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Ohio News |
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October 1999 |
Ballots
will soon be in the mail for the election of officers to serve two year terms
to begin at the 2000 convention. Nominations for the positions were closed
September 1st.
The
lone contested race in the election is for the position of television vice
president. Incumbent Vince Shivers is being opposed by Tony Giordullo III.
Unopposed
on the ballot is board chairman, Bob DeMay of The Beacon Journal who is running
for a second term in office. Seeking a third term as president is Ed Suba, Jr.
also with The Beacon Journal.
Still
vice president, Lisa Dutton of The Blade seeks her first term after accepting
the appointment last year. Secretary, David I. Andersen of The Plain Dealer has
served in that position since being appointed in 1996. Kimberly Barth of The
Beacon Journal is running for a fourth term as treasurer.
Ballots
must be returned by December 1st. Those not receiving a ballot by November 1st
should contact secretary David Andersen. He can be reached at The Plain
Dealer at (216) 999-4156.
I
was born and raised in Cincinnati, a 1985 Graduate of Deer Park High
School. I attended Ashland College in
Ashland, Ohio and graduated in 1989 with a B.A. in Radio/TV Program, Production
and Performance. I was the R/TV department Outstanding Graduate in 1989.
On
June 6, 1989 I began my stay in Dayton, Ohio as the Sports
Photographer/Producer at WKEF-TV 22. In November of 1992 I went to work for
WHIO-TV 7. In August of 1996 I went to
WDTN-TV 2 and have been there ever since.
I
have been active in ONPA by attending the yearly ONPA conventions and
participating in the yearly Television Tape Contest. This past year I got to
serve on the convention committee for the 1999 ONPA Convention. It was great to
work with other photographers(still and tv) to put together a convention that
we in Dayton could be proud of, but also fellow photographers could be proud of
that they came and not only socialized, but took something back with them that
will make them a better photographer.
I
also am encouraged to see a quarterly
tape contest for our state and hope that as the year goes on more people
will enter and take advantage of this competition. I see the contest not only
as a chance to win an award and see how my work fares against other
photographers, but as a chance to improve myself . That's what this is all
about, improving ourselves to do the best job we can.
Photographers
have the best job there is, being out where the action is and recording for
others to see. And I want to help continue that, as we head into a new century
and technology changes by leaps and bounds, I want the Ohio News Photographers
Association to continue to be there for it's members any way possible. Be it by
socializing, networking or learning, I would like to help lead the ONPA and
it's members into the 21st century. When election time comes around, please
give me that chance.
As
a photographer for WFMJ-TV for the last ten years, I've learned a great deal of
respect for the profession. Eight of
those years I've been a member of ONPA, which has provided me the opportunity
to excel in the field of photojournalism.
I also had the chance to work with ONPA and NPPA with the implementation
of the flying short course and the Ohio buckeye seminars.
After
becoming the TV vice president of ONPA, my challenge was to motivate, educate,
communicate and express the need for respect. There are many things that have
to be done in order to ensure that ONPA continues its work and tradition. And with your help and support in this
future endeavor, our mission is set.
Following is a brief outline of
the my objectives, goals and the roads we'll take to achieve them.
My
main objective as television vice president, is to ensure this organization¹s
continued dedication to improving broadcast journalism and relations throughout
each career interaction.
Education
being a key ingredient I will continue to stress the importance of the programs
now offered at the annual convention and the Ohio Buckeye Conference. I would
also like to work to see more informative articles for television members in
the newsletter perhaps in the form of a quarterly photographers profile.
To
promote, educate and learn from those outside the ONPA family. Weather it be
the interaction with other photojournalist from across the country at the
annual convention or learning the concerns of those who are not members of
ONPA. As the Ohio Buckeye Seminar has shown we can work with one another and learn from one another.
In
an effort to give our profession more respect from those outside would like to
promote buddy workshops, where workshops for non-photographers could bring our
work into focus for those that don¹t have a clue and help them understand the
basis of our work.
How
many people, besides the obvious managers, thought the Pulitzer prize for
Feature photography awarded to the Associated Press for its coverage of the
presidential scandal was a miscue? If, as recent surveys have indicated, the public was disappointed by media conduct
and coverage during the president¹s debacle, how is it that a panel of judges
can award such a prestigious prize for a group of photographs that do little to
advance the historic values of documentary photography?
