Assignment for the Week of March 29th
Travel Blogger
Assignment: Looking to Purchase Photos of Popular Travel Destinations
Description: Looking to write about how camera phones are changing the art of travel photography. I want to buy pictures of spectacular travel destinations. Please include the location in the description.
Images: $5
Videos: $5
Ending Date: April 5, 2010
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Afghanistan Captured Through An iPhone
David Guttenfelder, an AP photographer, used an iPhone to capture amazing photography of the largest military operation in Afghanistan since 2001. To check out his iPhone photography of this event, please visit Depth of field: Afghanistan.
This type of photography shows how powerful of a tool camera phones have become in the past five years. No longer are people limited by their traditional camera. Instead, people more often than not now have a camera with them at all times in the form of their cell phone.
Cell Phone Camera’s Soon To Be Rated On Image Quality
The International Imaging Industry Association will soon be testing all of the Cell Phone Cameras for overall image quality.
“The score is based on measurements of a variety of factors. First came basics such as sharpness, color uniformity, and lens distortion. Now the group is tackling image noise, white balance, sensitivity, blur, and other attributes” according to the article Help Coming for Judging Phone Camera Quality by CNET.
As cell phones continue to evolve, this rating system will make it much easier for buyers to distinguish between the different levels of quality in future mobile phones. The ratings will be displayed as a 5 star rating, accompanied with a more detailed chart for the more advanced users.
We at fizwoz think that this rating system will continue to encourage the innovation of the camera phone market, especially with Nokia, the iPhone and the Nexus One competing in the market.
Introduction to Visual Journalism by Nieman Reports
The team at Nieman Reports have just put out their latest edition. It is all about visual journalism, with the theme of “Fresh Approaches and New Business Strategies for the Multimedia Age” I thought it would be of interest to this group.
Here is how the editor Melissa Ludtke describes the focus:
“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.”
Check out the Nieman Reports Introduction to Visual Journalism.
Technology is Changing Journalism: Why News Media is Looking to You to Share Your Story
There has been a lot of talk about how journalism is changing. The recent announcement that ABC News is making cuts in their staffing has pointed out how new technology is changing how even the networks cover the news. There are now a lot of discussions in journalism about what are called VJ, or video journalists, where one person using lightweight gear with laptops can do much of the work that used to be assigned to a reporter, photographer, editor and live truck operator.
The website Lost Remote interprets this move toward one person doing the work that had been traditionally done by a team this way. “The new tools of our trade make it easier to shoot and edit, and we predict that new voices will be found – people who never before had a chance to prove their storytelling chops nationally.”
If you would like to be one of those who would like to cover news using some of these new tools, the website Mashable looked at what tools are available for anyone to use, that can help you do everything with your smart phone equipped with a camera. They include the voice recorder from Google Voice, a way to stream live video from your cell phone using a product like Ustream, a video editor like Reeldirector for use on your iPhone, some small hints on how to type fast notes on your smart phone (with some instructions from a 16 year old girl) and Wordpress, the fast and easy blog that many people are using to post their content.
This movement towards using your phone as an all purpose tool captured the attention of one reporter at the BBC who was asked this question:
“can u give me a crash course in citizen reporting? What tech is best and are there rules/tips?”
He offered up a list of tools for new journalists here, everything you need to become ready for the next big breaking story. He touched on the how the a phone with a camera is now becoming an instant transmitter of live video: “You can go live for free using mobile applications like Ustream, Bambuser or Qik – though I’m still waiting for the first real breaking-news story to arrive via one of these services.”
We can say wait no more, a number of television stations are now using live streaming from devices using software like Qik. This winter’s storms on the East Coast were the latest opportunity for TV stations and the public to work together to share live video and thousands of pictures taken while the storm was closing down airports and roads around the region. One example was WTTG which actively sought out viewers who had mobile phones with live streaming software installed. Check out MyFoxDC asking users to share their weather stories through “ViewerCams” and through “MyWeather.”
The team at fizwoz can see more and more newsrooms looking to partner with the public to cover big stories as they happen. For those incredible shots of breaking news, there is a market place that is developing where newsrooms will pay for the very best of those pictures. If you capture breaking news, we hope you’ll think of the fizwoz website as where you can share your great pictures.
Nokia Camera Phone Photograph Display at Heathrow Airport
Henry Reichhold set out using only his Nokia N86 8 Mega Pixel, to capture the essence of the bustling cities of Mumbai and Dubai. His camera phone captured art gallery is now on display in Terminal 5 of Heathrow International Airport. To see some of his pictures showcased in this exhibit, you can visit his website Reichold Art Gallery.
To take some amazing photography using your cell phone camera, check out this article from Times Online written by Henry Reichold on some Camera Phone Travel Photo Tips.
This photograph exhibit really shows how far a user can push the limits of his or her camera phone. With a camera phone, users now have the ability to take advantage of more and more opportunity to capture the unexpected in photograph form. No longer will people have to worry about bringing a separate camera everywhere they go.
Assignment for the Week of March 8th
Celebrities in Service
Assignment: Celebrities Participating in Community Service
Description: I am looking for pictures or videos of celebrities actively giving back to the community taken from a cell phone. Please provide a short description of the event and organization for which the celebrity is working with.
Image: $5
Video: $5
End Date: March 19, 2010
Users must first download the fizwoz phone application in order to post a picture to a fizwoz assignment. Download the application here. Once the application is installed, it makes selling your cell phone captured photos and videos easier than ever!
Commercial Image Use
The legality surrounding the use of photos in an editorial manner was clearly defined in Guidelines on Editorial Images. But, what is editorial usage and/or what is commercial usage? To show this, it is important to use an example.
For instance; “If I photograph a professional athlete at a game, can I sell the picture for editorial use?”
When you go into a professional sports stadium/arena/enclosure, there is almost always some kind of notification that you need to read. Sometimes it is on the back of your ticket, sometimes it is posted as a notice somewhere on a wall, sometimes both. The chances are pretty good that the league and/or club has indicated that you cannot make any “commercial use” of any photographs unless you have their permission. If you are a professional photographer and you are shooting from a press area or someplace other than the stands, you probably have a “press pass/credential” which outlines what you can and cannot do. If you have the legal right to make the photograph, you can license the use of the photos for editorial purposes.
“Commercial Use” of photographs is when an image is used is in an advertisement with the purpose of generating revenue.
Check out the App Store reviews for fizwoz!
Users like Rob from NY, have been able to sell their photos and videos taken on their cell phones directly to news organizations. The fizwoz Marketplace has given these users the opportunity to make a profit with their cell phone photography.
The free fizwoz phone application has made selling your cell phone captured media easier than ever. It allows the user to quickly upload their content and set the price, while fizwoz notifies all the relevant new organizations who would be interested in purchasing your content.
Start selling your photos today with fizwoz!
