Essays

15 July 2022

Tell your best visual stories in the 23rd annual NPC photo exhibit, entries begin Aug. 1

https://www.press.org/newsroom/tell-your-best-visual-stories-23rd-annual-npc-photo-exhibit-entries-begin-aug-1

Alan Kotok, alankotok@gmail.com

July 14, 2022

NPC 2022 photo exhibit logoBackground image Lilly Rum, Unsplash

National Press Club members are master storytellers in visual images as well as words. The Club's Photography Team is seeking members' best visual stories, as print photos and electronic images, for display in the main NPC lobby for the month of September. Entries will be accepted beginning Monday, Aug. 1.

This 23rd annual photography show is an exhibit, not a contest. No judges review your entries, nor are prizes awarded.

The Photo Team wants those print photos and electronic images you consider special, either related to your work or taken on your own. As journalists and communicators, you recognize photos or images that capture important moments, people, or events, or show feelings or perspectives not often found in everyday photos.

You can enter up to four electronic images and two print photos, using the same images for prints or electronic display if you wish. Photos and images must be taken by NPC members and not displayed in previous NPC Photo Team annual exhibits.

The exhibit displays member print photos and electronic images from Thursday, Sept. 1 to Friday, Sept. 30 in the Club's main 13th floor lobby. Print photos are mounted on fabric panels, while electronic images are shown in continuous slide shows on four monitors. Plus, an online exhibit catalog tells about each photographer and describes the stories behind the photos and images. See the 2021 exhibit catalog for examples and inspiration for this year's show.

Submission guidelines are now available online that give full instructions, specifications and deadlines. Entries will be accepted online for both print photos and electronic images from Monday, Aug. 1 to Saturday, Aug. 13. Print photos may be sent or delivered to the Club beginning Aug. 1 until Friday, Aug. 12.

Questions? Contact Photo Team co-chair Alan Kotok at alankotok@gmail.com

22 April 2022

Photos reveal three generations of dioxin effects

Alan Kotok | alankotok@gmail.com | April 22, 2022

https://www.press.org/newsroom/photographer-discuss-photos-revealing-three-generations-dioxin-effects-may-19

Photojournalism often tells a story in a compelling way that other media cannot. National Press Club member Ben Sarao, who created, collected, and published a set of images visually documenting birth defects from the toxic chemical dioxin, will share and discuss those photos at a Photography Team meeting on Thursday, May 19 at 10 a.m. in the Cosgrove Lounge. The event is open to all Club members.

Sarao is executive director of Primary Image, a documentary photography studio in Mesa, Arizona, and recently published Shared Tragedy, the collection of photos that documented the devastating effects of the carcinogenic and birth-defect causing chemical. Some of the genetic effects from dioxins persist across generations.

Sarao first captured photos in 1972 of children born with birth defects to parents exposed to dioxins in rural Illinois, where the chemicals were used in farm pesticides. In 2019, Sarao traveled to Vietnam to make a similar collection of photos, this time of children whose grandparents were exposed to dioxin-based defoliants known as Agent Orange used by the U.S. military. The Shared Tragedy collection is now available in electronic form, with text in English, French, and Vietnamese. A printed book is in production. Many of the images are graphic and disturbing.

Joining the program to discuss environmental and regulatory aspects of dioxins is Deborah Blum, director of the Knight Science Journalism program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who will provide insights on issues raised by Sarao's photos. Blum is the author of two books on toxic chemicals in the environment, "The Poison Squad" and "The Poisoner's Handbook," and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for beat reporting while at the Sacramento Bee.

The program is open to National Press Club members and guests, and will be held in-person in the Cosgrove Lounge. The event is also offered remotely via live audio, with copies of the speakers' presentation slides available for all participants. Remote participants will receive in advance telephone numbers, a link to download slides, and an email address to send in questions. The event is free, but advance registration is required for all participants.

Questions? Contact Photo Team co-chair Alan Kotok at alankotok@gmail.com