We’ve got a couple of different ways of dealing with the year in/year out monotony of covering the same events. If possible, we try to have a different person photograph this year’s event than photographed last year’s event. If there’s an story which accompanies the photos, perhaps we can take a different tack on the story which would, in turn, would most likely provide different photos.

But sometimes neither approach works. When that happens I think the best approach to shooting the same event in consecutive years is to first have a good cup of coffee and then take on a good attitude about the assignment (“it’s not a problem. It’s an opportunity disguised as a problem.” Or some such management-speak)

Also, it helps to know what photos were published from previous coverage.

Given the opportunity/challenge/opportunity to shoot an education awards ceremony I  had a grande, non-fat, extra-hot Starbuck’s latte to put me in the proper frame of mind. I still remembered the photos I shot of the ceremony last year so I knew what to avoid shooting. And with Starbuck’s help I was able to take up the challenge with a good attitude.

The photo from this year’s awards ceremony:

Dave Walter, center, was all smiles after receiving a Crystal Apple Award from the Yakima School District Tuesday, April 27, 2010. Walter, one of five Crystal Apple recipients this year, is the director of Instrumental Music at Eisenhower High School. At left is Steve Wright, assistant principal at Eisenhower and right, Chris Walter, Dave's wife. The awards are given annually to outstanding educators in the district.

Last year’s photo:

"Wow! Ohmigosh!" exclaimed teacher Christina Carlson after learning from Dave Dion, right, she was receiving a Crystal Apple Award for outstanding teaching in the Yakima School District. Carlson was surprised with the award at a Tuesday, April 28, 2009 meeting. She is a fifth grade teacher at the Discovery Lab School. Dion is a co-chairman of the award committee.

–Gordon King

The Yakima Sunrise Rotary Club

I enjoy speaking to civic groups because it’s always nice to de-mystify the news business for the layperson. Equally important, it’s a chance for me to hear the ideas and opinions of “regular” folks on our photography, picture selection and photo content. It’s a good reminder how we, as professional photojournalists, sometimes lose touch with the visual needs and wants of our readers (i.e. our “customers”).

I had one particularly interesting exchange with a gentlemen representing a local youth golf instruction program. He disliked a photo I shot during one of the program’s instructional sessions.

Kira Alexander, 11, reclines on a golf bag as she waits her turn to hit golf balls at The First Tee golf program at Fisher Park in Yakima, Wash. July 6, 2009. The program teaches youngsters core values and life skills along with golf skills, says Del Rankin, the executive director of the Yakima chapter of The First Tee Program. This is the second year of the program in Yakima and this year there are 248 youngsters enrolled in the 10-week-long program, double the number of youngsters in last year's program. Two hundred are attending the weekly sessions at Yakima-area parks and golf courses with 48 attending sessions in Granger. This is the first year Alexander has played golf.

A little background on this photo. I had about an hour one morning to find a standalone photo for the front page of the next day’s local section. It was a lazy, warm sort of summer day here in Yakima and I was hoping to capture an image which reflected this (though, truth be told, I was ready to take just about any photo as my available time began to dwindle).

Coming upon a group of youngsters and several supervising adults giving golf instruction I got the photo opportunity I had been looking for and I shot the photo of the girl reclining in the sunshine. I thought it captured the weather and mood of the day.

However, the Rotarian who’s one of the program’s principals, thought the photo did the program a disservice and did not accurately portray the mentorship nature of the program.

I explained to him my motivation and visual needs that morning and that we had done a photo and story on his program the previous year.

Students in The First Tee program, left, from center, Joel Ford, 13, Andrew Devine-Wolff, 11, Taylor Newquist, 11, and Dayinera Weber James, 11, listen to instructor Del Rankin, far left, before hitting a basket of balls at Suntides Golf Course on Thursday, July 17, 2008.

Still, the Rotarian wasn’t satisfied with my explanations.

I respect his viewpoint though I don’t agree with it.

