U.S. Army Specialist Derek Griffard, left, and other soldiers from Killer Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment celebrate their return from Iraq at a bar in Killeen, Texas in 2008. Griffard,22, from Santa Maria, Califorina was wounded by a roadside bomb in October 2008. Nearly six years after American troops invaded Iraq, the men of "Killer Blue" are home—matured, scarred, looking forward to resuming their lives, finding themselves suddenly startled by what used to be routine. Not everyone made it home. For those who did, their lives in Iraq and the deaths of men who became family have forever shaped their goals for the future and their sense of the kind of people they want to be. Photo by Evan Vucci/The Associated Press
March 15, 2010
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Visual Journalism
Photojournalism is changing, propelled by newsroom budget cuts, multimedia possibilities, and the ubiquity of digital images. In Visual Journalism, photojournalists write about emerging digital business strategies and their efforts to expand the reach of their photographs online and on gallery walls. They also share ideas about how to fund projects of personal passion and societal value. Their words tell vital stories about how they do their work; slideshows of their photographs—exclusive to our Web site—and multimedia presentations convey their visual stories. Read and watch as the future of photojournalism unfolds.
RELATED ARTICLES "The Camera—It’s Only the Starting Point to Change" - Santiago Lyon "Crossing the Line: From Still to Video—to Both at the Same Time" - Julie JacobsonThe idea of photojournalists on assignment sending photos home now feels quaint. Instead we pitch story ideas, shoot stills and video, edit what we gather, and think about ways that our images can be used to tell stories across different platforms to reach different audiences. Success comes to those who actively engage with others in their newsrooms and embrace emerging technology in ways that enhance their storytelling abilities. (Story continues below.)
U.S. Army Specialist Derek Griffard, left, and other soldiers from Killer Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment celebrate their return from Iraq at a bar in Killeen, Texas in 2008. Griffard,22, from Santa Maria, Califorina was wounded by a roadside bomb in October 2008. Nearly six years after American troops invaded Iraq, the men of “Killer Blue” are home—matured, scarred, looking forward to resuming their lives, finding themselves suddenly startled by what used to be routine. Not everyone made it home. For those who did, their lives in Iraq and the deaths of men who became family have forever shaped their goals for the future and their sense of the kind of people they want to be. Photo by Evan Vucci/The Associated Press
U.S. Army Sergeant Jose Regalado kisses his wife, Sharri, after meeting his newborn daughter, Jaimie, during his mid-tour leave from Iraq. Sixty-three days after meeting his child for the first time, Regalado was killed by an Iraqi Army soldier on Nove. 12, 2008. Photo by Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press
Sharri Regalado holds her 3-month-old daughter Jaimie, who, at Sharri’s request, is presented a flag that covered the casket of Sharri’s late husband, Sergeant Jose Regalado, at funeral services in Pomona, California in 2008. The Department of Defense reported that Regalado, 23, was one of two soldiers killed in Mosul, Iraq when an Iraqi Army soldier approached the men and opened fire. Photo by Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press
U.S. Army soldiers from Blue Platoon, Killer Troop relax at Combat Outpost Rabiy in Mosul, Iraq. Photo by Maya Alleruzzo/The Associated Press
U.S. Army Sergeant Cole Weih, 28, from Dubuque, Iowa, a medic with Blue Platoon, Killer Troop passes an Iraqi flag as he patrols in Mosul, Iraq. Photo by Maya Alleruzzo/The Associated Press
U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Brian Flading, platoon sergeant for Blue Platoon, Killer Troop, relaxes at Combat Outpost Rabiy in Mosul, Iraq. Flading was sent home to recover from wounds after an April 30, 2008 roadside bomb attack that killed a comrade. Photo by Maya Alleruzzo/The Associated Press
Leah Morris, center, and her son, Roman reacts as her husband, Lieutenant Rusty Morris and his comrades arrive home after a 15-month deployment in Iraq at Fort Hood, Texas. Photo by Evan Vucci/The Associated Press
U.S. Army Sergeant Jon Fleenor receives a Purple Heart medal in 2009 at Fort Hood, Texas. Fleenor was injured by a radside bomb on October 15, 2008. Photo by Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press
