Another job change

Just in case anyone's reading, I thought I'd throw on another update.

About six months ago I made a job change - I'm still at the Tulsa World, but have moved downtown. My official title is "Web Reporter," but I don't really have any specific beat to cover.

Part of my job is to report on breaking news (fires, cops-n-robbers type of thing). I write the story, take photos and shoot video from time to time for the Web site. Sort of a 'Jack of all trades' thing.

Another part of my job is to keep our Web site as updated as possible. This means pulling stuff from the wire, working with our own reporters to get their stuff up ASAP, etc.

So that's that.

Update!

Hey, everyone. I'm no longer updating this blog - graduation from OSU and a job in "the real world" prohibit it. To see my recent work, go to www.tulsaworld.com and search for my name. Keep in mind that ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF THE TULSA WORLD OR ITS MANAGERS.

After a brief stint at The Journal Record's Tulsa bureau, I accepted a job at the Tulsa World. Now I'm at the World's Midtown and East Tulsa office writing stories and taking photos.

As far as reporting goes, government and hard news reporting is my area of expertise. I've also done several photo stories and "soundslides," which are basically photo stories with audio (interviews and ambient sound) playing underneath.

Enjoy!

Motocross madness

Over the last couple of weeks I've been working on a photo project for my News Editing II class. We got to pick any topic, and mine - motocross - was something I'd always been interested in shooting. As the motoX season was starting when the project was assigned, I naturally chose it for my story.



I started out with a clear shot list, so I knew exactly what I needed to get. But even before making the list, I had one clear shot that I wanted to see: the wide-angle, up close action shot. Of all the motoX shots I looked through while researching the project, I had never seen one, and I knew that it would be a dramatically different photo.



It turned out to be a good shot, but there is definitely room for improvement. I wish I had another rider in the left background to round out the frame. The crop is too tight on the left side, and the rider's shadow is too cramped for my liking.

Color also played a large part in the shots. All the riders were decked out in vibrant gear, but of course it didn't have much impact in black and white. This shot is a good example of the color situation. The shot didn't have nearly the impact it should have since it ran in b&w.



Backgrounds were also a problem. Since red turns into a medium gray (the color of trees) this rider blended into the background. But with some dodging of the background, I managed to separate the two in the final b&w image.



Overall I think my approach to photo stories is improving. My shot list helped quite a bit, but I still lacked a final concluding photo. Time didn't allow me to get my last shot - a rider hoisting a trophy after winning a race. With the timeframe I had for shooting, though, I think I made a pretty decent package.

A quick portrait

On Wednesday I had an impromptu test in time management. My assignment was a profile portrait of an OSU professor who'll be singing with the Tulsa Signature Symphony, which would normally be pretty easy. This time, though, it wasn't. The woman had only 15 minutes to spare during the day - probably the tightest timeframe I've ever had to work with.

So going in, I knew that I'd have to have Plan A and Plan B visualized and ready to shoot. My original idea was to have her framed by a stage's red curtain in the background. It would be clean, give a sense of scale, and emphasize the subject. But a piano at center stage ruined that idea (just my luck). So I posed her by the piano just so I'd have a shot to turn in, and thought of a new idea as I took the shot.

After getting something usable, I went backstage to see what I could work with. Immediately the strong lines popped out at me and I knew I had my image.



The curtain's folds and pulley system in the background gave me some visual elements and the tilt of the shot adds a little zest to an otherwise static shot.

So anyway, it was a pressure situation with a very small timeframe, and I think I did OK. The key was having a plan (and backup) in place, and executing it quickly enough to leave time to improvise.

Baseball season's back again

And it's made me realize how much I hate teleconverters. I was trying to use one with a 70-200mm for some extra versatility and found something out - they suck. Even thought our 300mm doesn't zoom, it always brings back tack sharp photos.



I like this shot for the reaction factor. It tells the story of his homerun way better than a "bat-hits-ball" shot. Since those types of photos almost never get the batter's face, I concentrated more on getting the shot after the swing, which does. Even though the ball isn't in the frame, I like them better.