Shouldn¹t
the feature category recognize the type of insightful and creative work that is
beyond the day-to-day constraints of developing news stories. In years past,
one could be moved by the winning photographs solely on their visual merits. No
one believes traditionalism should limit recognition, but a departure from
established acknowledgements shouldn¹t be squandered on anything less than
unique work that helps viewers learn about situations that are not encountered
or reported in their workaday lives.
A
look back at the winning Pulitzer feature photography awards over the last ten
years shows instances of change in the criteria for winning photographs that
mitigate the growth of visual communication. Mixed in with work that
demonstrates both initiative and creativity is work that might not challenge
news photographers to grow and explore.
The
1998 award went to Clarence Williams of The Los Angeles Times for a profound
group of images about the life of
children whose parents had substance abuse and addiction problems. Viewing them
was an uncomfortable experience, almost voyeuristic because of both the
intimacy and intensity of a subject not often seen. In essence, isn¹t this
representative of the work for which the Pulitzer prize for Feature photography
should be awarded?
Yet
in 1997 we were presented with another controversial award to the AP’s
Alexander Zemlianichenko for his image of Boris Yeltsin dancing to a rock band.
(The Board of the Pulitzers moved the image from the Spot News category to
Features. ) Obviously, this was not the only take from this event, which in
contrast to the 1998 awardee relegates any recognition for singular initiative
to the back burner. A cute presidential campaign moment that the judges felt
superceded the other finalists’ work which included a chronicle of an illegal
alien’s passage from Mexico to the United
States and a terminally ill woman¹s provisions for her certain demise.
Why
does it seem that some of the current leadership in photojournalism is
committed to trivializing the real contributions that dedicated work can make
for helping people better understand and possibly develop some compassion for
the world in which we live? Did anyone learn anything from the halcyon days of the
60’s and 70’s, when the acceptance of photography as a vibrant combination of
art and communication gave the world new ways to look at itself?
What
of the huge documentary strides of the Photo League in NYC in the 1930¹s where
socially concerned photography, born of the tradition of Lewis Hine and Jacob
Riis, gave rise to the Harlem Document among other works. Photographers were
invited into lives and made pictures that enabled people to learn about worlds
they might be not be able to experience firsthand?
If
we look at the Feature Pulitzer photo winners from 1996 back to 1994, the
listing photo ship gets righted a bit. In 1996 Stephanie Welsh was rewarded for
a vivid group of pictures about female circumcision in Kenya. Again the viewer
was left both unsettled by the intimacy of the disturbing images and awed by
the photographer’s intense interaction in a foreign community.
The 1995 award to the AP for its coverage of
the genocide in Rwanda distinguishes the wire service¹s true capabilities;
bringing images of earth shattering inhumanity from remote places into the
papers of viewers around the world to educate and hopefully prompt some action
for relief of those who are suffering. In 1994, the late Kevin Carter was given
the award for an image that has become an icon for the tragedy of displacement:
a tiny Sudanese girl, weakened from hunger who collapsed yards away from a
vulture. The image brought immediate attention to a festering civil war that
has been largely ignored in the Western media for the last 20 years.
In
1993 the feature award went again to the Associated Press for its coverage of
the 1992 presidential campaign. Unlike this year’s award, here photographers
had more opportunity for diverse images, rather than the mike stand shots that
predominated the scandal coverage. Once again, though, we see a news story
defined by scheduled photo opportunities being judged in the feature
category. That is not to say that a
Feature prize winning photograph cannot be produced at a scheduled event. One
need only look at the stunning portrait of Coretta Scott King and her daughter
Bernice taken by Moneta Sleet Jr. at
the 1968 funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King. The question is whether or not
standards have been changed to accommodate news value perceptions over creative
photographic expressions.
The
1992 Feature Pulitzer went to John Kaplan of Block Newspapers for his look
at the differences in the lives of
seven 21 year old people in America. Since I am currently in the employ of this
company, I will recuse myself from any comments. That moves us back to the 1991
recognition of William Snyder of the Dallas Morning News for his searing images
of the subhuman living conditions of Romanian orphans. Once again, the awards
moved back on track recognizing creative and journalistic depictions that
define evocative photojournalism.
