Prompts and a new idea

Quincy T · December 31, 2011

There is no picture in this post yet, so don't waste your time if you don't want to. I've only been a part of dgrin for a couple of years, and street/pj even less time. You all don't know me really, but I will say that most of you have been very influential in my goals as a photographer. While I have had the "idea" of being a photojournalist for at least two years, I have felt that I was in an ambiguous position. It doesn't help that I am unable to really get into a hardcore pursuit of this goal because of my nearly finished obligation to the Marine Corps, but I have also been trying to find my vision and goal as a photographer in general. This forum and its unique members have helped to shape my goals and give me direction in a fundamental and profound way.

I spent nearly two wee hours of the night yesterday talking to an old friend who is now a photojournalist for the Odessa American in Texas. He is a graduate of Western Kentucky University's PJ program, as I hope to be someday. We covered a great deal in this conversation, but now I'm going to get to my point. He recommended highly that 1) I create a more selective, street/PJ oriented portfolio to facilitate 2) going to the Mountain Workshops next October and that requires me to 3) prompt myself for photo stories/ideas. As it stands, my shots won't hold up to their applications process...outside of that Occupy D.C. shot I took maybe.

So, to reach the end of my rambling, I am asking for your help. I am not asking you to do this for me, but since many of you are light years ahead of me, it only makes sense to look for insight in people I know. I am already thinking of ideas myself, but if you have a prompt for me, then I encourage you to post it. Consider me your guinea pig, and I will do my best to execute.

If you all don't really have the time/patience for this, I completely understand. Time is a valuable asset. I have this strange, idealistic view that online families are of great value, and I consider myself a new member of this online, street/PJ family. I don't intend to be the only one to benefit; if we all can start challenging each other, rather than critiquing each other, I think that would be a great thing. I don't mean the DGrin Challenges...those are for everybody, but also everybody else. This is a special group. I think we deserve our own challenge.

From my little soapbox I whisper: "Are you with me?"

torags · December 31, 2011

You bet!

I'll throw my chips in by saying, I feed off these forums for ideas & places to shoot.

For example, someone posted a shot of an Indian building that reminded me of Cuba (which I have wanted to go to for years); now I'm committed to a June trip (weather permitting - hurricanes)

I'll be in Hawaii in Jan to shoot the Pipe (hopefully the Eddie); because of surf shots posted in another forum

National Parks, moto racing events... the list goes on.

Am I a better photographer? Probably not - but it has bettered the quality of my life

BTW there's a rumor afoot, that tomorrow is the beginning of a new year... Happy New Year everybody...

richardman · December 31, 2011

Hi, Sword and Scales
Firstly, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

You have written, in essence, what I thought this forum IS about. I think it's a great idea and I hope other people will join in.

Best of luck in your shooting!

RSL · December 31, 2011

Quincy, Since you're in Tampa why not do a series on "a night on the town in Ybor City?" I've never been able to do that, and it's something I'd love to do, but I'm getting a bit over the hill to be able to plunge into it even if I could get down there for a night. I know from personal experience that Marines can do some serious night-on-the-towning. You could post some of the best stuff on here. BD's the photojournalist. He ought to be able to do some serious critiquing for you, and from what I've seen he's willing to let you know what he really thinks. That's what any serious photographer needs instead of back rubs.

Quincy T · December 31, 2011

RSL wrote: »

Quincy, Since you're in Tampa why not do a series on "a night on the town in Ybor City?" I've never been able to do that, and it's something I'd love to do, but I'm getting a bit over the hill to be able to plunge into it even if I could get down there for a night. I know from personal experience that Marines can do some serious night-on-the-towning. You could post some of the best stuff on here. BD's the photojournalist. He ought to be able to do some serious critiquing for you, and from what I've seen he's willing to let you know what he really thinks. That's what any serious photographer needs instead of back rubs.

thumb

M38A1 · December 31, 2011

A while back I was kicking around the "24 Hours in My Town" concept" ie: a shot for each one-hour block of either a single day or over multiple days. End result would be 24 images, each representative of what was going on at that point in time. You might consider that concept.

rainbow · January 3, 2012

I, and many others, are "with you". But I am not one that can offer advice relative to a PJ career because it is but a hobby for me (and most others here).

