| Ohio News Photographer |
| March 1999 |
Before any photos were seen by the judges in this years still contest competition, major decisions about them had to be made and not by the judges.
Contest chairman, Matt Detrich requested a ruling by the board on how to handle contest entries that did not abide by the rules.
While there have been no major changes in the contest since the switch to slides several years ago, it appears some people just can't get it right.
The range of infractions covered just about every rule, from too many entries, no entry fee, no signed release form, late entries to improper slide preparation. In several cases entire staffs would have been disqualified.
Detrich alerted the board about the wide spread problem seeking advice on how to handle the dilemma. After much discussion the only way to address the problem was an all or nothing policy. It would not be fair to allow some improper entries and disqualify others.
While that decision was the only fair way to approach things, had it been decided to disqualify all entries with infractions the contest would have been weakened severely.
The resulting decision was to fix what could be corrected and allow the entries be judged, and that the problem brought to the membershipıs attention with a zero tolerance warning issued for subsequent contests.
Well this is your zero tolerance warning. It probably wonıt be your last. Iım sure the issue will be on the floor at the upcoming convention and it will be addressed in the rules for next years contest. We only hope someone reads them.
Now, on to more contest news. The number of entries were down from last year. Twenty five photographers submitted portfolios compared to a total of 34 the previous year.
A big thank you to The Columbus Dispatch for providing refreshments during the day at the still contest picture judging at The Fawcett Center. Craig Holman coordinated the arrangements and also made sure that light tables were in place for judging as well.
The television contest did not suffer from the same problems the still contest provided. While the results of the Television contest were not available as this issue went to press, contest chairman Josh White advised that for the most part the entries conformed to the contest rules.
This was the first year that those entering the television competition had to be members of ONPA. That new rule had some people scrambling at the end to become members. Provisions were made for several people to become members at the last minute provided they paid their dues for 1999 at the same time.
Several television members have suggested a change in the way television contest entries are judged.
With the annual contest and convention held at different times it has been suggested that we revert to the previous judging procedure of shipping the entries to the judges. The current practice is to fly the judges in and hold and open judging.
The proposed change would involve a substantial cost savings to ONPA. Although financial concerns should not dictate all decisions they can't be overlooked either. Those making the suggestion would rather see the financial resources applied to the educational seminar where more of the membership will benefit.
While no decision has been made on this suggestion the board will bring the matter up for discussion at the annual business meeting. I encourage both television and still members to attend the business meeting or to contact a member of the board and voice your opinion on this or any other matter. The programs we offer are for you, the membership. We canıt fix them if we donıt know theyıre broken.
So, whatever is on your mind concerning ONPA, tell us. We may not be able to fulfill all your wishes, but at least we can tell you why something is being done they way it is.
Also remember that nominations for officers will be taken from the floor at the convention for all positions on the board. The two year terms begin with the convention in 2000 with voting to take place this November.
Hospitality room, Dayton. Be there!
The United State Air Force Museum will host a private reception for ONPA members and their guests to kick off the 1999 Convention and Education Seminar Friday, April 9th in Dayton.
The museum reception will begin at 6:00pm. Displays, including more than 300 aircraft, will be open for viewing so be sure to include the family as well as your camera.
The ONPA Hospitality Suite at the Fairborn Holiday Inn will be open following the reception.
Convention co-chairmen, Bill Garlow and Marshall Gorby have been hard at work putting together this years program which will conclude with an awards dinner Saturday evening. Cox Ohio, publishers of The Dayton Daily News and Springfield News-Sun are contributing greatly to this years convention. Their financial support will go a long way to help ensure a successful event.
This years faculty is dotted with some faces from within our organization. A commitment to speakers from within the state was a priority the present board wanted to implement. Other organizations were tapping Ohio for its talent while we seemed to be ignoring ourselves.
The first of these speakers on the still faculty is ONPA Life Member Ron Kuntz. Kuntz is a former UPI photographer based in Cleveland now doing work for Reuters among others.
Since 1973 Kuntz has been the photographer for the Bill Glass prison ministry and has since visited more than 500 prisons. In 1997 Kuntz together with author Rick Nielsen collaborated on the book "Doin' Time" which included 300 images taken by Kuntz.
Kuntz's work is anything but one dimensional. He has worked at many of the Olympic games and shot just about every major sporting event you can think of including over 40 visits to the Kentucky Derby. He has been a consistent winner in the Baseball Hall of Fame Photo Contest, including yet another win for work in 1998.
Off the playing field Kuntz's travels have taken him to the far reaches of the planet, including Anartica.
Simply put, the word burnout is not in this man's vocabulary. He can tell you how great pictures were made 40 years ago and how he does it today. He's an Ohio treasure you wonıt want to miss.
