WASHINGTON, 26 SEPTEMBER 2010 — Backpack journalists use tripods on a very, very limited basis. The whole idea is to cut down on gear, to be mobile and to be unobtrusive. So learn how to turn your body into a tripod. Turn your left hip toward your subject. With your left hand as a base […]
SILVER SPRING, MD, 21 September 2010 — Rachel Ellis, a student in my “Photojournalism and Social Documentary” class at American University’s School of Communication, aims her camera during a field trip to the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in downtown Silver Spring, MD. Another student, Sareen Hairabedian, is in the background. I teach photojournalism as either […]
WASHINGTON, DC, 17 September 2010 — I see backpack journalists standing flat-footed with their feet splayed out in the general direction of their subjects and it makes me cringe. A strong wind could blow them over, much less somebody not paying attention and who just happens to bump into them or, worse, somebody who wants […]
WASHINGTON, DC, 10 September 2010 — Below is the first in a series of Bill Gentile’s Essential Backpack Journalism QuickTips that you may find helpful in the field. I certainly have. Please feel free to send any feedback. Bill Gentile: #1: Hold the Camera Properly You have a left hand largely for one purpose: To […]
WASHINGTON, 14 September 2010 — Now that we’ve defined backpack journalism, again, the next question might be, “So what does it take to be a backpack journalist?” Here are the requirements, not necessarily in order of importance. I’ve blogged about this before, and have somewhat altered what I believe is “the right stuff” of backpack […]
NEWINGTON, VA, 9 September 2010 — I stopped by the offices of Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI) last week to check on the Bill Gentile Extreme Weather Bag that I’m designing in conjunction with CEI engineers and executives. In the picture above, CEI Executive Vice President John Wesley Nash (R) looks on as I test the […]