I’ve been slow to update things around here for pretty much the entire summer. I’m behind on a lot of posting, and it’s kind of a shame because I’ve gotten to do some really cool stuff since the last time I posted.
In the month of July I’ve shot NASCAR, Major League Baseball, food features, on-site portraits, studio portraits, features… you name it. A bunch of the shots have been featured pretty nicely in the print edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer, including a few A1 front page photos, section front pages and a multi-page spread or two. It’s fun being at the bottom of the ladder here without any real attachment or say in the design or layout of the paper like I do at The News Record, where I nit-pick, edit, re-arrange or omit anything I want. It’s almost like an Easter egg hunt game to thumb through all of the Enquirer’s editions to find which photos got printed or how they were used on a page. You can’t beat shooting your first MLB game on a Friday night and seeing your photo at the top of Saturday’s front page AND the Sports page centerpiece.
Some of my favorite assignments, or standout shots since the last time I posted would be:
- NASCAR: The overall experience of that entire day was just about priceless. IT was my first professional-level sports shoot and my first time at a NASCAR event. I learn a lot that day about all sorts of things and not just shooting but about myself, big-time productions and even a little about newspaper industry. I’ve described this day to people as, “the most miserable, awesome day ever” and I think it fits well.
- The Reds: In the words of Michael Keating, I saw it all in this game. I don’t know what more you could ask for at your first MLB shooting experience. A big National League rivalry, the home game since the All-Star break, a back and forth battle that included four homeruns- one of which was a home team walk-off two-run shot and to top it all off; there were Friday night fireworks. The icing on that cake was getting back to the office in time to see the designer laying one of my photos on A1 and one as the whole centerpiece on the Sports page cover. I’ve shot a lot more than my fair share of baseball, but it’s all been University of Cincinnati home games. Nothing I’ve shot on the college level compares to the all around experience of working at an MLB game. This just have been… well, no, I think I can say this was definitely the most fun assignment I’ve had so far and I can’t wait to get back to the ballpark.
- The Strutz children: Kristan Strutz was found murdered in her Delhi Township home two years ago. Since then, her husband has been sent to prison and her four children have moved in with their grandmother. The Enquirer did a follow up on the children showing how they were getting a long since the death of their mother. I wasn’t very familiar with their story when I got to their home but after I knocked on their door I was introduced to three of nicest little girls I think I’ve ever met. The three of them came running outside to play on their swing set while their brother woke up from a nap and I spent the next hour or more taking their picture and getting to know them and their grandmother. I enjoyed this assignment. I wanted to avoid anything like a stand-up portrait because I didn’t think that really told their story at all. To show the 13, 8, 7 and 5-year-olds in anything resembling a static location would be a disservice to their cheerful, miraculously child-like demeanor. I say miraculous because the entire time I spent with them I couldn’t believe how normal and happy they seemed, despite the insane tragedy they had lived through. Their grandmother is a really great woman, too. Having lived through the same tragedy, seeing her daughter taken away and then having to take in four children, all with health problems, seems like an impossible challenge to me, but she handles her situation with strength and grace.
Those three assignments have really stuck out to me and if my internship were to end tomorrow, I think they’d be the ones I’d remember for the longest because of what each of them taught me.
Other favorite shots would be the Ryle High School soccer feature/portrait, Fourth of July weekend fireworks, and the Gooey Ooey Camp chocolate baseball game at Coney Island.
Things are still going well and I’m still having fun, so I’d say this internship is still a success-in-progress. I think I’m at the half way point right now, and I’m definitely looking forward to what’s to come. Before I started this summer I thought I’d probably be shooting enough stuff to completely overhaul my portfolio and after just about six weeks, I’m pretty sure that is already the case.
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