DISCLAIMER

It is with great regret that I have removed the Newsday photos from this page, This afternoon, I was called into management's offices and was politely, but firmly notified that my use of Newsday photos on any web site without their permission, was against company policy. Especially photos that had not yet run in the paper.

I have a great deal of respect for this particular manager and while she was sympathetic to my reasons, she had to abide by the set policy of the company and insisted that I do so, as well.

I could not argue with her reasoning. She explained that if I published photos on the web site that had not been published in the paper, we were in jeopardy of losing our First Amendment rights in regard to law enforcement agencies demanding to see all unpublished photos in their prosecution of criminal activities which we might have covered. She went on to say that my use of Newsday Photos in my web journals also conflicted with Newsday's own web page. http://www.newsday.com/ And, I was told that while I had every right to express my own personal opinion in my journals, it was felt that some of the shots that were leveled at management were personal and perhaps unwarranted.

She listened to my explanations with grace and good humor. I explained that my gripes were not personal but were aimed at the growing trend industry wide to replace news photography with a People Magazine approach: Head Shots. I also said that my journals and photos were probably good advertising and public relations for the paper. It also gave me a valuable creative outlet which helped to overcome my frustration at not seeing my best work published in the paper. At least I could see it in Assignment Sheet Journals. I was told that I could still publish Newsday photos with my journals provided that they had been first been published in Newsday and that I had gained permission to use them. I pointed out that I would then be subjected to some News Editor's judgement on what was a good photo and I had never been terribly happy about that.

She smiled and probably wanted to agree with what I was saying. But, she had a job to do and I couldn't argue with her reasons. In spite of my gripes, I am, if nothing else, a loyal employee of a company which has employed me and paid me a good salary for over forty years. I recognize the fact that I take my photos on company time, with company equipment and in many situations where I could not have been without the power of the Press and my Newsday Press Card. So, I promised to abide by company policy and am hereby removing the Newsday photos from my page. (I will, however, leave up the photo of Annie and me that was taken by another photographer and which would never be used by Newsday.)

I will continue to edit Assignment Sheet and also write my journals. If I get permission, I will publish photos. I was told that I might not get that permission if the photos are used in conjunction with an journal critisising Newsday. So, there might be some of my journals sans photos. I don't think that I could ever completely stop being critical

Dick Kraus

WORKING FOR THE FEATURES DESK

By Dick Kraus
Newsday
Staff Photographer

I suppose that it was just a matter of time before my constant bitching about shooting "head shots and real estate" shots would get to the bosses. Or maybe they just felt that it was time to thrown this old man a "bone." Or not. At any rate, a few weeks ago I was told that I would be working for our Part Two section. That’s our features desk and it encompasses Food, Fashion, Home, Entertainment and the like.

Back in the dimly remembered past, Newsday didn’t have any specialists and I loved that. I loved it because I enjoyed doing food set-ups and shooting high fashion and low. I enjoyed lighting challenges and became pretty adept at working with location lighting. When a new department head took over, the first thing that he did was to break the department into news shooters, feature specialists and sports photographers. One of the things that I missed under that routine was the diversity that we once enjoyed. I had learned a lot of good, sound photography by being able to shoot so many different kinds of assignments. And, while you were trying to get a good texture light on that head of cabbage for a food story on cole slaw, you never knew when the studio phone would ring and send you off on some breaking spot news story.

The new boss heard my gripe and told me that if I liked feature work so much, he would assign me to that section. I just couldn’t give up news. I couldn’t imagine myself being knee deep in cole slaw when word came in that TWA 800 had crashed off of Long Island’s south shore. I don’t think that I could do a credible job of cole slaw photography knowing that spot news was happening in my area.

But, that was many, many years ago. I stayed with news. But, news coverage has deteriorated to "head shots and real estate." Press conferences ad nauseum. Business page environmental portraits. Blech!!!! Whatever spot news appears in our pages comes from freelancers and stringers. And, the wires. Budget constraints keep our staffers close to home. It’s cheaper to hire freelancers. You pay them peanuts and you don’t have to give them perks like hospitalization, insurance, holidays, and all of that.

So, when I was ordered to the Part Two Desk, I wasn’t unhappy. Maybe I could be a real photographer, again. It would only be for a month. Maybe two. One of the Part Two photographers was pulled to work on a photo book project that would take a year. Instead of assigning one shooter from news side for the whole year, it was decided to break it up and try several newspukes for the year. Maybe there were others who were just as disgusted at what was passing for news photography.

