Live News workflow

[Phil Robinson]

I always take a laptop with me. I shoot RAW plus JPEG - JPEGs for news,  RAW for stock later and reprocessing some of the images for better quality after it's no longer hot news.

Shoot quickly, find a cafe with WIFI, buy a coffee, caption and tweak in JPEG and upload.

I caption and keyword with the free copy of Nikon View NX2 I got with a camera years ago.

Finish coffee slowly while waiting for the pics to appear online.

If going to a planned event, I try to write a lengthy caption in advance, which can be, and usually is, changed when I've got the photos, but it's quicker than starting from scratch.

[Shergar]

Doesn't transferring the images from camera via wifi to a iPhone reduce the file size? Or is this not a problem with live news?

[spacecadet]

1 hour ago, Shergar said:

Doesn't transferring the images from camera via wifi to a iPhone reduce the file size? Or is this not a problem with live news?

I think the minimum for live news, if there is one, is only 5MP.

[Julie Edwards]

Nikon WiFi transfer can transfer full size images, as can Nikon and Fuji.

im assuming others can tool... it’s a case using the right tools for the job..

transfer full size, crop and then resize on send, newspapers do not like large images ... 

submitting live news is really an aspect of the business where the photographer should understand what they are doing, why they are doing§ it and the ramifications on the downstream processes...

 

i know people will not like me saying it.. online forums are not the place to learn .. go,to proper resources as I so so many misunderstandings put forward as fact

 

[Sally]

1 hour ago, Julie Edwards said:

Nikon WiFi transfer can transfer full size images, as can Nikon and Fuji.

im assuming others can tool... it’s a case using the right tools for the job..

transfer full size, crop and then resize on send, newspapers do not like large images ... 

submitting live news is really an aspect of the business where the photographer should understand what they are doing, why they are doing§ it and the ramifications on the downstream processes...

 

i know people will not like me saying it.. online forums are not the place to learn .. go,to proper resources as I so so many misunderstandings put forward as fact

 

Can you recommend better resources then to understand the requirements please?

[Katie]

12 hours ago, Julie Edwards said:

submitting live news is really an aspect of the business where the photographer should understand what they are doing, why they are doing§ it and the ramifications on the downstream processes...

 

i know people will not like me saying it.. online forums are not the place to learn .. go,to proper resources as I so so many misunderstandings put forward as fact

 

The problem is that all of the learning curve routes for new news photographers are disappearing. No longer can you become a junior photographer with a local paper and learn the ropes, because they're laying off just about everybody. That might not seem like a problem to some but in 20 years it's going to be interesting where new hard news photographers come from, with the declining revenues (so harder to get equipment) and the average age of the news photographers I see now (suggesting most will have retired by then) making it seem like there could well be a talent shortage. Agencies would do well to hone and train up new talent for that reason, as it's only the big agencies that are going to survive.

[IanDavidson]

1 hour ago, Katie said:

 

The problem is that all of the learning curve routes for new news photographers are disappearing. No longer can you become a junior photographer with a local paper and learn the ropes, because they're laying off just about everybody. That might not seem like a problem to some but in 20 years it's going to be interesting where new hard news photographers come from, with the declining revenues (so harder to get equipment) and the average age of the news photographers I see now (suggesting most will have retired by then) making it seem like there could well be a talent shortage. Agencies would do well to hone and train up new talent for that reason, as it's only the big agencies that are going to survive.

Katie is right.  There are a small number of photographers who are trained up via a type of apprenticeship route by the likes of PA and Reuters, but these are few and far between.  My local paper group laid off all of its photographic staff last year.  I spoke to a national newspaper photographer who told me there were three permanent photographers on the staff, one of whom was rostered on the picture desk.  This newspaper used to employ twenty photographers on a shift basis, just in London.  I have met a number of budding news photographers reading (pun intended) for a degree in photography. who see this as a potential route, but by whom are they going to be employed?

 

There is a separate argument that news photography is a dying profession anyway.  There are fewer and fewer print titles and more people with camera phones.  Online news portals can get away with camera phone quality photos.

