New media journalism is all about getting there, gathering and reporting as much information to the public as fast as possible. Integration of different forms of media, sound clips, video clips, etc. makes this form of journalism the most robust form of news reporting in modern times. The prevalence of cameraphones has made it so that regular citizens are putting their perspectives out there for everyone to see. The biggest news outlets might not have the most relevant news to you, and so they are turning to their audience to help them scoop the other stations. They ask for you to call in with your stories, or comment on their blogs or submit your own videos.
Each site that I compared over the course of the term has a different demographic of viewers. The Huffington Post crowd is internet and world news savvy. Each post is accompanied by a photo, and usually a video, and beyond the content followed by hundreds of opinionated comments, and viewers are interacting with the authors and other readers. NCPR.org is regional/local + national. Each story is accompanied by a sound clip from the radio broadcast and possibly a small image. While there is a place for a comment for each news story there isn't much action in these sections. North Country Now is similar to NCPR in that it is local/regional. The stories seem to be even more focused on the Canton and Potsdam area, most stories are just text, few have accompanying photos. For large events there might be extra content such as a slide show or video. The New York Times is a national news site, the writing and photography is the most professional of all of the compared sites. The stories are more indepth, there are more photos, usually a slide show or video and a place for comments. NYTimes gets many comments per story, but the comments sections aren't a main focus as they are at the Huffington Post site.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Objectivity Report
I had a very short and easy survey. You can lead horses to water, but can't make them drink. I only received 2 responses, eep! Really is this enough for analysis?
The 2 respondents, one male and one female, reported that they read news online at least 3 or more times daily. One even has a news site as their homepage. Their favorite news sites were New York Times and Yahoo News. When asked to categorize news sites as being biased or objective, both respondents said that FoxNews was biased, both reported CNN and their favorite news source as unbiased. The respondents had split views regarding objectivity in reporting for msnbc, NPR and ESPN.
I was not surprised at the results of the poll. I think it's generally accepted that FoxNews has an agenda :) the only ones who don't see it are the ones that have succumbed to the not so subtle brainwashing. I'm glad that the respondents believe that their own favorite news sites are not biased! That means that there is hope, that journalism and the search for true information is not quite dead.
The 2 respondents, one male and one female, reported that they read news online at least 3 or more times daily. One even has a news site as their homepage. Their favorite news sites were New York Times and Yahoo News. When asked to categorize news sites as being biased or objective, both respondents said that FoxNews was biased, both reported CNN and their favorite news source as unbiased. The respondents had split views regarding objectivity in reporting for msnbc, NPR and ESPN.
I was not surprised at the results of the poll. I think it's generally accepted that FoxNews has an agenda :) the only ones who don't see it are the ones that have succumbed to the not so subtle brainwashing. I'm glad that the respondents believe that their own favorite news sites are not biased! That means that there is hope, that journalism and the search for true information is not quite dead.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Exhaustion, in more ways than 1
Busy week. No time for digital photos, no time for analog. No time or cash for processing. Blech.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
What, still no photos?
Overwhelmed with work. No time to take photos, everything looks the same. meh.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Overwhelmed
Too much work lately to play with cameras... hopefully tomorrow will be less busy. I'll have to run to the construction site early :)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
New Dorms Taking Shape on Campus
Complications with video equip and rain. Hopefully Monday will be sunnier, or I'll bring my umbrella.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Robot Action Cameras! w00t!
Robot cameras arrived from Korea today! Yay! I got 3. 1 with 2 lenses, 3 lenses, and 4 lenses. One press of the shutter and many clicks in succession, which means action shots :) I can't wait to take these out tomorrow! I might even get them 1 hour processed. I wanna seeeeeeee their action awesomeness :)
It rained heavily this morning, took out my waterproof camera and got a little wet. Didn't get to go puddle jumping... maybe it'll rain more this weekend.
Photos tomorrow, I hope. At least of the cameras... :)
It rained heavily this morning, took out my waterproof camera and got a little wet. Didn't get to go puddle jumping... maybe it'll rain more this weekend.
Photos tomorrow, I hope. At least of the cameras... :)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Complaints!
In one of my other classes, the assignment for today was a formal letter of complaint. How timely!
