Picture Stories by Stephen Alvarez

New reports secrets, now everyone can be a reporter

Now you can report the news too. Thanks to  Bob Krist for pointing out this gem.

-Stephen Alvarez

Foreclosure by Lauren Greenfield

"Foreclosure: Death of the American Dream" by Lauren Greenfield (with final credits) from Lauren Greenfield on Vimeo.

Lauren Greenfield's Foreclosure (thanks to Duckrabbit for pointing this out).

Great essay.

-Stephen Alvarez

Burn Emerging Photographer's Grant

 Burn is accepting applications for a $15000 Emerging Photographer grant (apply here). That is a lot of money in this economy for an emerging photographer. 

First Commissions, now a sizable grant way to lead the way in 2010 Burn.

-Stephen Alvarez

Stanley Greene's Black Passport

 

Stanley Greene is a brilliant  photographer. His new book Black Passport is available for preorder ($37.80 here). 

 Thanks to Aphotoeditor.

-Stephen Alvarez

White Nose Syndrome, what is killing the bats?

 Ok this photo is a bit misleading. Yes the bat is dead, but it died thousands of years ago in Belize. It is sealed in rock deep inside Chiquibul cave.

But there is something killing bats in the US (here). White Nose Syndrome has killed close to 90% of the hibernating bats in the Northeast US and the disease is moving south. I am researching  a story now and frankly I am scared. 

Tornado, Sewanee Tennessee -using the camera you have-

We had a tornado last night. Even though it passed right in front of my office I missed it. My friend Ben Beavers, however, was standing on the front porch of his restaurant and made a series of photos as it passed. 

Luckily no one was injured, though there is extensive property damage in Midway. Ben made the pictures with his s90, the same one that I reviewed a couple of month ago (here). I am glad that photographically Ben took my advice to heart. The camera in his pocket worked a lot better than my cameras locked inside my office.

-Stephen Alvarez
 
 

Free is dead, or at least dying at the New York Times

The NYT announced that in 2011 it will begin to charge of some online content (here). I hope this means the insanity of giving information away is coming to an end. Let face it, advertiser supported news gathering is failing and people will have to start paying for information that they need. Subscribers to the print addition will still get the online one for no charge.

Look for other big names to move to a similar model soon.

I think that this is good news for those of us in the magazine business. Free was never a sustainable business model.

-Stephen Alvarez

Burn publishes its first sponsored essay

 Burn Magazine is publishing a Nachtwey essay on tuberculosis (here). 2 important things about this; 

1 it is well done and scary as hell. If you weren't worried about TB before watching this you will be when you are done, and that is Nachtwey's point. As always he hammers it home with the subtlety of a wrecking ball. However a wrecking ball with stunning commitment to the subject.

2 Burn got sponsorship for the essay. That means that Burn is moving into the realm where photographers can be paid for what they do.  There is nothing wrong with making a living at social documentation. Thank god people like Nachtwey and Richards have been able to stay in business all these years. They are an important part of our social conscience. 

-Stephen Alvarez

National Geographic Photography Grant deadline March 1 2010

 The National Geographic Photography Grant deadline is March 1. The $30,000 grant for a specific project designed to "inspire people to care about the planet." Winner is announced Jun 1.

Details here.

-Stephen Alvarez

19.45 Billion dollars

19.45 Billion dollars, that is what American Magazine Publishers brought in last year from advertising sales (Magazine Publishers of America here). While that is a small part of the US's 14 trillion dollar GDP, it is significant as consumer spending makes up 72% of US economic activity (numbers here).