photojournalism | Columbia Visuals

Releases, Part 3: Appearance Releases

The last in a three-part series about the different types of releases visual journalists need to obtain the proper rights to publish or distribute their work.

“She kept crying and staring at the wall with an empty look”

Rodrigo Abd shared with CV the story behind his powerful, World Press Photo Award-winning image.

Great Student Contests

We're highlighting several photo and multimedia contests that accept submissions from students as well as nonprofessionals.

I’m thankful for…

We asked visuals journalists what they're thankful for in their jobs as a visual journalists. Here's what they had to say.

Joey stands before the wall of his bedroom, which displays the marks of his punches and a picture of his eight year old daughter, Violet. / Photo by Jessica Dimmock
November, 2004. Charlie, a drug dealer who slept in a hidden space behind a moveable bookcase, counts money from a sale. / Photo by Jessica Dimmock
January, 2005. Rachel stays in the bedroom of Jesse and Mike after her the arrest of her boyfriend, Lucky. / Photo by Jessica Dimmock
Natasha struggles for more than 45 minutes to find a clear vein to shoot up in. / Photo by Jessica Dimmock
Photo by Jessica Dimmock
Photo by Jessica Dimmock
April, 2005. Jesse waits in Joey’s room. It is difficult for residents to maintain meaningful friendships in the environment of the apartment because of the struggle each person must go through to obtain money and/or drugs. / Photo by Jessica Dimmock
Photo by Jessica Dimmock
Photo by Jessica Dimmock
Photo by Jessica Dimmock
Photo by Jessica Dimmock
Photo by Jessica Dimmock

“I understood how afraid of the world they were”

Photographer Jessica Dimmock gave CV insight into the production of her project, "The Ninth Floor."

Freelancing in a Developing Country

We interviewed J-school alum Dave Mayers about his time working as a freelancer in South Africa, and lessons learned.

“The most important thing is to make a picture story that you love”

Photographer Antonio Bolfo shares advice with CV: how he went from photographing the NYPD to climbing the ranks as a photojournalist.

The Top Visual Journalism Contests

Learn about the most prestigious photography and multimedia competitions in the visual journalism field.

“You Should Compete and Get Involved”

From finding the right contests to finding the confidence to submit your images, applying to photo competitions can be overwhelming. Here are some tips.

“Exploit any personal connections that you already have”

Neil Harris, Associate Photo Editor at Fortune Magazine, talks about meeting with photo editors and getting their attention.

Working Towards The Image You Want

Documentary photographer Alexandra Hootnick shared the digital contact sheets of some of her favorite photos, from a vigil in the South Bronx, to her coverage of Hurricane Sandy. She told us how she got the shots and why she chose each one.

AudioVision: Journalism + Instagram

When Southern California Public Radio began engaging their listeners’ eyes as well as their ears, they wanted to bring some fresh perspective to something a lot of people do every day: taking photos with a smartphone.

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This week, three Instagrammers who share what they’re shooting when they’re on assignment. Live vicariously through:

Andrea Bruce. A member of NOOR, frequently on assignment for the New York Times. Latest shots are from Syria, Lebanon and Afghanistan.

David Yoder. A National Geographic shooter, not all of Yoder’s Instagram posts are taken with just an iPhone, but it’s fun to see what he’s shooting when he’s in the field.

David Guttenfelder. Associated Press chief Asia photographer, currently shooting from North Korea.

Helpful tweets:

PBS MediaShift tweets articles from their own blog and other sources on the changes happening in digital media. It’s a great source of information on where and how our work fits in journalism today.

DuckRabbit tweets from the DuckRabbit blog, a production company that spotlights photographers, and gives advice to the visual community.

NPPA. If you don’t follow the National Press Photographers Association, you should. It’s a great resource for legal information and inspiring image makers.

