Media Grunt: Michael Bazeley

Richard Koci Hernandez is one of the most talented photojournalists I know. And now he’s a multimedia whiz, too. He’s got a new book out that is aimed at photojournalists who are navigating this new multimedia landscape. If you walk away with even a sliver of Richard’s smarts, it’s well worth the $35.95. You can get it online here and even read a 15-page preview. Oh and don’t forget the blog.

Photographer John Moore of the New York Times was a witness to history Thursday. He was there for Benazir Bhutto’s final rally and her subsequent violent and public assassination. There’s been a headlong rush by newspapers into video, and audio slideshows that mesh ambient sound with pictures. But on this day, the Times kept it simple. A simple slideshow (which I could watch full-screen, thank you very much) and the quiet narration of photographer Moore as he described the events of the day. Moore was just a few feet away from Bhutto’s car as she was shot, and he captured the explosion of the suicide bomb.

Perfect.

On the morning after Bhutto’s surprising assassination, I didn’t want a cacophony of noise and video images flooding onto my computer screen as I sat in my home office. Moore’s slideshow was quiet yet powerful. The images, and Moore’s narration, gave me all the information I needed to absorb the horrific event.

There’s been a lot of hand-wringing lately (and I would say, whining) by news photographers worried that video is supplanting still photographs as the visual medium of choice. I don’t buy it. Great still photography does and always will have an important place in journalism. In this case, the Times appropriately promoted Moore’s slideshow on the home page, above the “fold.” The editors knew the images were powerful and emotional and an important part of the story.

One regret: I imagine Moore must be kicking himself a bit for letting his camera drop moments before Bhutto was shot. A Pulitzer probably slipped through his hands.