In
1990 the Pulitzer committee awarded the prize to the Detroit Free Press’ David
C. Turnley for his moving photographs illustrating political change in Eastern
Europe and China. Here the Feature category successfully united images from
different regions of the world under one heading and rewarded a photographer
for producing historic photographs that combined visual strength with
relentless initiative. Finally in 1989 another Detroit Free Press staffer,
Manny Crisostomo received the Feature award for photographs that gave viewers
an eye-opening look at students in a Detroit high school.
This
informal survey shows us that three
times in ten years, for whatever reason, scheduled political coverage has been
recognized with a prize that many feel should go to the kind of exploratory and
revealing photography to which fewer and fewer media outlets want to subscribe
or support. Now don’t go and call Oliver Stone about your screen play outlining
a new media conspiracy just yet.
“The
domination of ego and of Subject seems to be growing; I often think what a thin
shallow play the world must appear to those bloated egotistic militaristic
predatory bastards that run things.” You probably think that this is a quote
from a photographer describing the recent shift in the paradigm of news
photography. Since it was written by
Ansel Adams, we realize that it predates our current concerns. Because it is
from a letter he wrote to Alfred Stieglitz in March of 1946 about staff changes
in the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, we can
surmise that leadership in photography
has historically forged ahead on avenues of its own design, with little regard
for the opinion of, nor the consequences to the practitioners.
At
the end of May, Max Frankel commented on the Pulitzer prizes for journalism in
his New York Times Magazine column titled, “The Pulitzer Paradox.” Mr. Frankel’s contention that those “who
administer the awards have managed to usefully stretch the rules and standards
from time to time” relates to concerns about how and why the Feature
photography category seems prone to fits of whimsy.
While
he bemoans the fact that newspapers seldom share the content of awarded
stories, we in news photography see and use the award winning photographs,
often before they are recognized, depending on the news services to which our
papers subscribe. All the more reason that we should have Pulitzer jurors who
subscribe to ideals that reward the best of what photojournalism has to offer
viewers, instead of recognizing what looks like the usual rote news photography
production in Washington. Perhaps, too much is made of these prizes.
Among
the revelations in his book, “Scooped”, former New York Daily News police
reporter David J. Krajicek provides a synopsis of the history of “yellow” or
what we now call “tabloid” reporting. It clearly shows how the man whose legacy
established these awards contributed to much of the tone that mitigates the
visibility of honest and well-meaning reporting for the easier-to-sell
sensational side of life.
Can
it be that Joseph Pulitzer’s true colors have occasionally shown in the feature
photography category? Sounds heretical, but, again, shouldn¹t this award
acknowledge visual dynamism beyond the normal level of titillation that defines
the news coverage of the day?
The
presidential scandal of 1998 was a non-visual story and if you don’t believe
that, then ask the senate, where the only visual entrée for the final scene of
this political tragicomic farce was a remote-operated video camera. Nothing a
picture editor likes more than eating the dominant Page One photo space with a
video still that wasn¹t generated by a visual journalist actually working on
the scene, free to record all that goes on before his or her camera.
Maybe,
the senators had better visual news judgement than the Pulitzer jurors for
Feature photography at Columbia University. They felt, and perhaps rightly so,
that the adnauseam plastering of theirs and witnesses’ faces in the media, this
time from the floor of the senate, wouldn’t add much to the visual reporting of
the story. Maybe we should ask some of the members who are not seeking
reelection if they would sit on future Pulitzer juries.
In
trying to arrive at a definition for what he called “Valid photography” Walker Evans composed the following: “It is
not the image of [the] Secretary [of State] descending from a plane. It is not
cute cats, nor touchdowns, nor nudes; motherhood; arrangements of manufacturer’s
products. Under no circumstances is it anything ever anywhere near a beach. In
short, it is not a lie - a cliché - somebody else’s idea. It is prime vision
combined with quality of feeling, no less.”
