Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Project thoughts - Athlete Mentors
I was glad that I had just come from meeting with one of the Athlete Mentors coordinators, Cathy Coakley, right before class on Monday. Everything was fresh in my mind: after meeting with her, I had started visualizing what I wanted for the project.
I'm planning on following certain athletes who are paired with an underprivileged youth associated with the Newmarket Recreation Center.
The Newmarket Rec Center started The Chameleon Club years ago in an attempt to teach kids from tumultuous backgrounds the essentials of staying active. UNH Athletics became involved a few years ago - in essence, an athlete is paired with one of the children (from elementary school to high school) and does an activity at least once a week with them. They act as a role model one of the kids wouldn't normally have.
Cathy suggested focusing on two pairs: a female mentor and her female kid, and a male mentor and his male kid. That way I could see the different dynamics between the two.
However, after talking in class on Tuesday, I relayed the story of a mentor Cathy had mentioned just last year. One of the skiiers had taught an 8th grader how to ride a bike, make healthy food choices, and find fun outdoor activities. The kid ended up losing weight and walked away with tons of confidence - the two had met throughout McNamara's career at UNH.
Telling the story prompted suggestions from my group on focusing on the personal side of the story. Though it may be invasive, interviewing the children's family members, as well as tagging along and interviewing those who work at the Newmarket rec center, would give me a meatier story. The background would provide the context to have my project mean something.
Now, I hope to target one specific pair, get a full glimpse of their story, including the child's past. What kinds of role model did the kid have before? What do his parents or single parent think? What is he getting out of the program? Why did he join?
I still need to ask what pairs are availabe and decide if I want someone just starting out, or a pair continuing their mentor relationship this year. If I choose the first, I'd get great first meetings and genuine awkwardness or admiration (I hear the boys admire the athletes more than the girls do). But if I choose the latter, I'd have an extensive background to comb through, and specific results to cite.
Cathy Coakley and those with Newmarket Rec would provide a context and have valuable outside commentary.
The bottom line is that the class cemented my idea and helped me go with more of a personal story - I have the focus, now I just need the pair to meet, interview, tape, and creat a story from.
I'm planning on following certain athletes who are paired with an underprivileged youth associated with the Newmarket Recreation Center.
The Newmarket Rec Center started The Chameleon Club years ago in an attempt to teach kids from tumultuous backgrounds the essentials of staying active. UNH Athletics became involved a few years ago - in essence, an athlete is paired with one of the children (from elementary school to high school) and does an activity at least once a week with them. They act as a role model one of the kids wouldn't normally have.
Cathy suggested focusing on two pairs: a female mentor and her female kid, and a male mentor and his male kid. That way I could see the different dynamics between the two.
However, after talking in class on Tuesday, I relayed the story of a mentor Cathy had mentioned just last year. One of the skiiers had taught an 8th grader how to ride a bike, make healthy food choices, and find fun outdoor activities. The kid ended up losing weight and walked away with tons of confidence - the two had met throughout McNamara's career at UNH.
Telling the story prompted suggestions from my group on focusing on the personal side of the story. Though it may be invasive, interviewing the children's family members, as well as tagging along and interviewing those who work at the Newmarket rec center, would give me a meatier story. The background would provide the context to have my project mean something.
Now, I hope to target one specific pair, get a full glimpse of their story, including the child's past. What kinds of role model did the kid have before? What do his parents or single parent think? What is he getting out of the program? Why did he join?
I still need to ask what pairs are availabe and decide if I want someone just starting out, or a pair continuing their mentor relationship this year. If I choose the first, I'd get great first meetings and genuine awkwardness or admiration (I hear the boys admire the athletes more than the girls do). But if I choose the latter, I'd have an extensive background to comb through, and specific results to cite.
Cathy Coakley and those with Newmarket Rec would provide a context and have valuable outside commentary.
