Open Media Boston Gets Nice Plugs from Noted Media Mavens

When I first launched Open Media Boston in March 2008 (although I actually started preparatory work back in July 2007), I knew it was probably going to be a long time before the publication got much recognition from nationally-known media experts. That's because OMB was not only a new news outlet, but we were trailblazing a new news model - the specifics of which I will soon begin discussing more in public - that I wanted to present in a low-key way in practice over many months. Rather than in hyperbole-laden press releases. I figured that if we did a decent job, OMB would get noticed in new media circles. And it's obviously important that we get some attention if OMB is really going to succeed and stick it out over the long haul. But there was no way to know in advance if that would ever come to pass.

Then suddenly, over the last couple of weeks, we've started getting more positive attention in a shorter time span than we have heretofore. Which is certainly gratifying. We've been working hard week in and week out for almost two years now - quite a long time for an experimental social media operation like ours. So it's nice to get some validation of our efforts from people that think deeply about the promise and perils of the new journalism.

First, Michele McLellan of the Reynolds Journalism Institute added OMB to her list of "promising online news organizations" on her Knight Digital Media Center blog. That was way cool of her, so I called her up and told her how much we appreciated our inclusion.

Then, through friends at Free Press, the entire OMB staff had the opportunity to hang out a bit with Robert McChesney and John Nichols (both Free Press founders) at the Cambridge, MA stop on their speaking tour in support of their new book "The Death and Life of American Journalism." Which was a fun and informative evening from start to finish. And not only did they say nice things about us to the crowd at the Cambridge event, but they went on to plug us on Amy Goodman's Democracy Now show two days later.

I don't automatically assume that either development will lead to exactly the kind of outcome that can improve Open Media Boston's chances of long term success. But it's still an excellent sign that our project is getting some positive vibes sent our way by people who are key figures in the construction of a new (and hopefully better) journalism.

Jason's Favorite Photos: Special Near-Infrared Film Edition

Hi folks! It's been a couple of weeks since I posted my latest fav pics ... but as previously promised, I just got a bunch of shots back from the photo lab that I took using Ilford SFX 200 near-infrared film on my old Pentax ME Super with an Osawa 49mm Red 25 filter onboard. Even though the lab's scans of the prints I got have come out a bit foggy (quite different that the nice sharp prints themselves), I still think these scanned images are worth displaying here. The near-infrared spectrum that the film and the filter create very interesting high contrast photos with a hyper-real feel to them. Best on very sunny days, the film also makes plants and bright surfaces show up as very light or white - which also makes for neat effects. Anyhow I very much like SFX 200, and if you shoot 35mm film I highly recommend that you check it out. [And if anyone can find it in their heart to donate me a professional high-quality film and negative scanner, I will inscribe that person's name onto the Open Media Boston Honor Roll of the Chariots of Fire.]


Reflections


Children at Greenway Fountain


Building on Bright Day


Sometimes People Look Like Cutouts


Windows and Shadow


Hidden Fountain


Ghost Building


Modernist Christ Statue


Burning Bush


Chimney and Sky


Tasty Gelato


Church on Bright Day


Tunnel Redux

This blog post and all photos are published under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2009 Jason Pramas.

Jason's Favorite Photos - Week of 7/26/09 (plus 7/27)

Here are my latest favorite pics. I actually didn't shoot that many last week; so I ended up adding a couple from Monday just to round things out a bit. I like the first three a bit more than the second two. I like the light towards sunset ... especially in the summer - although watching Boston's retail economy fall apart ... capitalist or not ... is pretty painful as storefront after storefront is covered in brown paper. Not a good sign.



Aveda No More


Summer Dusk


Summer Dusk #2


What Shall We Call This? Hmm ...


2192

Unless otherwise noted, all photos shot on a Pentax K200D and a Tamron 18-200 mm telephoto lens with a Marumi 62 mm sky filter. This blog post and all photos are published under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2009 Jason Pramas.

Jason's Favorite Photos - Week of 7/19/09

Hi again! Here are my latest favorite pics. I found this week's shoots especially challenging because of a lot of interplay of light and shadow on the bright days we've been having lately - and some indoor work, which can be tough.


Tunnel and Sky

The rest of this set I think could have been better, but I think they're close to being good shots ... the bird shot was particularly tricky because I was standing in the middle of the street trying not to freak it out ...


Cambridge University Storage


Baker at Hi-Rise Bakery


Cousin at Family Reunion


Dodgeball at Family Reunion


Robin on Fence

Unless otherwise noted, all photos shot on a Pentax K200D and a Tamron 18-200 mm telephoto lens with a Marumi 62 mm sky filter. This blog post and all photos are published under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2009 Jason Pramas.

Jason's Favorite Photos - Week of 7/12/09

Hi folks! Here's another batch of my photos for your comment/critique. I chose them either for technical merits or because I find them interesting in one way or another. In coming weeks, I'm planning to scan in some of the film photography I'm doing. For example, this past weekend I was shooting the near-infrared Ilford SFX 200 black-and-white film on my old Pentax ME Super. Can't wait to see what those pics look like.
[Note: Click photos to see them displayed at full size.]


Window Pots


Antique Window


Friend at Party ... Late Night, Dim Light
(shot handheld at low speed, high ISO, and
wide-open aperature - which generally doesn't
work very well - I did a corrected version, but
I like the feel of this picture as shot ...)


Man Through Fountain
(using Phoenix/Samyang 500 mm f/8 super-telephoto
reflector lens on a monopod from around 150 ft. away - not
a great shot by any means, but I'm surprised I got it on a low-end
older film lens without a tripod)

Unless otherwise noted, all photos shot on a Pentax K200D and a Tamron 18-200 mm telephoto lens with a Marumi 62 mm sky filter. This blog post and all photos are published under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2009 Jason Pramas.

Jason's Favorite Photos 7/4/09-7/5/09

I do a lot of photography every week that never gets seen by anyone; so I thought it would fun to start to post some of my favorites to this blog. I figure it might also encourage me to start posting more extracurricular writing here as well. I've been a very naughty editor/publisher - setting up this nice blog like 3 months ago and hardly using it at all. D'oh! Anyhow here are some pics for your enjoyment (or constructive critique ...). [Note: Click photos to see them displayed at full size.]


Boston Fireworks 7/4/2009 #1


Boston Fireworks 7/4/2009 #2


Boston Fireworks 7/4/2009 #3


Cambridge Building Reflection


Ladybug Shadow (at a North End Cemetery)

All photos shot on a Pentax K200D and a Tamron 18-200 mm telephoto lens with a Marumi 62 mm sky filter. This blog post and all photos are published under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2009 Jason Pramas.