I ordered an exorbitant amount of film (over 300 rolls), and received just a small amount (10) in my shipment. Hopefully it gets resolved. It seems like whenever the BBB is mentioned, things happen and fast :) off to plan more camera mods and wait until business hours so I can call and complain again :)
I ordered an exorbitant amount of film (over 300 rolls), and received just a small amount (10) in my shipment. Hopefully it gets resolved. It seems like whenever the BBB is mentioned, things happen and fast :) off to plan more camera mods and wait until business hours so I can call and complain again :)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Film Film and more Film
No robot cameras today, just lots and lots of slide film in the package I picked up at the post office this morning. 40 rolls. I'm going to be taking lots of photos, and making lots of lampshades :)
the cameras for modification were on my doorstep when I got home from work, yay! 8 brittle plastic boxes :)
Another package of film, partial order -- 10 rolls. The package was burning hot from sitting in the sun for hours. When I got it open, some of the canisters had popped open. I can't wait to see if this extreme heat degraded it or will cause a color shift upon developing. :)
the cameras for modification were on my doorstep when I got home from work, yay! 8 brittle plastic boxes :)
Another package of film, partial order -- 10 rolls. The package was burning hot from sitting in the sun for hours. When I got it open, some of the canisters had popped open. I can't wait to see if this extreme heat degraded it or will cause a color shift upon developing. :)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
International packages
EEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeee!! Happy screams of joy. Maybe my robot cameras have arrived from across the world!
Grr. International delivery confirmation means that since I wasn't home today, I have to run to the post office, tomorrow. hmm. Go to work late? or go during my nonexistent lunch or skip out some time during the day? I think I am taking option 1. I can run to the bank, cash some checks and terrorize the tellers with my hellish demands like "Can I please have a cashier's check? in the amount of pi to the fifth significant digit. Thanks." then I can drive across the street to the post office, sad how that's way faster than walking when it's rush hour... and get my package. and take it into work with me. and I'll play with all the goodies. Robots, I can't wait.
Grr. International delivery confirmation means that since I wasn't home today, I have to run to the post office, tomorrow. hmm. Go to work late? or go during my nonexistent lunch or skip out some time during the day? I think I am taking option 1. I can run to the bank, cash some checks and terrorize the tellers with my hellish demands like "Can I please have a cashier's check? in the amount of pi to the fifth significant digit. Thanks." then I can drive across the street to the post office, sad how that's way faster than walking when it's rush hour... and get my package. and take it into work with me. and I'll play with all the goodies. Robots, I can't wait.
Monday, July 12, 2010
A real camera! A Rangefinder
Rangefinders are spiffy-rific. They have gears all over! and they work on distance calculation.
I got a pretty one in the mail today. A vintage Kodak. but it's missing a few gears, or something...
Did I mention that I am in the middle of a move? Digital camera is M - I- A. and from what I remember completely full...
I got a pretty one in the mail today. A vintage Kodak. but it's missing a few gears, or something...
Did I mention that I am in the middle of a move? Digital camera is M - I- A. and from what I remember completely full...
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Comparison Assignment
A story that has been in the news lately has been LeBron James' decision to play for Miami. Each type of news venue seems to be addressing the story in a slightly different manner each with differing strengths and weaknesses.
On the show ABC Good Morning America, they focused on showing the basketball player and getting his first hand account about some of the reasons behind his decision. The interview was rather informal and showed this sports figure who many would have considered larger than life as just a normal guy with a heavy decision. They discussed the weight of the decision, how it would effect him personally. The narrative showed a little bit of a background montage of the events that transpired shortly after the decision was made public.
In the New York Times article, the focus was more on the scale of the media event, with a focus on the first reactions, along with a listing of facts about the player, and the deal.
On the Huffington Post, the spin of the story was very sensationalized, a headline that contained the words "Runaway Slave", something so close to offensive that potential readers almost have to click and once they do they almost have to comment on the story.
The three different types of media present different aspects of the story. The newspaper article seemed most objective, focusing on the media circus of the announcement event and making sure to include facts about many of the factors involved (even if the facts were a few short mentions at the end of the lengthy article). The online article was more slanted toward provoking readers to leave comments and interact with the author and other readers. The television clip focused more on the personal aspect of the story and tried to make the sports figure more relatable to viewers, maybe even change their opinion of him to be slightly more favorable. The nice thing about television and online sources is to be able to view clips of the news and be able to make opinions of your own. Television is slightly less favorable, because networks like to string you along and make you watch commercials before the news of interest, online sources are searchable, clickable and of near instantaneous access.
