the wire

So call me out of the loop, but I just watched a partial episode of "The Wire" on HBO.

I seriously think it could be based on my newspaper. Or my publisher is writing the scripts for the show.

Scary.

sports vs. a1

Is one section of the paper better than another section? Essentially, that is what this post comes down to. And when it comes down to making these decisions on a tight deadline, things always get a little dicey.

While technically the picture selection should come down to the picture editor, I believe it is important to work with each individual section so that we can do our best to make everyone happy. Sometimes this works, and other times it doesn't.

In this case it didn't. A1 wanted to run the same picture 2 columns that sports wanted to run on their cover 6 columns. The A1 editor's biggest claim was that more people would see it and that essentially that section was more important. My argument was that I don't think our best story-telling photo should run 2 columns when it could run 6 on the sports cover. Granted, I also had the photographer and the sports editors on my side as well.

So, after a struggle, we were able to get A1 a picture they were somewhat happy with and the much fought over photograph ran on the cover of sports.

These situations are always tough and I don't think anyone "wins." In the end, I think it is important to have good pictures tell the story-and sometimes the best picture ends up on A1 and sometimes it ends up somewhere else. The important thing is to keep up the communication and respect what each section is trying to accomplish.

Anyways---here are some of the other pages from the playoff game in Green Bay. Note on the page below, the two column sports picture that is in apparently a top, important, highly claimed spot on A1.

political bias

This is always a touchy topic. Media's political bias. Of course, that is, if there is one. Personally, I'd like to think that most newspapers struggle with trying to keep a fair, unbalance view of stories. Any stories. That is, after all, one of our main goals. To tell news without an opinion.

The same is true with photographs. Photographs can be misleading, they can be inaccurate. And it is important to make sure that the pictures in the newspaper depict a fair and accurate of account of what happened. Not to judge, but to document.

I don't think we did this here. I think we had good intentions though. I don't think we were trying to intentionally trying to make Hillary look bad. After all the pictures I've seen of HIllary, she doesn't photograph all that well in excitable situations.

During the last primary season, i was working in New Hampshire and covered Howard Dean. Well, the big story up there was how he essentially freaked out after the Iowa caucus. Is it possible that Hillary had done the same thing?

I admit I haven't been paying close attention to the primaries up to this point. Sure, I've read stories in the paper when I must and I know who wins each state.

I was off this day, so I really didn't pay attention to any news. I don't know the answers. I didn't see what pictures were available, and I don't know what the big story was. My judgement here is from glancing at the paper when I was eating breakfast.. and is that fair? I don't know, but I tend to think that is what most of our readers do too.

But it's always interesting seeing readers responses to certain topics and how people always jumping to conclusions about things being one way or the other without knowing what really goes on.

never say never

After my 21st (and my 22nd) birthday, I swore I'd never drink tequila or whiskey again. I ended up drinking too many three wise men shots. (If you haven't heard of it, please proceed to your nearest bar) All it really took was the smell of either to bring back the memory of those two nights...

So, why the story? Well, it's interesting how you change over time. And how you really should "never say never" again.

My whole family toasted my grandfather with whiskey shots at his funeral a few years back.

And I promised a good friend that we would drink tequila together. And surprisingly, it wasn't bad. And I actually could see how I could grow to like it in time. Imagine that huh?

I guess time heals all wounds---and friends give you the courage to do things that you never imagined possible.

Cheers!

playoffs

So, the first round of the playoffs against the redskins, the seahawks won. These are what are pages looked like. Not bad. It was nice to have the color photo page from last season back. I really do think it gives us a chance to really explore the games and deliver it to readers on a different level.

And this is an official call out to my dear friends that came into town from Washington to shoot the game. You are punks for going to bed early every night and not hanging out. PUNKS!

preview to playoffs

The first round of the NFL playoffs was here in Seattle against the Washington Redskins. So, we wanted to have some impact in the Saturday's paper for the day of the game, showing just how much spirit Seattle had for it's beloved team. The 12th man was in full effect.

So, for the cover, we dropped the banner and put a picture above for a huge teaser. It was something different.

And for sports, our photographer got into the locker room as jersey's were being put onto the pads. Terribly exciting? probably not, but it is a nice behind the scenes look into what goes on the night before the game. And clever of our photographer to get in and make some nice pictures.

dog park

B-dog, prancing around the waters of Lake Washington.

top stories of the year

Summarizing the top stories of the year is something we always do at the end of the year. It always becomes a challenge to illustrate a number of stories at the same time. So, if you can look behind the title, there is a little gathering of photos that summarizes the year. Contain your excitement, it is very interesting.

The bottom picture was a live picture from the Battle in Seattle - Gonzaga vs. Tennessee basketball game that night (Thanks Fisch!). With the space getting tighter in the section all the time, I'm happy that we can still run 6 columns pictures every once in a while. It's nice to see.

can't win them all.

This was the cover of sports the day after Christmas. I guess I am missing something. One of our writers had been working on a story about these 4 guys on the Seahawk practice squad that live together, share an old mini-van, and live almost a college/bachelor life style.

Our photographer went out and photographed them hanging out, etc.

So, the sports editor working that night was clear that she didn't think this should be the sports centerpiece. I tried fighting for the picture. I liked it. These football guys even had a Christmas tree up in the background. But it was a no-go. Which was too bad, it was a nice picture and a fun story that would have been a nice change of pace for the sports section. Instead we ran with a picture of the sonics (um, boring) and the nice picture that I had like was a mere secondary.

I guess you can't win them all.

random pages

Just some random Seahawk games from the end of the regular season.

mitchell report

The Mitchell Report.

Not sure how it works at other big papers across the country, but for us we have picture editors that are broken down for different sections of the paper. So, we have a Metro picture editor, a Sunday/Special sections picture editor, me- the Sports picture editor and typically a Features picture editor (long story- don't ask).

Now there are times when stories that have started out in particular section get moved into another section and it becomes a gray area for us picture editors. If you have been reading my blog, the Gloria story was a good example of this.

I started off editing the Gloria piece, but I quickly lost it when it start running consistently on A1 and gaining popularity. In fact, almost all the sports stories that have gone to a different section I have had little to do with.

So you can imagine my surprise, when I go to work at 3pm and my boss informs me that the entire Mitchell report I get to handle. (the first meeting to talk about A1 is at 3:15) One of the most important aspects of working anywhere is communication. And luckily I am able to tell my boss how I feel about certain internal subjects and he will listen to what I have to say. And hopefully, we work something out that we both agree to.

So, this is how our A1 and our sports covers looked. We ran big names or surprises mug shots above Mitchell on A1. And on sports we ran a picture of Clemens with Pettitte with the mugs of the Mariner players that were named.

refs

When basketball and football seasons overlap, it always makes for an interesting time. And usually means that we have some of our photographers shoot sports than typically don't. Not to say that they can't, but for whatever reason, they are not in the "mix" of normal sports shooters.

There was a University of Washington men's basketball game. It was a good game, came down to the final basket at the buzzer. Apparently there were a couple minutes at the end were the refs didn't know how to call it and they all gathered around the screen to figure out which team was the winner.

While the picture wasn't our centerpiece, it was a clever secondary at the top of the page. I like seeing different pictures being made from sporting events that give some depth and another look into the game.