House of Mercy - Final

Some final images.
I'm still working on the audio slideshow and hopefully will be able to spend some time at the house this quarter.

House of Mercy - 03

Finals week is coming to a close.
I'll be posting more House of Mercy photos soon.

House of Mercy - 02

Here are a few more selects from the House of Mercy.

It's Week10, therefore I won't be visiting the house as often but I'm currently working on pulling audio to help tie together the spaces. Kind of like an auditory tour of the house itself.

House of Mercy - 01

Through one of my classes I've been working with a non profit organization called House of Mercy, which is a 24/7 homeless shelter located in Rochester. The photos that they are looking for regard space, their intention is to use my photos as a kind of before and after wherein my photos are the definite 'before.' I still have freedom to photograph the people I encounter, which is great. Here are some of the selects. I'll be posting more soon.

D.C. - Wrap Up

I can't believe I'm already writing a wrap up for DC. The week went by so quickly, and I can't believe I'm already more than half way into Week 5. It was a great experience. I'm so appreciative of those who allowed time out of their day to talk to us, just a group of students who want to make it.

Before the trip I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I have to admit that the NYC trip was a bit daunting, and I didn't know if DC would bear the same kinds of circumstances. But DC was great, and felt a lot more relaxed than NYC. People seemed more receptive/open (not just in the case of pitching stories). As a student photographer, soon to be just 'photographer', DC helped me to gain back a little bit of confidence that it can be done. It's a tough industry meant for people who can tough it out. Though the journey is filled with road blocks and hardships, it's worth it - the trip solidified that for me. If I can focus, work hard, and not get bogged down with stress/negativity I'll be on my way to great things. So, with what little time I have left in school, I should be honing my technical efficiency, networking like crazy, and definitely working on my studio skills. I've got about eight months to push myself and set goals that I can work towards and beyond. And being a tiny fish in a huge pond doesn't mean that I'll get swallowed whole.

I went back through my notes that I took throughout the week and broke it down into general categories.
First and foremost, you have to learn how to be a good business person. Contracts and usage rights can be tricky if you don't know what you're getting yourself into. You have to be able to be a self starter/entrepreneur, and coming out of college is no excuse.
Related to that is being reliable. Fulfilling assignments, being technically proficient, and doing it all without having someone hold your hand is necessary in the business. As a freelancer, being reliable will be key if you expect to get more jobs.
Knowing who you're shooting for is a piece of advice you shouldn't take lightly. Each publication/organization is different and expect specific photos/pieces for their own use. You can keep your stye and point of view, but you still need to be able to adjust to the ways of the publication.
Keep pushing yourself to make a better photo. Use different angles and lenses. Look at others' work to gain inspiration. Brand recognition is a thing to appreciate and can be used appropriately.
Understand what's happening in the world. The context of any environment you work in is crucial, be it politics, sports, etc. And understanding the assignment you're on is a no-brainer.
Multimedia is great, but well done multimedia is awesome and can be packaged for use on different platforms.
Remember, you're human. You need to have something other than photography to be able to live. Personal projects will help you to center yourself, as well as other passions. Burning out happens, and it happens often.
Don't discount weddings, portraiture, and editorial work. They can help to pay the bills and also bring in some money that will fund other work. Plus, portraiture is needed in all markets, it doesn't matter what genre of photography you're into.
Photojournalism is about people. It's about collaborating, networking, being empathetic, and showing humanity. People drive what we do.
Storytelling rings true. And the ideas for those stories can come from anywhere. You have to be cold to your photos when sequencing/editing - 'kill your babies'. The editing of your story can be the difference between a strong and weak one. And pitching stories, surprisingly, was welcomed, and I'm not about to argue with that.
Lastly, the job can be done. It's a tough job to keep, and at times it'll be a struggle. Well, the majority of it will be a struggle. Working hard, though, and sticking to it will lead to great things. Fear is good, and everything else can fail but not the quality of your work.

D.C. - 05

The week went by quicker than I thought it would.