On the show ABC Good Morning America, they focused on showing the basketball player and getting his first hand account about some of the reasons behind his decision. The interview was rather informal and showed this sports figure who many would have considered larger than life as just a normal guy with a heavy decision. They discussed the weight of the decision, how it would effect him personally. The narrative showed a little bit of a background montage of the events that transpired shortly after the decision was made public.
In the New York Times article, the focus was more on the scale of the media event, with a focus on the first reactions, along with a listing of facts about the player, and the deal.
On the Huffington Post, the spin of the story was very sensationalized, a headline that contained the words "Runaway Slave", something so close to offensive that potential readers almost have to click and once they do they almost have to comment on the story.
The three different types of media present different aspects of the story. The newspaper article seemed most objective, focusing on the media circus of the announcement event and making sure to include facts about many of the factors involved (even if the facts were a few short mentions at the end of the lengthy article). The online article was more slanted toward provoking readers to leave comments and interact with the author and other readers. The television clip focused more on the personal aspect of the story and tried to make the sports figure more relatable to viewers, maybe even change their opinion of him to be slightly more favorable. The nice thing about television and online sources is to be able to view clips of the news and be able to make opinions of your own. Television is slightly less favorable, because networks like to string you along and make you watch commercials before the news of interest, online sources are searchable, clickable and of near instantaneous access.
Modification schemes
I ordered six more regular cameras for modification. Yeah, I'm slightly obsessive. My addiction could be worse, at least this one is somewhat creative, and I get to break out my tools. So many plans for camera mods...
I've already mentioned a half frame, which would allow for double the number of exposures on a single roll of film, and you get cool diptych prints :) Third or quarter frame could be made as well...
Internal masks could be used to block part of the frame from being exposed. so maybe horizontally divided images could be produced. Or interesting borders, or signature effects to appear on all frames.
Multiple exposure trigger.
Reflective plastic in the chamber might create kaleidoscope effects. A series of mirrors could be rigged for stereo images I think...
Alternative lenses or pinhole instead of the stock lens.
Can't wait for them to arrive so the experiments can commence. But for now I do have 1 left to take apart and fiddle with. But where oh where is my tiny screwdriver?
I've already mentioned a half frame, which would allow for double the number of exposures on a single roll of film, and you get cool diptych prints :) Third or quarter frame could be made as well...
Internal masks could be used to block part of the frame from being exposed. so maybe horizontally divided images could be produced. Or interesting borders, or signature effects to appear on all frames.
Multiple exposure trigger.
Reflective plastic in the chamber might create kaleidoscope effects. A series of mirrors could be rigged for stereo images I think...
Alternative lenses or pinhole instead of the stock lens.
Can't wait for them to arrive so the experiments can commence. But for now I do have 1 left to take apart and fiddle with. But where oh where is my tiny screwdriver?
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Faux Camera Fear
Ebay! Love the mixed bag of awesome and you never know if you are going to get a gem or a lump of coal.
I purchased an item listed as a "faux" camera. I was hoping it was something great, it turned out to be awesome, but it also turned out not to be a camera. :)
It looks like a camera... and there's a little lever on the front that seems like it would release and allow you to extend the lens. Rotate ------ Aaaaaaa!
A spring popped out of the center. It was scary!
So embarrassing.
I purchased an item listed as a "faux" camera. I was hoping it was something great, it turned out to be awesome, but it also turned out not to be a camera. :)
It looks like a camera... and there's a little lever on the front that seems like it would release and allow you to extend the lens. Rotate ------ Aaaaaaa!
A spring popped out of the center. It was scary!
So embarrassing.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Film!
Guess I got what I asked for... Today was rainy, very very rainy. Perfect for my waterproof camera, but I wasn't feeling well, so I stayed indoors and took a nap. Crazy amounts of rain, everything is flooded. The front yard has turned into a small pond.
