MEETING CANCELED - BREWS AND NEWS advocacy meeting

Visual Journalists and reporters will gather for a discussion of photographer’s rights and for an opportunity to network at a Brews and News meeting on Thursday, March 1 beginning at 6 p.m., at J&R Music and Computer World’s The Café at 1 Park Row. We are will have food and refreshments sponsored and organized by the National Press Photographers Association.

PLEASE RSVP our Facebook site so we have an idea how many to expect.

This event is also supported by the New York Press Photographers Association and representatives are expected to attend.

Afterwards, we will gather for a few brews at the Beekman Pub at 15 Beekman Street in Manhattan.

J&R will also show off choice products and offer special discounts to those who attend this special event.

We will also discuss the upcoming NPPA Northern Short Course that all photographers can attend or decide to attend any time before it begins on March 8.

The meeting follows a letter sent by a coalition of organizations demanding answers and changes in procedures by the NYPD and its office of Public Information, which have been derided for failure to respect press freedoms.

We will have experienced NPPA representatives and photographic leaders who will lead discussions on recent incidents involving police and other authorities who have interfered with or impeded visual journalists from doing their jobs. Robert Roth, a photojournalist and practicing attorney, will be able to discuss the legal issues surrounding some of these incidents.

We will discuss incidents from the recent Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, in addition to other acts of deliberate interference by authorities at news incidents. This is your chance to sound off on the issues before a major address occurs at this year’s Northern Short Course in Virginia in March led by NPPA Chief Counsel Mickey Osterreicher and Advocacy Chair Alicia Calzada-Wagner who is now practicing copyright law.

Discussions will allow us to bring together complaints by visual journalists and assemble them for the NPPA legal counsel for possible actions in the future. We encourage photographers to bring written information and reports, using complaint forms created by the NYPPA, available at nyppa.org . These forms were put together to help create patterns of press interference.

If you have photos of visual journalists being interfered with, obstructed, assault or arrested, please send low res images to toddphoto@aol.com. We will show these photos at the meeting in a slide show presentation.

Melanie Burford- was part of the team of Dallas Morning News photographers who received the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. In 2009 she won the Emmy Award for her portfolio of video documentary work at the Lone Star Emmy Advanced Media Awards. Melanie’s work has been recognized at the 74^th National Headliner Awards, the Harry Chapin Media Awards, the Clarion Awards, the Best of Photojournalism and Pictures of the Year International. An adjunct professor at The Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, her passion for teaching has gained her keynote speaking roles including the Kodak Seminar Series touring Australia and New Zealand in 2008. Originally from New Zealand, Melanie’s career began in 1990, working at The Evening Post before moving to America in 1999, becoming a staff photographer at The Dallas Morning News in 2003 and moving to New York in 2009. She is a founding member of the photo collective Prime.

Bill Eppridge - After his graduation from college, Eppridge worked for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and then went on to work for LIFE. During the 1960s and until the magazine folded in 1972 Eppridge was a staff photographer for LIFE. He covered many topics and news events, often finding himself in history-making situations.While working for LIFE, Eppridge photographed celebrities such as Alan Alda on the set of M*A*S*H, Gene Hackman, Raquel Welch and others. During the Apollo 13 mission, Epperidge was the only photographer allowed into Marilyn Lovell’s home even as her husband was stranded in orbit above the moon. In 1968 while five feet in front of his subject and friend, Robert F. Kennedy lay on the floor of the kitchen of Los Angeles's Ambassador Hotel, mortally wounded by a bullet fired by Sirhan B. Sirhan. Eppridge went into the crowd and began holding people back, but every once in a while, he would reach down and click his camera.

David Burnett- is a photojournalist with more than 4 decades of work covering the news, the people, and visual tempo of our age. He is co-founder of Contact Press Images, the New York based photojournalism agency, now entering its 36th year. In a recent issue of American Photo magazine Burnett was named one of the "100 Most Important People in Photography." He has been a contract photographer for TIME since 2003, reprising a position he held for 15 years in the 1970s and 1980s. The May/June 2010 issue of American PHOTO did a 10-page story on David, and his unique talent for staying ahead of the times. In July 2011, David worked with Photographers for Hope to create a workshop for homeless newsvendors in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Rules of the Contest prohibit any member of the NYPPA to contact the Judges in any way. If the Board finds out that a member has contacted a Judge that member will be expelled from the New York Press Photographers Asociation.

Thank you

The Contest Committee

Graduate School of Journalism

The City University of New York

ROOM 308 (3rd Floor)

219 West 40th Street, New York, NY 10018

THE NYPPA YEAR IN PICTURES 2012 WILL BE JUDGED BY!!!!!!

Please RSVP on our Facebook page as 'GOING' so we have an idea as to how many people will be joining us throughout the day.

Stop by or lend a hand its always a fun time for all.

Light lunch and drinks will be provided.

Not able to make it on the 25th? Be sure to check NYPPA.org for contest results.

View Larger Map

Bill Perlman

Contest entry information is here.

