Six Photojournalists, One Show

Face by Mark McKenna

Capturing a news photo, one that tells a story and is compelling, requires a combination of luck and skill. The photographers featured in the following show are both lucky and skillful. Make time for this and go! You’ll be glad you did.

Press release provided by Mark Larson:

A billion photos are taken every day but few are very memorable.  Six local photojournalists share some of their favorite memorable images that they have created in a new gallery show, “Six Photojournalists: Images,” at the F Street Gallery above Swanlund’s Camera at 527 F Street in Eureka.

The local photojournalists include Bob Doran and Ted Pease, of Trinidad, Mark Larson, of Arcata, and Mark McKenna, José Quezada and Shaun Walker, of Eureka. The exhibit opens at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 2 as part of Arts Alive! and continues through June.

Fireball by Bob Doran

The images in the “Six Photojournalists: Images” show reflect the variety of life and news events that these photographers have captured, from portraits to firefighting and raging storms to tender human moments.

“My photographic approach can be summed up in a variation on the edict by Ram Dass: ‘Be Here Now — and have your camera with you,’” said Bob Doran, former photographer and writer at the North Coast Journal and currently creator of the online column, “The Hum.” “My gear includes a Sony NEX-5 mirror-less camera with interchangeable lenses, an iPhone 6, and an iPad, with my Canon DSLR tucked away in a closet.

Moshe Cohen Clowns Without Borders by Mark Larson

“You use the camera to capture a moment and make that piece of time stop forever,” said Doran. “That’s important in the modern world, where everything is rushing by at break-neck speed. The other thing I love is the way an image connects people, not just the photographer and his subject, but those who see the photograph. The viewer sees through the photographer’s eyes and sees what the subject saw. The camera takes all of us there.”

“The challenge for photojournalists – how to create memorable photographs, while documenting the news event – is to capture an emotion or a powerful gesture in a photograph,” said Mark Larson, retired HSU journalism professor and current free-lance photographer. “My approach is to anticipate body language or peak-action moments and wait for people to express real emotion, especially reaction. I want the viewer to be curious about the story and to remember my image.“
Mark McKenna, another free-lance photographer and graphic designer who teaches photojournalism at HSU, agrees.

Kinetic Girls by Ted Pease

“It is important as a photojournalist to capture the events and assignments we shoot in a way that accurately represents them as they unfold,” said McKenna. “And while that may in some cases limit the artistic side of the endeavor, I’m always looking for the unusual while photographing the routine. It’s the hidden moments, often on the peripheral that tend to be the most visually compelling to me.”

Ted Pease, a long-time photographer, journalist and journalism professor, sees photojournalism as a form of storytelling that improves his writing. “There’s nothing wrong with pretty pictures,” said Pease, “but what distinguishes photojournalism is that it draws you into the frame with a story that screams to be told.

Night Market by Shaun Walker

Long-time Times-Standard photojournalist and photo editor Shaun Walker agrees that among the routine assignments one can find and create special images. “The images that make me smile the most often combine great expression or other emotional elements, solid composition, and an interesting or beautiful setting,” said Walker.  “Add capturing a key moment to that, and I’m a very satisfied photojournalist. “It’s really a multidimensional goal,” he said. “I always try to photograph the moment in a way that includes visual details that help tell the story, makes the best possible use of existing light, and the composition simply has to feel and flow right.”

Bay Street Fire by José Quezada