So we had several readings this week and I'll start with Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. We have moved beyond the 1st part of the book which she titled Writing and are now into the 2nd part which is The Writing Frame of Mind. The chapter was titled Looking Around and was a short read but pointed. I saw two main points.
First off - writing (in our case photographing) requires a sense of reverence. No big secret here, but Lamott points out that you have to see people as they really are, in the most compassionate way you can. Apparently Robert Stone said something like - writing involves seeing people suffer and finding some meaning therein.
Secondly - writing (and absolutely true of photography) requires a sense of wonder. "This is our goal as writers, I think; to help others have this sense of - please forgive me - wonder, of seeing things anew, things that can catch us off guard, that break in our small, bordered worlds." (p. 100). Perfectly true of photography, and a great life guiding sentence.
Jay and Hurn discuss the Picture Essay in one of their chapters. They suggest 5-ish steps:
1. 1st Question - What is the purpose? This gives you focus. Decides for you where to point the camera
2. 2nd Question - How many pictures are required?
3. Plan the basic frame-work/structure. They point out not all research is cerebral - recommend scoping the place out - writing headings/themes, then going back and photographing these themes. Also helps you know when you are finished.
4. Then look at the shoot and see if there is enough visual variety.
5. You have to represent the subject matter as fairly as possible.
A finial thing to remember it what the camera does, if you let it: 1. Entrance-ticket - give you a reason/excuse to be there, 2. Clarifies what is going on - helps to make sense of the unknown, 3. Great way of passing on a new-found experience to others.
Chapnick discusses the history of photo essays in chapter 4 by walking though many of photography's great masters. The chapter begins by pointing out that for the 1st hundred years, photojournalism consisted of single photos seen as isolated images. This is such a strange concept. It is kind of hard to understand since nearly everything today is discussed in terms of the story.
Here's a list of some of the greats: Margaret Bourke-White, Leonard McCombe, W. Eugene Smith, Bill Eppridge, and Donna Ferrato. All have great images, but their stories are what made a name for them.
Chapnick also puts forward a list of 9 attributes that must be in the structure/thought behind the photographic essay. All are worthy of note, all are things that I need to think through as I am idea-gathering for my 30 day. Still kind of intimidated by this....
10.05.2011
9.23.2011
the dog days of summer
On September 6, 2011 Columbia Parks and Recreation hosted the 4th annual Pooch Plunge at at Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center. More than 60 canines and owners registered for the swim. It was quite a fun event. Below is my 1-day picture story with numbers 5 and 6 being my alternates.
Self-Evaluation:
Without a doubt, this was a fun event. I had a good time. Dogs had a good time, Owners had a good time. It was fun. It was also short. The event really only lasted about 1.5 hours from beginning to end and while I had tried to expand my shooting window by finding someone who was bringing their dog to the plunge, I didn't so I had about 2 hours total of shooting. This compressed time weighed on my shooting in that I really could not give myself much time to step back and think through what story I was shooting, what shots I needed, and where I was weak. I ended up with a decent story, but it not because of thought and planning.
Then again, the second story I shot for this was basically a tracker festival where I did have time to think through things, and I would say I over-thought it and ended up with a worse story. But back to this one - I think my two weakest parts are details and overviews. I shot a few overviews, but really should have worked it a bit more. For the one that I included, I climbed the tall slide and shot up there, which was a good location, I just should have stuck with it to get a better moment. More dogs in the water, perhaps one jumping in, something. the only reason this image is in, is because it is an overview, and not because it is a good image. Likewise my detail - there were tones of details there, I just didn't shoot many. Shame.
I found the editing process the hardest part. To tell the story, I actually had to give up one of my favorite images. My favorite image that remains, MoJo, is one of my alternates. But I do feel like the story works. I think it works better as 7 images than 5, but it works. I think what I learned most working through the story visually - until Rita pointed out the slide in the background of the 1st image leads nicely into the 2nd image of Jack in the tube, which I wasn't going to include at all in the beginning. Now I look at it and think its the best part and it does such a nice job of getting the dogs in the water. Thanks Rita. I need to learn to think/see like this.
