Agrandir le plan

This small town, rather run down, sits by the Mekong at its widest spot. It is famous for its freshwater dolphins, which number less than 75 in that spot today from hundreds before. The Irrawaddy dolphins are recognizable by their bulging forehead and squashed nose, and rather whale-like appearance. They’re the pugs of the dolphin family, less conventionally handsome than their bottle-nosed cousins. Though the dolphins are no longer poached, at least not in this part of the Mekong, because locals found out they could make better money from ecotourism, the animals still suffer from accidental deaths in fishermen’s nets and from the ecological damage wrought by dams and industrial pollution further upstream. (Hello, China.)

Catching the dolphins on film comes down to luck since it is impossible to anticipate where they will break the water. By the time you hear the distinctive sound of one of them pushing water out of its blowhole and you turn around, all you catch in circles in the water. And in any case, these dolphins tend not to jump out of the water for fun and play with tourists’ boat as you might have seen bottle-nosed dolphins do. These trips to the surface are utilitarian. They come up, they breathe, they go under. The spectacle is rather in the majesty of the Mekong at sunset and in sitting quietly in a boat, slowly realizing that you are surrounded by discrete, beautiful animals. Anyways, this is what I saw.

Please bear in mind I’m standing at the front of a moving boat with only a digital zoom, hence the shaking. The buzzing is the camera’s microphone picking up the sound of the tape rolling: I really need better equipment.

… minus the Schubert soundtrack of course. (The audio track from the original recording was unusable.)

These gibbons are endangered. As is much wildlife in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. Here’s the reason why:

These photos of deforestation (most likely clearing the way for one of the Vietnamese-owned industrial coffee plantations that have been sprouting up in the area) were taken the same day, March 8 2009, maybe 20 kms away from the gibbons. Since the animals were singing, I’m assuming they were a male and a female, but sexually mature females of this species are all blonde, so maybe juveniles. In any case, they were most likely at least partly domesticated because this tree is right outside a guesthouse on the outskirts of the village of Paksong. The gibbons weren’t scared by humans watching or the sounds of the road nearby, nor did they seem unfazed by the lack of trees in this relatively ‘urbanized’ part of the plateau.

I put my reporter cap back on yesterday. Around 11.15 a.m., an explosion razed an entire house in the East Campus neighborhood of Columbia, Mo. In the explosion and the fire that ensued, Carl Sneed, 87, died, and his wife, Merna, 84, was gravely injured. A firefighter was also injured.

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It was just 3 blocks away from my house, which actually shook from the blast. I honestly first thought it was my roommate once again slamming doors, but the sirens of fire trucks and ambulances told me otherwise. I rushed over there, though to his great credit, my roommate, photographer Kuba Wuls, got there even sooner and got some very telling pictures.

I called the Missourian and what ensued was an awesome example of teamwork on a local breaking news story. Our friendly neighborhood citizen journalism team, led by Clyde Bentley, practically a neighbor of the Sneeds, right away put together a Flickr gallery and got information from neighbors. One such neighbor submitted pictures that helped us identify the hero of the day, a firefighter who pulled Merna Sneed from the fire. We had a breaking news burst very quickly on the Web site and many updates throughout the day. The full story at the end of the day and the many sidebars painted a much more complete picture than the competing paper’s. We sent news alerts via text messages. We had reporters and editors working on site, in the newsroom and at the hospital. Convergence reporters brought back video, Kuba brought back wonderful pictures, and I was equipped with my own camera, too. (See below my first ever published picture. The slideshow above is a mix of published and unpublished ones.) See the whole coverage at www.columbiamissourian.com.

The most unusual thing that came out of that day’s coverage was an interesting twist on new media meets old media. Everyone in East Campus was asking questions all day. But East Campus is an odd neighborhood with a large student population and just as large a population of elderly people, who may not have the instinct (or even the Internet connection) to check the Web for more information. The Missourian’s Saturday edition being a weekly printed on Thursday nights, we had no way to get the news in print out to the people in time. (Note: We are also cursed with the Friday breaking news.) So we made one up. I use “we” loosely because I’m sure the credit goes to someone; I just wasn’t around when the idea came up so I couldn’t tell you who. Anyways, the Missourian had launched in partnership with the East Campus Neighborhood Association an email newsletter about the neighborhood. We revamped the idea for print. We designed a one-page, front-and-back newsletter with excerpts of our Web coverage, made 300 copies and 8 of us hit the streets, fixing the newsletter to doorknobs with rubber bands.