This is a typical slide with a little something extra. The catcher overthrew the ball and the third baseman had to jump for it, missing the tag. I think the simplicity of this shot is it's strength - you look, and the oddness of the disembodied feet makes you think about the shot for a while. Why was he jumping, etc.

Just an update

Things are going well on the photo front. Baseball season is in full swing (ooh, that one was bad) and I'm getting the rust out. For the first two or three games of a season, it's typical for photogs to be a little weak, but once we get used to things they start running smoothly. I had a couple of really different shots from this weekend's baseball series, but poor editing choices and a lack of space made for a lackluster presentation. I'll post them soon.

A few weeks ago I went to the SPJ Pro Chapter awards in Tulsa, where I took home 3rd place photography portfolio for division B papers. Div. B is basically the semi-pros: The Tulsa World and The Oklahoman are Div. 1, small-town papers are Div. 3. Due to an error by the person who submitted O'Colly entries, my individual category photos weren't sent in, although most of them had strong chances to take home a prize. Looking at it objectively, I should have picked up at least 2 more awards, but such is life.

So recently, in between massive amounts of schoolwork, I've submitted a photo story for the Hearst Awards. Hearst is basically the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism, however, and I don't think I stand a chance. I didn't have much of an opportunity to shoot picture stories, and my entry shows it - it's definitely an area I need to work on. Below is an abridged version of the story.



The story was about OSU's fire protection students and a training exercise they worked on one Saturday afternoon. They were testing the reaction of fraternity house loft-style beds to a fire. Apparently the beds are somewhat dangerous, but not so much as to pass ordinances about them. A fire was set and allowed to burn for a while, representing firefighter response time, and students were sent in to extinguish it.



I knew photos would be everywhere, so I grabbed an extra camera body to avoid switching lenses and wasting time doing it. On my D100 I put a 19mm wide angle and I also had a D1 with a 70-200mm zoom. I knew beforehand that with the two lenses I'd have all the range I needed and then some.



I was decked out in some of the firefighters' attire - a nomex fireproof jacket and helmet with face shield. You really don't realize how cumbersome the stuff is until you actually wear it. Keep in mind, this is coming from a firefighter's son.



Frankly, I was disappointed with the fire itself. I had expected flames blazing out of windows and the like, but the most I got was a little smoke. Not to mention that I was shooting while wearing a facemask, which was INCREDIBLY difficult. It was almost impossible to use the long lens, so I had to hang around the outskirts of the area, where I could take off the mask, and shoot with a wide angle. The shot above is an example.

After the fire was out, students went inside to investigate. I still wasn't allowed in at this point, and my only shots came from through a window at the back of the structure. I tried framing the photo with the broken glass around the windowsill, but the exposure latitude was too great. Being the problem solver I am, I managed to get close enough to get a shot but still avoid the shards of glass.



After everything settled down, students studying arson investigation came in and took a look at everything. Apparently in this case the 'point of origin' was a space heater set too close to some papers. The way investigators mentally reconstruct a fire's development is really amazing.



And to wrap up the essay is a closing silhouette. A little cliche, I know, but it's better than no closing photo at all.



Overall, I got some good shots, but approached the assignment the wrong way. Without going in with a clear, concise shot list, I wasn't able to tell a clear, concise story. The photos seem like a collection of random shots, rather than a cohesive story with a beginning, middle and end. In my own defense, though, photo stories are few and far between, especially in newspaper photography. I haven't had much practice.

Anyway, I'll have another shot at a photo story soon. I'll be shooting an essay on the start of motocross season here in Stillwater, and I think the results will be pretty good. I'll have a good amount of time to plan and should come back with something pretty good.

The Master Plan - business as usual

So OSU announced the finished version of the Master Plan a few days ago, without changing ANYTHING that people had been complaining about. The athletic village will be on campus as planned, and they'll keep buying houses to get property for it. The only concessions the school really made had been announced weeks ago and were repeated to give lip service to the city's residents.