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| Bella Mae, a 2.5-year-old German Shepherd mix, returns from a peer over the edge of the diving board during the Pooch Plunge at Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center in Columbia on Tuesday evening, September 6, 2011. Owner Rachel Richardson, right, thought Bella might jump but in the end the canine seemed to enjoy running around the pool a bit more. |
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| Jack Attack, a 4-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, glides down a kiddie slide during the Pooch Plunge at Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center in Columbia on Tuesday evening, September 6, 2011. Owner Will Bullard, 9, had to help Jack down the slide the first few times, but by the end of the evening Jack was a pro. |
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| Captain, an 8-month-old Coon Hound mix, retrieves his UFO frisbee during the Pooch Plunge at Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center in Columbia on Tuesday evening, September 6, 2011. |
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| This year was the fourth annual Pooch Plunge hosted by the Columbia Parks and Recreation at the Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. Labor Day marked the close of the pool season so the following day dogs got a day at the pool, and according the Parks and Rec. Information Officer Tammy Miller more than 60 canines and their owners registered for the swim. |
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| MoJo and her owner, Cinda Eichler play fetch with a tennis ball in the wading pool during the Pooch Plunge at Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center in Columbia on Tuesday evening, September 6, 2011. MoJo was a year old Great Dane mix and although she was one of the largest dogs at the pool, Eichler said the canine was still growing. |
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| Tucker, a 1-year-old Black Lab, shakes dry after retrieving a squeaky-toy during the Pooch Plunge at Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center in Columbia on Tuesday evening, September 6, 2011. Owners Rachel, left, and Jason Meystedt, right, shielded themselves form the spray and it was clear Tucker enjoyed the evening at the pool. |
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| An injured leg didn't keep Aussie, an Australian Terrier, and his owner from enjoying the Pooch Plunge at Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center in Columbia on Tuesday evening, September 6, 2011. |
Self-Evaluation:
Without a doubt, this was a fun event. I had a good time. Dogs had a good time, Owners had a good time. It was fun. It was also short. The event really only lasted about 1.5 hours from beginning to end and while I had tried to expand my shooting window by finding someone who was bringing their dog to the plunge, I didn't so I had about 2 hours total of shooting. This compressed time weighed on my shooting in that I really could not give myself much time to step back and think through what story I was shooting, what shots I needed, and where I was weak. I ended up with a decent story, but it not because of thought and planning.
Then again, the second story I shot for this was basically a tracker festival where I did have time to think through things, and I would say I over-thought it and ended up with a worse story. But back to this one - I think my two weakest parts are details and overviews. I shot a few overviews, but really should have worked it a bit more. For the one that I included, I climbed the tall slide and shot up there, which was a good location, I just should have stuck with it to get a better moment. More dogs in the water, perhaps one jumping in, something. the only reason this image is in, is because it is an overview, and not because it is a good image. Likewise my detail - there were tones of details there, I just didn't shoot many. Shame.
I found the editing process the hardest part. To tell the story, I actually had to give up one of my favorite images. My favorite image that remains, MoJo, is one of my alternates. But I do feel like the story works. I think it works better as 7 images than 5, but it works. I think what I learned most working through the story visually - until Rita pointed out the slide in the background of the 1st image leads nicely into the 2nd image of Jack in the tube, which I wasn't going to include at all in the beginning. Now I look at it and think its the best part and it does such a nice job of getting the dogs in the water. Thanks Rita. I need to learn to think/see like this.
9.21.2011
reading response #2
On Being a Photographer: Bill Jay & David Hurn - Chapter Title: Selecting a Subject
I enjoyed this chapter. They hit on one theme time and time again - curiosity. Well this bodes well, I feel I am a pretty curious person. Perhaps to a fault sometimes. Too many interests, constantly pulled away from one thing to explore another, I think this has something to do with a near decade of meandering though schools/majors/areas of focus in my life. Many times I feel like I like too much. I have never felt that "I want to be a doctor" or " I want to be a designer" feeling, I want to be it all, but obviously never can. So I became a photographer.
So they recommend lists. Making idea lists. Big ones. Of everything that hits you as an interest, or topic, or thing. And then the trick is narrowing it down. They recommend asking these questions:
Is it visual?
Is it practical?
Is it a subject about which I know enough?
Is it interesting to others?
One final thought from them I liked - "The point is that all photographers of stature whom I admire seem to share this fundamental characteristic: a deep and long-lasting respect and love for the subject matter."
This week's readings in Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird covered three key parts of a story: Character, Plot, and Dialog.
Character - Lamott is a fiction writer, and in some ways the things she has to say are simpler in fiction - since you are creating your charters, but a point she hits on time and time again in all three of these chapters is that everything grows out of your characters. She relates a character tot a Polaroid - your picture/understanding of them develops over time. She stresses the importance of understanding your character - how they think, how they feel, but in specific ways - who they would have voted for, what they cary in their pockets, do they look back or forward. Understand their essence. "Nothing is as important as a likable narrator. Nothing holds a story together better" (p. 49). Understand them, but don't you dare put them in a box.
Plot - The most important thing she says about plot is in the second paragraph of the chapter - "Plot grows out of character." Worry about the characters, not the plot, since plot is simply what characters do in situations. Discover what they care about, because thats what is at stake. Climax requires a killing, healing, or domination.
Dialog - This is the most abstract, since in our world we rely on our characters to gift us good dialog, where in Lamott's world she creates it. Still as she says - good dialog is amazing, bad dialog is the death of a story. Here again though, she points back to characters - dialog is how you nail who your character is so get it right, get the voice right, get the essence of who they are though what they are saying.
