Best of Photojournalism 2008: Video News Photography: Winners

Friday, March 7th

Thursday, March 6th

Wednesday, March 5th

Tuesday, March 4th

Monday, March 3rd

Clips from the Video News Photography and Editing winners in the Best of Photojournalism 2008 are viewable at Poynter Online.

View the daily webinar — live each day at 12:00 EST, and archived thereafter:

Join Al Tompkins to learn what impressed the judges, what ethical issues arose in this year’s entries, and how the backpack journalist trend is affecting photojournalism.

In-Depth/Series Finalists

(In alphabetical order)

“A Far Off Wild Place”: Scott Jensen/KTUU Anchorage, AK
“Cars 4 Sale”: Wade Smith/KTVI St. Louis, Mo
“Courage Under Fire”: Matt Knisely/KMSP Minneapolis, MN
“Distant Memories”: Steve Rhodes/WTHR Indianapolis, IN
“Getting His Shot”: Eric Voss/KSDK St. Louis, MO
“Fields of Green”: Dan Wood/KUSA Denver, CO
“J’s Farm”: Jonathan Malat/KARE, Minneapolis, MN
“Nick’s Choice”: Brett Akagi/KARE Minneapolis, MN
“Part of a Family”: Doug Burgess/WFAA Dallas, TX
“Portrait of Courage”: Scott Suppelsa/KSDK St. Louis, MO
“The Race Behind the Race”: Scott Jensen/KTUU Anchorage, AK
“Shooting Blind, Seeing Life”: Andy Sugden/WZZM Grand Rapids, MI

Winners

1st: “Distant Memories”; Steve Rhodes, WTHR/Indianapolis, IN
2nd: “Nick’s Choice”; Brett Akagi, KARE/Minneapolis, MN
3rd: “A Far Off Wild Place”; Scott Jensen, KTUU/Anchorage, AK
HM: “J’s Farm” Jonathan Malat/KARE, Minneapolis, MN
HM: “Courage Under Fire”; Matt Knisely, KMSP/Minneapolis, MN

Judges’ comments

Timothy Griffis

Wow! Just when we thought the Long Features were incredible, the In-Depth/Series entries were equally amazing. For me, it’s all about the story, story and then story. Eye candy just doesn’t cut it. I’m sure the top 10 finalists were all local Emmy winners or somehow worthy of recognition as being excellent on many different levels. The winner “Distance Memories” was slickly produced piece with awesome story subject. It’s also very, visually stunning for what could be called a non-visual story.

“Nick’s Choice” had especially nice, anticipated moments. “A Far Off Wild Place” about bears in Alaska, had us memorized from the first frame to the end. “J’s Farm”, my personal favorite, had it all: sound, sequences and a powerful story.

Robert Gould

Another solid list of finalists in this category…I enjoyed looking at the hard work these photojournalists put into making these in-depth pieces matter to the audience they are aimed for. We had to look at two completely different styles of photojournalism here. We had two stories that were extremely highly produced with great effects, lighting, and storytelling. The others had really good characters with great moments. Both types deserved to be honored. We just had to decide what stood out from the rest.

“Distant Memories” was so well put together with such high production values, we placed it first. Steve Rhodes did an outstanding job putting this together. It wasn’t just style over substance though. The piece really told a great story and it built to a crescendo to really give us a nice payoff. Bravo to you and Kevin Rader for an excellent piece.

“Nick’s Choice,” a story about a kid with a deformed leg had some wonderful natural moments and the photojournalist caught them all. The boy had to decide whether or not to amputate his leg. We go through the trials of his and his family’s decision. IWe watched this probably 5 times and I enjoyed it more each time.

“A Far Off Wild Place” took 3rd. We saw this piece early in the week in another category and it mesmerized us from the minute we saw it. Bears frolicking in the Mcneill River without disturbing humans is a very powerful show of nature’s beauty. This is a story that I’ve never seen and I applaud Scott Jensen for bringing these important stories to the screen.

Honorable Mention went to “J’s Farm.” Wonderful moments with a boy and his grandfather and the quest to save grandpa’s farm because the boy loved it so much. Jonathan Malat once again captured beautiful moments and worked his magic in the edit bay with Boyd Huppert’s writing to give us another exceptional people story.

“Courage under fire” also earned HM. Another highly produced story about an injured soldier who wrote a blog about his experiences. Beautiful images and editing helped make this story get to the finals.

Jeff Roberts

A painstaking category to judge with so many awe-inspiring entries where I wanted to give a dozen stories first place. “Courage Under Fire” was one of my favorite stories which ended up only getting an honorable mention along with “J’s Farm”.

“Distant Memories” a very produced piece telling the story of deceased veterans who’s family members learned of the whereabouts of loved ones through a photographer in the Philippines. The layered shots of photos and strong storyline are what drew the judges to this piece.

Then the story about a nine year old choosing to amputate his leg in hopes of a normal boys life in “Nick’s Choice.” Nick checking to see his leg gone after coming out of the operating room was a powerful moment.

“A Far Off Wild Place” which also won the judges choice judges choice award is third. Not a story of pain and suffering but of beauty and allure.

Preston Rudie

Great top 5 stories!!! In this category, honorable mention could be viewed like winning in some other categories; the stories were simply that good.

A few highlights include the shot composition in “Courage Under Fire.” It was amazing! It was shot after shot of pure beauty. Some people may not like the music in this piece, but I’m OK with this style. What ultimately hurt this entry was that this story had, in my humble opinion, a weak ending.

“J’s Farm” was fundamentally the most sound in my book. The low angle pan from the post to farm was absolutely beautiful. The writing was fantastic and the story unfolded in a manner which made you understand what the farm meant to J. Loved it!

“Nick’s Choice” had some incredible moments, especially during the fun run. But talk about making the viewer feel something, hearing Nick talk about the amputation of his leg the night before his operation was the type of thing you hardly ever see and feel on television. The photojournalist and reporter should also be applauded for gaining the trust and access to do this story

“A Far Off Wild Place” was a favorite of the judges all week. As you’ll see by reading earlier comments, we loved some of the natural sound like the bears biting into the fish. The framing during some of the interviews has wonderful and the pacing perfect. It was clear the photojournalist and reporter were working in concert on this story.

As for “Distant Memories,” I am sure there will be some folks that will say it was over-produced, but again I’m OK with it. The style is consistent, the flow beautiful and the closing line is very good. I loved the natural sound of the camera flash and all the judges want to know if the final picture montage was done in post or by using glass? Watch this story and you can and will pick up some ideas for future stories.

Nellie Stinson

What a way to end a long week of watching stories! After watching hundreds of stories for more than twelve hours a day, these In-Depth finalists brought the week full circle. Again the debating went on for HOURS, but the winner just had a little more of everything a great story needs. The winner’s opening 30 seconds was something out of a movie. Just an overall “wow” piece. The runner-up had the best moments out of all the entrants this week. The one moment that is etched in my mind is when the subject (a 9 year old boy) wakes up after having his leg amputated, and reaches down to feel what’s left. Again, all of the finalists were incredible.

NPPA Marketplace:

$10,000 PRIZE: Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award for work in 2006 by newspaper and wire service photographers. Deadline Jan. 31, 2007. Entry form online.
BGAN: The new mobile satellite service with simultaneous high-speed data (up to 492kbps) and voice connectivity that goes wherever you go, throughout the world.
NPPA Photo Club: Your digital workflow demands the best gear. And your NPPA membership entitles you to the best prices on all the great stuff in our web store.
Join the NPPA: NPPA members receive a wide range of benefits, from educational opportunities to mentoring, discounts on equipment, insurance, business tips, and much more.