But with this conversation I was reminded how some readers and viewers don’t always agree with the photos we choose and don’t understand why we do what we do. And I’m not saying our visual decisions should be guided solely by what one reader says. However, we should at least  respect our readers’ and viewers’ opinions and remember for whom we’re working.

–Gordon King

Bronson Faul

The candidate. Seems like a very nice fellow.

But he could use a few tips on how to hold a press conference. I don’t want to pick on him, specifically, because lots of other political candidates have made the same mistakes.

So, just a couple of tips for those planning a press conference.

Generally speaking, the better the physical  arrangement of the press conference the better the photographs. And while we may not use anything other than a head shot for the initial announcement there’s no telling when we might need some sort of file photo of the press conference for later use.

Backgrounds that relate to the subject at hand are good. A judicial candidate might announce on the steps of the courthouse. A press conference on the water quality of a river should be held by that river.

Mr. Faul’s press conference was a good example of where not to hold a press conference. It was held in one corner of our local indoor arena, at the same time a home and garden show was being set up.

Attorney Bronson Faul declares his candidacy for district court judge in a press conference March 19, 2010. He speaks with Herald-Republic reporter Phil Ferolito, the only member of the media to attend.

The backgrounds were lousy and show vendors kept walking through the scene.

Mr. Faul says he held the conference there because he has a booth at the show and because his wife works for the trade group sponsoring the show and he wanted to give the show a little press exposure. Admirable thoughts, perhaps, but not the best decision for a visually pleasing press conference.

For a campaign announcement, having family members present is nice. Again, it tells something about the candidate and his personal life and gives us photographers more visual possibilities.

Carly Faul holds her son and watches as her husband Bronson Faul declares his candidacy for district court judge position no. 4 March 19, 2010 in Yakima, Wash.

There was a cacophony of background noise at Mr. Faul’s presser as booths and displays were being set up for the home and garden show.

It’s best if press conferences are held in relatively quiet places so good audio can be gathered. Audio with lots of background noise distracts from the message of the press conference. You can minimize the intrusion of background noise by the use of a wireless microphone  but not every multimedia journalist can afford such gear.

There’s lot of other dos and don’ts for visually successful press conferences. Professional PR people can usually (but not always) stage a visually pleasing press conference but those without such professionals are on their own.

–Gordon King

Attorney Richard Bartheld makes a point to the judge in a divorce case Friday, Feb. 5, 2010 in Yakima, Wash. as opposing attorney Daniel Lorello listens. Bartheld is one of the attorneys who has agreed to volunteer as a judge to help resolve the backlog of civil cases in Yakima County Superior Court.

There’s wall molding sticking out of the head of the older attorney. Also, a TV monitor is sticking out of his head and shoulders. You can’t really see the face of the younger attorney so you can’t tell if he’s showing any emotion. And, as if all that wasn’t enough, the photo is shot from eye level.

But there’s something very right about this photo and that’s that the photo was taken in a courtroom during legal proceedings.

We’re very lucky in Washington state to have outstanding access to courtrooms. In fact, it’s presumed we  have the right to be there. If a judge wants to exclude cameras from courtrooms he must state for the record why he (or she) is not allowing cameras in the courtroom.

But once in the courtroom we must follow certain guidelines to minimize the impact of our presence. It’s understood that still photographers will use the quietest camera possible and take a minimal amount of photos so as to cause the least amount of noise. Once the photographer has found a place to stand he doesn’t move from that spot. No shots of the jury. If you leave at some time other than during a break, do so quietly and don’t let the courtroom door slam behind you.

This is why the above photo has issues. I was planted in one spot and couldn’t move once proceedings began. I knew the attorney in the foreground would be speaking only to the judge (there were no jurors) and so I had to pick a spot where I could see as much of his face as possible even if the background was distracting and even if it meant I could see only the side of his face (I couldn’t shoot from behind the judge). These are small prices to pay for such great access to the courtrooms and we should never take our access for granted.

–Gordon King

Sometimes, however, it’s more appropriate to say “using available dark” when there’s virtually no available light.