I enjoyed this chapter. They hit on one theme time and time again - curiosity. Well this bodes well, I feel I am a pretty curious person. Perhaps to a fault sometimes. Too many interests, constantly pulled away from one thing to explore another, I think this has something to do with a near decade of meandering though schools/majors/areas of focus in my life. Many times I feel like I like too much. I have never felt that "I want to be a doctor" or " I want to be a designer" feeling, I want to be it all, but obviously never can. So I became a photographer.
So they recommend lists. Making idea lists. Big ones. Of everything that hits you as an interest, or topic, or thing. And then the trick is narrowing it down. They recommend asking these questions:
Is it visual?
Is it practical?
Is it a subject about which I know enough?
Is it interesting to others?
One final thought from them I liked - "The point is that all photographers of stature whom I admire seem to share this fundamental characteristic: a deep and long-lasting respect and love for the subject matter."
This week's readings in Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird covered three key parts of a story: Character, Plot, and Dialog.
Character - Lamott is a fiction writer, and in some ways the things she has to say are simpler in fiction - since you are creating your charters, but a point she hits on time and time again in all three of these chapters is that everything grows out of your characters. She relates a character tot a Polaroid - your picture/understanding of them develops over time. She stresses the importance of understanding your character - how they think, how they feel, but in specific ways - who they would have voted for, what they cary in their pockets, do they look back or forward. Understand their essence. "Nothing is as important as a likable narrator. Nothing holds a story together better" (p. 49). Understand them, but don't you dare put them in a box.
Plot - The most important thing she says about plot is in the second paragraph of the chapter - "Plot grows out of character." Worry about the characters, not the plot, since plot is simply what characters do in situations. Discover what they care about, because thats what is at stake. Climax requires a killing, healing, or domination.
Dialog - This is the most abstract, since in our world we rely on our characters to gift us good dialog, where in Lamott's world she creates it. Still as she says - good dialog is amazing, bad dialog is the death of a story. Here again though, she points back to characters - dialog is how you nail who your character is so get it right, get the voice right, get the essence of who they are though what they are saying.
9.09.2011
editing and layout: nuts and bolts of a photo story
Our assignment was to take nearly 300 shot frames and edit it down to around 20-30 images. We then paired up in class, I worked with Madison, and we selected 6-8 images that we felt told a complete story. So here is ours:
9.02.2011
reading responses
Ok, so I'm going to post a response to our readings (and listening) for Picture Story this week.
First up: Lensworks (http://www.lenswork.com/lensworkpodcast1-3.htm) podcast entitled 10,000 hours.
Vince Lombardi said & Ansel Adams quoted - "Success happens when opportunity meets preparation."
Bumper sticker - "The harder I work, the luckier I get"
The 10,000 hour rule - to actually be really good at something you have to put in 10,000 hours of (my addition) - being not so good at it.
Ansel Adams - You cant make a descent photograph until you have made 10,000 negatives.
Well, I guess I should have about 6 or 8 good photos then. No, actually there is something really important that I realized by listening to this - I definitely feel, and quite frequently, that I should be making better images than I do, but I need to remind myself that this is all just a development faze - which bring us to a few select responses to Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird:
I read the reviews about this book before I bought it and couldn't help but wonder a bit, am I reading this for a photo class? Then I started reading it and was actully suppressed at how much that she has to say about writing translates to what I feel about photographing.
In the intro she writes that through her childhood years she felt like she could be a writer and in high school and college she had this thought, and "Then I wrote some terrible, terrible stories." She echoes this about several more of her stories and in a sadistic way it is refreshing to hear: I have long thought that I could be a good photographer. And I am. But so many times I pull out my camera for something and shoot and when I review it I just can't help but feel something to the effect of - So I want to make my living doing this but what I am seeing on my computer screen is just simply no good.
For an author - getting published is that bar that many measure themselves up to, by Lamott repeats her point that publishing isn't the goal - its writing. For a photographer - maybe landing that job is comparable to being published. We have all seen out work printed and published, but maybe its getting that real photo job where you can actually say - Yes I am a photographer and that is actually how I make my living. That, I think, is the measuring bar that I place upon myself. Maybe its validation - that someone out there thinks enough of my work to say - I will pay you to continue. But this isn't the goal. the goal is photographing and photographing well.
And to continue my analogy of Lamott's analogies - she quotes E.L. Doctorow on pg. 18 as saying "writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." This is something I really need to remember when working on photo stories - I find myself often planning what the finial piece is just as I am starting, and this is something I have to break myself of. Back to the Zen of Photography - I need to clear my mind and be present in the moment. Additionally, I do feel as if I can see about 3 feet in front of me as I begin to wind my time in J-School down. What are my next steps, where am I heading next, what is this going to open up to me? I don't know, but my focus needs to be on the few feet in front of me.
