Social Service Cuts

For this Missourian assignment, we went to the Voluntary Action Center. The story was about the city's proposed cuts to funding for social services like the VAC. The VAC strives to "address unmet needs in our community, giving low-income people the opportunity to gain independence, overcome crisis, meet their basic needs, and improve their quality of life." Edward Willis (and Christina Montgomery) was nice enough to consent to let me photograph him; several people I talked to that were waiting in the very small lobby weren't so aminable.


Edward Willis, 57, looks over information on obtaining diabetic testing strips while Christina Montgomery of the Voluntary Action Center (VAC) contacts Kilgore's Medical Pharmacy regarding his prescriptions. Willis was referred to the VAC by his doctor. "It's a good place to come to," he said, "People who need help need a place to come to."


Edward Willis, 57, talks with Christina Montgomery of the Voluntary Action Center (VAC) about his health issues, including his need for diabetic testing strips . Willis was referred to the VAC by his doctor. "It's a good place to come to," he said, "People who need help need a place to come to."

While I was waiting in the lobby for someone to show who *would* agree to be photographed, I overheard a very interesting conversation.

Chase Rome

On the 25th, I was sent out to photograph Rock Bridge High School senior defensive end Chase Rome. Rome recently signed to play football for OSU, and will be graduating early. He was recruited by MU, KU, K-State, Michigan, UCLA, and Syracuse, to name a few. Really nice guy.

It was an interesting shoot. I learned a couple of things:
1) If you're taking equipment that you've never used before, be sure to cover everything BEFORE you go. I ended up having to call in to figure out how to work the auto-focus for the Nikon camera I was using. I'm a Canon user, and with the Canon, you just hold the button half-way to auto-focus. With the Nikon, you have to hold down a different button.
2) I don't know how I feel about the mono-pod. I like the idea in theory, because it will help with arm fatigue. But I found it really cumbersome in trying to position myself for a shot.

Here are the shots that I captioned:

First, the Gatorade moment:

Rock Bridge senior defensive end Chase Rome rehydrates during practice on August 25, 2009. Rome has been playing competitively since the seventh grade, and was identified as a top prospect for college recruitment since the ninth grade. Rome recently committed to playing for Oklahoma State University.

Quirky Columbia Bookstores

Okay, it's my first Vox assignment, to photograph two of the many quirky bookstores around town. And since it's Vox, I'm thinking that it should be more artsy than a picture for the newspaper.

First up, Get Lost Books on 9th Street. It was a rainy day, so business was slow. Here's the shots that I captioned:


Bookshop owner, Meghan Dilliss, pauses briefly from work at Get Lost Bookshop, on Friday, August 28, 2009. Dillis opened the shop partly because she wanted to bring back the community bookstore to Ninth Street and The District.


A hand-written sign delineates the "History and Criticism of the Arts" section of Get Lost Bookshop, located at the intersection of Broadway and Ninth. Owner Meghan Dilliss chooses her books by personal and customer preference: "I like to carry things that I would read." Photo taken on Friday, August 28, 2009.

It's the Beginning of Another Year

And this time, I'm a full-time student. Which is pretty exciting!

Yesterday (Sunday), I volunteered to cover MU's freshman initiation ceremony, the Tiger Walk. The freshman class, around 5,260 students, gathered on the Francis Quadrangle to rush through the Columns and score some free Tiger Ice Cream. The incoming freshmen line up on the north side of the Columns and then, as symbolism of their entrance into the Mizzou community, they stream southward through the Columns, running toward Jesse Hall, where they are greeted with the ice Cream.

I had positioned myself in the center of the Quad and took pictures as they ran at me, by me. I was really surprised that no one hit me as I stood there. Really surprised. Here's the ones that were captioned:


Freshmen stream through the Columns at the Francis Quadrangle as part of the 15th Annual Tiger Walk on Sunday, August 23, 2009. The Tiger Walk symbolizes the students' entrance into the Mizzou community.


Theodore Tarkow, Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences, works with Billy, Cilicia and Kristi Jamison to hand out a University of Missouri tradition: Tiger Stripe ice cream, as part of the 15th Annual Tiger Walk, on Sunday, August 23, 2009, on the Francis Quadrangle.

It's the First Day of School

And I was sent out to cover Grant Elementary and Hickman High School. And then later to Columbia College.

This morning, I got up at 6:45 to cover the first day of school at Hickman High School and then later at Grant Elementary School.

At Hickman, I didn't take many pictures. About halfway through the assignment, I made the mistake of asking the Vice Principal if I could take some pictures inside the school. He informed me that I wasn't allowed to take any pictures of students. So how am I supposed to cover back-to-school without taking pictures of students? (A later suggestion was photographing feet, etc.). I was also later told that I *can* take pictures there. But it really cramped my creative juices and I had to take pictures on the down-low... And didn't end up bringing back many pictures. Here's what I captioned, including this one, where the girl in white looks to me completely like a boy:


Sisters Rebecca Dennis, left, and Lawanda Dennis, second from right, review paperwork before their children's first day of school, on August 24, 2009. Their children, Malcolm Herron, 16, second from left, and Keuna Guy, 16, right, will be entering the 11th grade of Hickman High School. Hickman High School was named as one of the top 1500 high schools in the nation by Newsweek in June, 2009, placing them in the top six percentile of schools nationwide.


Students greet each other before they begin another school year at Hickman High School on August 24, 2009. In June, Hickman High School was named in Newsweek as one of the top 1500 American high schools, placing it in the top six percentile of schools nationwide.