Photojournalist Perspective

Hubby didn’t eat his last piece of spelt banana bread, so I happily enjoyed it this morning for breakfast.

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Plus some nice, hot coffee.

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I was feeling lazy and didn’t make it to the store yesterday to get veggies, so I tried a new frozen meal today, Cedarlane Garden Vegetable Gluten Free Low Fat Enchiladas, that I got on sale at Earthfare – 2 for $6.

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I loved the readable ingredient list.

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Nutrition info

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The enchiladas didn’t look quite like the photo, but you know what…they tasted pretty darn good, so I’ll take that as a win. I liked the corn tortillas, the veggie/bean filling, and the flavorful sauce.

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Since lunch was so light, I had some Earthfare fruit & nut mix.

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Hubby brought me a sweet treat to work today – a doughnut from our fave local bakery AND a special Valentine’s Day treat – a heart shaped cookie with red sprinkles. Aww. <3

I made some hot black tea with cream and sugar to enjoy with my snacks.

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I took a couple practice photos whilst dialed into a phone conference so I could send hubby a picture as a thank you.

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What? I can listen and take photos! This silly type of photography is pretty mindless.

I ended up sending a “Mwah” face. 😉

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I did something I hate doing – dinner solo. I hate eating by myself. 🙁 I had to be somewhere after work and didn’t have time to go home after work to get food, so I just found a quick bite to eat near the event.

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I found a nice corner spot with a TV.

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Plus a nice window view of the city.

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Dinner – Jason’s Deli – turkey reuben, french onion soup, and steamed veggies. Everything was tasty, but the soup was especially good on this chilly, rainy day.

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I had a mini sundae with chocolate vanilla swirl and chocolate syrup for dessert.

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After dinner, I headed over to my special event – a special presentation by Maggie Steber, a well known photojournalist who has worked with the Life magazine and National Geographic.

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Maggie showed several of her favorite photos (some taken in Haiti just a couple weeks ago) and even shared the deep and meaningful stories behind the photos. Maggie was a wonderful presenter and is truly a blessing to the world of photography. She seems to have such a good heart and truly uses her talents in photography to help tell the stories of those she encounters. It was really interesting to hear the perspective of the photojournalist – the voice behind the images.

Favorite things I learned about photojournalistic photography (tips):

  • Immerse yourself in the culture – learn the language/lingo, traditions, and general culture. Be respectful of their culture and careful since they may have sacred things you can’t touch, say, or do.
  • Get to know your subject – don’t just take someone’s photo. Try to get to know them and talk to them and learn about them. Remember to ask their permission before taking their photo.
  • It’s ok to get confused – As you work, you may get confused about what is or isn’t ok to shoot. It’s ok to get confused and think through your situation. It means you’re THINKING about the situation and being mindful of it. Talk to your peers and decide on what you’re comfortable with.

At the end of the presentation, we had question time. I had SO MANY questions I wanted to ask, but you may remember I have stage fright and don’t care for public speaking. The thought of asking my questions in front of everyone got my hands sweating. There were probably 100 people in the room. I almost didn’t ask my questions. I mean, the room was probably full of photography experts, teachers, and professionals. They’d think I was a clueless photography newbie.

But, it’s not every day you have a National Geographic photojournalist ready to answer your questions. And, I didn’t care if everyone else in the room knew the answers, I wanted to ask them darnit! So, I did! I worked up the courage and I asked away…two questions even! 🙂

My questions (and her answers summed up – answers are not word for word):

  1. Q: What do you do if you see a moment you want to capture (involving people) but you haven’t asked their permission to take their photo? A. It depends on the situation. You have to decide for yourself and feel out the situation. In general, if you’re in public, it’s usually ok to take photos in general. If you’re trying to get a personal shot of someone, it’s your decision but it’s best to try to talk to the person and ask permission. Maggie liked to make human connections as much as possible.
  2. Q: What are your tips for someone new to photojournalistic photography on approaching people to take their picture? A: Make the human connection as much as possible. If you’re in Guam and you see a lady selling flowers on the street, you could take her photo like any tourist, but you will be getting the same shot as the other tourists. Instead, try to talk to her and get to know her and maybe after talking to her for 30 minutes say, “I’d really like to take your photo if that’s ok.” She may invite you to meet her friends or family and you may get something much better than what the other tourists would have taken.

Wow! Good stuff! I learned so much! Thank you Maggie!

On to randomness…

~ * Reader Questions * ~

I got some questions on my Formspring and some of them are TOUGH! I got home late tonight because of the presentation but I will try to answer some this week. Feel free to email your questions, too, to thechiclife at gmail dot com. I’m trying to build a FAQ page. 🙂

I’d also be interested to hear about any topics/articles you’d like me to write about. Please send me some! 😉

So far, I’ve received requests to blog about:

  • My beauty regime
  • My blogging schedule

Gotta get writing now!

4 thoughts on “Photojournalist Perspective”

  1. you recently did the big switch up to your own domain- do you love it? only kind of like it? Have any tips for yours truly?!

    can your hubby please bring me doughnuts to work? just an idea I had as I drooled on my keyboard

    Reply

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