My thought is that you should start with who you are: a U. S. Marine. How about a photo essay related to your military life. It could be "A day in the life..." to a training exercise, to a promo for those wondering about whether to enlist, etc.

Also, make contacts with those in the PJ program and ask them for ideas. Share your ambitions with them and ask for suggestions to pursue to prepare you to be a strong applicant to their program. I believe that your being a member of our military services would be beneficial in their willingness to assist you.

Good luck! I will try to comment on your posts when I have something constructive to say.

lensmole · January 3, 2012

Rather than going with a preconceived idea of somebody else or your own preconceived idea for a subject, maybe you might try going through your old photos from the last couple of years or so and try to come up with a subject from your own photos.

Quincy T · January 3, 2012

rainbow wrote: »

I, and many others, are "with you". But I am not one that can offer advice relative to a PJ career because it is but a hobby for me (and most others here).

My thought is that you should start with who you are: a U. S. Marine. How about a photo essay related to your military life. It could be "A day in the life..." to a training exercise, to a promo for those wondering about whether to enlist, etc.

Also, make contacts with those in the PJ program and ask them for ideas. Share your ambitions with them and ask for suggestions to pursue to prepare you to be a strong applicant to their program. I believe that your being a member of our military services would be beneficial in their willingness to assist you.

Good luck! I will try to comment on your posts when I have something constructive to say.

Thanks for the support, rainbow. While the option to do the "day in the life" piece is off the table in my particular line of work, I have done work in the past with a a lot of Marine events, but it's no longer a possibility.

I do have a great contact who was a graduate/now staff photographer of the program last year, and he is the one who suggested I start the prompts and such. As we go forward, he may introduce me to some of the university staff and others who can assist me along the way.

This post was my way of fishing for any ideas out there, and fostering a general camaraderie among us all, which we have, but I was just thinking we should give each other these "prompts" occassionally. Tony Cooper gave me a great one for Tarpon Springs this weekend, and Russ Lewis gave me "Ybor City by Night". More like this, is what I'm thinking.

torags · January 3, 2012

If your town has a free local paper, consider stopping by & talking to the editor.

You might ask him what feature story does he really want but don't have the help available to pursue it.

These chaps are always underfunded (& they use student interns); this might get you in print for a resume

good luck

Quincy T · January 4, 2012

torags wrote: »

If your town has a free local paper, consider stopping by & talking to the editor.

You might ask him what feature story does he really want but don't have the help available to pursue it.

These chaps are always underfunded (& they use student interns); this might get you in print for a resume

good luck

Awesome, something I can pursue any time...thanks!

bdcolen · January 4, 2012

A couple of quick thoughts -
First, the idea of hooking up with an editor who will publish your stuff is an excellent one;
Two, look for two kinds of project subjects; those that really intrigue you, and those that bore you silly. Should you someday become a working photo journalist, 90 percent of your working life will be taken up with the latter, but what you will produce on those assignments must look as though they were the former -
Three, begin with one-day projects, and pick subjects that will not be technically difficult - night in wherever is great, but you will spend as much time worrying about exposure, sensor noise, etc., as you will SEEING, and that may be frustrating early on;
Four, when looking for subjects, remember that "far away is not a place," which is another way of saying that there are great stories, projects, right next door that we usually ignore because we think they are so mundane. Have you ever noticed that a laundromat is a microcosm of a community? That people in laundromats tend to keep to themselves? Go spend a day, a night, or both in one.
Finally, think very long, hard, and REALISTICALLY about whether you actually want to try to find a job as a dinosaur herder - because that is what you are talking about doing. Paying jobs in photography are becoming rarer by the day. More and more publications, broadcasters, and websites are laying off real photo journalists and are turning to what I call "Moms with Rebels." I'm not saying don't pursue your dreams, but I am saying be realistic. Meanwhile, work on the portfolio, see how you do over time, and if you reach the point where you have no choice but to become a photo journalist - or any kind of journalist for that matter - go for it!

torags · January 4, 2012

Well said bd and well advised.

The fastest growing segment of photojournalism is citizen journalism (still & movie).

That said, people still like pretty images that help sell magazines or products.