Now
Mr. Evans is his usual demanding self in this quote, but the gist of his
message is one that we hope would reach the eyes, ears and minds of future
Pulitzer photography jurors, if we are to see continued progress in the impact
of news photography.
Charles
Sheeler, the painter and photographer, excerpted from an undated letter to
Beaumont Newhall stated, “We are all born with the same equipment, eyes, and if
some don¹t care to use them it is their loss.”
Unless,
of course, they are jurors for the Pulitzer prize in Feature photography.
Then
it could be our loss.
These
books, from which quotes and ideas were cited, may be of interest:
“Aaron
Siskind Pleasures and Terrors” by Carl Chiarenza. New York Graphic Society.
Little, Brown and Company, 1982. (Out-of-print)
“Ansel
Adams Letters and Images 1916-1984”
Edited by Mary Street Alinder and Andrea Gray Stillman. New York Graphic
Society. Little, Brown and Company,
1988.
“Focus.
Memoirs of a life in photography” by Beaumont Newhall. Bullfinch Press. Little,
Brown and Company, 1993.
“Scooped!
Media Miss Real Story on Crime While Chasing Sex, Sleaze, and Celebrities” by David J. Krajicek. Columbia University
Press, 1998.
“Walker
Evans” by James R. Mellows. Basic Books, 1999.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
David
Cantor works on the picture desk at The Blade in Toledo, Ohio a position he has
held since moving there from New York two years ago.
In
addition to his writings on the issues confronting modern photojournalism he
continues to shoot his own photography. At the moment he is concentrating on
compiling a series of images on AAA Baseball.
His
essay on the Pulitzer Prize is a condensed version which was initially published on the web site foto8.
Published bimonthly foto8 bills itself
as the online magazine of international photojournalism.
The
site can be found at: http://www.foto8.com
CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio __ Walter J. “Wally” Wolf , passed away August 21 at the age of 87.
Wally
was a long time and very active member of the Ohio News Photographers Association
and was presented it¹s highest honor, the Robert S. Carson Memorial Award, in
1970.
It
was written at the time that Wolf was speechless. Something that’s not unusual
for him though. Quiet, unassuming Wally had little to say about anything, least
of all himself and his own accomplishments. His achievements, photographically,
are many even though you’d never learn
it from him.
Born
in Chicago, Wolf made his home in Cuyahoga Falls. He was the Chief Photographer
for Goodyear Aerospace retiring in 1974 after 28 years of service.
Wolf
assisted with numerous ONPA projects over the years and faithfully attended the
organization¹s annual conventions including the most recent gathering in Dayton
this past spring.
For
many years Wolf was the official photographer at conventions and made numerous
contributions to the newsletter.
Wolf
was also a member of the National Press Photographers Association and the
Professional Photographers Association.
He
is survived by his wife of 57 years Virginia and three daughters, Virginia
Cyril of Scottsdale, Az., Carole Pheneger of Stow, Oh., and Lexi Ellrich of
Kent. He had seven grandchildren.
There
was very likely never a more staunch supporter of OPPA/ONPA than Wally Wolf.
But who would have known that?
George
Smallsreed, Bob Coon and yours truly (have) always made waves. Mouths running
full speed, voices booming, there was never any question about what we thought;
but Wally? He seldom said anything...but thought a lot.
Wally
talked up the Ohio Press Photographers Association, then after the name change
the Ohio News Photographers Association, to people in industry, young
photographers he met from small papers and others, but softly--almost
silently--while shopping at Metzgers, working on an Aerospace assignment, or
wherever it seemed appropriate. Never a hard sell, but often successful.
On
the way to and from this past spring convention in Vandalia, Wally talked a lot
of the “old” conventions; how much he missed them and how good it was to see a
change toward that direction again.
In
the 60’s, Bob Coon picked up Wally, then made a stop at my house in Canton and
the three of us went together to conventions and board meetings. Coon always
drove. Wally sat in the rear. I rode shotgun.
For
100 miles, maybe 200, you heard nothing from Wally. You’d wonder if he¹d fallen
out or gone to sleep. A quick glance backward revealed Wally wide awake taking
it all in. Of course, with Coon and I jabbering he likely couldn’t have gotten
a word in edgewise, anyway. But later, in the hotel room, Wally would say,
“When you guys were talking about... ...I thought...” Gems of wisdom would
drift forth from cooler, less volatile vocal cords.
