Judy
DeHaas, Barry Gutierrez and Dennis Schroeder have more than one thing
in common. All three are Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalists, and
they are all sharing their experiences and knowledge with more than 200
students in Metro State’s Photojournalism Program.
Having three Pulitzer Prize winners teaching in one program “is
rare," says Associate Professor Kenn Bisio, himself an award-winning
international photojournalist with more than 30 years of experience.
"They are stellar. Having them is like having big fat frosting on a big
fat chocolate cake. It's wonderful."
DeHaas, Gutierrez and Schroeder stand at the helm of the classroom
at a time when the journalism industry is going through a shift that
leaves potential photojournalists wondering where and if they are going
to find a job.
According to these award winners, convergence journalism is the key
to being successful in this next wave of journalism. This type of
journalism requires a litany of skills, including: writing, Web design,
blogging and viral promotion as well as collecting sound, shooting
video, then editing photos, sound and video on Final Cut Pro.
"The online trend is real and you must possess the skills demanded
by the online environment or you are dead in the water," says two-time
Pulitzer Prize winner Schroeder. He was part of the Rocky Mountain News staff that covered the Columbine High School massacre and the Hayman fire, both in Colorado.
To prepare for success, you need to “be persistent and have an open
mind about what you want to do and where you want to go," says DeHaas,
who won her Pulitzer in 1994 while working for the Dallas Morning News.
She was the first to photograph a female genital mutilation during
international reporting about violent human rights abuses against women.
DeHaas adds that students should enter the College Photographer of
the Year and the Hearst competitions “to get their portfolios up to
speed and to be very aggressive about getting internships at newspapers
or magazines."
To be successful, “you need to be more than a photojournalist,” says Gutierrez, who won his Pulitzer in 2003 as a member of the Rocky Mountain News staff covering the Hayman fires. "Take Quick Book and small business accounting.”
He says a lot of the opportunities come as freelance jobs, so they need to operate like a small business.
A great work ethic doesn’t hurt either. "We will go the extra mile
for these students, but we don't take any excuses. We'll ride them like
rented mules to get their portfolios together," says Bisio, who is
proud when he sees a graduate’s name and work in local and national
publications. “I’ll put my students up against anybody.”
To help them build their portfolios, Bisio says the program’s Social
Documentary course has taken students outside of the classroom to many
places around the country to tell stories using convergence journalism.
In the spring they will be going to the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans
as well as the Oregon Coast.
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