Join us for a reception and view the groundbreaking multimedia war exhibit
sponsored by
The Independence Fund, the Chris Hondros Fund, FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation
and the New York City Fire Museum

6 to 9 pm
Friday, Feb 10, 2012
New York Fire Museum
278 Spring Street, New York, NY

Exhibit Runs through February 17th, 2012 

A New York Times photographer who lost both legs last year while on assignment for the New York Times in Afghanistan is the inspiration behind a groundbreaking multimedia exhibit that will open Feb. 10 at the New York City Fire Museum in Lower Manhattan.

After Joao Silva was injured in October 2010, more than 20 combat journalists pooled their images from Iraq and Afghanistan to create “Conflict Zone,” the first collaboration of its kind.

Both civilian and military journalists are represented in the exhibit, including several currently deployed or on assignment.

“The New York City Fire Museum supports all the brave men and women keeping our country safe just as much as 'The Bravest' who keep us safe at home, and we see this exhibit as a special way for us to honor the dedication and sacrifice our service people make every day,” said Damon Campagna, director and curator of the New York City Fire Museum (www.nycfiremuseum.org).

The Independence Fund, FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation and the Chris Hondros Fund are co-sponsoring the exhibit at the fire museum, which runs through Feb. 17 at the museum, located at 278 Spring St.

Contributors to Conflict Zone (www.conflictzone.org) feature the late Chris Hondros and awardwinners Andrea Bruce, Jeff Newton, Greg Marinovich, Jason P. Howe and Kathleen Flynn. The work exhibited in Conflict Zone first appeared in the New York Times, Getty Images, the Washington Post, CBS News, the San Antonio-Express News, U.S. News & World Report, the St. Petersburg Times and USA Today.

Hondros was one of the key supporters of Conflict Zone before he was killed in Libya in April 2011 while on assignment for Getty Images. The exhibit, which is dedicated to Hondros, will feature additional images from him for the New York City show through the fund established in his memory (www.chrishondrosfund.org).

"Chris believed in Conflict Zone's potential to bring the unique perspectives of conflict photojournalists, documenting both the harsh realities and nuances of war, to a wider range of audiences,” said Christina Piaia, president of the Chris Hondros Fund. “This very possibility - to engage the public about the work of photojournalists in conflict and the effects of conflict on civilians, combatants, and society - is the impetus for the Fund’s continued support of Conflict Zone and their efforts to raise awareness on such important issues.”

Conflict Zone is a special project of The Independence Fund, a non-profit that helps meet some of the long-term financial and equipment needs of severely injured troops and their families. Half of any proceeds raised through Conflict Zone will be donated to the Chris Hondros Fund, 25 percent to the Fisher House and the remainder to support the Independence Fund.

“The photographers and journalists who are part of Conflict Zone are scattered, some still on the battle field, which made this extraordinarily difficult to pull together,” said Jackie Spinner, codirector of the exhibit and a former staff writer for The Washington Post. “We have Army photographers and some of the biggest names in combat journalism. We have print, multimedia and old school photographers who remember what a darkroom is. And all of them signed on to help Joao and to help injured troops.”

Silva's haunting series of images snapped in the seconds after he was injured in the blast are included in the exhibit, which features nearly 100 photographs in its permanent collection as well as video and audio from Iraq and Afghanistan. The exhibit also includes the iconic image from Hondros of a screaming 5-year-old girl whose parents were shot and killed at a checkpoint in Iraq.

“Hopefully the awareness will translate into funds to help ease some of the suffering and spur the transition to resolve the conflict into comfort zones,” said Jerry Kykisz, a Vietnam veteran who was the original curator for Conflict Zone and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Veterans Art Museum.

The exhibit opened May 7 in Chicago and is now traveling throughout the United States with the help of various partners in the cities where it will be showcased. “Supporting Joao and injured service men and women through photography is powerful on several levels,” said Kathleen Flynn, a photographer for the Tampa Bay Times, formerly the St. Petersburg Times. “It gives them some financial support while highlighting the importance of conflict photography. Someone recently told me that the photos in the show told the narrative of the wars better than any story he had ever read. I think there is significance in the fact that this is a show with both military and civilian photojournalists.”

Flynn's images of an injured Marine who lost both legs in Afghanistan are part of the exhibit. A gallery of images from Conflict Zone can be viewed at www.conflictzone.org. The multimedia website was created by Laura Sellinger, a combat veteran who was injured in Iraq while deployed for the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence specialist. Although she is still recovering from a traumatic brain injury and a subsequent mini-stroke in 2009, Sellinger has been able to work around her disabilities to design the Conflict Zone Web site.

The Independence Fund is a 501(c)3 organization. Donations to the group are tax-deductible. The Indy Fund has no paid staff and is run entirely by combat veterans. Unique among veterans group, it has offered assistance to civilian journalists injured in combat zones.

“The truth is, I go to these places because there is no more important a story than covering the cost of war on humanity,” said Jeff Newton, 60 Minutes producer who is part of the CBS team that recently won the prestigious duPont-Columbia University award, television's highest honor.