First up: Lensworks (http://www.lenswork.com/lensworkpodcast1-3.htm) podcast entitled 10,000 hours.
Vince Lombardi said & Ansel Adams quoted - "Success happens when opportunity meets preparation."
Bumper sticker - "The harder I work, the luckier I get"
The 10,000 hour rule - to actually be really good at something you have to put in 10,000 hours of (my addition) - being not so good at it.
Ansel Adams - You cant make a descent photograph until you have made 10,000 negatives.
Well, I guess I should have about 6 or 8 good photos then. No, actually there is something really important that I realized by listening to this - I definitely feel, and quite frequently, that I should be making better images than I do, but I need to remind myself that this is all just a development faze - which bring us to a few select responses to Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird:
I read the reviews about this book before I bought it and couldn't help but wonder a bit, am I reading this for a photo class? Then I started reading it and was actully suppressed at how much that she has to say about writing translates to what I feel about photographing.
In the intro she writes that through her childhood years she felt like she could be a writer and in high school and college she had this thought, and "Then I wrote some terrible, terrible stories." She echoes this about several more of her stories and in a sadistic way it is refreshing to hear: I have long thought that I could be a good photographer. And I am. But so many times I pull out my camera for something and shoot and when I review it I just can't help but feel something to the effect of - So I want to make my living doing this but what I am seeing on my computer screen is just simply no good.
For an author - getting published is that bar that many measure themselves up to, by Lamott repeats her point that publishing isn't the goal - its writing. For a photographer - maybe landing that job is comparable to being published. We have all seen out work printed and published, but maybe its getting that real photo job where you can actually say - Yes I am a photographer and that is actually how I make my living. That, I think, is the measuring bar that I place upon myself. Maybe its validation - that someone out there thinks enough of my work to say - I will pay you to continue. But this isn't the goal. the goal is photographing and photographing well.
And to continue my analogy of Lamott's analogies - she quotes E.L. Doctorow on pg. 18 as saying "writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." This is something I really need to remember when working on photo stories - I find myself often planning what the finial piece is just as I am starting, and this is something I have to break myself of. Back to the Zen of Photography - I need to clear my mind and be present in the moment. Additionally, I do feel as if I can see about 3 feet in front of me as I begin to wind my time in J-School down. What are my next steps, where am I heading next, what is this going to open up to me? I don't know, but my focus needs to be on the few feet in front of me.
8.26.2011
a great picture story
I had the pleasure of spending a week with Katie Falkenberg while she was in town for POYi judging last February. I recall a conversation we had about some of her larger projects, which included a story on moutaintop removal mining. I had seen the work before and liked it, looked at it in the midst of judging and realized how well it had been done, and looking at it now I realize that it has pretty much everything a good story needs:
There's a reverent topic/issue at hand - energy issues, environment, human's impact, big business etc. All of which I am really interested in.
All the shots - there's wides, aerials (absolutely needed for scope of the project), portraits, details
The ordering - every few shots brings you back to the topic at hand - the mountain, energy, impact.
And of course, the human element - how this impacts people who call it home.
All in all, a great photo story. So take a look:
There's a reverent topic/issue at hand - energy issues, environment, human's impact, big business etc. All of which I am really interested in.
All the shots - there's wides, aerials (absolutely needed for scope of the project), portraits, details
The ordering - every few shots brings you back to the topic at hand - the mountain, energy, impact.
And of course, the human element - how this impacts people who call it home.
All in all, a great photo story. So take a look:
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| Screenshot from: http://www.katiefalkenberg.com/#/the-human-toll--mountaintop-removal-mining/001 |
11.29.2010
audio story research
Imber: The Ghost Village
Above is a link to an audio photo story I came across. It is an all-around interesting piece. A story that I knew nothing about, nice visuals, and great nat sounds - what's not to love? The gun shooting in the beginning of the piece may be a bit overdone, but all in all it is a very nice piece.
One thing that I noticed in this piece that is not often used is that two interviews with two different people were cut up and then sandwiched back together so person a would say a sentence or so, and then person b, and then back to person a, and so on. This can be a useful tool, but in this application I think it is more distracting then useful.
Above is a link to an audio photo story I came across. It is an all-around interesting piece. A story that I knew nothing about, nice visuals, and great nat sounds - what's not to love? The gun shooting in the beginning of the piece may be a bit overdone, but all in all it is a very nice piece.
One thing that I noticed in this piece that is not often used is that two interviews with two different people were cut up and then sandwiched back together so person a would say a sentence or so, and then person b, and then back to person a, and so on. This can be a useful tool, but in this application I think it is more distracting then useful.
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