We started the morning back at Reuters, where Johnny Bivera spoke to us about personal projects and of doing what you enjoy to keep yourself centered, because it's easy to lose yourself and become bombarded with stressful situations. Shooting what we want is showing who we are through out photography, it's what makes us. Also, we shouldn't disregard the versatility of portraiture, and of shooting weddings, parties, etc.
Johnny showed us the Shoot Off Visual Media Workshops, which is a not for profit program for military and civil service photographers. It seems like an amazing, fast-paced workshop that would be great for working on multimedia skills as well as networking.
The two pieces of advice to keep close: "Everything else can fail but not the quality of your work" and "Fear is good." I remember Johnny telling me at the reception Thursday night how fear can paralyze you, but it can also motivate and push you harder than anything else.

Our last stop was National Georgraphic. We met with Ken Geiger, Deputy Director of Photography for the magazine, and Bill Douthitt, Senior Editor. The stories all come from ideas with large reach, the idea is to think big. I thought it was interesting that the photographers that are somewhat in demand are those in specialized areas. The point is to 'be where others are not'.
Then we discussed the process of pitching, planning, shooting, and editing/producing a story to be in the magazine. We considered how images will look with the gutters of a magazine, sequencing of the story, and the way the photos work along with text. And if a story is shot well, you could be considered later for photography, depending on if your style suits the next story.
We talked about the conversion to tablets, ipads, and the digital space in general. The way the stories could be seen on an ipad could include navigating the content differently, and there is a question of paying for the content.
To be one of their shooters, you have to have a body of work that shows depth, that shows you have a passion for what you're shooting. You have to care about something enough and it'll be obvious in your photos. And when shooting, there's an expectation for "controlled serendipity" - you can work within a timeframe but there should be surprises along the way that you can work to your advantage. Going beyond the shot list and what's necessary shows that you're there for more than just hitting the shutter. Lastly, the job is about problem solving and being creative/illustrative. If you're photographing an excavation, it has to be more than just bones and dirt.

I'll be posting a wrap-up soon. Just going to compile the info/advice that I've gathered in different categories and then expand upon them.

D.C. - 04

Me (texting my sister, Melissa, who's 32): I just pulled out a grey hair. Help.
Melissa: Ahh, and so it begins.

We started out today at USA Today, meeting with Andrew Scott, Sports Photo Editor, as well as Sean Doughtery and Mike Tsukamoto, who are also photo editors. The ratio of five staff photographers, the numerous freelancers, and the approximate dozen of editors wasn't too surprising to me. As with all publications, there are a stable group of freelancers that are called upon who are creative, reliable, and have proven that they have the ability to get their assignment done and can/will go beyond what is required. I was surprised to hear from yet another organization that they wanted to hear pitches. The win-win scenario found with collaboration between photographers/editors/designers/reporters can be found everywhere.
I feel as though I'm repeating myself, but the importance of knowing the context of world news, staying positive and enjoying your work, and becoming a good business person were talked about. It's essentially growing, making mistakes, failing, and, despite all that, progressing. Be persistent, develop good relationships, and know your clientele.

Next we went to Education Week and talked to Charlie Borst, the Director of Photography. Again, the importance of passion, and the will to succeed, was discussed. I get this feeling that all of the people we've met on both the DC and NYC trips have come across others that thought they could make it in this industry but burnt out in one way or another.
One piece of advice that I think can be somewhat altered and applied to everything is to take advantage of part time jobs in regards to networking and experience. Taking advantage of the classes we take or the assignments we have would ultimately benefit us.
Finally, it's important to be excited about the photos we take that we take well. It's so easy to see the things we could do next or could do better. Photography, we all can admit at one time or another, makes us happy, and a misguided attitude shouldn't stand in the way.

D.C. - 03

Somehow we're already half way through the week.

NPR was our first stop this morning. We met with Keith Jenkins, Supervising Senior Producer for Multimedia. It was incredible, and we got to actually watch some Field Recordings! And then we dissected the logistics of being able to mic/record a feat like recording a flash chorus in Times Square.
Apart from that we talked about the golden standard of 'going early, staying late' and 'working hard, showing up'. Also, regardless of all other extraneous factors it's all about storytelling. If the storytelling is off, the whole piece suffers.
I found it interesting that all the members we met that have a hand in multimedia photograph at some point. For a team that gets to work on the Tiny Desk Recordings, I never expected each person to have shooting assignments.
Showing your work to other people, especially people who aren't photographers or know what you're working on, will give you a concise answer as to whether the piece functions - if the viewer understands the story. And if there are problems, simplifying is the first option to seek out.
The evolution of storytelling was brought up. We watched this piece, in which the way the story is told/seen becomes a part of the story itself. How we experience stories is a crucial - tactile, visual, and auditory.
Last lesson from NPR: "read fiction, listen to jazz." Don't be afraid of the future, in fact, invent it. Be flexible, adaptable, and ready to improvise.