It was a heated meeting. Lots of arguing, lots of yelling. This guy even did a protest song.



One thing I've noticed when doing news assignments for the World is my frenzied compositions. I get too busy getting shots that I don't think about getting THE shot. As a result sometimes my composition suffers. I'll be working harder, but not necessarily better. This is something I'll have to remedy.

The mayor, Bud Lacy, had strong words for OSU president Schmidly. It was a pretty easy shot to get - just layer the two men with a 200mm.



One last thing I noticed is I'm not that great at using an on-camera flash. Getting good off-camera lighting is like shooting fish in a barrel for me, but when I strap a flash onto the hotshoe, I feel so limited. The shots end up looking flat, with little distinction between the foreground and background. Luckily, I'm not in this situation much.

That's all for today.

Eddie Sutton steps down

OSU's basketball coach Eddie Sutton put an end to his season Monday after his Friday night car accident. I've been doing a lot of photo stuff for the Tulsa World on this, and it's been going great.

On Friday night at about 9:30 I get a call from Sean Hill, a friend of mine who's now working at the World. Apparently Sutton had been in a car wreck, and they needed a shot of his Durango. After tracking down the wrecker service that moved the car, I drive out to see what I can find. Figuring I would have to shoot through a fence, I wasn't expecting any good shots to come out of the assignment. Luckily, just as I arrived a tow truck was delivering another car and I was able to get inside the lot. The shot was exclusive, with no other paper in the state getting the photo, and it went out over the AP. Made the cover of both the The Tulsa World and The Daily Oklahoman, the two biggest papers in the state.



Yesterday afternoon I got another call from the World. They needed a shot of the other car - another SUV in a wrecker's lot. After doing some detective work I find out it's in a different lot than Sutton's car. So after talking with the wrecker service's manager as well as the owner of the car, I get access.



This was a tough shooting situation. The lot was packed with so many cars it was hard to maneuver. There was only one angle to get a shot of the damages, and even worse, it forced me to shoot directly into the sun. So I polarize the sky to get a little detail and use an off-camera flash to get light on the truck, which is completely in the shadows. Lens flare was also a serious problem.

Overall, though, I like the way the shots came out. Time will tell what else comes out of this story.

Troubles with the Master Plan

After a long hiatus in posting I've realized how far behind I've gotten on the blog. Anyway, I'm still at The O'Collegian, but not working as an editor. I decided at the start of the fall semester that as far as my career goes, I need to be taking photos, not editing other people's.

The big news at OSU recently has involved the Campus Master Plan. Schmidly and his crew have been hosting loads of meetings: with students, faculty, residents and most importantly, the city commission. It seems that people are more upset about the plan than Schmidly has realized. During the Q&A sessions at these meetings, people have consistently and forcefully let the school know just how they feel.



Hank Moore, a city commissioner, was just one of these people. I knew that the fireworks would start as soon as Schmidly started taking questions, so I stuck around during the presentation. After hearing the same hour-long spiel five times, you really learn a lot about the plan.

Anyway, Moore starts ripping into Schmidly and the university as a whole. Apparently the city has had problems with the school flaking out on business deals in the past. I knew this would be the shot, but wanted something different than the standard torso shot. So I got in really close with a 200mm lens and concentrated on getting a good guesture to go along with Moore's face.

After the shot ran front and center the next day I got a call from Moore wanting to buy a print. Turns out the News-Press went with a more standard torso shot - Moore probably ordered one from them, too, but I feel that our shot was stronger.

I've been trying to really break down photo situations to their essence recently, and I think it's helping quite a bit. With a speech, the core is the person's face and gestures they make. I got both in my frame with no extra elements. By shooting more of the face as opposed to the torso, it seems that the shot has more on an impact than the typical podium shot.

Christmas cash

I went out on a suprisingly interesting shoot for a typical "holiday cash story" at the Stillwater Plasma Center. Having never been inside a place like it, the business' workings were a mystery to me, but good shots were pretty easy to get.