Bill Waugh, Deputy Director of the State Photo Center for the Associated Press, will discuss technology, what is available, how to use it, and how to make the most of whatever resources you have. Waugh directs operations at the cooperative's central collection point for AP staff and member photos.
Waugh, a former ONPA board member and scholarship chairman, joined the AP as a photographer in Milwaukee in 1989, after serving seven years as a photographer at the Dayton Daily News/Journal Herald in Dayton, Ohio.
Three years later Waugh moved to Detroit as photo editor for Michigan and in 1995 he was named Texas photo editor in Dallas.
Waugh grew up in Woodward, Okla., where his father, the late Donald Waugh, owned the Woodward County Journal. Waugh worked as a photographer for the Stillwater (Okla.) NewsPress in 1981-82.
The Oklahoma native has covered or supervised coverage for major news stories such as the Jeffery Dahamer serial murders in Milwaukee; Jack Kevorkian assisted suicide stories in Michigan, Oklahoma bombing, Midwest Mississippi River Flood of 1993 and international presidential summits. On the sports front he has been involved with the NCAA Final Four, numerous Super Bowls, the run on the Major League Baseball record books by both Pete Rose and Mark McGwire, the Masters golf tournament and the 1992 Winter Olympics.
From just across the border in Pennsylvania is Steve Mellon of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mellon, has worked in the newspaper business for more than 15 years. He has spent time as a wire service reporter, a sports editor, a picture editor and a photographer. Mellon has been a photojournalist since 1984, when he was hired by The Herald in Jasper, Indiana. While in Jasper Mellon was the Indiana Photographer of the Year as well as the NPPA Region 4 POY.
From The Herald, he moved to The Knoxville (TN) News-Sentinel, then The Pittsburgh Press, which closed in 1992. While at The Pittsburgh Press, Mellon was named runner-up Photographer of the Year in the NPPA-University of Missouri Pictures of the Year competition.
Mellon worked as a freelance editorial and commercial photographer for nearly five years before returning to newspapers in 1997.
Mellon will talk about how to find great stories and the best way to get them in the paper. If there is a common thread among the speakers on the still side of the program itıs that they all started out at small publications and worked there way up the ladder to get to where they are today.
No matter where you are in your career, they have been there too. The fourth still speaker is no exception.
Mike Fender, assistant director of photography at The Indianapolis Star-News will talk about content. Fenders message is simple, "We don't care how much ram you have, digital or film, or if you can transmit from your car. How good is the image. For the reader, CONTENT is everything."
Content is something Fender knows something about too. He has been named Indiana Photographer of the Year three times as well as runnerup three times. He is a former Region 4 POY and twice won the ONPA Clip Contest POY title.
Fender has been the Assistant Director of Photography in Indianapolis since the morning and evening papers merged in 1996. Prior to that he served as the Chief Photographer for The Indianapolis News for nine years. Fender still shoots pictures in addition to management duties and writes many of the stories that go with his photographs.
Prior to working in Indianapolis, Fender worked for The San Bernardino Sun for four years, The Kettering Oakwood Times for two years, and The Xenia Daily Gazette for four years.
He attended Wright State University and is a graduate of the Ohio Institute of Photography.
Fender chaired the NPPA Convention when it was held in Indianapolis and was a co-chair for the Flying Short Course stop there as well. He has also been a contest judge in Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky.
The television faculty is just as impressive as the still side with a wealth of experience from the Buckeye State sharing their knowledge.
Leading off the list is four time ONPA Television Photographer of the Year Ali Ghambari. Ghambari like those on the still faculty knows all about starting at the bottom of the ladder. He turned a weekend hobby into a career, a rather successful one at that.
A native of Iran, Ghambari fled his homeland during a revolution in 1979. He settled in Dayton and began working full time for American Hondaıs parts division. It was then that Ghambari began his ³hobby² as a photographer. For twelve years Ghambari worked part time to pursue his passion.
In 1993 while a part time photographer at WKEF-TV in Dayton Ghambari won the first of his four ONPA Photographer of the Year titles. He now works full time as a photographer at WJW-TV in Cleveland where he has won the POY title three years running. Ghambari has also won the title of ONPA Sports Photographer of the Year three times and was the NPPA Region Photographer of the Year last year.
The second member of the television faculty is Doug Legore of WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, Pa. Legore started his career behind the camera in Scranton at WYOU-TV then moved to WHTM-TV in Harrisburg and then on to Denver's KCNC-TV.
Now he is back at Harrisburg as the Director of Photography and Executive Producer.
"I'm trying to make a difference from both sides of the camera, by working with photographers and reporters." He will be here to tell you just how exactly he is doing that.
Also on this years television faculty is Scott Livingston, of WBFF-TV in Baltimore. He was on the staff there in 1995 when they were NPPA Station of the Year. Livingston is a three time winner of the NPPA Region 3 Photographer of the Year title.