What really matters in this story is the tragedy of an old couple being stolen their right to a peaceful, quiet death. I’m usually wary about covering such tragedies because there is a fine line between serving the needs of your community and just plain preying on victims. I don’t mean to celebrate this day as an achievement in journalism, and I hope it’s not what this post sounds like. But in the end, I think we served our community right yesterday: when so many people were worried about what was going on and wanted to share who Mr. Sneed was, the Missourian delivered.

The work, of course, continued today. In no particular order and unfortunately not exhaustively, here are some of the people to be credited for these two days’ outstanding work: managing editor Reuben Stern, editor Katherine Reed, editor Clyde Bentley, assistant editor Katie Fretland, reporter Sean Sposito, reporter Matt Harris, news editor and Web site wizzard Jake Sherlock, photographer Kuba Wuls, photography director Rie Woodward, photo editing staff (don’t even know all your names, I’m so sorry), photographer Katie Barnes, editor Liz Heitzman, editor Jeanne Abbott, production chief Joy Mayer, convergence editor Mark Lewis, reporter Jonathon Braden, reporter Annie Harp, reporter Lauren Fredman, convergence editor Beth Androuais, convergence reporter Jenn Herseim, convergence editor Jennifer Leong, circulation yesmen Rob Weir and Bruce Moore, photographer Joshua A. Bickel, citizen journalist Jackie Kreigh … (Yes, we are a huge newsroom, and that helped.) Those are only the ones I personally saw work or whose credit I could find on the Web site. I know there are plenty more. I am both proud and humbled to be a part of this team.

But back to my kit. I’ve talked with several people who’ve wondered what to buy, and since I’ve done hours of research on this, I’ll present my choices. If you’re not a tech geek, I won’t be offended if you don’t read past this line.

My main issue is that I wanted to get quality equipment with which I coud grow professionally without busting my limited student budget. Dirk Halstead suggested tons of equipment at the Platypus workshop but it would take me three lifetimes at my current pay to afford any of it. I’ve got all the stuff below over the past couple years thanks to cumulated Christmases and birthdays from a generous family, many hours at minimum wage in the newsroom and an attic full of old goodies at my parents’ house.

The key is to get equipment you can improve later with add-ons, and accessories that you’ll still be able to use when you change bodies. That’s why I find it a good idea to stick with the same brand, Canon in my case, so my lenses and accessories work on my film, digital and video cameras. Also know when the investment is worth it: I put $500 in my digital SLR, but I wouldn’t put more than $40 in a tripod. It’s a whole different story if you’re a professional photographer, but if you’re a wannabe one-woman team in the African bush like me, the stuff below suffices I think.

All of this fits in my padded shoulder bag.

