As the international leader in news gathering and distribution, The Associated Press is always looking for ways to improve the speed, accuracy and quality of their photos. Knowing Blue Pixel's reputation for consulting and training in photography and photojournalism, they asked us to develop a proposal to meet new challenges they was facing.
The Project
Their objective was to integrate numerous new hardware and software tools into their workflow while improving overall quality and consistency. And, this had to be done for hundreds of their staff without disrupting the day-to-day photo coverage they’re famous for. In effect we were asked to change the spark plugs on an engine without turning it off.
The Challenge
The first job was to break the project down into manageable chunks. We met with AP management and under their guidance began the process of writing a 55-page “Standards and Guidelines” handbook. That was supplemented with two small laminated cards that could be used in the field for instant reference. Next was a CD for all staffers full of custom templates for software like Adobe Photoshop and Photo Mechanic, along with monitor profiles, Photoshop actions and demo files.
Next we built a two-day workshop that covered a number of subjects: getting the best possible quality from their cameras, steps and tools to automate and speed the download process, advanced color managed image editing techniques and painless ways to add loads of metadata that could be used to find and sort photos in the future.
The End Result
With the program and materials complete, two of our staff took the workshop on the road, running ten sessions for all 200 of the U.S. staff. These were hands-on workshops with 14 hours of instruction.
The feedback from the U.S. workshops was so positive Blue Pixel was then asked to take the program global. The manual was re-written for the international staff in Spanish as well as English. And once again we took it on the road to London, Frankfurt, Rome, New Delhi, Bangkok, Tokyo, Lima and Mexico City.
When all was said and done, nearly 500 Associated Press photo staff attended the workshops, spanning five continents. For both the AP and Blue Pixel, it was truly a global success story.
