Amateur vs. Professional News Photography

The image below is taken from patch.com, a local news station. The photo, depicting the aftermath of the recent Navy yard shooting in Washington, DC, was taken by James Cullum, an amateur editor for the Patch.  The photo was shot from a distance of several blocks, perhaps indicating the reporter's lesser stature in the news industry.  This particular photo was taken under poor conditions, including a gray sky and seemingly inclement weather. Apart from the elements outside the photographer's control, there are some apparent flaws in the image which separate it from a professional news report. One notable characteristic of this photo is its blurriness. It is one thing for a photo to be intentionally blurred in some areas to focus attention on one specific aspect, but this photo appears to be entirely out of focus:  there is no focal point. One defining characteristic of this picture is the broad camera angle and holistic view of the scene. A benefit of this perspective is the inclusivity and “big picture” effect it provides. The viewer is offered a look at the chaos and state of emergency that Washington, D.C., was experiencing at that moment. The numerous police, fire department, and emergency service vehicles surrounding the area conveys the seriousness of the situation at hand. One interesting thing to notice is the big red “X”s on all the traffic lights, restricting traffic indefinitely. Overall, this is a poor quality photograph of a news scene, despite some positive qualities. Compared to a professional photograph, this is clearly the work of an amateur. 

Compared to the first photograph, the professional photograph below was taken by Susan Walsh, a reporter for the Associated Press. The news story accompanying the photo appeared on the website csmonitor.com. Compared to the picture above, this one offers an in depth view of a particular scene during the tragedy. The viewer is able to see armed first responders up close to the Navy yard. Being a journalist for the more established AP, Walsh most likely was granted preferred access to the scene. One major difference between the two photos is the overall image quality and utilization of lighting. Despite being taken in the same poor weather conditions, the AP photo demonstrates a higher level of professionalism and quality. Another improvement from the first photograph is the clarity and use of focus. The focal point of the picture is the three people in the center of the frame. Even the areas of the photo that are blurred have greater clarity than even the clearest portion of the amateur picture. A unique benefit of being closer to the action is the intimacy and “in the moment” feel generated. Seeing the peoples’ faces, the police cars, especially the “K-9” on the window of one vehicle, truly adds a dynamic factor to the mood of the story. Despite uncooperative weather conditions and the spur-of-the-moment nature of the event, the professionalism of this photographer definitely is noticed and appreciated. 

Media Can In Fact Be Addicting

As I see my peers and even my elders engaged in their devices, it is quite apparent that social media and other internet sites are sweeping the world. But is it actually addicting?  Many signs indicate it is.  First, many students will get withdrawal like symptoms and cravings for their devices if they spend too much time away from them.  One website, Buzzfeed, has an interesting list of signs showing you are addicted to social media.  If you have the presence of mind to not let yourself become addicted, you can avoid this phenomenon.  Unfortunately, the majority of users are so indulged in their devices, they allow themselves to become addicted.  Although I believe social media is having a detrimental effect of society, especially students, I do not think there should be any rules put on technology use.  In a sense, this can help weed out those who can handle their technological use from those who cannot.  This can help show who is responsible enough to get there work done, despite the constant distractions at their finger tips.  I believe it is possible for your device(s) to be more helpful in class than distracting, but is what you make of it.  Personally, I do not use Twitter (besides for class), Instagram, and am a very rare Facebook user.  I find bringing my laptop to class helps me more than hurts me, but that is just one case of technology in the classroom.  Many students will spend a majority of their class time Tweeting, surfing the internet, and wasting time elsewhere.

Chapter 14 - Passive mediums are more effective than active mediums.

I believe a more passive medium, such as television, is more effective than a more interactive medium, such as video games.  I believe so because of the level of energy and attention required to sufficiently absorb the information delivered is much less with passive mediums.  While watching television, it is likely you will still obtain information even if you are not fully paying attention, or doing something else simultaneously.  While playing a video game, you must be fully involved in what is going on to process the information.  Whether you are watching a show with your full attention or not, the show will still go on.  With video games, you control whether or not the game continues.  The "hypodermic needle" theory heavily supports this argument.  If someone is watching television, somewhat paying attention, somewhat glazed over, they are less likely to refute what is being stated.  The information will be processed but not question.  This is similar to how you may be subliminally influenced by a message you do not fully recognize and have the ability to refute.  Another example supporting this claim is the "mean-world" syndrome.  This states that after seeing thousands of acts of violence portrayed on television, such as murders, we are lead to believe the world is actually as dangerous in reality as it seems on the screen.  Although this may be applied to interactive mediums such as video games, these games do not have real humans acting out the scenes, rather animations of characters, which makes them less realistic.  Although video games and other interactive mediums may be effective to a certain extent, they do not stack up to the effectiveness of passive mediums, such as television.

http://www.cracked.com/article_18856_6-shocking-ways-tv-rewires-your-brain_p2.html

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