Livingston started his career after he graduated with honors from Salisbury State University. His first job was at at WBPC-TV Salisbury, Md.. Livingston then spent two years at WLKY-TV in Louisville, Ky. After a brief stay at WMAR-TV he then found a home at WBFF-TV in Baltimore.
He is no stranger here in Ohio as he was a speaker at the 1996 convention in Canton. Find out from Livingston what goes into an award winning piece.
Last but not least the voice of experience takes over. The group of Bob "Scoop" Phillips, Chuck Upthegrove, Denny Cheatham and Charlie Day will speak on there 160 collective years in the business from stills to tape.
Phillips, a 41 year veteran of WDTN-TV in Dayton, is a one time ONPA Photographer of the Year and served two terms as vice president of ONPA. Chuck Upthegrove, retired photo chief of 30 years from WHIO-TV in Dayton is a former president of ONPA. Denny Cheatham of WHIO-TV has 35 years on the Dayton TV scene. Rounding out the group is Charlie Day of WDTN-TV, 38 year veteran in Dayton where he worked with Phil Donhue and attended the first five space launches.
If you can't learn from this group, youıre asleep. Find out what keeps them motivated and turning out award winning video. As a group they have won just about every award you can put a name to.
The speakers are all in place, make sure you are as well. A lot of people have been working very hard to make this event a success, but that is not possible without you being there.
Call to reserve your room at the Fairborn Holiday Inn. The convention rate of $79 is good through March 12. Reservations can be made by calling (937) 426-7800.
The hotel is located at exit 17 on I-675 at the intersection of Colonel Glenn Hwy. and Fairfield Rd.. The facility is adjacent to Wright State University and the Ervin J. Nutter Center.
As always vendors will be on site Saturday to demonstrate the latest in technology. We urge you to support these companies, many who have been long time supporters and sponsors of our programs.
If youıve lost your registration flier that came in the mail use the registration form below. Do it today.
The 1998 ONPA "Staff of the Year" Award won by The Toledo Blade has been declined by the newspaperıs Director of Photography Larry Roberts.
The award is based on point totals accumulated in the annual picture contest. Roberts stepped forward when it came to his attention that the newspaper was awarded points for photos taken by Allan Detrich.
Detrich is on retainer to Block News Alliance which owns The Blade and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He develops stories and works on special projects for the group. Based on that fact, Detrich is not considered to be a member of The Blade staff. Therefore any points accumulated by him should not count towards the total for The Blade.
Detrich was not included on the staff list submitted by Roberts prior to the contest. He was later added when he told contest chairman Matt Detrich that he indeed was a member of The Blade staff.
The confusion was sorted out after Roberts brought the matter to the attention of the board and contest chairman. The change in point totals elevates The Beacon Journal into first place for the award.
The judging took place February 12-13 at The Fawcett Center on the campus of Ohio State University.
Judges for the yearıs contest were, Bill Tiernan, staff photographer at The Virginian -Pilot, Linda Stelter, staff photographer at The State in Columbia, SC and Patrick Schneider, staff photographer at The Charlotte Observer.
Tiernan had to respond to a family emergency on Saturday and was not on hand for the final two categories which were illustration and portrait personality.
Congratulations are in order for Scott Heckel of The Repository. Heckel captured first place feature in the national judging of the NPPA clip contest with his camel kiss photo that appeared in the December issue of this newsletter.
Kudos also go out to ONPA Life Member Ron Kuntz who was a winner once again in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Photo Contest. Its about time they named this contest after him.
Kuntz will be a speaker at this years educational seminar in Dayton. Perhaps heıll share his winning formula with us then.
Photographers at Jacobs Field refer to Ron as the ball magnet for his propensity to be the target of many a foul ball. When he's not ducking, heıs made some great baseball photographs over the years.
There is no truth to the rumor that he took photos of Abner Doubleday though. Due to late contest results the winning first place clips from December will be published in the next newsletter.
Congratulations go out to Fred Squillante of The Columbus Dispatch and his wife Kris who became proud parents on February 23rd. The new addition to the family is Duncan Anthony Squillante who weighed in a 8lbs. 4 oz.
Ohio University student Bruce Bennett continues his winning ways in the NPPA Student Clip Contest. Bennett placed third in news and first in feature for the first quarter. Kent State University student Jason Kaye placed second in news as well.
Television members in need of the contest rules or entry forms for the new quarterly clip contest can find them on the ONPA web site. The forms are PDF files which require Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded there free as well.
Jonathan Quilter at The Advocate in Newark planned on a leave of absence to travel recently. Through no fault of his own the tripped had to be shelved however he will be leaving the paper at the end of the month anyway. He will be operating a micro-winery in Waldo, Ohio owned by his grandparents. He hopes to do some freelance work while he learns the business. We wish him well in his endeavor. If his wine is half as good as his photos it will make for an interesting party at next years convention.
