits on a train outside the "Rickety Railroad Station" 10th Anniversary Piece in the Halloween Village at Bronner's.


A worker moves buckets of toxic food as "Time To Feed The Monsters" outside "The Candy Cauldron" in the Halloween Village display at Bronner's.



Owls fly from the "Screech Owl Farm" in the Halloween Village display at Bronner's.


Terrified children figurines try to find their way around the Halloween Village display at Bronner's.


"Grimsly Manor" sits atop a hill in the Halloween Village display at Bronner's.



The "Skeleton Crew" fishes in a pond of toxic sludge in the Halloween Village display at Bronner's.



New arrivals are always dropping into the toxic pond in the Halloween Village display at Bronner's.



The tiniest of details are represented and feature mechanical motion and electrical lighting in the Halloween Village display at Bronner's.


In the carnival area, a skeleton and its friends take a spin on a mechanical swing ride in the Halloween Village display at Bronner's.


Not all is macabre in the Halloween Village display as a mechanical Keystone cop chases an escaped convict around a family bobbing for apples at Bronner's in Frankenmuth, Mich.

Please see Fayrouz's photos throughout the entire store.