Quincy T · January 4, 2012

bdcolen wrote: »

A couple of quick thoughts -
First, the idea of hooking up with an editor who will publish your stuff is an excellent one;
Two, look for two kinds of project subjects; those that really intrigue you, and those that bore you silly. Should you someday become a working photo journalist, 90 percent of your working life will be taken up with the latter, but what you will produce on those assignments must look as though they were the former -
Three, begin with one-day projects, and pick subjects that will not be technically difficult - night in wherever is great, but you will spend as much time worrying about exposure, sensor noise, etc., as you will SEEING, and that may be frustrating early on;
Four, when looking for subjects, remember that "far away is not a place," which is another way of saying that there are great stories, projects, right next door that we usually ignore because we think they are so mundane. Have you ever noticed that a laundromat is a microcosm of a community? That people in laundromats tend to keep to themselves? Go spend a day, a night, or both in one.
Finally, think very long, hard, and REALISTICALLY about whether you actually want to try to find a job as a dinosaur herder - because that is what you are talking about doing. Paying jobs in photography are becoming rarer by the day. More and more publications, broadcasters, and websites are laying off real photo journalists and are turning to what I call "Moms with Rebels." I'm not saying don't pursue your dreams, but I am saying be realistic. Meanwhile, work on the portfolio, see how you do over time, and if you reach the point where you have no choice but to become a photo journalist - or any kind of journalist for that matter - go for it!

Your input is always appreciated B.D. I suppose I appear a bit naive, and maybe I like that sort of because I fully intend to pursue photojournalism until it becomes a detriment to my own family's wellbeing, at which point I will resort to something else.

If I have to sell out, shoot weddings, or find some other place that accepts what has been called "a ticket to the middle class" (bachelor's degree if I've left any doubt here), so be it. But, I am a fairly tenacious person. I met my wife when I was three, wanted to marry her when I was 17, proposed a month later, and she shares my soul in such a way now that I can't begin to describe it. I bought a Rebel on a whim three years ago, determined that capturing life frame by frame in all of its beauty, pain and emotion was the most wonderful way I could do something for the world and make a potential living at, and I've fully committed to it since then. Long story short, I intend to do this with every fiber of my being.

I agree with you completely about interesting life being nearby. I have met so many people simply sitting in an airport or on the metro in D.C. by just striking up a conversation, rather than sitting by myself. I met a communications advisor from Australia who knew a Marine I had worked with in the past at the Post Pub, I met a coach for the U.S. women's rugby team in O'Hare. I'll stop rambling, and stroking my ego, but I'm just trying to say I get what you're saying.

I'm glad you said that about the night shooting, actually. I've been telling myself all day that I need to do that tonight while the wife is out, but I don't feel I'm ready for it really, at least to fully embrace it. I think I'll begin looking for the free paper...I'm fairly certain there is at least one here in Tampa.

Thanks, B.D. and everyone else. I appreciate your sincerity and support in this...I really do.

bdcolen · January 4, 2012

Sword and Scales wrote: »

Your input is always appreciated B.D. I suppose I appear a bit naive, and maybe I like that sort of because I fully intend to pursue photojournalism until it becomes a detriment to my own family's wellbeing, at which point I will resort to something else.

If I have to sell out, shoot weddings, or find some other place that accepts what has been called "a ticket to the middle class" (bachelor's degree if I've left any doubt here), so be it. But, I am a fairly tenacious person. I met my wife when I was three, wanted to marry her when I was 17, proposed a month later, and she shares my soul in such a way now that I can't begin to describe it. I bought a Rebel on a whim three years ago, determined that capturing life frame by frame in all of its beauty, pain and emotion was the most wonderful way I could do something for the world and make a potential living at, and I've fully committed to it since then. Long story short, I intend to do this with every fiber of my being.

I agree with you completely about interesting life being nearby. I have met so many people simply sitting in an airport or on the metro in D.C. by just striking up a conversation, rather than sitting by myself. I met a communications advisor from Australia who knew a Marine I had worked with in the past at the Post Pub, I met a coach for the U.S. women's rugby team in O'Hare. I'll stop rambling, and stroking my ego, but I'm just trying to say I get what you're saying.

I'm glad you said that about the night shooting, actually. I've been telling myself all day that I need to do that tonight while the wife is out, but I don't feel I'm ready for it really, at least to fully embrace it. I think I'll begin looking for the free paper...I'm fairly certain there is at least one here in Tampa.

Thanks, B.D. and everyone else. I appreciate your sincerity and support in this...I really do.

So go for it! :-)

Prompts and a new idea

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