So, all of a sudden, I found myself off of news and onto features. It didn’t take long for me to get back into the rhythm of feature work. It’s like riding the proverbial bicycle. Once you learn, you never forget. I always felt that I had an eye and a knack for that kind of photography. There is just so much that you can learn. The rest is God-given. Photography is, all things considered, an art form. As there were no schools or training grounds to speak of when I became interested in photography, most of what I learned was self-taught. I should say, self-copied from other photographers' whom I respected. If I saw some work that I liked, I studied it and tried to emulate it. And when I had a few things with which I could work, I combined several people’s techniques and together, they became my style. But, I always felt that I had to learn more and more, lest I become stale. I still feel that way and am always looking for new techniques to add to my repertoire. I hope that I never get too old to learn new ideas.

And, lo and behold, I found myself doing studio food shots one day and location shots in Manhattan another time.

Other times I was doing celebrity interviews in NY City.

Yeah. That's me with Annie. Gawd! It's a tough life and I'm so glad that I get to do it. Surfer Girl Annie Armstrong and me on the beach at Ditch Plains.

 

More life style in East Hampton where the old money resides.

SCENES FROM EAST HAMPTON. Shoppers/strollers/cafe-sitters along Main Street and Newtown Lane. July 15, 2001. © 2001(Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

SCENES FROM EAST HAMPTON. Hook Windmill in the town green between Main Street and North Main Street. July 15, 2001. © 2001 Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

SCENES FROM EAST HAMPTON. The historic cemetery. Sunday, July 15, 2001. © 2001 Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

A play rehearsal in Manhattan. A 70's rock star at a summer theater. And An Orchestra rehearsal with horrible lighting

Sweeney Todd play rehearsal at the Hofstra Playhouse. © 2001 Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus	Rockabilly star Brian Setzer at the Westbury Music Fair. © 2001 Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus
Members of the Ensemble Modern from Germany, rehearse German Composer Heiner Goebbel's "Black On White" at the LaGuardia Concert Hall in Manhattan. Wednesday, July 25, 2001. © 2001 Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

I shot a hot dog eating contest on the 4^th of July in Coney Island and photos of sumps in summer in Eastern Long Island.

Takeru Kobayashi, Nagano, Japan, ate 50 hot dogs, and he was declared the winner of the 86th Annual Nathan's Famous International Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island. He took the title from his countryman, Kazutoyo Arai from Saitama, Japan. Photo shows Takeru Kobayashi, Nagano, Japan, eating his way to the championship. Wednesday, July 4, 2001. © 2001 Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

Recharge Basin #215, Riverhead, off State Road 25. Wildflowers adorn the slopes surrounding the sump. Thursday, June 28, 2001. © 2001Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

Ecological Recharge Basin #3, off Rt 25 in Coram. Bees and butterflies are attracted to Flat Pea. Wildflowers in profusion prettify the sump. Thursday, June 28, 2001. © 2001 Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

I made some photos of healthy young women in leotards doing exercises to show less fit women how to tone up their bods.

Nancy Walter demonstrates Lower Body Stretch. Monday, July 9, 2001. © 2001 Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

For a Food Page story on Blueberries, I made some shots at a Blueberry Farm.

Marian E. Zeh of Calverton picks blueberries at a pick-it-yourself blueberry farm in Manorville. Wednesday, July 18, 2001. © 2001 Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

Close-up of picked blueberries at a pick-it-yourself blueberry farm in Manorville. Wednesday, July 18, 2001. © 2001Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

And, my last assignment before I went on vacation took me to Long Beach on a cloudy, threatening day. I was to shoot another life style on the ocean front community. I didn’t get too far because it started to rain. Instead of crowded, sandy beaches, I ended up with desolate, moody seascapes. They might not be too good for the story, but they made for some interesting photos.

A lonely life guard surveys a deserted beach as bad weather keeps swimmer from the ocean at Long Beach. © 2001 Newsday Photo by Dick Kraus

The good news is that the paper is using just about everything I shoot. Everyday there are one or more of my shots in the Feature pages. And, as you can see, the kinds of photos that I was able to make certainly ran a large gamut. It also gave me an opportunity to display some photos in which I take a certain amount of pride. Contrast this with my journal from last month called "The Worst Picture." The bad news is that because I am taking a previously scheduled vacation, I have already been replaced on Features and when I return to work, I will go back to News. Ahhh, well. Life be like that.

Dick Kraus

newspix@optonline.net