Best of Photojournalism 2008: Video News Photography: Winners
Clips from the Video News Photography and Editing winners in the Best of Photojournalism 2008 are viewable at Poynter Online.
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Web News Feature Finalists
- “Coney Island: An Uncertain Future”
- Rick Gershon, Getty Images
- “Cow Poo Pens”
- Angela Grant, San Antonio Express-News
- “The Devoted Life: People’s Extraordinary Passions”
- Meg Loucks, Houston Chronicle
- “Equality Ride Hits a Roadblock”
- Michael Akira Hakuta, washingtonpost.com
- “Learning to Say ‘I Love You’”
- Ben de la Cruz, washingtonpost.com
- “The Pioneer of the Lower Ninth Ward”
- Travis Fox, washingtonpost.com
- “A Portrait of Coney Island”
- Travis Fox, washingtonpost.com
Winners
- 1st
- “Coney Island: An Uncertain Future”
- Rick Gershon, Getty Images
- 2nd
- “The Pioneer of the Lower Ninth Ward”
- Travis Fox, washingtonpost.com
- 3rd
- “Equality Ride Hits a Roadblock”
- Michael Akira Hakuta, washingtonpost.com
- HM
- “Cow Poo Pens”
- Angela Grant, San Antonio Express-News
Judges’ Comments
- Tim Griffis
This category was not as strong as some of the other web categories, but still the winner was an easy choice by the judges.
“Coney Island: An Uncertain Future” was a fairly newsy story that was done well. This entry is great job telling a complex issue.
In the “Ninth Ward” we hear from a lady who lives on a formerly populated street all by herself and how she longs for the pre-Katrina days.
- Bob Gould
This was so far the weakest of the web categories. The winner, “Coney Island: Uncertain Future,” had some nice elements. The match dissolves with the still pictures and video were excellent. There were a few flaws in this piece that we talked about—the audio seemed to get louder near the end and he could’ve set up a couple of sots with better backgrounds. Also there wasn’t really any balance in this story, we but overall a solid effort---photography and editing wise.
The Lower ninth ward story was a good story and featured some memorable sound bites and excellent photography.
3rd place went to “Equality Ride Hits a Roadblock…”It was an interesting way to tell this type of story that we’ve seen before. Good natural moments and good balance in the piece.
“Cow Poo Pens” was interesting, but missed the mark technically and that’s why it didn’t place higher.
- Jeff Roberts
Not a lot of stunning entries in this category which disappointed me a little. "Coney Island: An Uncertain Future" had some moments where the bustling amusement park faded to the same frame where the park was closed which let me to feel that some thought and preparation was put into the story.
- Preston Rudie
Good effort by all of the entries in this category, however I also found some areas that could have been improved. “Coney Island: An Uncertain Future” had a nice mix of old video, still photography, and an interesting collection of interviews. In fact some of the still pictures were stunning. However, I thought the story was a bit long and needed some balance. I’d also encourage the photographer to always hide the mic cord, avoid interviewing people in the wind and consider your background when conducting interviews. I was not crazy about the interviews in front of the bulletin board. Coney Island is visually rich… explore your options and take advantage of your surroundings.
I do want to commend the people involved with “The Pioneer of the Lower Ninth Ward.” I thought the story had some nice depth and pacing and was my vote for category winner. I think eliminating the jump cuts and working to make the story a bit more visual would have helped this piece.
- Nellie Stinson
I’m sorry to all of the entrants in this category, but to me there really wasn’t a story that jumped out above the rest. Having said that, the winner captured the feel of Coney Island by mixing still images with moving pictures.
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