A Few of My Entries for CPOY

CPOY, or the College Photographer of the Year competition, was founded by Cliff and Vi Edom in 1945. It's one of my favorite things about attending the master's program at MU. More than 600 students from 130 colleges and universities participate in the hopes of getting a nod. But what I really love about it is getting to hear the judges, well-known professionals in the field, discuss the works submitted and the field in general. Last year's judges included Barry Locher, Seth Gitner, Nicole Frugé, Lara Solt and Zach Wise. I walk away from every category's judging with little nuggets to apply to my own craft. And ideas for projects that I'm interested in doing.

The deadline for entries was October 5th at 11:59:59 pm. So, when I was working on my submission, I was one of those people who was trying to upload at the last minute and who overwhelmed the system. It was really frustrating. I kept getting these errors and my images wouldn't load, and then I couldn't submit them, because I advertently didn't get my permission code. So at 12 midnight, I surrendered to the fact that I had nothing entered in CPOY this year. Which was a bummer, because I had some stuff this year that I really liked. But I was at peace with the whole thing. I mean, I could feel frustrated because it always seems to happen where I just need 1 more hour, despite how I plan...

But then today, I checked my e-mail and discovered that I had until 11:59:59 pm on October 6th to submit my images. I wasn't sure if that meant submitting what was on the site or if I could upload more. But I figured that I would try it (the uploading part) and if it was out of bounds, then they just wouldn't allow it. When I was about to finish and submit my stuff, I discovered this message (right) on the home page. So it all was going to go! I didn't get to turn in everything I planned on, but I got to turn in some of what I wanted to. I feel very grateful that I was able to at least submit *something.* Fingers are crossed that I at least get a nod (like make it into the second round of judging). I have a 1:600 chance.

So here's some of the images I chose:

In the General News catergory:


To inaugurate the opening of a new and larger building, members of Columbia Second Chance's board cut a giant yellow ribbon, on April 20, 2010. A no-kill shelter, the new facility is twice the size of the animal rescue's previous location, enabling them to help more "second-hand" pets.

Pictures from the Boston Globe -- Youth Olympics in Singapore

Pictures from the Youth Olympics, held in Singapore.


Caption: Darren Choy of Singapore carries the Youth Olympic torch on his way to ignite the Youth Olympic Flame at the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Youth Olympics at The Float at Marina Bay on August 14, 2010 in Singapore. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

I absolutely loved this picture. It's one of those that I wish I had in my portfolio.


Caption: Greek actress Ino Menegaki delivers the flame to the first runner inside the stadium in Ancient Olympia on Friday July 23, 2010. The flame was bound for the Aug. 14-26 Singapore inaugural Youth Olympic Games. (AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis)

Pictures from the Boston Globe -- Afghanistan

Some of the pictures from an on-going series of pictures from Afghanistan:


Caption: Abdul Qahar, an interpreter with Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, finds one of the few shaded spots during Operation Big Wave in Khanagawr, Afghanistan, Aug. 18, 2010. During the operation the men spent two days in direct sunlight with temperatures reaching more than 120 degrees. The operation was conducted to disrupt the enemy from using supply lines to bring weapons and fighters into Nawa. (U.S. Marine Corps/Sgt. Mark Fayloga)


Caption: The tomb of Sultan Mohammed Telai, which was destroyed during the Afghan civil war in 1990's is lit by setting sun on Friday, July 23, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic)

Pictures from the Boston Globe -- Pakistan

I looked at The Boston Globe's blog this weekend, and wanted to share some pictures! It's stuff like this that is why I love photography.

From the floods in Pakistan:


Caption: A man marooned by flood waters, alongside his livestock, waves towards an Army helicopter for relief handouts in the Rajanpur district of Pakistan's Punjab province on August 9, 2010. (REUTERS/Stringer)


Caption: A Syrian Muslim girl stands at the top of Mount Qassioun, which overlooks Damascus city, during sunset and prays before eating her Iftar meal on August 22, 2010. (REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri)

Wandering Around Downtown

So, after class today, I decided to wander around downtown for no apparent reason other than I felt like wandering around and taking pictures. No real destination in mind, no goal. I just felt like going out and taking images of things I found interesting. I took just my body and my 55-250 zoom and went a walkin'. And I had fun. It's been a while since I've just taken pictures of things, not to commemorate something or because I had to, but because I just felt like it. And it was fun.

