Bellingham Visual Journalism Conference begins July 15 at WWU

Western Today staff

July 6, 2011

The 2011 Bellingham Visual Journalism Conference and Workshop kicks off in less than 10 days on Friday, July 15, continuing though Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, July 17.

Openings still are available for Friday's multimedia workshop. Conference organizers are adding people to a waiting list for the Sunday multimedia workshop in case there are any last minute cancellations. The BVJC is the social event of the year for Pacific Northwest photographers who come to network, connect, reconnect, learn, teach and be inspired. A few reasons to attend: 

Photo contest: First place will be a Nikon D5100 kit. Second place will be a LowePro 250 AW camera/laptop bag. Third place will be a Photo Mechanic single user license. In the spirit of keeping it simple, all BVJC attendees who have registered by noon on Monday, July 11, will be emailed the same conceptual photo assignment. Contestanst will have until 5 p.m., Wednesday, July 13, to shoot, edit and send one captioned photo to conference officials. Instructions will be included with the assignment, and the winners will be announced on Saturday, July 16.

Nikon clean and check: Nikon will clean and check Nikon bodies and lenses for free for registered attendees. That alone is worth the price of registration! Nikon also will be bringing some of their new camera and lenses for attendees to try out.

Saturday schedule:

  • 8 am: Don Seabrook, the 2011 NPPA Region 11 Photographer of the Year and a Wenatchee World photographer and editor for 28 years, will talk about making compelling pictures in the same town year after year after year.
  • 8:45 a.m.: Welcome
  • 9 a.m: Rachel Mummey, the 2011 College Photographer of the Year, will talk about how creating relationships with community members will lead to great pictures and long-term projects.
  • 10:15 a.m: Coffee break (the print auction will open for bids).
  • 10:30 a.m.: Deanne Fitzmaurice, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Photography, will speak about gaining access to people's lives. Whether they are a famous athlete or a wounded Iraqi child, how do you put them at ease so you can capture authentic moments? Deanne will also talk about becoming a multimedia storyteller.
  • 11:45 a.m.: Lunch. (For students there'll be a special lunchtime session - Kevin Fujii, photo editor, Seattle Times, and Russ Kendall, photo editor, The Bellingham Herald, will talk about what to do and what NOT to do when applying for internships and first jobs. They'll share some horror stories.)
  • 1 p.m.: Meredith Birkett, senior producer, MSNBC, will talk about the business of multimedia. What are producers looking for? What will they pay? Can you make a living?
  • 2:15 p.m.: Coffee break.
  • 2:30 p.m.: Lisa Krantz, staff photographer at the San Antonio Express-News and winner of the 2011 Scripps Howard Foundation award, will talk about "Searching for the Golden-Cheeked Warbler and other adventures in community journalism."
  • 3:45 p.m. Break (the print auction ends).
  • 4 p.m.: Out of The Ashes: Mike Kane, former staff photographer at the Seattle Post Intelligencer, will talk about making the transition from newspapers to freelance while trying to stay true to his documentary roots.
  • 5:15 p.m.: Dinner (on your own).
  • 7:30 to 9 p.m.: Portfolio critique with a variety of editors and photographers. Prizes will be awarded for the best student portfolio and the best professional portfolio.