When is a four column picture not a 4 column picture? When it appears in the new version of The Plain Dealer. The newspaper recently downsized it pages trimming over an inch off the width of each page. Surveys say that readers find the new product easier to read, although the cost of newsprint was the driving force behind the change. Its a trend that will continue weıre sure of that.
Brynne Shaw recently was rehired by The Plain Dealer. She had left the paper several years ago to be a full time mom. She now has a job even harder than that. Full time mom and photographer. Lest we forget full time dad Scott Shaw, also on staff at the PD.
It only took a phone call to get The Beacon Journalıs Matt Detrich to say yes to judging a contest. Betsy Micklaki called to ask if he could judge a contest for them. As Detrich tells it, "In my head I thought what if this is to judge a year end photo contest for another state." Well he immediately said that he'd love to. It was then that he asked what contest he would be judging. The answer was a little more than humbling.
Micklaki replied that he would be judging an 18 hole putt-putt golf course, designed by the different departments at Medina General Hospital.
Well he didn't go back on his word and showed up with his own putter and went to work rating the holes. He putted through crutches, syringes and even finished a hole with a shot into a bedpan. Detrichıs reaction, "well I guess you've got to start somewhere."
Shirley Ware, photo editor, at The (Medina County) Gazette has once again put together a great package for the paper's annual Year In Pictures issue. If you havenıt seen it give her a call and perhaps she can send one your way.
It just goes to show you donıt have to be at a major metro to do things right. This is great community journalism with an added personal touch.
Thereıs even a photo or two taken by my good friend Doug Oster included too. Heıs the one that started the tradition many more years ago than heıd like to admit.
Way to keep the ball rolling Shirley.
Okay, I'll admit it; I have thought about cheating. Not cheating on my taxes because I stink in math. Not cheating on my wife since I am a treasure that remains undiscovered by the fairer sex. Not even cheating at cards, although some of my nieces and nephews look at me funny when we play Go Fish.
No, Iım talking about cheating in photo contests I also confess that I've been at that point several times in my career when a casual "move here" or "do that again" would lead to a better, possibly contest quality photograph.
Rules, as we all know, are made to be broken. If you look hard and long enough, you can always find a loophole to squeeze through. All of us have photographs weıve shot over the years that could be passed off as recent.
Thankfully, thinking about crossing those lines is all I could ever bring myself to do. But what is it about the photojournalism profession that causes people to step up to and over that line. I've heard the whispered stories:
There probably are many more stories. These are just the ones Iıve heard of, or actually witnessed.
Contests may not be the root of all this ³evil² but it certainly can help entice a photographer down the dark path.
It's easy to get hooked into the rush of winning. For me, it was a way to prove myself to my family. I have seven brothers and sisters all of whom were tremendous athletes in high school and eventually were offered college scholarships for their athletic prowess. I did not fall into that category.
When I discovered I had some talent for taking pictures, it became, in my mind, a way to obtain the spotlight in my family and prove to myself that I was important. Not just to them, but to the photojournalism community. When I started to win and become noticed by my peers, it was an addicting feeling. I enjoyed having my pictures up on that screen and having my name called out. I relished the pats on the back from my Beacon colleagues and superiors. It would be a boost to any photographerıs ego to be in that spotlight.
Unfortunately, once some photographers get there, they donıt like to leave and will do anything to stay there. That's what put the thought of cheating in my mind.
It forced me to do some hard thinking about why contests SHOULD be important to me as a photojournalist. Contest can be valuable learning tools. Not just in the sense of how to shoot for a contest (which should be the last reason on anyoneıs list for entering), but in seeing how other photojournalists work in a wide variety of photographic situations.
They deliver a positive photographic "nudge" on how to shoot our assignments more creatively and discover new ideas to explore photographically.
I used contests as a motivational tool. I looked at them as a goal for me to achieve. Every judging I attended I would see the quality of work and realize I needed to work that much harder to shoot images that strong and informative. Not just for the sake of "getting wood" but for the readers.
The contests helped me continue to mature as a photojournalist. I wanted to learn how to shoot cleaner, to edit tighter, to document the stories of the community with intelligence and respect. Just like Mark McGuire was pushed by Sammy Sosa, I was pushed by the many Ohio photojournalists whose work flashed on the screens in front of me at every judging.
I realized. most importantly, that I couldnıt appreciate the sense of personal achievement, reward and respect of my peers if I cheated to obtain it. Thatıs what put the thought of cheating out of my mind.
Competition is a good thing but contests will always offer a dark path. Photojournalists who choose that path will have to live with that choice. They will have to live with their own conscience and that in the end people will learn the truth. Then they will have to live with that.
There is a Latin saying "Quod me nutrit me destruit" which translated means "what nourishes me also destroys me". It's something every photojournalist should think about the next time the thought of cheating enters their minds.