The more I shoot with my new 70-200 lens the more I love it. Having such a tight lens makes my shots a lot more diverse simply because it forces me to get out of the "wide-angle-up-close" mentality. I still use the wide a lot, but now that I require myself to get at least 2 money shots with each lens, I come back to the newsroom with twice as many viable photos. Getting secondary shots to run with the jump is much easier, too. Getting this lens was probably one of the best investments I'll ever make. Now if I only had a new camera body...

Christmas came early this year!

And in a big way. The day before Thanksgiving we got two D2HSs down at the O'Colly. Our D1s are really going downhill fast - these new cams couldn't have come at a better time. Kudos to Sean Mathews, the current photo editor, for convincing the business people to shell out for them.

So anyway, I'm looking forward to putting these bodies to the test. I shot several test shots around my apartment, and they look pretty amazing. The noise on these bad boys is hardly noticable. They put the D100s to shame in that respect. Not to mention that they shoot around eight frames per second. When I took the first series of shots, I was amazed - the rate of fire made my jaw drop. Let's just say I'll be saving my pennies to buy one for myself.

Cowboy hoops

So I've shot about 6 basketball games, and we're not even into conference play yet.

After a terrible game on Friday, I redeemed myself tonight. OSU steamrolled Jackson State by almost 50 points and I got some good stuff.





Torre Johnson, who's in both shots, is a promising newcomer. Once the team gets used to each other, things should be interesting.

On a side note, Eddie Sutton was back in action after being absent from Friday's game. Word 'round the campfire was that he had some pretty bad back pains. He looked rough tonight - walking slowly and hunching over. It'll be interesting to see how his health affects his ability to coach.

Football has come and gone...

The last home game took place Saturday and the Cowboys walked away with a win. My best shot ended up being of the Texas Tech quarterback. OSU shut down Tech's passing game - they had a season-low in passing yardage.



This was taken from the end zone with a 600mm lens - I finally got the hang of it. Too late to do any good, though. It does get a little hectic taking the teleconverter off, which you have do do when a team gets near the red zone. It's a short time window when you know something big will be coming up.

Tech's pass-heavy offense was really tough to shoot. Getting good receptions in a photo is probably my big weak spot when it comes to football. I'm getting better at guessing which receiver will get the ball, but bringing my camera up to focus on him is still difficult.

In a career update, I've been busy. Three assignments for the World last week, two of which were OSU basketball. It was my first time really transmitting photos on deadline, which was interesting. Anyway, I'm looking into getting a pro-level 200mm lens with the check - a piece of gear that I REALLY need.

Talking Heads

City commission meetings are truly a challenge for a photographer - especially when your shot will be running front and center the next day.

OSU is parading their "Master Plan" around town like the belle of the ball. I've shot at least three of these events in the last few months, and the usual suspects have been in attendance at all of them. It's been challenging to come up with a fresh angle. I concentrated more on the audience this time and came up with this.



For some reason, this guy's cocked head juxtaposed with the stern face in the background struck me. I was able to keep the background clean, luckily.

The lighting here was difficult. The dim overhead fluorescents required I shoot at ISO 1000, which is never good. Using a flash wasn't practical, as I was so far away from the commissioners. On the whole, though, I made it work.

My First AP Shot

So I had my first AP byline this weekend.

OSU annouced a new athletic director on Friday and I shot it for the World. Short speech followed by interviews. I knew the speech photos would be bland so I went for a more dynamic shot afterwords. I really like the mics.



Both the World and the Oklahoman ran podium shots. They looked pretty similar. The Stillwater News-Press, though, ran the photo above BIG on their sports page. I was curious as to why the podium shots got more play, across the board, than others.

Anyway, I've now been in at least 5 publications - the three biggest papers in the state, the biggest in Stillwater, one glossy mag, and have an AP byline. Not bad for a 21 year old kid, eh?