I have to admit that the first 2 weeks of my new job I have felt like I am a siamese twin. One half of me is dominant and doing all the things we're supposed to do to get the job done. The other half is where I am most of the time--just observing wondering how it is getting done. Some would call it auto pilot, but it feels different to me somehow. I have heightened awareness of the life around me, just not 100% sure I understand any of it yet.
Its largely due to it being a new experience, but also the shift. I don't do mornings well and yet i am getting up every day and going off to work. Seems so normal---it just doesn't seem right!
Its largely due to it being a new experience, but also the shift. I don't do mornings well and yet i am getting up every day and going off to work. Seems so normal---it just doesn't seem right!
I have been more of a newspaper man than i have felt in a long long time. For years we haven't really delved into spot news like we used to and I had grown accustomed to covering features and sports mostly. But in two plus weeks at The Derrick I feel we have a commitment to getting to the stuff that happens daily that is hard to cover, that is impact to the day and of note historically and necessary if you think that way. Think that we are the first responders to historical record of our place. I'm not saying there is a dramatic difference in the coverage between what I had been doing at the Trib and here now at The Derrick, but certainly a subtle one. The day's events seem more important visually at The Derrick than did at the Trib.
Let me explain, because I think this is important news business wide.
As I said the news industry used to have this understanding that they were a documenter of history.
Let me explain, because I think this is important news business wide.
As I said the news industry used to have this understanding that they were a documenter of history.
In recent years the industry has shifted to be more of a planner of your days to come! And less of here's what you missed. Its weird.
The news industry seems to spend a great deal of time letting you know what is coming up--which is great, but it should never be at the expense of giving proper due effort to documenting history. My new friends at The Derrick seem to have a lovely balance of doing both.
I am growing very fond of my new colleagues. Our friendships are growing and we're learning to trust one another. This is where I really think we'll be able to do some awesome things together. And the dedication to the image and the trust of the image maker is refreshing. I am still getting my bearings there, but its a good ride so far.
The news industry seems to spend a great deal of time letting you know what is coming up--which is great, but it should never be at the expense of giving proper due effort to documenting history. My new friends at The Derrick seem to have a lovely balance of doing both.
I am growing very fond of my new colleagues. Our friendships are growing and we're learning to trust one another. This is where I really think we'll be able to do some awesome things together. And the dedication to the image and the trust of the image maker is refreshing. I am still getting my bearings there, but its a good ride so far.
I have been introducing myself as the new Jerry. Jerry Sowden is a very gifted photojournalist who was for almost two decades the visual voice for The Derrick and News-Herald. Jerry is an icon of the community and I'll never fill his shoes, but I do hope that, since I have my own shoes, that eventually I'll be able to carry on his work and create a visual history of The Derrick and News-Herald's coverage area that shows the same commitment to its people and activities.
Photojournalism is a powerful tools if used correctly. And done honestly.
When I was younger it was about making that 'WoW' picture. As I have grown older I have realized that the 'WoW' comes from telling something with heart.
To me its about what connections i can make between the reader and the subject of my photograph. Its not about the subject--its about the story. This is a hard thing to teach and perhaps it is only in time--or in epiphany that anyone gets it. The subjects story needs to be seen in the elements we include in the frame and the moment we capture.
Photojournalism is a powerful tools if used correctly. And done honestly.
When I was younger it was about making that 'WoW' picture. As I have grown older I have realized that the 'WoW' comes from telling something with heart.
To me its about what connections i can make between the reader and the subject of my photograph. Its not about the subject--its about the story. This is a hard thing to teach and perhaps it is only in time--or in epiphany that anyone gets it. The subjects story needs to be seen in the elements we include in the frame and the moment we capture.
To me its never about a picture to go with a story. If i do my job right, its a picture that tells a part of the story words cannot tell. And I am always embarrassed when I take a picture that doesn't elevate the story telling of the entire package--photos, words -- graphics! A photograph with a story should never just be filler or some"icon" of the story, it should elevate the story so the reader is moved in some way...emotionally...intellectually.....spiritually! It should be real.
Its funny, but its hard to tell people how seriously I take this work. It's fun work....no question about it, but it is never good work unless we put forth solid commitment to it daily. It is hard and at the end of the day I am still working out what I did wrong and right so that hopefully tomorrow I'll do a better job.
Its funny, but its hard to tell people how seriously I take this work. It's fun work....no question about it, but it is never good work unless we put forth solid commitment to it daily. It is hard and at the end of the day I am still working out what I did wrong and right so that hopefully tomorrow I'll do a better job.
And there is always room to improve. I have met some of the top people in our business and they are all hungry to make the next great image. Pulitzer winners who are tormented by their latest work. The thing is - the levels we work in are never the levels we want to achieve. My great friend Sue Buck once said to me something like this "Its the people who call themselves artists that i am most skeptical of."---this isn't a direct quote. She and I talked about this more than once. An artist makes because it is who they are--not what they do. So a claim of being an artist is ok, but it needs to be backed up with an indifference to the thought--and a commitment to the act.
I'm probably getting off track(as usual) but what what I'm getting at is that when we are committed to life--then our work can have meaning. Committing to art or a technical thing, or even just the craft of making is what we do to get to the point where we can use it to say something, but it is not an end means to simply be good with the device. Art is wonderful, but life is everything. Art that enhances life is worth taking note of.