I mean, I enjoyed photography for the joy of looking at something differently and capturing that image. It's been a while. With all the school work, just that pressure in 'what I ought to do,' it really zapped my creativity. It wasn't supposed to, but it was nice to snap a picture of someone doing something weird without feeling compelled to get their name.

And I Had to Work on LABOR DAY

PDF of the day's edit to be posted here later
For some reason, I guess because they're a newspaper, the Missourian decided that we should work on Labor Day. Even though the rest of the University had the day off because it's a state holiday, and we are a 'state' institution, and for MU employees, it is one of 7 official paid holidays in the year (the others? MLK, Memorial Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving & the day after, and Christmas), I did not, because I was lucky enough to be assigned the Monday morning shift.

So, I woke up with a migraine digging behind my left eye. And it progressively grew worse during the day, until, by the time the day was over, I was starting the feel dizzy and nauseous. Stinky fie! I hate feeling like something is trying to poke my eye out!!!

It was a pretty slow shift. Mostly. There were only 3 photo assignments all day. And one really lame one that shouldn't have been submitted in the first place, since it was for a story they didn't have on the 'budget' (publishing schedule) and the story was covering a store that wasn't even OPEN on Labor Day.

Because it was a slow day, two of our photographers got to wander about Columbia and take pictures (enterprise). The one eventful thing that happened was - there was a shooting over by Stephens Lake.

It Was a Good Day

Photographer: Oded Balilty
Caption: A lone Jewish settler challenges Israeli security officers during clashes that erupted as authorities cleared the West Bank settlement of Amona, east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah. Thousands of troops in riot gear and on horseback clashed with hundreds of stone-throwing Jewish settlers holed up in this illegal West Bank outpost after Israel's Supreme Court cleared the way of demolition of nine homes at the site. (February 1, 2006)

The photo lab at school has undergone renovations over the summer and one of the things that changed are the pictures that were displayed. The new pictures are all from MU Photojournalism alumni. The old pictures, the ones that they decided to get rid of, are from the New Deal exhibit. To quote Davd Rees:
"Here's the history on that exhibit: created by the Smithsonian, it traveled the country for a few years in the 1980s & early 90s. When it was finished touring, it was given to the Museum of Art and Archeology here on campus. They stored it, but never showed it. When Lee Hills Hall opened in 1996 the museum offered the exhibit to us... So, we were glad to have those pictures, as many of the photographers had also been part of the original Farm Security Administration project - and the photo documentary approach that has so heavily influenced our program and American Photojournalism.

Since the School didn't want to dispose of them, they offered them to us students. So, I journeyed to the photo lab and sorted through the pictures and came home with 2 prizes. The first was a picture from the New Deal collection, of girls jumping rope. The second, why it just made my day, was this huge print (seen above) by Oded Balilty. I've often looked at this picture, hung in the photo lab, and yearned for it. I don't know exactly what it is about it, but I really love it. And I lucked out and scored the print!!! I haven't hung it yet - I need some help to make sure that it will be straight - but I'm very excited about this picture.

And when I went online to find the photographer and caption information, I discovered that Oded Balilty had won a Pulitzer for this picture! I knew it had won in POYi (Human Conflict -- First Place, 2007), but not a Pulitzer.

I now own a Pulitzer-prize winning print. It doesn't make me like the picture any more, but it's still pretty darn cool!

The ironic thing is, I almost didn't go. I wasn't feeling good, but decided at the last minute to go. Way to encourage me, God.

It's Not Superman, It's STRONGMAN

On July 24th, the Columbia Church of Christ held its first Strongman competition. Organized by Randall Heater, participants included children and adults, men and women.



It was on the hot side and it was sunny. But we had fun. I was lucky not to get a sunburn (I forgot my sunscreen).

Here's some of the fun:


It struck me as amusing that Reece was lugging these heavy things in flip flops. When I asked Daniel about it, he said that originally the kids events weren't supposed to entail walking with anything...


Zach is tired after lugging the bars. He leans on his dad, George.

It's Never Too Old

For those of you who think that starting a new career is for the young, meet Patricia Lay-Dorsey.

She started out as a social worker in 1966, moved on to art in 1978, became an art therapist in 1991, developed MS and started a blog in Feb. 2000, and since 2008 has been publishing photo essays on the NY Times' Lens blog, and in LensWork, New Mobility, and Burn magazines.

