Category: Media

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 29, 20157:01 am

Flickr a Day 333: ‘Emma — Hands’

Street portraiture can be among the most challenging photographic styles. It often means approaching random folks for permission to take close-in and personal shots. The process can intimidate those behind and in front of the camera. Days 95, 96, and 97 feature three stranger shoots. On our last triple-digit day in the series, we present another.

Peter Grifoni shot self-titled “Emma—Hands” one year ago today, using Olympus E-M1 and M. Zuiko 45mm F1.8 lens. Vitals: f/2, ISO 200, 1/640 sec, 45mm. I picked the pic for the woman’s body art contrast against the plaid skit. There are several others of the same subject: full body, torso, and torso alternate.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 28, 20157:25 am

Flickr a Day 332: ‘Observing the Darkness’

What a find is “Observing the Darkness”, which takes the Day for fantastic color, composition, and clarity; perfect self-title, too. Corey Templeton captured the Portland Observatory (in Maine, not Washington State) on Oct. 12, 2015, […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 27, 201511:45 pm

Android Army

Cali was in the cutest pose, so I grabbed the camera but she did her cat thing—turning away to sleep. Is it so much to ask that she curb obstinate independence for 30 seconds? That’s […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 27, 20157:28 am

Flickr a Day 331: ‘Selfie’

This series features plenty of selfies: Days 15, 142, 160, 201, 261, 275, 310, 316. Today’s selection differs by making the selfie-taker subject of the photo, which wins for clarity, color, contrast, and composition. The clutter behind adds character to […]

Living by Joe WilcoxNov 25, 20156:07 pm

Virtual Reality in a cardboard box?

Today the New York Times spammed my inbox: “We’ve just launched an innovative virtual reality platform that will transform the way you experience stories. As one of our most loyal digital subscribers, you are entitled to a complimentary Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer for an enhanced viewing experience”.

I took advantage of the freebie, thinking that this thing, which literally is a cardboard box, should be an April Fool’s hoax. I kinda heard about it before but ignored. Cardboard boxes are for Amazon packages and cat play after they arrive. High-tech gadgetry, c`mon? What? Is this the newest thing in recyclable tech?

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 25, 20157:01 am

Flickr a Day 329: ‘Streets of Italy’

Sometimes simple is best: Black and white, single subject, and unambiguous setting. Self-titled “Streets of Italy” takes the Day for what isn’t making what it is. Thomas Renken used Nikon D7000 and 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens […]

Gear by Joe WilcoxNov 25, 201512:40 am

Painful Parting

Last night, I returned to Amazon the Sennheiser Momentum 2 wireless headphones received on Nov.8, 2015. The retailer promises full refund. My ears ache from using them, even with the volume low. The problem is bass response, which is too intense for my aged ears. At the same time, I removed the Grado Labs RS1e from Craigslist. I will keep the wired cans.

I let go the Bluetooth set reluctantly. I like the design, construction, materials, and controls. Wireless connects easily and provides ample volume. But bass booms, and the devices on which I listen have limited graphic equalizer or none at all.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 24, 201512:59 pm

Flickr a Day 328: ‘Big Blue saw It, Too’

Our selection comes from Henk Sijgers, and the first post-production photo of its kind to appear in the series so far—a composite, shot in Times Square and Columbus Circle, New York City. He says: “Both […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 23, 20155:34 pm

Flickr a Day 327: ‘Thieving Monkey’

My heart stopped thinking that bottlers are shameless in the quest to expand their market reach”. 😉 “Just outside the gates of Ubud Monkey Forest“, which is in Indoensia, “this monkey stole a water bottle […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 22, 20157:29 am

Flickr a Day 326: ‘City of Love’

Paris is known by many names, and surely “City of Love” is one of them—hence, today’s self-title. Reiner Girsch captured the sweet moment around April 9, 2015, when the photo uploaded to Flickr (he joined […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 21, 20157:28 am

Flickr a Day 325: ‘Photoception’

Last month, Alex Holyoake crossed the English Channel to explore Paris. “The sights and views the city has to offer are fantastic”, he says. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a city that can offer such breathtaking views and shots. Unfortunately the constant travelling that we did and the infernal stairs we had to climb took our breath away too”.

During the exploration, Alex shot self-titled “Photoception” on Oct. 12, 2015, using Canon EOS 600D and EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 640, 1/50 sec, 50mm. The photo takes the Day for clever composition and beautiful bokeh.

News Media by Joe WilcoxNov 20, 20151:53 pm

Reporting Accuracy Starts with Responsible Sourcing

If you’re a blogger or journalist and read nothing else this week, make it New York Times story “Paris Attacks Give Rise to Fakes and Misinformation“. The Nov. 16, 2015 postmortem shows why, why, why I constantly harp about responsible sourcing. The Internet is not a reliable news source. You must corroborate and should, never, never, never second source anything you can’t confirm independently, or, in the case of breaking events, you can trust reliably.

I’ve been bitching on this blog since posting, in May 2010, “The Difference Between Blogging and Journalism“; September 2011 followup: “Single Sourcing is the Source of News Evil“. Or you can refer to the chapter on sourcing from my ebook Responsible Reporting: A Field Guide for Bloggers, Journalists, and Other Online News Gatherers.