Origins

   

Recently I finished my final photography graduate class, magazine. I spent 10 weeks creating an online magazine prototype focused on music in New Orleans. Over the 10 weeks I worked as a managing editor, editor, photographer, designer, photo editor and whatever other title needed to be filled to get an online magazine built and running.  

I can honestly say it was the hardest 10 weeks of my graduate career. I ended up being sick over almost a month, during which all my shoot dates fell. Taking on the different roles one right after another was daunting and at times confusing. The biggest obstacle to overcome were the highs and lows of the shoot, rebounding after a story or plan fell through. I did a lot of rebounding, some more successfully than others. In the end, after all the struggle and hard work I am glad it is behind me and sad my days as of being in class with my fellow grads has ended.   

The final site can be found at www.kineticmusings.com/dim7 

Gettin’ Her Hands Dirty

  

In October I went to the Mountain Workshops in Danville, Kentucky. Their site went up this week with everyone’s work.  

Over five days I worked on a story about dairy farmer Brenda Croshaw. Brenda and her husband David have been raising and milking show cows for seven years. While I there one of their cows gave birth to a heifer calf, and Brenda was so pleased I was there to film the birth she named it after me. Baby Meagan was born at 12:30am October 18th weighing around 65lbs and the expect her to be sold this spring for around $6,000 as a show cow.This was my first time combining audio, still photography and video into one piece. My coach at the workshops was Colin Mulvany and I am very thankful for his guidance and editing advice while I worked on this story.

It’s Magic

As I was backing up my files and editing I found this, the very first video I ever shot and cut. I had some technical difficulties while shooting and ended up with very limited audio, basically what you hear in the video is the audio I had. So not only was it a lesson in shooting video and cutting a video it was also a lesson in working around problems.

110

During homecoming at Ohio University I met Gay Hammon class of 1987, member of the Marching 110 Alumni Band. Gay was the second woman on to play cymbals for the Marching 110 in 1986. Woman were banned from the marching band 1963 when the band became the Marching Men of Ohio and adapted the high energy performance style still used today. The alumni of the 110 return every year to march in the parade and play during half time. Gay comes every year and has a lot of energy, case in point, she runs marathons because they’re fun don’t ya know.

Here’s the audio slideshow I put together from the day and I promise Joe Weiss it’ll be my last, “My name is…”

F is for Failure: CPOY Award of Excellence

The College Photographer of the Year awards were judged this week, and my multimedia piece, “F is for Failure” received an award of excellence in the Individual Still Image/Audio Story or Essay category. You can view the video either on the video page on my blog or on the CPOY site.

The judges commented that it is the way multimedia photojournalism is headed and it reminded them of a “This American Life” story. You can watch a video of the entire category judging here.

I am thankful to have a piece recognized and am encouraged to produce and learn more. Before the judging began I thought about where I was, and who I was only a year ago: I couldn’t take a good photo to save my life, I had no idea how to record audio, I had only once picked up a video camera, I had never launched Final Cut Pro only watched someone use it, and I really was lost on how to tell a story.

And now twelve months later I am growing in my still photography and video skills, can record audio with easy and am branching into using multiple mics, have not only learned much on Final Cut Pro but have started to learn the Film editing program Avid, my story telling ability is starting to match my creativity and imagination, and most importantly I am slowly starting to believe that everything I’ve dreamed of doing might be possible. And really that’s the most important to have learned, and something I try to remember each day.

I would have never created “F is for Failure” without the help, encouragement, and kick in the pants from Bruce Strong, Chad Stevens, and Bob Sacha. Thank you for all that you have taught me and don’t be shy about teaching me more.

And yes, I do still fear failure, but since making that video I have had some experiences that stand as anchors of success. Each of us will always remember our failures more clearly than our successes, but in the words of Bob Dylan:
“There’s no success like failure, and failure is no success at all.”

Some of my fellow graduate students also received awards in CPOY:
Travis Dove was named College Photographer of the Year, Sports Feature, Portrait, Documentary, Pictorial
Luis Gilberto Santos, Pictorial
Tim Gruber, Domestic Picture Story, Individual Still/Audio Story or Essay, Video Story, Portrait
Jenn Ackerman, Domestic Picture Story, Feature, General News
Kainaz Amaria, Documentary
Chris Kelleher, Individual Still/Audio Story or Essay

Love to you all, congratulations.

Maybe

Last Monday I spent the morning helping a first year film grad student shoot a film. Though I played a small part for a short time I enjoyed being on set, I was reminded of my love for film making.

The film makers name if ben pascoe, thanks ben for allowing me on set.

Cross the street

Last spring for a video class I created a short film about doors. My fellow classmates and VisCom grads were not, shall we say, excited, that might be the right word. Or maybe receptive? Okay, bluntly, they didn’t really “like” it. I walked away and thought, “Oh well, saw that comin’.” But then the plot thickens, (start scary music now). On a warm fall evening I journeyed to the other side of campus. I crossed Union Street, then climbed to the top floor of Lindley Hall. It was there that I encountered a new breed of people, Film Makers (music reaches a crescendo, pan across faces of film graduate students, music softens and quiets). I pulled my laptop from my shoulder bag, fired up Quicktime and hit the spacebar with a calm resolve. As the film played the audience grew, when the doors made their final close I was told, “That was really cool, can we watch it again?” I sat back in my chair and began to understand: when it comes to me, sometimes I need to cross Union.

And so, the world premiere of “Doors”

rainy nite

returning from the mountain. i found myself driving on a rainy night. the shift and change of color and light searching through the water was familiar. tonight it is my mood. enjoy.

climb

i’ve been told i think to much. that i should think less. that it’s time for me to stop thinking and start doing. last week i stopped thinking about rock climbing and started doing it. i attempted to climb the wall three times, each time i got a bit higher. the third time i almost reached the top and that’s when it hit me: i wasn’t thinking, i was just doing. i didn’t think about how far i had gone or how far i had to go, or how well i was doing or how poorly i was doing, didn’t think of the pain, or the height, or the size of the grip i was holding, i climbed. simply climbed, and almost made it the whole way. what stopped me from reaching the top? i started thinking about how i was almost at the top of the wall.

i will climb again. i will learn this lesson.

look hard

to say i struggle with my place in photojournalism is an understatement. in the last week i have come face forward with why i find photojournalism truly inspiring and an emotional exchange. i have been working on a documentary about refugees and immigrants in scotland, the stories of why they have come to scotland are as varied as their accents and skin tone. i’ll wait to go into what i have learned from this experience for another time. but for now i would like to introduce you to hannan shihab, who after being burned from an american bomb in the opening months of the iraq war at age 15 has found a new life in scotland, and now at 19 is a wife, mother, and survivor of all that is awful of war; and marlena lubnieuska and her three daughters, who came to scotland in hopes of a better life than poland could offer, and ended up escaping from an abusive father and partner, rebuilding their lives from sole suitcase of clothing. to me these woman are beautiful, and it has nothing to do with how they look on the outside.