The bottom line is that the class cemented my idea and helped me go with more of a personal story - I have the focus, now I just need the pair to meet, interview, tape, and creat a story from.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Shootin some video
For our latest assignment, we were to get out there and record some shots of people. As in, video...with a point n' shoot camera.
I took my trusty Nikon and did the best I could at Monday's UNH Career Fair. People were streaming in and out of the building from noon to 4 p.m., dressed in suits, pants, dresses and heels, carrying their resumes.
When I tried to go inside, Nancy Hoff, one of the Career Advisors, stopped me. I needed a prior appointment.
Immediately, I wished I had taken video at the Making Strides Walk to Cure Breast Cancer in Dover, NH. There, I had a steady stream of walkers behind me, many dressed in t-shirts with names of survivors in brilliant colors. Would've made for some cool visuals.
Instead, I was directed to the balcony at the top of the MUB, where I could take unlimited video. OK, a bird's eye view is fine...except for the fact that a point n' shoot can only do so much with close-ups. And my angles couldn't get that interesting. I ended up focusing on the room as a whole and then some interesting stations with good looking dialogue between employers and students.
I came back downstairs and interviewed students, one-on-one. Then, in a lucky chance meeting, I ran into Jason Whitney, the director - who I happened to know from past appointments and interviews.
He happily stepped aside and talked about the career fair.
Not that interesting. And the lighting was definitely not Fred Field quality.
But I got some interesting interviews, from students eager to learn. We'll see what happens when it comes to piecing it together. Hoping for the best.
I took my trusty Nikon and did the best I could at Monday's UNH Career Fair. People were streaming in and out of the building from noon to 4 p.m., dressed in suits, pants, dresses and heels, carrying their resumes.
When I tried to go inside, Nancy Hoff, one of the Career Advisors, stopped me. I needed a prior appointment.
Immediately, I wished I had taken video at the Making Strides Walk to Cure Breast Cancer in Dover, NH. There, I had a steady stream of walkers behind me, many dressed in t-shirts with names of survivors in brilliant colors. Would've made for some cool visuals.
Instead, I was directed to the balcony at the top of the MUB, where I could take unlimited video. OK, a bird's eye view is fine...except for the fact that a point n' shoot can only do so much with close-ups. And my angles couldn't get that interesting. I ended up focusing on the room as a whole and then some interesting stations with good looking dialogue between employers and students.
I came back downstairs and interviewed students, one-on-one. Then, in a lucky chance meeting, I ran into Jason Whitney, the director - who I happened to know from past appointments and interviews.
He happily stepped aside and talked about the career fair.
Not that interesting. And the lighting was definitely not Fred Field quality.
But I got some interesting interviews, from students eager to learn. We'll see what happens when it comes to piecing it together. Hoping for the best.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Photojournalism: Freda Degannes
The New York Times' feature "One in 8 million" captures the essence of photojournalism - snapshots of the lives of every day New Yorkers.
In the feature on Freda Degannes, the photographer pairs pictures of Freda on the street with the beginning of Degannes's narration. We are, literally, "meeting" Degannes for the first time. These photos provide the perfect bridge into her life. She finds out about her blood disorder from a "tiny cut." The journalist is letting us see the surface of Degannes' life.
From there, shots of Degannes in black and white - profiles, up close, on the subway - let us into the intense uncertainty she describes in her story. Most striking to me was when she describes the doctors telling her, "if you don't take this surgery, you have a 99 percent chance of surviving." The camera is closer to her face, which is in a semi-profile - Fred-Field style. Her stare off into space, remembering the shock. Her mouth almost forms a smile - she is clearly back in that time of her life.
And then: scars. The scars running across her belly last for several seconds on the screen. A simple close-up that tells more of the story than anything else. This was major surgery. Again, the photographer is using a shock of light on left, with a hazy shadow falling to the right, much like Fred Field. The light shines on the raised surfaces of the scars, the recesses of marks along her stomach.
