Our rights as photographers!

Here's an interesting issue to think about. In the US, it is our constitutional right to be able to photograph people in public places. And there are some great materials out there that explain these rights. Here's a guide to your rights as photographers put together by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Here at ATMI, we know there are times when it is appropriate to ask permission to photograph people rather than just firing away. But there are also times when permission is not necessary at all! Know your rights and use your best judgement and you'll make the world a better place through the images you capture!

ATMI's Max Dan found an interview with photographer Shawn Nee about his experience with the Los Angeles Police Department, which he describes as unjust.

CAMERA VS. LAPD

There's also a pretty fun ACLU video that explains our rights. It was put together by Joseph Gordan-Levitt and The Gregory Brothers.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Audio: The basics

Transom.org is a great place to get tips on audio production.

The site's founder, Jay Allison, producer of The Moth Radio Hour recently resurrected his audio gathering tips for the site. Jay is also the founder of the Public Radio Exchange, where ATMI shares stories with people all over the world and he's a six-time Peabody Award winner. He has some insight that all radio producers can relate to.

"I usually begin by holding the mic casually, as though it’s unimportant. Sometimes I’ll rest it against my cheek to show it has no evil powers." - Jay Allison

Shutter speeds & Frame Rates

RIDE CHANNEL So, ATMI's Rob Stanley has been shooting a lot of longboarding video lately and has been browsing the internet for tips on how to make his footage even better. He found out that every other Monday, RIDE Channel shares info on how to film, edit and shoot based on tips from videographers and photographers in skateboarding. Here's a link to more of these videos!

Sound Bingo!

Use this Sound Bingo card to spice up your stories. It's a great reminder of some of the many possible ways to incorporate sound and description.

Our friend Sean Cole, now a producer at RadioLab, shared this Sound Bingo card with us. Thanks, Sean.

Shooting video on your cellphone!

Mobile Video Tips and Techniques from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.

Some helpful pointers from the fine folks at Vimeo about shooting quality video on your celly.

Using your DSLR and available lighting!

Do More With Your DSLR I: Working with Available Light from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.

You're out in the field getting ready for a shoot. Things are falling into place and right before your start to roll you notice that something is off with the lighting. External lights aren't an option at this point, so what are you to do? Vimeo Video School put together this helpful lighting check list to go over before you start your shoot. Enjoy!

Some words of wisdom from Ira Glass

ATMI students got to meet Ira Glass of This American Life, when he was in Anchorage April, 2010. Though most of us look up to him and consider him someone who has the radio thing down pat, he talked about how everyday he's worried he'll make a mistake and how he's still working to be a good radio producer.

ATMI WITH IRA!


Note: Thank you Kate Consenstein of Alaska Geographic for inspiring this post.

The luck charms that help us make good radio :P

Chris Brookes is known for making really good radio. And recently the website Transom.org featured his "Secret Ingredients to Great Features." We found his number two secret to ring true here at ATMI! He says that when he's producing he likes to have a talisman around. Talisman is basically an object that brings good luck.

"So my house is littered with 'feature talismans' – objects that once had power, but now are just meaningless objects. The features have the power now. Or perhaps it is just my ego that likes to flirt with this belief. It could be, as my wife says, that I just mess up the house with junk," Brookes wrote.

Is there something to it?! Maybe we owe the dogs, dinosaurs, Mickey Mouses and baby Buddahs of the ATMI studio a little credit?!

Give your project some perspective!

Wally Wood was one of the founding cartoonists of Mad magazine in 1952. He is known for coming up with a way to inspire himself to mix things up and be efficient. He taped comics to his drawing table, each with a different scene layout or way of composing a scene! He used these for his comic strips but these days people use them for inspiration for art, photography, video, etc.

He would also tell himself:

"Never draw anything you can copy, never copy anything you can trace, never trace anything you can cut out and paste up."

Wood's ex-assistant Larry Hama, who became an editor at Marvel Comics, thought Wood's advice to himself was spot on. Hama pasted the tips up in the bullpen at Marvel Comics. A bullpen is a cubicle style office where artists, journalists, etc might not have a permanent space but work where ever they can find a space at the moment. This is kind of like the ATMI office!

WALLY WOOD's 22 PANELS



NOTE: Special thanks to former ATMI member Andrew Aquino for pointing us in the direction of these fun tips!

How to record audio for the Web

J-Learning is a how-to site for community journalism and they offer a how-to guide to recording audio that isn't half bad!

This would benefit anyone who is going to record outside the studio. Remember to wear headphones!

Want to be a better interviewer?

Here is an audio lecture by Marilyn Pitmann, a comic and radio talent trainer. You will want to have some time to sit down and listen to this because it is live and long.