As a way of feeling comfortable in her own skin, and comfortable with her MS, Lay-Dorsey set out on a self-portrait project. She photographed herself nude, up-close, and set about photographing her daily life. In the process, she "began to feel more beautiful."

A Photographer's Interesting Website

I came across the website of Chris Buck. A very interesting way to provide navigation appears on the screen when the site opens:

Click on an icon and go to either a set of portfolio pictures, his biography, or video.

And as I browsed his portfolio, I found that I liked his eye. Here's some of my favorites:

Lessons from POYi - Freelance/Agency Issue Reporting Picture Story

This week, I've gotten to attend several sessions of POYi, notably the Freelance/Agency Feature Event Picture Story and the Freelance/Agency Issue Reporting Picture Story.

For the Issue Reporting picture story, it was defined as: A story or essay that explores an important social, economic, or political issue.

"Love Me"

Story Description: Love Me reflects on the cultural and commercial forces that drive a global obsession with youth and beauty. The project explores how a new form of globalization is taking place, where an increasingly narrow Western beauty ideal is being exported around the world like a crude universal brand. The project spans five years, and involves photography in 17 countries across five continents.
Image Caption: Katie, age 9. Winner. Universal Royalty Texas State Pageant. Texas, USA.

The first picture of the First Place essay kind of creeped me out because it reminded me of JonBenet Ramsey and the very evil things that happened to her. It was cool to see an essay, rather than a photo story win something. The judges really responded to the message of the essay - how the Western 'ideal' is seeping all over the world, despite how negative it is.

Caption: For more than 20 years strict social rules have required modest dress and covered hair. Laws forbid women to publicly sing, dance, or wear make-up. There are reportedly more nose jobs being performed in Iran than in any other country in the world. Elham, 19, and her mother, 55. Rhinoplasty "nose job" operation. Tehran, Iran.

Breaking the Ice as a Professional Project

For any of you that were a student at the University of Missouri in photojournalism, you'll remember our very first assignment in the first photo class in the sequence - Breaking the Ice - where we had to stop random people and take a headshot of them. I came across this project on The Guardian's website: Ukrainian Miners: Portraits - where photographer Gleb Kosorukov did a similar project featuring Ukrainian miners at one of Europe's largest pits as they finished a six-hour shift. Part of a series of 100 images.

The Power of Photography

We just started The Power of Photography by Vicki Goldberg in my class, Photography and Society. It's causing me to think some deep thoughts.

One of the things that's been bugging me lately is how photographs are subjective, and how I want the truth as I see it, especially when it's in a picture that's meant to have a message, that it's impossible to create because of this subjectivity. But after today's readings (Chpts 1-5), I don't care as much. I realized that people don't want truly objective photos.

Who wants this

New York Street Cam

over this?

Image by Nitsa

Or this

Security Video Capture

over this?

For 'official' purposes, maybe, but as nice, aesthetically pleasing pictures? No.

Henryk Ross

If you've never heard of him, he was photographer who documented life in the Polish ghetto of Lodz between 1940 and 1945. He was appointed the Jewish Council's official photographer for the Department of Statistics.

In 1987, Ross wrote:

"Having an official camera, I was secretly able to photograph the life of the Jews in the ghetto. Just before the closure of the ghetto in 1944 I buried my negatives in the ground in order that there should be some record of our tragedy, namely the total elimination of the Jews from Lodz by the Nazi executioners. I was anticipating the total destruction of Polish Jewry. I wanted to leave a historical record of our martyrdom."

W. Eugene Smith, Photography Made Difficult

"Photo is a small voice, at best, but sometimes - just sometimes - one photograph or a group of them can lure our senses into awareness. Much depends upon the viewer; in some, photographs can summon enough emotion to be a catalyst to thought." -Eugene Smith

We watched "W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult." As Rita promised, the acting by Peter Riegert was cheesy. (I actually thought that they could have just used voice overs and not had *any* of the cheesy acting and it would have been a better movie.) But I loved much of what was said in the movie. And like the 'nerd' that I am, I took notes so that I could remember the nuggets of wisdom.

Quotes from the movie:

• "I photographed the war to comment on greed and stupidity." -Smith
• "human lumps of fright" -a description of Japanese civilians during WWII driven out from hiding

• "My people could be these people... an accident of birth and home."
• "He was close to a breakdown most of the time."

