David Griffin has one of the world's true dream jobs: He's the director of photography for National Geographic magazine. He works with photo editors and photographers to set the visual direction of the magazine -- which in turn raises the bar for photographers around the world.
Griffin offers an intriguing look into the magazine's creative process on his blog, Editor's Pick, where he talks about how the magazine uses its extraordinary photos to tell compelling stories.
What others say
“Photojournalists of David Griffin's quality come along perhaps once a generation.” — Dennis Dimick, executive editor, National Geographic
Summary of Griffin's TED Talk
A light bulb moment refers to a moment of sudden inspiration, revelation, or recognition.
Griffin refers to a 'flash bulb moment'
1. Describe a flash bulb moment
Griffin believes a successful Photojournalists creates images which form an emotional connection with the audience. And the Photojournalist must be able to consistently make this emotional connection regardless of the assigned project. A Photojournalist needs to be respectful of the budget allocated to a project as value for money will ensure repeated contacts.
Consider the Photographic Essays presented throughout this TED Talk and select the one you believe best meets Griffin's criteria for excellence in Photojournalism. Write 100 to 200 words to justify your selection.
a) The elephant in a very small and relatively unknown wildlife sanctuary in Chad, called Zakouma.
b) Dharavi, which is part of Mumbai, India to depict the heart and soul of this slum which is a really major part of the city.
c) Fishing down the food chain in Africa.
d) American wounded soldiers coming out of Iraq and making it through to rehab at home in the US.
e) Life of leopard seals.