Such was the case when I went along on a survey of bats in Boulder Cave, northwest of Yakima. Bats there are hibernating this time of year making it much easier to count them as they hang on walls and in crevices in the rocky walls of the cave.

Headlamps and two flashlights provided the only light. I could have used a flash but (a) that would have completely altered the mood and character of the scene by introducing the strobe light and (b) the biologists preferred I not use the flash for fear it would disturb the bats. So, the flash stayed stowed in my camera backpack.

So, how do you make photos in near pitch-blackness? High ASA, wide apertures, slow shutter speeds, a steady hand and prayer were my answers to the challenge.

U.S. Forest Service district ranger Irene Davidson uses a flashlight and headlamp to look for hibernating bats in Boulder Cave near Clifdell Feb. 3, 2010. She and biologist Joan St. Hilaire eventually counted 75 bats in the cave as part of a biennial bat survey at the cave.

Vital stats: 1600 ASA, f2.8 for .4 seconds. I braced myself on a rock to steady the camera. It’s mostly sharp. Certainly sharp enough for publication in our newspaper and on our Web site. Or, as YH-R photographer Andy Sawyer calls it – “web sharp.”

Biologist Joan St. Hilaire takes notes during her survey of hibernating bats in Boulder Cave Feb. 3, 2010. Seventy-five bats were counted this year, a slight decline from the number of bats counted two years ago.

The stats here: 1/6th of a second at f2.8, 1600 ASA. This one’s sharper than the first one so something worked better. Maybe my morning caffeine had worn off or the prayer worked. Hard to say.

Lastly, I was finally able to get  a photo of a hibernating bat, a vital image for this story.

A hibernating Townsend Big-Eared Bat hangs from a wall in Boulder Cave Feb. 3, 2010. The bats are often difficult to spot as they blend in with the surrounding rock. A survey that day counted 75 bats, a slight decline from the last survey two years ago.

The light was provided by the biologist’s headlamp as she counted the two bats. Not much light, but enough light.

Shooting in these conditions was a little nerve-wracking because there was no “do-over” but it’s always fun to produce photos under challenging conditions. And it was really fun to hang out for a couple of hours in a cave counting bats.

–Gordon King

A youth accused of pointing a gun at police officers makes a preliminary appearance in Yakima County Juvenile Court Monday, Feb. 1, 2010. He has not yet been charged with a crime.

His face is turned so he’s not readily identifiable and he is not named in the cutline or the story about his pointing a gun (a toy gun as it turns out) at a police officer two days ago.

I was asked by a reader this morning why we didn’t name the youngster and why his face wasn’t shown in the photograph. “I saw his face in court on the TV news last night,” commented my friend.

A fair question. The answer to which challenges us as photographers.

It’s Herald-Republic policy to use a suspect’s name and photograph when they are charged with a crime, not at the time of the arrest. “This is in fairness to the person arrested. Publishing someone’s name (and photograph) in connection with a crime may signal to readers an impression of guilt. Until police and prosecutors have gathered enough evidence to warrant the filing of formal charges we usually steer clear of linking a suspect’s name (and photo) to a crime” reads the policy.

We do make exceptions to this policy. The prominence of the suspect or clarity of the situation may allow publication of names and photographs of faces before that person is charged with a crime. There is always a discussion among editors in these exceptional cases before publishing names and photographs which show faces.

But that makes it harder for us to photograph people as they’re being arrested. We have to shoot photos which show the subjects’ faces (in case it’s a really big deal and we name them before they’re formally charged) and we have to do photos of the subjects without showing faces.

Yakima police hold two men arrested Nov. 5, 2009 in connection with an early afternoon shooting at South Second Street and East Race Street. Two officers hold the men as they wait for an eyewitness to identify the suspects. Just after the shooting police believe the suspects drove east and abandoned their car near Washington Middle School and ran west to a house where the two suspects kicked in a door and tried to hide before being found by police. During their investigation police found the car as well as shoes, shirt and a handgun they are convinced belong to the suspects, said Yakima Police Capt. Rod Light. The victim was taken to the hospital with what appear to be non-life-threatening injuries, said Light.