Pallbearers carry the flag-draped coffin for the U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Chad Caldwell, 24, during his funeral service in Spokane, Washington in 2008. Caldwell, a dismount squad leader with Blue Platoon, Killer Troop, was killed by a roadside bomb on April 30, 2008 in Mosul, Iraq. Photo by Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press
A U.S. Army soldier and an interpreter from Blue Platoon, Killer Troop play a game at Combat Outpost Rabiy patrol in Mosul, Iraq. Photo by Maya Alleruzzo/The Associated Press
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Chad Caldwell, 24, From Spokane, Washington is seen at Combat Outpost Rabiy in Mosul, Iraq. Caldwell was killed by a roadside bomb on April 30, 2008, one month after this photo was taken. Photo by Maya Alleruzzo/The Associated Press
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Chad Caldwell, left, Sergeant Jon Fleenor, center and Sergeant Jose Regalado, right, are seen after responding to shots fired in Mosul, Iraq. Caldwell and Regalado were killed in action. Fleenor was injured in October and was sent home ot recover. Photo by Maya Alleruzzo/The Associated Press
U.S. Army soldiers from Blue Platoon, Killer Troop drive in armored Humvees through the streets of western Mosul, Iraq. Photo by Maya Alleruzzo/The Associated Press
U.S. Army soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment arrive at Fort Hood, Texas in January 2009 after a 15-month deployment in Iraq. Photo by Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press
No surefire formula for doing this yet exists, and this means possibilities are limitless. Even for those of us employed by news organizations, embracing the entrepreneurial spirit is vital.
“Killer Blue: Baptized by Fire,” a multimedia project I worked on at The Associated Press (AP), blends video, audio and still photography in the service of telling in depth a poignant and powerful story. Those who come to this story hear the voices of soldiers from Blue Platoon who were among the last to serve a 15-month combat mission in Iraq when they returned home in 2009. Meshing photographs and video with these soldiers’ recollections and the raw expression of their feelings enabled us to dig deeply inside of this platoon’s life in Iraq and at home.
I worked for about a year with a team at The AP to produce this package. Our efforts began with photo shoots and then we gathered video, audio and more photographs. We produced a 22-minute documentary, created a gallery of still images, and told the story in words. After we published it, a number of newspapers picked up our print/photo package and brought it to their audiences in print and online. News organizations such as MSNBC featured the documentary on their Web sites.
Publication of this project—online and in print—marked the first time at The AP that a small group of photographers had planned, shot and produced a piece of “visual impact” journalism created for multiple platforms. This happened because people there saw the possibilities existing at the intersection of digital technology and visual storytelling and set out to give photojournalists (and others) the necessary training. But aside from technical training, The AP recognized the importance of reengaging its photographers in the newsroom’s flow. Newsroom leaders encouraged editorial staff, no matter what medium they most often worked in, to conceptualize stories with photographic, video and audio possibilities in mind.
Training in how to move what photojournalists do across all of the news organization’s platforms is critical. Now that we’ve been given this gift of technical know-how, it’s up to us to prove that the finest era of photojournalism lies ahead, awaiting our ingenuity and skill.
Evan Vucci is a photographer with The Associated Press.
Visual Journalism
Photojournalism is changing, propelled by newsroom budget cuts, multimedia possibilities, and the ubiquity of digital images. In Visual Journalism, photojournalists write about emerging digital business strategies and their efforts to expand the reach of their photographs online and on gallery walls. They also share ideas about how to fund projects of personal passion and societal value. Their words tell vital stories about how they do their work; slideshows of their photographs—exclusive to our Web site—and multimedia presentations convey their visual stories. Read and watch as the future of photojournalism unfolds.
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