Next we went to Bloomberg and met with Andrew Harrer. It was interesting to note the differences between the NYC office and the DC. I think I found it more exciting in the DC office because it's more politically based. But that's probably me being naive and thinking that covering Capitol Hill or the White House would be fantastic and would blow my mind (I'm not joking or being sarcastic there). Despite that, we heard that it's actually challenging photographing such a politically-charged city. You have to be able to make events such as hearings interesting every time you shoot one. Varied angles and lenses can help.
Portraits done with a 300mm I never considered, but the results can be striking. Definitely worth some practice once I get back to RIT. And studio skills may be an asset one can rely on later. Also, tilt shifts are used in politics, and that's pretty awesome.
Knowing the important people that appear in the news, politically, etc is essential in DC. I think it'd be particularly embarrassing if you didn't know who someone was. And speaking of knowing the important people in the news, just knowing the news in general is a must. If you don't know what's going on as far as context, you won't know what's going on when you're on assignment, whether that's in DC or anywhere else in the world.

Then we went to AARP and met Michael Wichita, Director of Photography. The sheer popularity of the publications of both the bulletin and the magazine was crazy-amazing. The work that they utilize ranges from ad to infographics, and the fact that they were open to hearing about projects that we've done, finished or still in progress, was great to hear. These pieces can be inspirational, not only to those over 50 years of age, but those who are around my age (which leads me to believe that by the way I worded that sentence that it can be assumed that I think I'm so young, but honestly that's not true at all.)
The relationship between the photographer and the editor was also talked about. There should be a collaboration that results in a win-win. And even talking to editors about one's hobbies is encouraged; it can lead to an assignment.
One thing that made me raise my eyebrows was when Michael Wichita mentioned that if we were to send him links to our websites that he would first go to our personal work to get a feel for who we are as photographers. It's a good feeling, knowing that an editor can truly care about the photographers he sends out and want to know more about them as a person.

Our last meeting today was actually a lecture given by Tom Kennedy at the American University, in which the revolution of social media was shown. What we do as photojournalists is a service, and as storytellers we have to be able to keep up with the times as they are changing. Accepting that technology is advancing and that society will adapt itself to it will affect our abilities to tell stories. Although, I'll still hold my opinion that instagram is fun, and holds potential for professional use.

D.C. - 02

My feet are swollen. Should've brought flip flops down with me.

Our first stop in the morning was The White House meeting with Jennifer Poggi, the deputy director and White House photo editor.

Secondly, we went to Teach for America. It was a heavily based multimedia meeting with Megan Rossman, the director of multimedia and online learning. She discussed the process that goes into each story/video and what makes a good video is similar to what makes a good photo. Good lighting, composition, having what's in the frame aid the story are all factors to take into account. Also, boiling the idea down into one sentence, something Prof. Snyder has mentioned several times before, was, of course, mentioned. We learned about the internship that involves working in NYC. Sounds tempting, but let's see when that deadline is/how this year goes as far as learning multimedia and shooting sports for myself.

Lastly we went to Reuters and met with several people, including Mitchell Koppelman, vice president of broadcast services, Jim Bourg, photographer and editor in charge of Washington for Reuters News Pictures, Mary Calvert, Louie Palu, Amanda Lucidon, and Lucian Perkins. What an amazing line up. We discussed the important and responsibility held by Reuters, it is depended on to provide credible, compelling images and text in real time. Jim showed us how Reuters' wire service works, and I was reminded of how we worked on Imagine RIT last year. Instructions such as having a good boiler plate caption and completely filling out the IPTC info before handing off your images stick in my mind.
Each photographer offered us something different, not only content-wise, but utilization of skill set-wise. The many lessons learned are (and, I know, there are a lot. But they are all important and just in case I lose my notebook I'll have them here):

