BY JIM COLTON

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place...I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”  -- Elliott Erwitt

Some people just see things differently…it’s that simple. And nowhere is this truer than the field of photography. The world is a giant Rorschach test and we rely on eyes, other than ours, to make sense of it all. And for that, we are blessed.

In the 1999 movie classic, ‘Analyze This!’ Mob chief Paul Vitti (Robert Deniro) has a revelation, points to psychiatrist Dr. Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal) and says, “You…you…you got a gift my friend….you got a gift!” Today, I am playing the part of Paul Vitti and I am pointing at Michael S. Williamson and saying the same thing, “You…you…you got a gift my friend!”

BY JIM COLTON

“If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart…that's a good picture.” - Eddie Adams

After forty some odd years in the business, I’m happy to report that I am not jaded enough to where a photo can’t still bring a tear to my eye. Eddie said it best and I’ve paraphrased his sentiments often by saying, “For a picture to be effective, it has to be affective!” It has to cause a visceral reaction to the viewer...it makes you mad, it makes you happy, as long as it makes you something…then it’s done its job.

The tear that I speak of made itself apparent upon viewing the image above for the first time. Looking into the eyes of the young boy as he is carried away like a piece of trash found on the side of the road. Discovering he only had hours to live and the last visions he will have of this earth are of what must appear to him to be aliens in yellow suits…and not the caressing hands of his own father who could not be with him in his time of greatest need. A symbolic "X" drips on the wall bringing closure to the scene. It was all too much to bear.

BY JIM COLTON

“Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.” ― Aldous Huxley

Earlier this summer, at the University Photographer’s Association of America Symposium 2015 in Michigan, I had the great honor of sharing the stage with three of my comrades that I have worked with during my tenure as a photo editor; David Burnett, David Hume Kennerly and Joe McNally.

After reading everyone’s bios, and doing some quick math, I realized that between just the four of us, we collectively had about 200 years of experience in the business. It was official. We were ROOFies! (RoyalOrder of Old Farts) The fact that all of us were there to share our knowledge with a photographic community that was eager to learn was both heartwarming and deeply satisfying. And I am proud to be a ROOFie and would share the trenches with these guys…anywhere...any time.

BY JIM COLTON

“Seeing is not enough; you have to feel what you photograph.” – Andre Kertesz

I love looking at photographs, especially those that have people in them, that were taken with a wide angle lens. You know the ones I’m talking about….the ones that make you feel like you are actually in the room with them…a part of their conversation.

To make those kinds of images successfully, it takes a certain skill set including, sensitivity, timing, and your very own unique view of the world. Sometimes you have to be a fly on the wall, other times you have to be the paint on the wall that the fly lands on; and every once in a while, you have to be the fly swatter! And it takes a honed mind and a seasoned eye to know which approach to take.

BY JIM COLTON

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Giving a voice to the voiceless is perhaps the greatest gift that a photographer can give.  Photographs can speak volumes, shedding light on unreported or under-reported stories. They can also affect change…especially in stories about issues that are often swept under the rug.

It takes commitment, compassion and a greater sense of purpose to take on these stories. Few in our industry have done that as well as Mary F. Calvert.

By Jim Colton

“To take a photograph is to participate in another person's mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time's relentless melt.” -- Susan Sontag

There is nothing like a father's love...unconditional, nurturing and ever present...even when they are gone. I lost my father, William J. "Sandy" Colton on Christmas Day in 2008, and there hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't thought about him. He was my father, my mentor and my best friend. Everything I know and value about the field of photojournalism, I owe to him.

And there is nothing like a brother's love. My brother, Jay Colton, a gifted photographer and caring photo editor, passed away five years ago at a workshop in Brazil. He was doing what he loved; passing the photographic torch of knowledge to eager young minds. I think of Jay often, and of our sibling rivalry that pushed us both to greater heights and accomplishments.

BY JIM COLTON

“Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse.” -- Winston Churchill

When the photography industry went digital, I can still remember the arguments...the resistance...and mostly the comments. "The quality just isn't there." "It will never be as good as original film." "I'm never going to shoot digital!" The last comment came from diehards and "arteests," who steadfastly rejected the new medium.

The first digital camera was invented in 1975 by Kodak employee, Steve Sasson. It weighed in at a hefty 8 pounds and produced a 0.01 megapixel black & white image that took 23 seconds to create. It was met with mixed reviews by the company that was the industry leader in the analog market and took almost twenty years through R&D before being officially introduced to the public. 