A family sits outside their home in the remote Afghan village of Khandud in northeastern Afghanistan. From the Soviet invasion to the Taliban takeover and anti-Taliban resistance, the Wakhan Corridor has remained largely free of strife. / Photo & caption by Diana Markosian
Dzhenet Achalimova, 25, stands beside her two children in their home in Kirov-Aul, Dagestan. Achalimova says her husband, Magomed Nasibov, 31, along with his cousin were abducted and killed by men in camouflage in Russia’s volatile republic of Dagestan. / Photo & caption by Diana Markosian
The Dead Sea extends like a shimmering sheet of turquoise toward the hazy mountains of Jordan. The ancient salt sea is the site of a looming environmental catastrophe with water levels falling at an average rate of three feet per year. / Photo & caption by Diana Markosian
A light beam shines on an Afghan woman as she bakes bread in the border town of Ishkashim, Afghanistan. More than 12,000 people live in the 220-mile corridor, a series of broad valleys and high-altitude plateaus carved by the Panj River. / Photo & caption by Diana Markosian

“Be prepared for the unexpected”

Photojournalist Diana Markosian talks about turning a passion into a full-time job.

“Nothing is ever what it seems”

Photographer Alicia Vera shot a photo story about Eden, a young woman working as a prostitute in San Francisco. She spoke with CV about access and building trust with sensitive subjects.

Nicole Tung’s Safety Gear

Photojournalist Nicole Tung shows us the safety gear she takes on assignment. "If I'm going to the front lines or just going out and about where things can turn deadly very quickly I always have my medical pack with me," says Tung. The flack jacket, photo and safety gear, can weigh between 50 and 60 pounds.

Libyan men, many of whom were regular civilians just days before, picked up weapons and heavy machinery at the beginning of March to fight against Ghaddafi loyalists outside of Ajdabiya on March 2, 2011 in eastern Libya. / Photo by Nicole Tung
A woman holds a picture of her son, who she claims was killed in the 1996 Abu Salim massacre, along with over 1,200 other men. Benghazi, Libya, February 26, 2011. / Photo by Nicole Tung

Lessons Learned in Libya

Photojournalist Nicole Tung shares the lessons she wishes she had known before covering a war for the first time.

“You have to pick and choose.”

Part two of an interview with photographer Marcus Yam chatting about elements of storytelling.

Photojournalist Amanda Mustard. / Photo by Keith Lane

How to Cover a Protest

Cairo based Photojournalist Amanda Mustard shares tips on how to cover a protest.

Isaac Eisch climbs out of the pond while duck hunting with their uncle in Wautoma, WI. Thanks to their uncle, the brothers are introduced to a routined schedule and are kept busy with outdoor activities, while their father is deployed in Afghanistan.
Sergeant First Class Brian Eisch weeps, as he struggles to say goodbye to his children.
Joey and Issac with their father, Sergeant First Class Eisch before his flight departs from Appleton, WI. Sergeant Eisch has to resume his tour of duty in Afghanistan.
So began a season of adjustments as the boys came to live in their uncle’s home here. Joey, the 8-year-old, got into fistfights at his new school. His 12-year-old brother, Isaac, rebelled against their uncle’s rules. And Shawn Eisch’s three children quietly resented sharing a bedroom, the family computer and, most of all, their parents’ attention with their younger cousins.
Joey Eisch falls asleep in the cafeteria while the class recess for lunch. The deployment has been hard on Joey and has affected his performance in school and his social behavior towards other students. Most recently, Joey got into a fight and he police was called. Joey was suspended from school due to the incident.
Isaac sits alone, outside his uncle’s house as the sun sets over the wide open road.
Isaac embraces his brother, Joey.
Isaac Eisch’s little hands cling together as he embraces his father. In September, Sergeant First Class Eisch got to return home for midtown leave to be with his sons.
“I question myself everyday if I’m doing the right thing for my kids. Am I raising them right. I’m trying to do my duty to my country and deploy and do what Uncle Sam asked me to do. But what’s everybody asking my boys to do? What are they supposed to do?” – Sergeant First Class Brian Eisch.
The boys sleep together with their father on their last night together before Sergeant First Class Eisch leaves to resume his tour of duty in Afghanistan. The two weeks were over in what seemed like hours. In his final days, Sergeant Eisch had prepped the boys for his departure, but that did not make it any easier.