Wally
never failed to vote on an issue involving the organization and if he supported
something he’d let it be known but then let it lie; not harp about it as some
of us did.
In
the 50’s and 60’s we had both winter and summer conventions. Winter meetings
were mostly business and seminars. Summer conventions were for families, at
places such as Marietta at the Yacht Club with a sternwheeler taking us
cruising on the river or a trip to one of Ohio¹s amusement parks. Wives got to
know each other and kids played together an we learned about each others
problems on the job and off. Real people. Wally often lamented the demise of
those summer meetings and hoped we’d revive them again.
Wally
never ran for office but in his quiet “suggestion” when we were aside from the
group, he probably influenced more decisions than he ever knew, during the time
Bob Coon and I were board members. At one point, we had board meetings several
times a year. Wally took in every word but said little. When an entirely new
board cancelled summer meetings and had no board meetings in two years, Wally feared
his beloved ONPA would fade away. He became a little more vocal.
Wally
was born in Chicago but came to Ohio as a civilian at Vandalia in the 40’s. I
was glad he got to the Vandalia convention last spring but we we drove around a
lot and he found most of it unrecognizable. Still, he enjoyed seeing what it
had become.
Wally
was never a show-off but in the days when we had genuine industrial
photographers from large Ohio corporations entering the photo contest, Wally
took many top awards. As part of the Goodyear Aerospace team he had
opportunities many of us could only dream of, but he didn¹t rely on subject
uniqueness; he still concentrated on lighting, camera angle,
composition...those things that make a photograph.
Quiet,
unassuming, unemotional Wally was an early recipient of the Robert S. Carson
Memorial Award, the highest honor ONPA can bestow upon anyone. I remember
thinking I saw a tear in his eye and had to look twice to be sure.
A
dozen or more years ago Wally developed macular degeneration which left him
essentially blind. He could see shapes but with no detail. He couldn¹t read.
Wife Veronica (Ronnie) read ONPA and NPPA newsletters to him. In a car though,
he recognized landmarks and signs well enough to guide a driver to where he
wanted to go.
He
couldn¹t see to focus a camera but Wally never gave up. He wasn¹t a quitter. He
bought an autofocus point-and-shoot and made photos wherever he went, then sent
prints to people in them. I received one after this year’s convention of me
inside the Air Force Museum.
When
Wally retired a quarter century ago, Bob Coon worried because Wally was so
quiet; never went anywhere, never talked to strangers. Coon said, “I’m afraid
Wally will sit in a rocking chair and in a few months, be dead.”
Wally changed. He began having breakfast or lunch at McDonalds or Burger King or Hardees, alternating and meeting many retirees there. He began going on one-day bus tours. Bob Coon’s been dead more than 20 years. Wally survived him by two decades.
On
the way home from Vandalia, Wally told me he thought this would be his last
ONPA meeting. I said, “Oh. Wally, you¹ve got to be looking forward to the 50th
anniversary in 2001. I’m excited. You were there at the beginning and we had a
great time at the 25th.” He said he¹d like to be there but he just doubted he
would. A premonition? I don’t know. I didn¹t take it that way at the time. I
just thought he meant with his eye
trouble and beginning to have a little difficulty walking, he figured it would
be a struggle.
Since
Bob Coon died , whenever I had occasion to go to Akron, I always knew the day
would end well. I’d call Wally, finish my business and pick him up or meet him
at a restaurant and we’d reminisce until they closed the place. Although visits
had become less frequent as my commercial business dwindled, The Beacon quit
buying and trips to Metzgers ended, I occasionally “created” trips just because
a few hours with Wally were precious.
I
may find myself trying to avoid trips to Akron.
I¹m
probably a dreamer but I like to think wherever Wally is now he has his youth,
perfect eyesight, and the respect of everyone there...because he was brought
there to teach them all the things about photography they need to know but
could learn only from Walter Wolf.
Bundled
with this issue of the newsletter is a ONPA membership directory. It’s the
first such issue in four years. The directory
includes current contact information for all our members and their
employers.
Updated October 12, 1999