This was the photo that ran in our paper and on our Web site. We did not do a follow story on this incident so we never used a photo which showed their faces.

I understand and respect our policy but at times, it’s frustrating. But we have to do our best to be fair.

And when the young man in the top photo is formally charged we will publish a photo which shows his face.

–Gordon King

An important “don’t” in daily photojournalism is “Don’t jump to conclusions” or “don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s easy to do either when given what appears to be a less-than-exciting or less-than-visual photo request or one that you’ve done a hundred times before. Do so at your own peril. You  may miss out on a good (and perhaps) great photo.

The request came in a forwarded e-mail from one of the sports guys. A long-time athletic trainer at a local high school, now suffering from cancer and no longer able to work, was being honored at an assembly in the school gym. He would be given a plaque for all his years of service.

I’d never actually met Gary Hirst. Though we had shared plenty of sidelines over the years I only knew he was, umm…, taciturn. Never saw him really crack a smile. So I figured there wouldn’t be lots of emotion at the assembly and emotion is what we strive to capture in photos. But we needed a photo for our Local section so off I went to the school.

As people gathered for the assembly I sensed I had been wrong about this. Way wrong. This was more than a plaque-passing ceremony. There was to be a tribute video, other gifts and most significant, past co-workers coming to pay tribute to Gary. A former football coach flew up from Las Vegas just to speak at the assembly.

The assembly was a surprise to Gary (he’d been tricked into coming to the school on the pretense of discussing medical benefits) and from the time he was wheeled into the gym I knew I had been wrong and there were good photos to be had.

Gary Hirst gets a hug from Eisenhower High School cheerleader Tori Fisher as he's wheeled into an assembly at the school by his wife Becky Robins Jan. 29, 2010. Hirst, a long-time trainer at the school was honored at the assembly. He is suffering from cancer.

Gary was his usual self, showing little emotion, but the feelings were there as speaker after speaker paid homage to Gary. Hopefully my photos did justice to the event and the genuine emotion expressed by the speakers and felt by Gary.

Gary Hirst, a long-time athetic trainer at Eisenhower High School, was honored at an assembly at the school Jan. 29, 2010. Hirst is suffering from cancer.

Eisenhower High School student and standout athlete James Lopez visits with Gary Hirst, a long-time athletic trainer at the school, following an assembly Jan. 29, 2010. Hirst, who's suffering from cancer, was honored at the assembly in the school gym. Other students wait to greet Hirst as well.

Read the story and see the photo gallery.

So,  I’ll admit was wrong about the request. And I’ll try, in the future, to not judge a book by its cover.

And Gary, to you, please get well soon. I look forward to sharing a sideline with you again in the future.

–Gordon King

 

Jordan Everhart at a family wedding.

 

According to the story in today’s Yakima Herald-Republic, Jordan is now talking, eating and walking a few steps.

It’s great to see that Jordan is recovering from the fire and I wish him and his family well. It’s nice to have some good news come out of a tragic situation.

For more information on Jordan’s recovery, go here.

–Gordon King

I groaned silently when I got the e-mail from the managing editor. We were to cover the a local school district’s annual educators’ excellence award press conference . This was to be the 22nd such presser and it seems like I covered half of them. Probably not that many, but it seems like it.

Unaware they’d gotten the award, recipients are lured to the press conference under false pretenses and once they arrive, they are told of the award. There are hugs, perhaps big smiles, a lot of handshakes but not much else.

Some years, we’ve skipped the press conference and relied on mug shots of the winners provided by the school district. But when the ME says do it, well, we do it.

Of course, all photojournalists should approach each assignment with enthusiasm and the idea that each assignment is a chance to make a fresh photograph, one that is better than the last photograph from that same assignment. This is theory – very good theory – but it’s sometimes hard to put that theory into practice.

