The beginning

After checking out a couple rather helpful blogs out there for the DIY photographer, I kind of liked the idea of keeping track of what I learn through this period of my life and/or career. I also thought that others might benefit from what I hopefully learn myself.

I graduated from college after the first week in May and have been taking it easy since. I'm not complaining, believe me I'm not, I am just starting to get that feeling like I should be doing something with this time. Not that I should have a job, but I should be pushing myself a little more than I am. I know that I have a lot to learn at this point and I figure that I'll make a few mistakes along the way, but with everything that is being put on the photojournalist's list of responsibilities, keeping track of everything may get a bit tricky - hence this blog.

I will mostly be focusing on lighting, but you can expect some web development topics too. If I can get my hands on a video camera, I'll be posting about that stuff too, with perhaps some discussion about audio. (See, this is the "photojournalist" of the future, someone who takes audio, video, {creates websites}, and stills {or maybe frame grabs}.) But I actually look forward to this.

I see it as many tools to tell a story, but the main problem I've heard with all of this (depending on the newspaper) is that the decision for when a tool is used is not necessarily up to the craftsman, but it is up to the editors. I think that the person (photographer/craftsman) telling the story should determine how the story is told, be it through a slide show, a slide show with audio, a video, or a mix of everything.

The first person that comes to mind as an example of what is possible is a friend, David Stephenson, from the Lexington Herald-Leader. I think I've learned more from him in the last year than I did in school in the last three years.

Well, I just wanted to set this up and get it going, hopefully I'll keep up with it.