• from Mary Calvert: When photographing, it shouldn't be about the stuff or the process they they go through, such as a baker. It's about the people being photographed. Do a 'sight survey', if you only look left and right, you'll continue to take the same photographs. Do what has to be done to be able to make the photo. Look to newspapers for inspiration, researching things, and personalizing them. "Do a lot of stuff for the love of it."
• from Louie Palu: Beware of trendiness, know the difference between that and legitimate tools. Carry a recorder, take good notes (in notebooks that have plastic covers). Complaining gets you nowhere. Know your gear inside and out. Report in a balanced way. Go with good intentions with persistence and honesty. Brand recognition is not a bad thing. Apply for grants, and don't stop applying for them.
• from Amanda Lucidon: Editorial work pays the bills and will help you get more time to work on your own projects. Repackaging your work so it can be monetized and shared on multiple platforms. "Learning from failing."
• from Lucian Perkins: Keep everything you shoot, what may seem inconsequential now may not be later. What we shoot now may become a part of historical documents later. Keep your ears open among friends for ideas.

I'll be re-editing this post later, just as a heads up.

D.C. - 01

Well, here we go again. Another week away from scheduled classes to get a taste of what it's like out there in the 'real world'. My class and I are in Washington, D.C. for the week, visiting some amazing places, and I get the feeling this is going to go by as quickly as the week in NYC.

First we visited McClatchy-Tribune News Service, which is a wire service that contributes photos/graphics to newspapers as well as receives them from others. Some of the different categories that they provide for include sports, business, entertainment, and lifestyle. Linda Epstein, Washington Bureau photo editor, talked to us about the process by which photos are paid for, sold, distributed, and how freelancers come into the picture when on assignment for MCT. The importance of fully understanding a contract before 'signing your life away', being a good business person, self reliance, and never underestimating oneself was explained. One thing I've heard before was looking at other photographers' work, a practice I rarely do. It's probably one of the things I should be doing every day, gathering ideas to practice when I shoot and then shooting it in my own way. David Burnett's work was brought up, and I thought it was amusing since I had been looking at his photos a couple of weeks ago but I have yet to take out a tilt shit to play around with during a sports game.

Our other appointment was at AP, which I was definitely excited about. We met with David Ake and Jacquelyn Martin, with the main focus on political photography (and a little talk about sports photography!). The constantly-traveling lifestyle doesn't strike me as a career choice I'd make, but the idea of photographing the President or the Secretary of State and having the responsibility/knowledge in the back of one's head that these are the photos that are going to be the ones that are seen everywhere is pretty amazing. What I thought was amusing was that in NYC we talked to several people that mentioned the same things, and it appears as though the trend is already starting to happen in DC - never underestimating one's work came up yet again. Also, I think the lesson I have to drill into my head from today was: "You have to be cold when it comes to your work." I get attached to my work, and even in my creative writing class my professor has our workshops set up so that you can't preface what you wrote nor speak during the critique. Because when someone is reading your pieces you can't always be there to tell people 'I meant this', and that applies perfectly to photography. It has to speak for itself, and therefore what's in the frame should be able to stand on its own without me explaining it.
We got to talk a little bit about sports photography, which made it hard for me to smile. Something about it makes me really happy to have stuck with photography, I guess. David mentioned some gear to be comfortable with and where to be in some occasions, specifically basketball. And Jacquelyn advised that because we're in college we should take advantage of all the games that happen year-round. Gotta bring that Blue Devil intensity to every sport event I attend. Speaking of the Blue Devils, we talked about the importance of having passions outside of our lives as photographers. I think screaming expletives at a tv screen for a good five months, or, on the rare occasion, being at a live game so I can curse at high decibels in public, levels me out enough that I can get on with my life. Did I mention that I can't wait for college basketball season to begin? Because I honestly can't wait much longer.
Lastly, we talked about sticking it out. If you can survive the first five years, you've set yourself up for success. And I already live on a diet of basically oatmeal and tomato soup and mac and cheese, so does that mean I'm already half way there? (That was a joke, just in case my sarcasm didn't quite translate.) I'm gonna be in this industry for the long haul, so watch out, in about six years I'll be laughing all the way back to my little cardboard box of a house and loving it.

Now for some pictures.

 Liam took this photo because I admitted I hadn't taken any yet. Fine art collaboration?

 One man. One poncho. The mission to take over DC.

(Yup. I also took that other photo.)

Aww, Lauren's looks so pretty after being lost, getting horrible blisters on her ankles, and then finally finding us =)