 

It is not just photographers who are going downhill.  I recently covered a head of state visit to 10 Downing Street.  There was a TV news reporter.  He had to undertake a "live" from Downing Street using an iphone and Skype!  He was then sent home as the foreign news agency decided to use pool footage rather than their own reporter on the scene.

[Martin P Wilson]

On 09/06/2018 at 21:51, Phil Robinson said:

I always take a laptop with me. I shoot RAW plus JPEG - JPEGs for news,  RAW for stock later and reprocessing some of the images for better quality after it's no longer hot news.

Shoot quickly, find a cafe with WIFI, buy a coffee, caption and tweak in JPEG and upload.

I caption and keyword with the free copy of Nikon View NX2 I got with a camera years ago.

Finish coffee slowly while waiting for the pics to appear online.

If going to a planned event, I try to write a lengthy caption in advance, which can be, and usually is, changed when I've got the photos, but it's quicker than starting from scratch.

 

I do much the same. I prepare my caption, for some events motorsport etc, I create short codes for class, teams, individuals the day before all in PhotoMechanic so it is a matter of moments as I make my selection to complete the caption, headline is largely generated automatically using variables. Obvious key words also generated in advance but use the short codes to add key data where possible, or key it as I select.

 

Generally don't need to linger over my coffee, especially if upload through my phone rather than using free WiFi. Especially if one is highly selective, some photographers upload too many similars for news, should just be the one's that tell the story.

[Phil Robinson]

3 hours ago, Martin P Wilson said:

 

 

Generally don't need to linger over my coffee, especially if upload through my phone rather than using free WiFi. Especially if one is highly selective, some photographers upload too many similars for news, should just be the one's that tell the story.

I also edit quite radically and rarely upload more than 12 or 15, but I like to wait until they actually appear on the Alamy Live News feed before I head out again - I have had upload problems a couple of times in the past when they didn't appear (my fault, I should stress) and I had to resend them.

[Avpics]

21 minutes ago, Phil Robinson said:

I also edit quite radically and rarely upload more than 12 or 15, but I like to wait until they actually appear on the Alamy Live News feed before I head out again - I have had upload problems a couple of times in the past when they didn't appear (my fault, I should stress) and I had to resend them.

I also like to see them appear on the News Feed, and to confirm that the headings and captions etc have carried over through the wires correctly. Slightly OT, but I attended an event on Sunday after which I uploaded three batches of images beginning at around 16:00. They still weren't showing by 18:00 and a phone call to Alamy's news number wasn't very helpful. They did then appear shortly afterwards but that's a lot of time to lose especially at that time of day when I'd assume most dailies are being put to bed. Again, a little off topic, but in London on Saturday it was pretty hot for stories and all the photographers I spoke to were struggling to get a signal to upload anything. Sometimes you can feel that everything's against you when working on 'live' stuff in such a competitive field.

[Julie Edwards]

11 hours ago, Katie said:

 

The problem is that all of the learning curve routes for new news photographers are disappearing. No longer can you become a junior photographer with a local paper and learn the ropes, because they're laying off just about everybody. That might not seem like a problem to some but in 20 years it's going to be interesting where new hard news photographers come from, with the declining revenues (so harder to get equipment) and the average age of the news photographers I see now (suggesting most will have retired by then) making it seem like there could well be a talent shortage. Agencies would do well to hone and train up new talent for that reason, as it's only the big agencies that are going to survive.

 

The info is all out there ..with recognised sources etc... the key is news.. so you need to be able to research a bit...

 

There are umpteen (real) books... “Pictures on a page” for example..

 

For example - you could try the Reuters guidelines http://handbook.reuters.com/index.php?title=Main_Page 

 

Or the EPUK resources (Editorial Photographers).. http://www.epuk.org/The-Curve

 

Then there is the BPPA....

 

There is loads of information and help available from Bona-Fida sources ... and agencies do recruit... I know a couple of major places that have taken on new young photographers to train up....

 

The industry is in a lot of trouble .. thats for certain... but letting everyone call themselves a “news photographer” and let them send to the press without assessment is just not the way... 

