Newsweek has caused a big stir this week by running a cover photo of Sarah Palin — clad in rather tight running gear — taken from a Runner’s World photoshoot. Palin herself has labelled the move “sexist”. Is it fair to use editorial photos out of context?
News photography
The crash of the Brad and Britney economy
The price paid for paparazzi photos by US glossies has plummeting by 31%, according to a survey by The Daily Beast. Has the recession caused the celebrity media bubble to burst, or have celebrities just become more boring?
Life as a soldier in Afghanistan
A remarkable photo essay by AP photojournalist David Guttenfelder on the lives of American troops in Afghanistan gives a small insight into the fear and horror of the work, says W H Chong.
Video of the Day: A photographer faces off with a deadly predator
An incredible story and images from National Geographic shutterbug Paul Nicklen about a photographic expedition to shoot deadly leopard seals that took an unexpected turn.
PHOTO GALLERY: Sporting triumphs and tragedies — as seen by the players
See eye-to-eye, toe-to-toe, fist-to-fist, and wheel-to-wheel with the world’s sportspeople as they experience the highs and lows of sporting glory.
Photojournalism in Australia: the best of times, the worst of times
Aussie photojournalists discuss the trials and triumphs of their craft in the current media climate. More photographers have been forced to go freelance, but technological advances have opened up amazing new possibilities for the solo shutterbug.
Where have all the war caskets gone?
The answer, my friend, is sitting in the White House. Even though casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to mount, the media has lost all interest in parading images of flag-draped American war caskets since Bush left office, says Byron York.
25 years of LIFE magazine, now free online
Every edition of LIFE photographic magazine from 1935 to 1970 has been released free and in full by Google Books. An amazing historical archive of images and articles chronicling the 20th century.
Was the AP right to publish a soldier’s dying hours?
The AP has come under some heavy fire for publishing a photo of a deceased US soldier shortly after he was fatally wounded by a grenade in Afghanistan. The NYT’s Lens blog looks at the ethics and precedent of going public with such a private moment.
In defence of photoshopping
Do we retouch our cover images? You bet! says Self magazine editor Lucy Danziger, who says magazine images aren’t news journalism and admits to retouching images of herself run in the mag.
Google Earth documents destruction in Darfur
Google has teamed up with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum to share thousands of satellite photos of the widespread destruction in Darfur through its Google Earth service, in an effort to “document the true enormity of the destruction”.
Photojournalism set for a shake-up
The launch of “citizen photo agencies”, where news outlets can buy cheap and sometimes exclusive snaps from amateur shutterbugs, could pose a serious threat to the future of professional photojournalism.
TIME practises what it preaches with frugal photography
Photographer Robert Lam was excited when a stock photo he snapped made the cover of TIME magazine, until he found out the going rate for the mag’s cover shot is usually in the thousands of dollars — and he got $30. The cover story in question? “The New Frugality”.
Does this LA Times photo look fake to you?
Readers of the LA Times are constantly questioning the authenticity of seemingly impossible photos published in their newspaper. But the actual culprit is far simpler: a long lens.
NYT Magazine photo fakery fiasco
Chalk one up for citizen journalism: how an eagle-eyed blogger caught out a New York Times Magazine photographer engaging in some digital trickery.
Honduran media whitewash
Al Giordano plays spot-the-difference with a real picture of a gunned-down teenager at a rally in Honduras, and that published by pro-coup newspaper, La Prensa. Hint: he looks suspiciously less dead.
Obama tries to have it both ways with media
Obama flexes his parental muscle and tries to circumvent the paparazzi with a ‘drip-drip’ of photographs of his daughters, Sasha and Malia.
OK! mag pays $500k for Jackson death pic
OK! magazine is said to have paid US$500k for exclusive magazine rights to a photo of Michael Jackson being taken to hospital just before he died.
How to be a photographer in a warzone
Straight out of school and dreaming of some hair-raising adventures on the battlefield with your Coolpix? Slow down there, Larry: photographer Michael Kamber has a few hard-learned lessons from the frontlines of Somalia to share with you.
Shutter snaps on photographers at The Australian
Over the last fortnight The Australian has retrenched at least six of its most senior photographers.
Ahmadinejad sucks at Photoshop
Iranian Government-controlled newspaper Kayhan has been caught-out doctoring a photo of a pro-Ahmedinejad rally to look bigger. But who cares? asks Gawker: you don’t need a clumsily manipulated photo to know that the Iranian regime engages in propaganda.
Being “pretty” is the protest in Iran
Many commentators have made a big deal about all the photos coming out of Iran that feature young and attractive women. But that’s the whole point, says Jezebel: many are risking a lot for their right to look “pretty”.
Photojournalism’s latest cool thing: video stills
Video stills have made it into their own, nabbing the cover of Esquire. It’s clear and it’s beautiful.
Pulitzer Prize winners for breaking news photography
Stirring images from top news agencies.