This photo is the turning point in the story. From here on, were are inside Degannes' life - inside her home, where she is seen in the kitchen, next to artwork and plants that tell her personality.
The final shot of Degannes brings her story full-circle. From puzzlement, to uncertainty, to shots of Degannes post-surgery, of her stomach and home, we can watch Degannes grow and change. the photos grow more intimate as the story progresses, and her final look - laying back in the chair - captures her newfound appreciation for life. She says she doesn't feel like the same person - she has a belief in God and a wonder at the world around her.
The photographer for the New York Times used many of Fred Field's tricks. He's a fan of contrast - soft shadows on right side, balanced with shocks of light on the left. He's able to use backlight without obscuring many of the fine details- the ripples of the curtains are still visible in the picture where Degannes contemplates what she's given up.
That final toss of the hair in the soft light of the window perfectly captures Degannes' spirit and attitude. The pictures, largely profiles in the beginning, become focused around the front of Degannes' face. The photographer has a way with getting her to express her emotion - emotion never leaves the story. An underlying sense of tension, then joy.
The photgrapher's lighting of Degannes' face and movements captures all.
In the feature on Freda Degannes, the photographer pairs pictures of Freda on the street with the beginning of Degannes's narration. We are, literally, "meeting" Degannes for the first time. These photos provide the perfect bridge into her life. She finds out about her blood disorder from a "tiny cut." The journalist is letting us see the surface of Degannes' life.
From there, shots of Degannes in black and white - profiles, up close, on the subway - let us into the intense uncertainty she describes in her story. Most striking to me was when she describes the doctors telling her, "if you don't take this surgery, you have a 99 percent chance of surviving." The camera is closer to her face, which is in a semi-profile - Fred-Field style. Her stare off into space, remembering the shock. Her mouth almost forms a smile - she is clearly back in that time of her life.
And then: scars. The scars running across her belly last for several seconds on the screen. A simple close-up that tells more of the story than anything else. This was major surgery. Again, the photographer is using a shock of light on left, with a hazy shadow falling to the right, much like Fred Field. The light shines on the raised surfaces of the scars, the recesses of marks along her stomach.
This photo is the turning point in the story. From here on, were are inside Degannes' life - inside her home, where she is seen in the kitchen, next to artwork and plants that tell her personality.
The final shot of Degannes brings her story full-circle. From puzzlement, to uncertainty, to shots of Degannes post-surgery, of her stomach and home, we can watch Degannes grow and change. the photos grow more intimate as the story progresses, and her final look - laying back in the chair - captures her newfound appreciation for life. She says she doesn't feel like the same person - she has a belief in God and a wonder at the world around her.
The photographer for the New York Times used many of Fred Field's tricks. He's a fan of contrast - soft shadows on right side, balanced with shocks of light on the left. He's able to use backlight without obscuring many of the fine details- the ripples of the curtains are still visible in the picture where Degannes contemplates what she's given up.
That final toss of the hair in the soft light of the window perfectly captures Degannes' spirit and attitude. The pictures, largely profiles in the beginning, become focused around the front of Degannes' face. The photographer has a way with getting her to express her emotion - emotion never leaves the story. An underlying sense of tension, then joy.
The photgrapher's lighting of Degannes' face and movements captures all.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Senior Portraits
Wednesday's class with Fred Field was in one word: awesome. I realized that no one had ever sat me down and specifically explained to me the use and importance of photojournalism. Or the use of light. Or that photography was all about using light - what was it that Fred said? Photography is..."drawing with light."
Here are my group's "Before" pictures (two of Phil and Brittney):
And, the "after" - after Fred Field's fabulous lesson (Hint: windows are God's gift to photographers - provide the perfect filter for natural light) :
Here are my group's "Before" pictures (two of Phil and Brittney):
And, the "after" - after Fred Field's fabulous lesson (Hint: windows are God's gift to photographers - provide the perfect filter for natural light) :
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