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02/07/2006 01:00:28 AM · #1 |
the purpose of this thread is to answer some questions, offer a little more explanations, and to say, 'thanks' for all of contributions to the first thread. it just seemed to make more sense to start a new thread so that this stuff wouldn't get buried in the other one.
something i like about dpc
recently, someone here asked me why i still hang around this place. for me it's the community and how it responds to threads such as the one about volunteering-to-fix-photos, and how this community responds to thread like that one of mine. this site is a simple mechanism for making connections and keeping them. no, it's not perfect, but as far as i'm concerned, it's the best game in town.
something i would hope to do
i truly appreciate the responses and comments to the other thread. i would have to say those are probably the most powerful images i've ever taken. will they make a difference? i don't know. but, along the lines of what brad offered, i am not sure if i will ever take 'the image' that changes someone's life, but, if there is any one thing i could do here, it would be to inspire others to believe in themselves, to follow their dreams. nothing is automatic, and nothing is a given. but, if you want something bad enough, and are willing to commit to it, YOU CAN DO IT! the only mistake you can make is to give up on yourself and quit trying.
something i am not
i am not an employee of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. in addition to 11 full-time staff photographers, 1 intern, 1 or 2 externs (unpaid interns), a photo quality control director, a director of photography, and a department assistant, they have a list of about 5 or 6 freelancers. i have the utmost respect for the RTD's photo department; they are among the most creative professionals i've ever associated with--in any field. i have learned so much from the opportunities they've given me. i have no way of knowing, but i would like to think i'm close to the top of the list of people they will call when they don't have a staff photog available (at least that's my goal).
approaching an assignment
there are some assignments i will probably never get (like being assigned to a president's press pool), but all the same, i would like to think i could handle just about any assignment i'm given. the vigil was absolutely the toughest assignment i've ever had emotionally. others have presented their own challenges, both in terms of technicals and logistics. the key is to visualize the assignment before you get there. try to work it through in your head so that you don't get completely overrun by the situation you are out to capture.
approaching the vigil
as for this particular assignment, the only thing i could do to prepare for it was to remind myself that i had to treat this situation with the utmost respect. depending on how i carried myself, i would be considered an outsider, just someone there to exploit the situation, or i would be considered a compassionate professional, someone who could be trusted to walk among the crowd without intruding. i believe i succeeded.
"do you get names?"
to answer kiwichris's questions...yes, i did get the name of the young woman in the image that was on the front page. she was the victim's best friend. no, it was not easy. i gave her time to collect herself after the vigil was over before even thinking about approaching her. and rather than putting her in an uncomfortable situation of talking to a stranger, i did something different. i found a friend from another paper who i had seen talking to one of the preachers who spoke. i got him to introduce me to the preacher, who in turn, introduced me to the young woman. approaching people is tough, and this type of situation makes it even tougher, but, with practice, it becomes second nature and you just do it.
PJ might not be for you, but that's ok
photojournalism has to be one of the toughest aspects of photography. you really don't know what you are going to be shooting from one day to the next. usually, if you're lucky, it's not stuff like this. but, when it is, you'll learn real quick as to whether or not you can do it. along these lines, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. one, there is a HUGE difference between shooting for a daily paper and a weekly paper. weeklies rarely have to dig into stuff like this. two, you can still be a working photojournalist and contribute to papers on a regular basis without having to do stuff like this. there are many, many other types of stories that fill the paper, and most of them have images to help illustrate them, and most of those images are not like these. so, don't feel that you have to give up on a career in photojournalism just because you don't think you can stomach this type of assignment.
some of the images
i'm reposting the images here, just in case anyone reading this missed the other thread.
here are some of the shots i took that night
   
here's the one that ran on the front page
here's a link to the rest of them enough is enough
again, thanks for your time. and, i promise, my next post will be extremely upbeat...
cheers,
skip
edit: clarity
Message edited by author 2009-06-30 06:50:08. |
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02/07/2006 01:12:22 AM · #2 |
| thanks for sharing skip. these images are incredibly moving. |
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02/07/2006 07:57:49 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by Rikki:
thanks for sharing skip. these images are incredibly moving. |
thank you, rikki! |
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02/07/2006 09:16:57 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by skiprow:
something i like about dpc
recently, someone here asked me why i still hang around this place. |
I've gotten the same question on more then one occasion (usually someone asking me to leave). For me the answer is inspiration. I come here for the same reason I would go to a museum: to see something new. |
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02/07/2006 09:19:59 AM · #5 |
I think photojournalism is for you skip. You can do the picture taking part superberly. The emotional part of this assignment seems to have pushed you fairly close to the edge of what you can handle, but not really up against it. I would suspect that is about the right place to be. These situations should become a little easier with experience but one would hope that you don't lose any of your sensitivity.
Keep it going skip. All of us here at dpc take pride in your success, and in a small way, live our dreams vicariously as we see you accomplish so much.
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02/09/2006 02:09:46 PM · #6 |
Being somewhat new to the PJ aspect of this industry, depiction of real life can be disturbing. In time I would assume you would become somewhat immune to it all in a way, just as a Doctor does, or a Mortician, etc.
I'm not saying that becoming insentive to human suffering would be good, but you will need to find a way to turn it off so it doesn't take you down with it. Without an emotional inspiration, you will never capture the soul.
You know I will always look up to you
(ok, so I'm still a wiseguy deep down inside)
Keep smiling though
It suits you well.
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02/09/2006 02:29:52 PM · #7 |
thanks, ya'll, and thanks for the memories, brad...
it really is a fine line between caring too little or caring too much. i know every situation will be different, but i think the key is to remind yourself going in that:
1) you have a job to do
2) there are more people involved than just the people in front of your camera |
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02/09/2006 03:57:38 PM · #8 |
Skip, I really admire what you are doing, not just pursuing a career, but in sharing it with us. This is invaluable insight that one rarely gets. I plan to be watching you and maybe making a step like this in the near future. thanks,
brian |
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02/09/2006 04:19:52 PM · #9 |
Hey skip, awesome shots,makes us feel the moment beautifully....I love photojournalism myself, all the super duper studio shots here get boring to me.
I havent been around that long, but this really does look like your best shots of this nature. I am enjoying watching you get better and better...Thanks for the inspiration |
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