BY JIM COLTON

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” --- John F. Kennedy

I've had the pleasure of flying on the Concorde…seven times! Each time as a human carrier-pigeon forNewsweek magazine, hand carrying film (Remember film?) from breaking international stories as varied as Pope John Paul II’s return to Poland in 1979 to President Reagan’s laying of a wreath at a cemetery for German soldiers in Bitburg in 1985.

In all cases, there were also chartered Lear Jets involved to get the undeveloped film (from where the stories originated) to Paris or London. The Concorde would leave at 11:00am local time…and would arrive at 8:30am at JFK…the same day! It was photojournalism’s version of “Beat the Clock.” At that time, it was the fastest way to meet our deadlines with “real” film, as opposed to transmissions…which were not of the highest quality back in a “pre-digital” world. Today, we have “live-streaming” of images from across the globe. My, how things have changed!

BY JIM COLTON

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.” -- Pope John XXIII

Our industry has experienced massive change in recent years. New technologies have created new avenues of hope as well as new obstacles to overcome. Analog publications are dwindling as digital publications rise. Engagement with an audience is now measured in page views and hits. Social media (an oxymoron) is now driving the traffic. And the road to greater viewership is now electronically paved as we look to the internet roadmap, for direction…and directions.

Being old-school, I still crave for the tactile experience of actually holding a newspaper or magazine in my hands and occasionally licking my finger to page through a great book rather than clicking that same finger on a mouse. Many publications are attempting to “co-exist” on the newsstands as well as on our monitors while others try to bundle their options by combining digital with analog.

Enter “INSIDE TRACKS,” by Rick Smolan.

By Jim Colton

“Some are born weird, some achieve it; others have weirdness thrust upon them.” ― Dick Francis, Author - To the Hilt

Weird: adjective. Strange and different from anything natural or ordinary.

The word "weird" is defined by various dictionaries as odd, bizarre, eccentric and unconventional. And where most of these traits could be considered unsettling, in the world of photography, and specifically sports, it could also translate to a gold mine.

The essence of photography is to capture a truly remarkable moment. And many times, different (or weird) can be good. If photographers covered the same events from the same angles, we really wouldn't achieve anything unique or memorable.

BY JIM COLTON

“It has been said that next to hunger and thirst, our most basic human need is for storytelling.” -Khalil Gibran

In its simplest form, photography is about great storytelling. A single frame may capture a moment in time, giving it eternal life. But a photo essay takes us on a pilgrimage...providing a glimpse of an otherwise unseen world; through our eyes...and…directly to our hearts.

Storytelling is a gift. The camera provides us with a vehicle for that journey but it is only those who also possess a moral compass that will successfully navigate those expeditions. Few have done that as well as Lisa Krantz.

By Jim Colton

“Map out your future - but do it in pencil. The road ahead is as long as you make it. Make it worth the trip.” -- Jon Bon Jovi

The path that a photojournalist travels is one that is blazed by inspiration and fortitude. We all fall along the way, and there is no crime in that. The crime is when you fall, and you don't get up. Life is full of stumbling blocks...we all face them. But if we don't look at what made us fall and learn from it, we are destined to remain grounded without any chance to take the next steps toward our eventual destination.

That road to becoming an accomplished professional photographer is filled with twists and turns. Around every corner are new obstacles and adventures. Those who succeed are the ones who confront those challenges and move forward with focus, versatility and a willingness to embrace change. One photographer who has done exactly that, is David Bergman.

BY JIM COLTON

“Home is where your story begins.” – Annie Danielson, Author

As we are in the throes of the annual photography contest season, many photographers are scurrying about, putting together their portfolios for submission. Many are under the misguided conception that their work must include images from abroad to have merit. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Case in point; the winner of last year’s “Photographer of the Year – Newspapers,” at POYi was Barbara Davidson of the Los Angeles Times, whose portfolio did NOT include a single image from abroad! Her portfolio was deliciously rich with local flavor, documenting stories in her own backyard.

One photographer has taken the mantra that “Home is where your story begins,” and expanded it to include not only his own neighborhood…but all fifty states! Enter Rob Hammer and his new book,“Barbershops of America.”

BY JIM COLTON

“The thing the sixties did was to show us the possibilities and the responsibility that we all had. It wasn't the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of the possibility.” -- John Lennon

I consider myself a child of the sixties...trying to be "hip"...but not a hippie...experimenting with drugs...listening to rock and roll (I didn't make Woodstock...but I did make Watkins Glen) being socially conscious...protesting the war in Vietnam...and being affected by the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy...but at the same time being filled with wonderment and awe when we landed on the moon...while watching it "live!"