“It is man vs man. Man vs. nature. And ultimately, Man vs. himself. And that is where I find this world most interesting. I am not a crusader, a proponent or a detractor of war, but rather a careful observer of it. And I hope through my work to always be able to use those observations to help people understand war.”

As part of the exhibit, Conflict Zone invites veterans of the War in Terror who live in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area to submit photos for a competition. Three winners will be selected for inclusion in the exhibit. To submit photographs, please follow instructions found on the Conflict Zone website (under Events).

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Conflict Zone--Jackie Spinner, jackiespinner@mac.com, 202-441-0228

Chris Hondros Fund--Christina Piaia, press@chrishondrosfund.org, 646-926-4705

Eye on the Naked City: The Photographs of Charles Ruppmann

Gunman subdued after 2 hour siegeJanuary 28th - February 25th
Opening Reception Jan. 28 1 - 4 p.m.

The Field Library
4 Nelson Avenue
Peekskill, New York 10566

The Field Library is proud to present the world of Charles Ruppmann, a celebrated New York Daily News photographer whose scenes of New York City life unfold at their most dissolute and gritty, glorious and glamorous, striking and resolute.

His photographs of street life, hedonistic celebrities, stark crime scenes, and complex personalities strike an immediate chord whether the viewer is picking up a newspaper or strolling through a gallery.

Opening Reception
Jan. 28th 1 - 4 p.m.

Charles Ruppmann started out as a copy boy at the News immediately after graduating high school in 1960, and later was encouraged to apprentice in the photo department darkroom to learn the workings and technique from the ground up. His talent and hard work led him to be promoted to one of 54 staff photographers in February of 1967.

Honing his craft during the overnight shift, he covered the entire beat of the city: crime, society events, riots, fires and the beginnings of paparazzi photography. All photographers were issued a NYC police working press card, which provided access to any situation.

"Good spot news photography required you to get to the scene as quickly as possible, which was accomplished by working out of a Daily News radio car equipped with police and fire radios," he explains.

Scenes such as Studio 54, a suicide attempt, a night at the opera with Beverly Sills, a world premier on Broadway, a women's rights rally, Miles Davis' arrest, raging fires in the Bronx during the 1977 World Series, or a nervously peering bank robber (John Stanley Wojtowicz, the inspiration for the film Dog Day Afternoon), are all captured by Ruppmann's lens and transformed by his keen eye into high art.

Charles Ruppmann was born and raised in New York City. Since 1980, he has resided in Peekskill, New York, where he remains on the lookout for definitive moments of raw power and beauty.

About Our Library

Eye on the Naked City: the Photographs of Charles Ruppmann is free to the public, and is exhibited in the library gallery, located on the upper, mezzanine level of the adult reading rooms, and is wheelchair-accessible. For further information, please call Sibyl Canaan, Library Director, (914) 737-7110 , or send an email to scanaan@wlsmail.org, or visit the library's website, www.peekskill.org.

Saturday, March 03, 2011 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday, March 04 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

As photographers, you already possess powerful visual skills. Come and learn the other skills you need to be able to shoot compelling video stories.

Sign up now for an intense, interactive weekend workshop at the digital studios at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism in Manhattan’s Times Square.  It's a lot of info condensed into 2 days.

The course will feature hands-on learning of video shooting, editing, polishing and publishing, led by top multimedia journalists Bob Sacha and Jeremy Caplan with experience running workshops at MediaStorm, Columbia and other leading training workshops.

The training is geared toward those who want to produce short videos about people, ideas, stories, products, places or projects.

On day one, we start with video storytelling, choosing the right story for video, how to record clean audio and a compelling interview, how to shoot a basic video sequence and basic FCP 7.

On the second day, working in teams of two, everybody shoots a very short piece, edits in FCP and then we watch them all.

Fees: A group rate can be arranged for NYPPA. Please talk to Julia Xanthos (JXanthos@nydailynews.com) or Bill Perlman (treasurer@nyppa.org) about this.

Here's a short video piece that about the workshops: http://vimeo.com/25087510

There will be a funeral mass for Barbara Mooney this Friday, January 6th at St. Joseph's Church in Ronkonkoma.

Moloney Funeral Home
Ronkonkoma Ave,. Ronkonkoma
Wednesday and Thursday
2-4 PM and 7-9 PM

Adya Beasley-The Star-Ledger-Staff

Andrew Burton-Photojournalist-Independent-USA

Julio Cortez-Associated Press-Trenton-Staff

Anthony Gruppuso-Photojournalist-Independent-USA

Michael Ip-Daily-News-Staff

Andrew James Kelly-Photojournalist-Independent-USA

Joe Marino-Daily News-Independent

John Phillip Minchillo-Photojournalist-Independent-USA

Lloyd R Mitchell-Student Photographer

Phillip E Montgomery-Photojournalist-Independent-USA

Nadav Neuhaus-Photojournalist-Independent-USA

Jeanne Marie Noonan-Daily News-Independent

Also the NYPPA has reinstated 

Michelle Agins-New York Times 

Marcus Santos-Photojournalist-Independent-USA