Beyond the Awkward Silences

As a full-time reporting intern for the Tampa Bay Times, I was constantly out and about talking to sources for profiles or wadding through flood waters from Tropical Storm Debby. I loved the constant interaction and meeting new people for every story.

At the same time I had photographer envy. It seems like they just got to hang in the background of ever story scene I wrote and just visually document. They talked to sources and gathered some info, but they seemed come and go as they pleased.

For this reason I was excited to start my multimedia project on the Necropolis haunted house. For my three photo assignment I was relieved to not be going through the whole in-depth interviewing multiple people aspect along with having to write it all in a few hours for the next day.

But I failed to anticipate just how awkward being a photographer, a seemingly silent figure in the background, could be. As a writer I'm use to moving between observing and asking bold questions. I learned very quickly that people are wary of photographers and at times where there is not much movement or noise (like work meetings like the one at today's Necropolis shoot) it can be awkward to be moving around going shutter-happy.

I hope to either acclimate to this better or improve my social skills as a photographer and who better to do this with than the ragtag cast of haunted house actors?

Through the Lens: Seeing Red

The "Seeing Red" assignment was a useful way to ease myself back into shutter-happy mode. I have not been able to take photos at my leisure for a while and I hope to make it a bigger habit, if not for my professional development then for my entertainment. Here are the top three shots form the assignment:

 

Getting back to photography also made me think a lot about some of my heroes in the realm of photography and journalism. I doubt I would ever focus enough on photojournalism to hold my own against their work, but it is always good to keep them in mind for inspiration.

The Miami Herald's photographer Patrick Farrell has always been one of those heroes. As a Miami native, I have grown up with the paper and in high school read it literally every morning after my car ride to school. When the Haiti Earthquake hit, not only did I see each of his photos come out in the daily editions, but I helped cover local relief efforts in the newsroom. I was thrilled, but not surprised, to see the announcement that he had won a Pulitzer for his Haiti coverage. Not only were they quality photos, but I saw first hand how much the coverage meant to my community.

Here is a link to multimedia inside view of the photographs: http://bit.ly/Q5Rxav

B&W 35 MM

These are some of my B&W shots from last year. Unfortunately, I don't have a 35mm with me at Mizzou and haven't had the opportunity to shoot more in general.
This is my world in black and white.

 

 

 

View from England: On Holy Ground

Leaving the house is always an adventure, so leaving to England alone was- so far- the voyage of a life time. Accompanied by my Canon (who is still vacationing abroad), I flew out to the motherland and explored the churches, cemeteries and history.