Film seems to be the theme of the day. Lots and lots of 35mm film. A good friend gave me about 10 rolls, 4 rolls arrived in the mail today. It's all living in the fridge to extend its shelf-life as most of my toy cameras are loaded right now and it's saunalicious outside (very hot and very humid). More film should be arriving soon... some for slides as well as for color prints. Who knew there were so many types, and types of processing. Too bad I didn't research the cost of processing slides before I purchased 40 rolls... but I guess that's what wages are for... processing costs. :)
Film seems to be the theme of the day. Lots and lots of 35mm film. A good friend gave me about 10 rolls, 4 rolls arrived in the mail today. It's all living in the fridge to extend its shelf-life as most of my toy cameras are loaded right now and it's saunalicious outside (very hot and very humid). More film should be arriving soon... some for slides as well as for color prints. Who knew there were so many types, and types of processing. Too bad I didn't research the cost of processing slides before I purchased 40 rolls... but I guess that's what wages are for... processing costs. :)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Another Camera! Waterproof 35mm
It's clear, it's pink, it's cracked. Yeah. it's cracked. Don't know if that means water will seep in, but I'm willing to risk it, the total cost including shipping was less than $6.
I just love ordering goodies from Hong Kong; you can never be sure of the quality of the item, you never know when it will arrive, and the packages are always rummaged through. :) Fan-tastic.
What to do with a waterproof camera? hmm, I am thinking puddle jumping will be phenomenal! Rain will be fun, gutters seem gushing. And of course, and old standby people swimming in pools or rivers or something. I am trying to find people to throw buckets of water and waterballoons at me, I'm sure that will be easy- I'm really good at throwing insults :) . Sprinklers, open hydrants, hoses -- all those wet possibilities that make me absolutely afraid that I'll ruin my digital camera. Could be fun to follow muddy dirty bicycles or play with wet slobbery dogs. Bring on the RAIN!
I just love ordering goodies from Hong Kong; you can never be sure of the quality of the item, you never know when it will arrive, and the packages are always rummaged through. :) Fan-tastic.
What to do with a waterproof camera? hmm, I am thinking puddle jumping will be phenomenal! Rain will be fun, gutters seem gushing. And of course, and old standby people swimming in pools or rivers or something. I am trying to find people to throw buckets of water and waterballoons at me, I'm sure that will be easy- I'm really good at throwing insults :) . Sprinklers, open hydrants, hoses -- all those wet possibilities that make me absolutely afraid that I'll ruin my digital camera. Could be fun to follow muddy dirty bicycles or play with wet slobbery dogs. Bring on the RAIN!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Art Trip - Saranac Lake 7444 Gallery
In my quest to find some more time for analog, I traveled into the heart of the Adirondacks to Saranac Lake to see an art installation by one of my favorite professors Matt Burnett. The installation is running until the end of the month. The exhibit is called ClusterphobiC and you can visit it in the 7444 Gallery.
Matt Burnett's attention to detail and use of traditional media in a new and exciting format is inspirational. He collaborated with fellow artist Scott Fuller and they combined many different techniques in different media to achieve new effects.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
New toys
I went a little overboard and purchased six or seven cameras in a few hours. For the next few weeks I'll have fun seeing new arrivals on my doorstep.
The camera that started it all:
DIY 35mm camera kit. it's just a plain camera, you build it yourself just like a model car, but this thing actually functions. It took less than 2 hours to build, and it's easy to understand the inner workings, what moves what etc. Lots of fun and easy to modify. But since this was a gift, I decided to buy some other cameras to cannibalize. it's strange how you can get 12 premade cameras for the price of 1 diy kit...
Nashika 8000- 3d lenticular camera - this one has 4 lenses and they all fire at the same time. Processing for these prints will be crazy expensive: I've heard it's about $5 per print. These are those scratchy bend back and forth to see the 3d image. oooh exciting. But I can also take the scans of the negatives and stitch them together into a "wobble" gif to get a similar and less expensive effect.
Plain plastic 35mm cameras -28mm wide angle lens- I bought a couple of these for modifications. Going to build a vertical half frame version, I also have one rigged for easy double exposures. I might make some with masks in the exposure frame, could be exciting.we'll see.
Split frame camera - this has 2 sliders that block the top or bottom part of the frame while you expose the film. it has a shutter reset so you can switch the sliders and expose the other half of the frame. example: put a dog's head on a person's body. yeah, cheap camera tricks. Not super realistic, but funny.