• Canon 20D SLR digital camera, last night’s glorious purchase. Canon doesn’t produce those anymore so you’d need to buy it used. For the same budget you can get a new Rebel SLR, you can get a used 20D. Personally, I prefer a used professional camera that has been well taken care of, to a brand new consumer product. The 20D is simple enough for an amateur like me but also should allow me to grow with it into a more sophisticated photographer. Its 8.2 megapixel resolution is all you’ll need for Web publishing and most prints you’ll do. It came with a 18-55 lens. Next buys are a longer telelens (I’m eyeing a 70-300 that should cover most of what I do as an amateur) and an external flash (you’ll notice the limitations of the pop-up real soon). Also in a perfect world where money is not an issue, I would get plenty more lenses, esp. wide angle and a fish eye for fun.
• Canon Elura 100 DV video camera. This one, too, has been phased out by Canon; the market changes extremely quickly. This is a fine camera for the kind of Web video reporting that backpack journalists do. When buying this last year, I looked at the optics (I’m a Canon aficionado), the resolution, the optical zoom (much more important than the digital zoom, which only lowers resolution and increases shaking), and the possibility to go from quick, easy settings to a more personalized configuration. If you want to be able to grow your camera’s capabilities, choose one that can support an add-on wide angle lens and possibly an external lens. Eventually I want to move on to an HD camera, but it’ll be a while before I can afford it. It’s not necessary for Web site embedding but there are gorgeous HD podcasts out there. And I have dreams of making documentaries.
• Audio Technica ATR25 stereo shotgun microphone. My only problem with my camera is that, if you use the internal mic in interview settings with very little background noise, you become painfully aware of the sound of the camera running. So I got this external microphone. It’s a basic model, cost me just 35 bucks. I quite honestly haven’t even used it yet. I’m still looking for a way to attach the mic to the top of the camera so I don’t need to grow a third arm. So far I’ve only found expensive L-brackets that hook up to a tripod. I’m working my way to a wireless Lavaliere mic, much less obtrusive once you’ve got your subject used to it.
• XtremeMac Micromemo mic/speaker attachment for iPod. I use this as my voice recorder when doing print stories. But the quality of the audio is high enough for Web publication. The only downside is you need to have the mic very close to your subject. It’s a good idea to keep it running while shooting your video. Several teams at our training this week, including ours, learned the hard way that you can’t ever have too many backup plans when it comes to audio.
• Canon EOS 650 SLR film camera. This is its French model name, but don’t bother looking for it anyway: this camera is 20 years old. It was my dad’s, and he’s the one who introduced me to Canon optics and photography in general. I adore this model because it is from the time when all internal workings were made in metal, not plastic. The camera is heavier, but it’s eternal. It and its lenses (a 28 mm and a 50mm) also have way more possibilities of aperture than the models sold today. This is only for when I feel artsy and want an excuse to hide away in a darkroom. No journalism is done on film these days, and thank goodness because it’s expensive.
• Tripod of a brand I can’t remember right now. I again went with a basic $30 dollar model, bag included. I’m on a student budget here. It’s light and compact, has a bubble level, adjustable legs, a quick release system, a table tripod hidden in the handle and it moves in all the directions I want it to. It would probably fly off if I tried to shoot a snow storm, but it’s all I need to keep my camera steady and even. For serious film-making, I’d get a tripod where the panning is a bit smoother.
• The usual array of tapes, film, connection cables, batteries and chargers. Always have extras. I’m working toward an extra Canon battery pack (I know, I’m working toward a lot of things).
• Filters. I have a 4-star and 6-star for when I feel artsy. The only one that’s absolutely essential is a circular polarizer filter. I have a bunch of color filters, but in the age of Photoshop they’ve become moot and I don’t carry them around.
• Sandisk 2 gig memory card
• iPod video 60 gigs. For audio recording and for down time.
• Earphones. Once again, we found out it’s important to be able to check your audio on the field. You could just use your iPod earphones, but I don’t find plastic bits in my ears very comfortable so I go with a full-on padded headset, another 15-year-old survivor of my geek family’s constant technology updates.
• Cameras’ user guides. Just in case.
• Press card. It’s crazy the effect a piece of plastic can have.
• Notebook and pen. You didn’t think you could do without, did you?

I keep at home for editing time (and will take on the road one day).

• My faithful Macbook 14”. I’ve edited on iMovie so far because I haven’t had time to sit down with Final Cut Express. That’s the plan for the holidays.
• Cavalry 400 gigs external hard drive. Importing video takes an insane amount of space. I got a 3.5” drive, which means it’s a bit heavy and not self-powered. If you have a bigger budget, go for a 2.5” that’s powered via USB and the size of a paperback. It’s much easier on the road, or even just in your purse to get to the newsroom.
• Sandisk Imagemate CF reader. Canon got a bit proprietary and decided it won’t let you import photos directly from camera to computer unless you use their software. If you’re more into iPhoto, get a card reader.
• External USB mic to record voice-overs. 10 bucks will do.

Let me know what you went with or if you have other suggestions to improve my faithful bag.