 

 

[IanDavidson]

3 hours ago, Julie Edwards said:

 

 

 

The industry is in a lot of trouble .. thats for certain... but letting everyone call themselves a “news photographer” and let them send to the press without assessment is just not the way... 

 

 

Julie, thank you for the links.  I am interested to know what you mean by “without assement”. Do you mean some sort of editorial oversight of news images?  Alamy, I believe, selects what it sends to news desks.  If you are talking of the individual news photographer what assessment had you in mind?  Just curious. 

[Simon]

I didn't realise lightroom mobile would let you set the correct IPTC data - I will go check.  I shoot in raw + JPG. If it's a rush job I will upload the JPG to lightroom on my small notebook, edit ( crop straighten etc) caption in that, then FTP upload via tethered mobile.  Otherwise turn the RAW into DNG and edit that.   The biggest issue I find is there's still plenty of Cornwall that doesn't have decent 4G or hotspots around, although I have all those options sussed out at my main shooting locations - typically for weather pics.

[KTC]

3 hours ago, LawrensonPhoto said:

obtaining press card, etc.

 

Well, that's a short session in the UK. "For a freelance, at least 50% of your income is from news related work."

[IanDavidson]

7 hours ago, KTC said:

 

Well, that's a short session in the UK. "For a freelance, at least 50% of your income is from news related work."

I think there is a little bit more to it than that - depending on the gatekeeper

The definition is;

The definition of eligibility is that a newsgatherer must be "wholly or significantly concerned". "professionally as a media worker who needs to identify himself or herself in public". In simple terms, s/he must earn most or all of his/her income on the front-line of the news business. The principal occupations covered include reporters and writers, photographers, TV camera operators and crews, and other broadcasting workers such as producers, researchers, dispatch riders and drivers.

 

I have an NUJ press card and at every renewal I have to show evidence of  published work.  in addition there are identity and  security checks (because, for example, a press card will gain you access to Downing Street).  I was told, and I do not know if this is true, that having certain criminal convictions will stop you getting a card.  I cannot confirm this.  Some organisations require an additional  administration payment. 

[Julie Edwards]

Sorry for delay - not ignoring the question, I just have not had time to log on properly and reply.

 

I think a couple have covered it above though...

 

I would love to say "have a press card" as this would mean that certain checks have been carried out but of course, this is not viable for those starting out.. I would (personally) like to see some sort of checks taking place on anyone submitting "live news"... One of the problems with the industry at the moment is that a lot of the public says they don't trust much of the media... they don't trust photos etc....  and this is a real issue...

 

By allowing "anyone" to designate an image as "news" (a water fowl swimming past a discarded beer can) is leaving the industry open for criticism.  

 

Therefore I would like to see some sort of proof of ethics, of captioning understanding, of the "who, what, why, where, when" (maybe that water fowl IS news, but without a proper caption I would not know).

 

Allowing sub-standard "News Work" (note - I am not criticising anyone's photography here ) brings down the value of the whole feed and might lead to papers devaluing the supplier as a whole...

 

Maybe Alamy should have some criteria before allowing submission of "news".

 

A good photographer is not necessarily a good photo-journalist....

 

(I will add, I also hold a press card and and very proud to be a member of the BPPA -)

 

[Katie]

19 hours ago, Julie Edwards said:

Allowing sub-standard "News Work" (note - I am not criticising anyone's photography here ) brings down the value of the whole feed and might lead to papers devaluing the supplier as a whole...

 

I think this is already the case. How often do you see a news image sourced from Alamy that isn't:

 

1) The weather, or related to the weather;

2) A "Photo of the Day" type news image;

3) Basically stock.

 

I guess that, as this is what Alamy sells, it makes sense for Alamy to allow everyone to submit, but if they wanted to be taken seriously as a hard news agency they'd have to make changes.

[Sally]

11 minutes ago, Katie said:

 

I think this is already the case. How often do you see a news image sourced from Alamy that isn't:

 

1) The weather, or related to the weather;

2) A "Photo of the Day" type news image;

3) Basically stock.