Panorama camera - 22mm extra wide angle lens, and film mask to block the top and bottom portions of the frame from being exposed. So, yeah, it's like pretend pano, but different.
More should be arriving in the very near future. and based on the photos they will be very cute!
The camera that started it all:
DIY 35mm camera kit. it's just a plain camera, you build it yourself just like a model car, but this thing actually functions. It took less than 2 hours to build, and it's easy to understand the inner workings, what moves what etc. Lots of fun and easy to modify. But since this was a gift, I decided to buy some other cameras to cannibalize. it's strange how you can get 12 premade cameras for the price of 1 diy kit...
Nashika 8000- 3d lenticular camera - this one has 4 lenses and they all fire at the same time. Processing for these prints will be crazy expensive: I've heard it's about $5 per print. These are those scratchy bend back and forth to see the 3d image. oooh exciting. But I can also take the scans of the negatives and stitch them together into a "wobble" gif to get a similar and less expensive effect.
Plain plastic 35mm cameras -28mm wide angle lens- I bought a couple of these for modifications. Going to build a vertical half frame version, I also have one rigged for easy double exposures. I might make some with masks in the exposure frame, could be exciting.we'll see.
Split frame camera - this has 2 sliders that block the top or bottom part of the frame while you expose the film. it has a shutter reset so you can switch the sliders and expose the other half of the frame. example: put a dog's head on a person's body. yeah, cheap camera tricks. Not super realistic, but funny.
Panorama camera - 22mm extra wide angle lens, and film mask to block the top and bottom portions of the frame from being exposed. So, yeah, it's like pretend pano, but different.
More should be arriving in the very near future. and based on the photos they will be very cute!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Toy Lens
Analog image adventures.
It all started a little over a year and a half ago with a required digital photography class. In an attempt to find "art" and inspiration in a medium which had not previously impressed me, I stumbled upon the magic of TTV (through the viewfinder). Each vintage camera's unique fingerprint added created a unique photographic experience. I procured my own vintage tlr camera. I built a light tight contraption and then my own TTV photos soon followed. Later came experiments with alternative lenses and mirrors, followed by a Lensbaby tilt shift lens. So I guess I like imperfections.
I've been debating the viability of getting into film photography and holding off for countless reasons. About a year ago, my best friend bought me a build your own camera kit. Amazing how a camera can be made completely out of little plastic parts, and magically write images to film. My first roll was Elitechrome slide film. It's still in the camera. I'm stuck in film is precious mentality that I learned growing up. I haven't gained the shoot film like it's digital carefree happiness, yet.
I recently decided that I NEED to play with film and light and exposure and time and and and. So I made a massive amount of purchases, mostly toy cameras, mostly from ebay. Cameras are arriving daily in the post. I procured some bulk pro packs of film, --- oooh exciting :) film is no longer precious. Since the cameras are made of plastic, the cameras are no longer precious either. :) Modifications will abound :) Hurray double exposures, half frame, time lapse, split images, panoramas, etc. :)
It all started a little over a year and a half ago with a required digital photography class. In an attempt to find "art" and inspiration in a medium which had not previously impressed me, I stumbled upon the magic of TTV (through the viewfinder). Each vintage camera's unique fingerprint added created a unique photographic experience. I procured my own vintage tlr camera. I built a light tight contraption and then my own TTV photos soon followed. Later came experiments with alternative lenses and mirrors, followed by a Lensbaby tilt shift lens. So I guess I like imperfections.
I've been debating the viability of getting into film photography and holding off for countless reasons. About a year ago, my best friend bought me a build your own camera kit. Amazing how a camera can be made completely out of little plastic parts, and magically write images to film. My first roll was Elitechrome slide film. It's still in the camera. I'm stuck in film is precious mentality that I learned growing up. I haven't gained the shoot film like it's digital carefree happiness, yet.
I recently decided that I NEED to play with film and light and exposure and time and and and. So I made a massive amount of purchases, mostly toy cameras, mostly from ebay. Cameras are arriving daily in the post. I procured some bulk pro packs of film, --- oooh exciting :) film is no longer precious. Since the cameras are made of plastic, the cameras are no longer precious either. :) Modifications will abound :) Hurray double exposures, half frame, time lapse, split images, panoramas, etc. :)
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