So, with somewhat-equal parts of enthusiasm and lack of enthusiasm off I went to the press conference.

The first recipient:

Ismael Flores is hugged by his wife Sylvia Flores after he learned he was one of six recipients of the Yakima School District's annual Crystal Apple Awards on April 28, 2009. The award is given annually to educators to recognize outstanding work. Flores is the assistant principal at Washington Middle School.

A nice hug from his wife. Nice emotion, but not great.

The second recipient:

The second recipient, Ernesto Sanchez, learns of his award but doesn't show much reaction. The award co-chairman, Dave Dion, left, applauds Sanchez.

The greeters have nice expressions and show emotion but Sanchez gives us only a smile (but at least a big smile).

The third recipient:

Jerry Cole, center, is applauded by Dave Dion, left, and Pat McCarthy after Cole learned he was the winner of one of the Yakima School District's annual Crystal Apple Awards for outstanding teaching April 28, 2009. Cole is an English as a Second Language teacher at Davis High School while Dion and McCarthy are co-chairmen of the awards. Cole is one of six recipients of this year's award.

An image of the first two recipients, Sanchez and Flores, would work but I wanted more. Something with more emotion, more feeling.

Then came Christina Carlson. Her subdued entrance didn’t bode well for me.

Christina Carlson is first greeted when she enters the press conference. She doesn't yet know she is receiving an award for teaching excellence in the Yakima School District.

But things get better – in a big hurry.

Christina Carlson first learns she has received an award for teaching excellence in the Yakima School District. She was surprised with the award at a press conference.

This photo would work. But she just kept giving me more, better images.

Christina Carlson points to a member in the audience after she's surprised to learn she received the Crystal Apple Award for teaching excellnce in the Yakima School District.

Still more emotion:

Christina Carlson hugs her husband Dave Prentice.

And finally, the money photo. This is the photo which led our local section this morning.

"Wow! Ohmigosh!" exclaimed teacher Christina Carlson after learning from Dave Dion, right, she was receiving a Crystal Apple Award for outstanding teaching in the Yakima School District. Carlson was surprised with the award at a Tuesday, April 28, 2009 meeting. She is a fifth grade teacher at the Discovery Lab School. Dion is a co-chairman of the award committee.

It’s always great to people get excited about something and especially great to photograph that excitement.

My lesson for the day was a reminder; that we, as photographers, should always approach every assignment, even the seemingly routine ones, with enthusiasm and a commitment to produce the best photos possible. And who knows? Maybe there will be a Christina Carlson there to help you out.

–Gordon King

"Wow! Ohmigosh!" exclaimed teacher Christina Carlson after learning from Dave Dion, right, she was receiving a Crystal Apple Award for outstanding teaching in the Yakima School District. Carlson was surprised with the award at a Tuesday, April 28, 2009 meeting. She is a fifth grade teacher at the Discovery Lab School. Dion is a co-chairman of the award committee.

This is the first photo we published. It was up on our Web site shortly after the fire.

Yakima Fire Department firefighters care for one of the victims of a house fire on South Naches Avenue on Thursday, March 19. One man was killed and another injured in the fire which occurred about 8 a.m.

The victim is obscured by the aid and fire workers with the burning house in the background.

A second photo was published on our Web site a little while later. This one also showed one of the victims being taken to a waiting ambulance. Again, he was obscured by aid and fire workers.

Yakima Fire Department firefighters and ambulance workers take one of the victims of a South Naches Avenue house to a waiting ambulance March 19, 2009. One man was killed in the morning fire while another was injured.

Some might say I (and the newspaper) are being too chicken and that we should publish more graphic photos to convey the magnitude of the tragedy. Others would say these photos were too graphic, that we have no business taking and publishing such photos and that we’re no better than a supermarket tabloid.

As I said, I try to strike a balance between the extremes so that we hopefully serve our readers in a measured and when necessary, a compassionate fashion. Such photo usage decisions aren’t easy but those decisions are well-considered with discussion between myself, the staff photographers and editors.

–Gordon King