I worked with Greg Bowers, who reported and did narration on another video; Jake Sherlock, who took stills and edited the other video; and Keith Claxton, who handled audio, graphics and the upcoming Flash presentation, which I will link to soon. For my part, I handled the camera throughout, and edited and narrated the video below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnBNWgoaxe4&rel=1]

Notice there’s a lot of voice over? That’s because we had a flimsy mic that moved just half a millimeter in its outlet, enough not to record on 90 percent of the tape. Thankfully, we had a Marantz running so a lot of the natural sound has actually been added manually to the video. That’s why I was up till 2. That and the fact that I repeated my narration 20 times because I was growing self-conscious about my accent. Is it peeza? Pizaaah? Pizzzza?

This got me thinking about the various people whose work has affected me throughout the years. I call them my professional crushes because I know if I were to meet them, I would probably stammer, blush and lose all coherent thought. Here’s a quick, non-exhaustive list in no particular order.

Stephane Paoli, former host of the morning news on France Inter: a perfect radio voice, awesome interviewing skills and sharp insight. I start on a controversial one, since Mr. Paoli has been at the center of some controversies and is not very well liked from a segment of the French journalist community, it seems. But I can only speak of him from a listener’s standpoint, as he accompanied my morning toast for years. One day in 2004, I showed up to work at the theater where I was an usher, only to find out Mr. Paoli was animating the debate we were hosting that day. I got someone to cover for me, ran home, wrote a cover letter, printed a resume and handed it all to him at the end of the evening. He actually passed it on to HR, and I heard back. I was shaking the entire time, but man, was I happy I got the guts to do it.

Nick Kristof: If you know me a little, you know I want to work in Africa. Mr. Kristof does great work there; it’s quality reporting, and he doesn’t hide under the excuse of objectivity to allow complaisance.

Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich: If you haven’t heard Radiolab, you haven’t heard radio. If I move to New York, I am so doing a sit-in in front of Mr. Abumrad’s office.

Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein and Ben Bradlee: who hasn’t had that professional crush? I finally met them this fall at the SPJ national convention. More precisely, I stood in front of a table, stammering and blushing while they signed a book for me. It’s the one thing I would save if my house caught on fire (not true, I’d grab my camera bag first).

David Attenborough, the whole Planet Earth team and the BBC in general: As I’ve said before, when a company is willing to spend three years on getting a few minutes of footage of a snow leopard, you know you have to work for them. I was transfixed when I first saw this show, by the images and by the sound of Sir Attenborough’s voice.

Travis Fox: I am usually a Times reader, but when it comes to multimedia reporting, the WashPo is light years ahead. Much credit for that goes to Travis Fox. When the Times’ videos are playing on my screen, I multi-task. With Mr. Fox, I wouldn’t dare.

Marianne and Daniel Pearl: Ok, I really should read more about them because I’m mostly going on the movie. But what I’ve seen of their philosophy of journalism fascinates me. And when Mrs. Pearl talks about truth as a religion, she articulates something that has been brewing (mostly macerating) in my head for years.

Kevin Sites: Who said Web portals can’t do journalism? And more importantly, can I have your job Mr. Sites?

And then there was Simon Reeve… I discovered his work two weeks ago when I was surfing the Web to indulge my documentary addiction. I stumbled upon Equator, a 3-part series for the BBC where Simon circles the earth along the equator, exposing environmental threats, poverty, war, fascinating people and breath-taking landscapes. I developed an instant admiration for Simon and his work. The man is extremely personable on camera, and the concepts behind his documentaries are genius. “Places that Don’t Exist,” for instance, presents regions in the world that have government and (more or less) functioning state but are not recognized internationally. Think Taiwan, only the places he chose, you probably have never heard of. Brilliant.

Goodness, that’s a lot of men in there. Got a few women to suggest whose work I should check out? Who are your professional crushes?

Second, an update on the infamous Epic 2014 video, now named Epic… 2015.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=I_v15VV226s]

It’s already wrong on a couple developments (the wifiPod, haha). I’m not big on apocalyptic predictions, but this is still insightful. And the neighborhood communal live podcast at the end is pretty cool if you ask me.