 

I guess that, as this is what Alamy sells, it makes sense for Alamy to allow everyone to submit, but if they wanted to be taken seriously as a hard news agency they'd have to make changes.

I often see images that have been posted onto the Live News site that quickly disappear as they are not, by any stretch of imagination, news. Yesterday there were some images of a dish of beans, for example. They disappeared pronto.

[RedSnapper]

Remember; only a fraction of what appears on the Livenews page is actually 'pinged' out to the picture desks...

 

km

 

Had a good day with Storm Hector via AlamyLiveNews
A bunch of onlines yesterday, and a couple of print usages today

 

 

[Sally]

3 hours ago, RedSnapper said:

Remember; only a fraction of what appears on the Livenews page is actually 'pinged' out to the picture desks...

 

km

 

Had a good day with Storm Hector via AlamyLiveNews
A bunch of onlines yesterday, and a couple of print usages today

 

 

That’s worth knowing, as I didn’t already know that. I presume that the higher profile, more newsworthy ones are selected. I wonder, therefore, how often news desks search on the Live News site.

[RedSnapper]

3 minutes ago, Sally said:

I wonder, therefore, how often news desks search on the Live News site.

 

Never.

 

km

[Colblimp]

On 6/11/2018 at 15:22, Martin P Wilson said:

 

Generally don't need to linger over my coffee

 

One should always linger over coffee, Martin!

 

On topic - I shoot in RAW, have headlines and captions ready-ish, do a quick edit, add the caption and upload via AIM. Always works for me and I never shoot in JPEG.

[IanDavidson]

On 6/15/2018 at 12:31, RedSnapper said:

Remember; only a fraction of what appears on the Livenews page is actually 'pinged' out to the picture desks...

 

km

 

Had a good day with Storm Hector via AlamyLiveNews
A bunch of onlines yesterday, and a couple of print usages today

 

 

Reg/Keith makes an excellent point.  Part of the workflow must be to decide if your photos are going to be sent out to news outlets.  The Alamy news team must I imanage, know what sells and what is newsworthy.  I would also guess that if a number of photographers submit on the same topic, say a Brexit demonstration in London or sunny weather in "X" (cue person in swimsuit), then the higher ranked contributors are, understandably ,  going to be first choice depending on who gets in first.  (interesting thought, it you get in first but not highly ranked...).  Thus the law of dimmining returns apply.  I am not highly ranked therefore my photos are less likely to be sent to news agencies unless original, special or have a high news value and thus I am unlikely to increase rank.  This picks up on some of the points Julie Edwards was making.

 

I do spend a lot of time (perhaps too much methinks) looking at what and whose  Alamy news pictures get published and at the AoA stats to see if I can develop an algorithm to look if I can work smarter.    (Back to my "Big Data" analytics days...)  

 

Of course the great advantage of Alamy is the news photographs generally go into stock after 48 hours so have the possibility of  stock sales over time.  I certainly make sales in this way - although live news sales are quite lucrative compared with stock sales in most, but not all, cases.  

[Shergar]

On 6/12/2018 at 01:03, Simon said:

I didn't realise lightroom mobile would let you set the correct IPTC data - I will go check.  I shoot in raw + JPG. If it's a rush job I will upload the JPG to lightroom on my small notebook, edit ( crop straighten etc) caption in that, then FTP upload via tethered mobile.  Otherwise turn the RAW into DNG and edit that.   The biggest issue I find is there's still plenty of Cornwall that doesn't have decent 4G or hotspots around, although I have all those options sussed out at my main shooting locations - typically for weather pics.

After digging to a depth of 100 meters last year, Japanese scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 1000 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network one thousand years ago.

Not to be outdone in the weeks that followed, Chinese scientists dug 200 meters and headlines in the Chinese papers read: "Chinese scientists have found traces of 2000 year old optical fibers and have concluded that their ancestors already had advanced high-tech digital telephone 1000 years earlier than the Japanese." 

 

One week later, A Cornish newspaper reported the following: "After digging as deep as 800 meters, Cornish scientists have found absolutely nothing." 

 

They have concluded that 3000 years ago, their ancestors were already using wireless technology.

 

 

Cheers and gone.