The sixties, seventies and even the eighties were turbulent times. Images from the Vietnam War likeEddie Adams' execution in Saigon and Nick Ut's napalm girl were now on the front pages of newspapers showing up at breakfast tables around the world. Students were being shot by our own military at campuses like Kent State. Richard Nixon resigned as President...gas lines formed all across America...the Munich Olympic massacre....Chernobyl...the Challenger explosion...Tiananmen Square…the Berlin Wall...the list could go on forever.

BY JIM COLTON

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” -- Albert Schweitzer

As a photo editor, I was often confronted with impossible situations or extremely difficult stories to illustrate. I was constantly trying to come up with new ways to visually convey information that was essential for our readers to understand complex stories. Covering news was pretty much straight forward. But creating “illustration” could often be a daunting task.

Several new sports were to be introduced at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. As the photography editor for Sports Illustrated, I was tasked with the responsibility of illustrating them; Synchronized Diving, Trampolining, Taekwondo, Women’s Hammer Throw, Triathlon, as well as a few others. When it came to create that illustration or light that impossible shoot or even just to brainstorm to come up with a solution, I would always turn to Joe McNally.

BY JIM COLTON

According to the World Health Organization, close to 40,000 Americans end their own lives every year and a half a million people are treated in emergency departments while over a million adults reported attempting suicide. It is the tenth leading cause of death in America and the second leading cause of death in adolescents and young adults in the 15-29 age range. Millions more struggle with thoughts of suicide. Globally, more than 800,000 people die each year by their own hands. The numbers are staggering.

They also estimate that almost 10% of adult Americans suffer some form of depression such as feelings of hopelessness and/or guilt and that as many as 3% suffer from major depressive disorder or clinical depression. Women are 70% more likely than men to experience depression in the course of their lifetime as a result of pregnancy, menopause and other factors but they are also more likely to seek help than men. And according to the National Institute of Mental Health, married women are more likely to be depressed than unmarried women and "unhappily" married women are three times more likely to be depressed than "unhappily" married men.

By Jim Colton

“Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.” -- Author Unknown

There is nothing like a father’s love. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to be brought up in a loving family atmosphere understand the importance of the father/child relationship. We often look to our fathers for guidance and strength while always valuing their unspoken love. And someday, we hope to be able to do the same for our children.

But not all family dynamics are created equally; especially when it comes to the stereotype of the “absent” African American father. Every household is different and socio-economic conditions in all ethnic groups will affect the role of the father figure in any society.

For one person -- after the surprise revelation that his own biological father was an African American and dealing with years of resentment and unanswered questions -- insight, understanding and awareness came to him via a personal photographic project. Enter Zun Lee and “Father Figure.”

By Jim Colton

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ― Winston S. Churchill

There is no greater joy in life than giving back….especially when creating opportunities for those less fortunate. It has been my honor and privilege to have been part of many programs whose focus is exactly that….to open doors for hungry young minds affording them the chance to pursue their dreams.

For close to twenty years, I have been a mentor for JCamp, a program sponsored by the Asian American Journalist Association for minority high school students who are interested in journalism.  At JCamp 2005 in Minneapolis, after my presentation on photography, a 16-year-old young man came sprinting up to me afterwards and stated, “I want to be the next staff photographer for Sports Illustrated!” His name was Timmy Huynh.

Over the next two years, I helped Timmy with his portfolio and in 2006 he became the youngest student ever to be accepted to the Eddie Adams Workshop. He went off to college, earning his Masters of Arts in Journalism at the University of Missouri and is currently doing amazing work as a photo editor at the Wall Street Journal. My heart soars!

BY JIM COLTON

What's your Plan B? A question we hear more and more every day as our industry suffers through its economic metamorphosis. Companies are downsizing and laying off employees including veterans with thirty or more years at the same organization. So many of our colleagues are now searching for alternate sources of income, new jobs and for some, even new careers outside the realm of journalism. I recently read a story about a photographer and a graphic designer (that were married and working at the same newspaper) that started a food cart business serving lobster rolls in Colorado!
 
But what if your Plan B was voluntary...not forced upon you by economic downturn...but fed by a burning desire for creativity? What if you decided, after years of being very successful, gainfully employed and making a handsome salary, that you wanted to do something else? What if you were someone, say, like Derek Jeter, who at the peak of his career, decided to hang up his cleats...and become a photographer? Well, that's exactly what Howard Schatz decided to do!

Schatz was a preeminent Retina Specialist. He conducted scientific research, wrote textbooks and peer-review articles and taught ophthalmologists and residents as a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. He conducted workshops and lectured at conferences worldwide and was the Director of the Retina Research Fund at St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center in San Francisco. He was an accomplished researcher, professor, lecturer and leading practitioner at the top of his game.