Welcome to the December 2003 issue of The Digital Journalist, the monthly online magazine for visual journalism.

When I teach my classes in Advanced Photo Journalism at the University of Texas, one of the first things I try to explain to my students is the art of the environmental portrait. I tell them that regardless whether they aspire to be newspaper, magazine, corporate or commercial photographers, the assignment they will have to deal with most often is the portrait of a subject in his or her surroundings. A vast majority of published photographs consist of exactly these elements. There was one man who personally created the template for these pictures, and his name is Arnold Newman. Now in his 80s, he is considered a master. Our Contributing Editors, Marianne Fulton and David Friend give us appreciations on this legend of photography.

Three years ago, photojournalist Ed Kashi attended one of our Platypus Workshops in California. He had been working on a big project about Aging In America. His idea was to produce a book, but once he learned the skills of television documentary, he and his wife Julie Winokur started to think in bigger terms. This month, his book is on the most recommended list by reviewers, and their 1-hour documentary has been aired on the PBS station in San Francisco. In the coming months, it will be shown on your local PBS stations. We are presenting excerpts from the Kashi book, along with a specially produced 15-minute clip from their PBS Show. Contributing Editor Peter Howe discusses the book in his introduction, and also points to some other great new photo books that are worth considering for holiday gifts. Bill Pierce also offers some helpful hints on how to find those books in his Nuts and Bolts column.

David Friend also comments on one of the other big books of the season, Patrick McMullen's bible of New York club life in the 80s, So 80s.

American newsmagazines probably spend more money covering the White House than any other single subject. It costs a fortune to travel reporters and photographers around the world to accompany the President of the United States. Most of the time is spent in tedium, sitting around a pool holding room, or hanging out near the Bush ranch in Waco, Texas. But the reason the magazines do it is you never know when something of major importance will occur. That was exactly what happened on Thanksgiving eve, when suddenly the press was rounded up and bundled aboard Air Force One, with its destination, Baghdad. Time's Chris Usher was one of the photographers who wound up making the 33-hour odyssey, and he shares with us his diary entries.

Also, with the holiday season approaching, David Silverman and David Blumenfeld provide thoughtful dispatches on how the pursuit of peace is faring on the West Bank.

The Daily Californian, the newspaper put out by the students at UC Berkeley, locked out its photographers who objected to a contract demanding Work For Hire. In our Editorial we discuss why we think this is wrong lesson to teach photojournalism students. Mark Loundy in his Common Cents column echoes why WFH is such a bad thing.

On the video side, Terry Heaton continues his important series on TV In The Post Modern World, Steve Smith reports on what has been happening this y ear in the DV world, and Ron Steinman contemplates his "pet peeve", the anchor who refuses to sit still.

In our Camera Corner, photojournalist Eli Reed gives us a hands-on review of the new Olympus E1 Digital system, a revolutionary system, designed from the ground up as a professional digital camera, as he uses the new cameras to do a beauty shoot.

Sometimes I wish Jim Colburn would share with me what he is smoking. He is out there this month! You have to read it to believe it.

Finally, in my commentary. I try to once again stress how important it is that photographers treat their work like the treasure it is.

IN THIS MONTH'S ASSIGNMENT SHEET

News Photographers rely on instinct. What is instinct? It's that little voice deep inside of you that guides you to do the right thing. Well, some people might label that as "conscience." But, it's more than that. The "voice" guides us to the perfect spot to shoot. It causes us to hit the shutter button at exactly the right moment. It speaks to us to stand up to reporters and editors when necessary. TV Cameraman Mark Neuling talks about his in a journal entitled, "LITTLE VOICES."

"Okay, so I'm trapped in a doorway with Robert Redford." Sometimes newspukes will find themselves nose to nose with some celebrity or another. It comes with the territory. Susan Adcock, a freelancer from Nashville, TN, tells us about her experience in her journal, "TRAPPED."

Retired Newsday Photographer Dick Kraus bemoans the loss of a driving force in journalism in his journal/editorial, "FIRE IN THE EYE."

We hope you enjoy this issue, and wish you a happy holiday season and a safe New Year, wherever you are.

Dirck Halstead
Editor and Publisher
dhalstead@dvnetwork.net

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