A bit o’ fun
Currently listening to: They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! by Sufjan Stevens
There’s been some good fun things to photograph up in Northwest Montana in the last little bit, between Ski-Jorring and an overtime crosstown High School Basketball game. Here’s six favorites from the last little bit:
Goals
Currently listening to: Take Another Year to Rise by thelovesong
Despite hopes of doing this post before, I’m a bit behind the start of 2010. In the same way, I only recently updated my sportsshooter page with my favorite shots of 2009. Nonetheless, here are my goals for the new year accompanied by a few recent photos of blue from a local Ski Mountain.
1. Find a long term project and stick with it
In the last nine months of working at the paper I’ve had the opportunity to pursue a few photo story projects,often having them fall off the way side because of how busy I was staying at the paper, logistical details not being completely in my favor, and a list of excuses that seemed to just grow as time went on. My hope is for all of this to change by bringing in an aggressive attitude but a patient one all the same as I work towards finding and committing to a story.
2. Do more video
The goals of newspapers’ online departments over the last couple years have changed and then changed again multiple times. From audio slideshows, to full-on documentary video, to youtube-like b-roll from events, the ways of telling a story has only increased with the internet. Regardless of which approach one takes in today, there is no doubt that journalists are being expected to be able to do more than in the days of just a printed paper. In order to broaden and grow in my skills as a visual journalist/communicator, incorporating sounds and moving images into my portfolio is only a step in the right direction.
3. Push for storytelling in portraits rather than just head-shots
Portraits are often the toughest assignments for me because it involves creating something out of nothing a part from finding a moment that exists at the scene. It can be easy enough to light something and show what someone looks like, but to show who they are or what they represent in connection to the story can be a different story. This is beside the fact that sometimes the story lacks a moment to capture to illustrate the story or simply have e a tight timetable with your subject as well. Regardless, my job is as much about photography as it as about journalism so pushing to even pose someone in an interactive way that explains something apart from just having them smile at the camera is something to push myself toward.
4. Relax
Shooting everyday is one of the best ways to keep your eye fresh if you’re a photographer, but can also be draining at times. Making sure an image is in the bank for each day’s paper in between however many assignments there are to do in a day means creativity and even quality can often suffer. Being aware of the challenge and knowing my limits so I don’t push myself into the ground by balancing work with relaxation and taking pictures for myself apart from publication is a way for me to stay somewhat sane and continue to better my craft. In the same way, keeping this blog to digest and process my work and evaluate my approach. In looking through my photos from 2009, I know I’ve grown tremendously. Here’s to hoping that growth continues through 2010.
Presently Productive
Currently listening to: Love is a Movement by Switchfoot
I figured I’d try to squeeze in a post before Christmas and before doing a final post for the end of the year so here’s a quick collection of images accompanied by a few links to some recent multimedia. To left is just a quick out take from a basketball game. Enjoy the others below.
CLICK HERE to view a video of a Lego Robotics Club.
CLICK HERE to view an audio slideshow of girls giving hockey a try.
Wrestle-mania
Currently listening to: Keep Swinging by Pedro the Lion
Sorry to disappoint if you were looking for WWE images – this is the sport, not the performance. Both types of wrestling I struggle to understand completely, but that doesn’t change the fact I was able to get some decent shots over the weekend. My only other experience shooting wrestling was as a freelancer at a tournament with matches occurring at each corner of the gym in flat light. Unlike that experience, only one match occurred at a time and a solitary light hung above the mat. Using the light to get images wasn’t easy – the sport is fairly fast. Being someone that usually uses available light to give a more accurate representation of events anyway despite it probably being easier to use a flash to help freeze the action more and cast light on more of the wrestlers, I felt like using the single light in the gym was the way to go. Showing the shapes and shadows of scene helped to capture the scene more so than casting a flash on the athletes. The wrestlers had to be in a specific position for the single light to illuminate enough of the face and/or body for the image to make clear enough sense. Anyway, here’s a bigger than average selection. Feedback is more than welcome.
Back and Forth
Currently listening to: Woman King by Iron and Wine
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Here’s a few favorites from the month. Can’t believe the year has less than 5 weeks left in it already.
Halloween Wedding
Currently listening to: Fanshawe by El Ten Eleven
It had been a while since I shot a wedding. The last I recall shooting was as an after graduating from university, just to keep myself shooting and making a small amount of money since I just shot as an assistant. Being a wedding photographer was and has been something I’m indifferent about mainly because so many wedding ideas and events seem to be taken from the same book. When I heard about a wedding on Halloween with a masquerade ball to match, I couldn’t say no. The actual ceremony had guests dressed up in costume but the wedding party in traditional attire. Once the wedding was over and the reception started, everyone was in a costume. With that being the case, it was a bit more of a challenge from a storytelling perspective to show that the wedding was being held on a halloween (The reception photos come across just like a Halloween party). However, with all of that being said, the assignment was an enjoyable one . CLICK HERE to see an audio slideshow from the event. Scroll down to see a a few of my favorites.
Beyond the Bounds
Currently listening to: Push by Common Market
Trying to crank out something interesting from day to day is tough but you have to push through and often have to look beyond the routine to get to the good stuff. Hopefully this counts as some of that. Here’s six.
Modifiy
Currently listening to: Vitamin by Incubus
The weather is changing. And by that I mean fall came, and then winter, and now fall has returned in the Flathead Valley. Speaking of changes, I’ve noticed a need for some changes I need to make in my work. The contrast of wide and tight shots can be a great thing, but I’m finding it needs to executed with more thought on my end. The two examples from this post are fairly obvious (see below), with the young girl being consoled and the soccer player going for a header. I knew I wanted to focus on the emotion of the moment, so I was sure to zoom in. Conversely, I shot the game action wide in an attempt to get some anxious faces (the white team, Glacier High, was en route to a come from behind victory). Understanding what elements are playing into the story often dictate what to include in an image. Being conscious of how the lack of elements can add to understanding a story or moment better is something I’m working to improve on in order to be more conscience in what I’m attempting to represent day in and day out. Anyway, enough rambling – here’s six.
In the Line of Fire
Currently listening to: This Shameless Moment by Saxon Shore
It’s been a crazy few weeks since I’ve posted. Between getting in a car accident and a forest fire occurring after fire season was thought to be done, each day has been an experience within itself. It can be stressful and frustrating,but only on the rare occasion be dull. Here’s six that I hope don’t bore you.
