Stills Still Tell The Story

The Dallas Morning News pioneered video for newspapers. Staffer David Leeson became what is believed to be the first full-time newspaper staff photographer to dedicated all of his time to shooting video. His work demonstrated the possibility that video cameras might one day replace still cameras in every photojournalist’s camera bag.

The recent coverage of a police officer’s funeral by the DMN staff might just prove the theory wrong.

A combined video and still multimedia project covering the funeral makes the video look like nothing more than B-roll for the still images that are far more effective emotional moments of the slain officer’s memorial.

The videos have motion. They utilize actuality sound of speakers at the podium and bagpipes sorrowful moaning.

But the video fails to capture the emotion of the officer’s police family and his wife as they express their sorrow. Especially important are Lara Solt’s still images at the grave where officers place their hands on his casket and his crying wife looks up to the heavens with her hand on the cakset. [ Numbers 16 and 17 in the still slide show ]