It’s a problem we often have when shooting high school sports. Cross country runners don’t wear numbers during meets (except in the bigger meets) Ditto for high school track athletes. This time of year our biggest problem is high school soccer. Many of the teams we cover don’t have numbers on the fronts of their jerseys.

I shot this photo at a recent soccer match.

West Valley High School's Forrrest Chapin, left and Sunnyside High School's Alfredo Gomez battle for the ball in the second half of their game May 15, 2010. West Valley won 2-0.

No numbers. How to identify the players?

One solution is to shoot the backs of the players, where there are numbers.

West Valley High School beats Sunnyside High School 2-0 in the regional soccer championship May 15, 2010.

Sometimes, though, the players don’t turn around soon enough for us to photograph the backs of their jerseys.

Then, we must look for other identifying marks on players. In the first photo above, the player in red has white athletic on his left hand. We can look for that tape in another frame, hopefully a frame in which we can see the jersey number of the player.

Shoes are also good way of identifying individuals since most players wear different shoes with different markings.

If all else fails, we can take a copy of the photo to a coach or other player later in the day (or e-mail it to them) to get help identifying players. But the photo has to be really, really good to merit this amount of effort and often there’s not time to do this.

Trying to sort out players’ identities can be time consuming and frustrating (especially with a looming deadline) but it’s part of the job. We sometimes joke about each of us on the photo staff chipping in money to buy numbers for the fronts of jerseys.

But until that that happens we will continue to photograph back of jerseys and look for tape and different shoes.

–Gordon King

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

Stock photography may satisfy the bean counters and photo managers with ever-tighter budgets but a cheap photo may ultimately cost the publication much more than the price of the photo.

“The quality of licensed imagery is virtually indistinguishable now from the quality of images they might commission,” said Jonathan Klein, the chief executive of Getty Images, a stock photo agency.

Sure, a stock image may be good (enough) but is it truthful? How will the reader or viewer know if a photo in a news publication was an image set up and orchestrated by the photographer or a real, unrehearsed photo captured at the right time by the photographer that reflects the situation?

Or does it even matter to the reader whether the photo is real or fake?

I believe it does matter. It matters a lot. I believe in the authenticity of news images. Photos should capture reality as much as possible to accurately inform the reader or viewer. I’m talking about photojournalism here, pictures which, or at least appear to, show a real event or person.

And while there’s no guarantee that commissioned photography is indeed accurate and truthful, I believe a photo editor working directly with the photojournalist is much more likely ferret out any false images.

So a stock photo may be cheap but it may end up costing a publication much more – that publication’s credibility. To me credibility is worth much more than any savings gained by purchasing a cheap stock image.

–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

So, sometimes it’s helpful to take a step back and have a good laugh at something photo-related.

Go here for a really good laugh and then go out and make some good photos.

–Gordon King

Photojournalism: The Professionals' Approach/2008

It’s kind of spendy ($46.70 on Amazon) but well worth the money. Besides being the definitive textbook on photojournalism it’s a great photo book with outstanding photography to illustrate the text. I’d recommend this book to everyone who wants to learn more about photojournalism or simply refresh and perhaps expand their current knowledge about photojournalism. It’s thoroughly up to date with sections on multimedia.

This is the sixth edition of the book. I’ve still got the first edition  that was published in 1980. It’s pretty beat up with a tear in the dust jacket.

Photojournalism: The Professionals' Approach/1980

Though some of the book is dated (photos are all in black and white and of course, there’s no mention of multimedia, digital cameras and computers) but many of the principles of photojournalism and photo editing were the same then as they are now.

This is the first book about photojournalism I ever purchased and so it’s always got a spot on my bookshelf.

–Gordon King

So it’s easy to become discouraged as newspapers lose their position in American society.

I came across this video a couple of weeks ago. It offers a different way for us to approach our job as photojournalists.

Celebrate What’s Right With The World

Lazarus! – The Resurrected | MySpace Video
The video gets a little syrupy at times but don’t lose the message in that sweetness.

And if you’ve lost your job or you’ve just finished a five-assignment day and have an overbearing editor looking over  your shoulder this video is not going to make things right. But it does, at least, offer another perspective on how to approach  life and work differently and how, perhaps to make it better.

–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