• "He was always looking for an imminent truth."
  

Ancient Images

I really loved reading about how modern photography evolved. Of course, I love history (and almost went to grad school for that). When Langton started talking about US photographers in the 1800's traveling to document life internationally, I decided to see what I could find (imagewise) on the web. Here's some pictures:

From the 'Holy Land'

 

Fishermen At Tiberias, 1858
E. Pierotti

 

Safed, 1900
American Colony Photographer

Cana Of Galilee, 1869
Frank M. Good

Life As I Express It

This semester, I am taking 'Picture Story.' As one of our first readings, was 'Life/Work' by Bill Jay. Jay talked about how photography, good photography, reflects real life. But not in the 'photograph the banal' but in the 'what's your passion' sense. And it got me thinking: one of the things that I have been wrestling with, since coming to grad school, is listening to and validating my own voice. What I mean is, it's so easy for me to doubt myself, to second-guess myself. And when I think about my future, what I want to do, or what I like to photograph, it all just doesn't seem to be spiffy enough, fancy enough. The word lame comes to mind. But Jay writes, "Stephen Dalton obviously has a passion for, and deep knowledge of, insects. His technically amazing, and aesthetically beautiful, images of insects ooze a love for bugs even to those who have an aversion to the little beasts themselves." and "If the photographer is communicating a personal passion in something, anything, through the pictures then the images are also revealing, incidentally, a great deal about the photographer as well as the subject. His/ her attitude to life is evident." So, maybe it's not so lame, I'm not so lame, after all. Maybe, like Rita said, I'm the only one who can tell the stories that I come across. It seems so elementary, obvious, but it's so easy to feel inconsequential.

I also liked this one: "A unique style emerges in photography by ignoring it, concentrating on the subject, and allowing care, passion and knowledge to bubble to the surface through a lot of hard work over a long period of time.' I like the idea that I don't need to worry so much about distinguishing myself, not being derivative, being original or the best, and just focus on working hard and I'll get there. It's just training my eye to see the unusual...

Stained Glass at Village Glass Works

So I went to Village Glass Works to photograph Molly Fiegel creating a stained glass mosaic. Here's my favorite of the bunch:

And the other ones that I captioned:

A wind chime hangs by the entrance of the Village Glass Works, located at 315 N. 10th Street, on Friday, November 13, 2009. The Village Glass Works is located in the Samuel H. and Isabel Smith Elkins House, built around 1882, and is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.

A wind chime hangs by the entrance of the Village Glass Works, located at 315 N. 10th Street, on Friday, November 13, 2009. The Village Glass Works was established in 1976 and is Columbia's oldest continuously operating stained glass studio. It offers classes in glass beadmaking, copper foiling, lead cane, fusing, and mosaics.

Molly Fiegel helps Justin McMillen search for glass used in making beads at the Village Glass Works on Friday, November 13, 2009. Beyond glass beadmaking, McMillen also makes small vases, useful for holding a flower or perfume, which are displayed and sold in the shop.

My First Assignment

A new year, another semester. And this semester I am taking J7558, Advanced Techniques in Photojournalism. This class is all about light, lighting. Which is kinda cool - because that's been a conumdrum of mine since I really got interested in photography. For my first assignment, I photographed 2 images that I found, both taken from the annals of National Geographic. The images were supposed to use light to convey a feeling or tone and one was meant to "Stump the Chump," aka Catalin (our TA) and Rita (our professor).

My first choice was a picture taken by Chris John in the July 1987 issue of National Geographic. Its caption read: A painted and powdered maiko (geisha-in-training) parts her lips to ingest a slippery piece of tofu with practiced delicacy - she cannot let it touch her lips. To attain true geisha status, she must master the traditional arts of music, dance, song, and conversation.


The way it was lit, to me, accentuated the detatchment of the maiko from the viewer.

My second choice (my "Stump the Chump") was a picture taken by Martha Cooper in the July 1988 issue. Its caption read: Tragedy frozen in time, the remains of a man, woman, and child locked in an embrace were discovered by archeologist David Soren while excavating the ancient port city of Kourion, Cyprus. An earthquake devastated the settlement in AD 365, entombing its citizens in a time capsule.

I look at this picture, I look at the skeleton of the man, with his body curled around the woman and child, trying to protect them, and it's sad, tragic. But at the same time, the way that it's lit, it seems really peaceful and warm.