From the Desk: On Assignments

I wanted to share some background info on a few images from the previous week’s work: the premise of the assignments, how I approached them and the thoughts behind the images. To be honest, I don’t know how much interest there will be in a  post like this. I’m writing this post for myself so I can take some of these experiences to heart and remember them. If theres one thing Iv’e definitely learned, you can’t remind yourself enough of the basics.

Daniella Salem, 3, playfully puts her hand over her mother Egija’s face prior to going onstage for the kids fashion show during Diwali Night at the School of Mines on Saturday evening. Put on annually by the India Club at Mines, Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is a celebration of the triumph of light over darkness. The event is used as an occasion to increase awareness and understanding of Indian culture.

This image sums up (at least for me) the objective that all photojournalists look for in approaching an assignment…

The challenge is relatively simple; find the unscripted in the scripted, the anomaly in the routine, the unique in the standard.

You see, there’s a quick formula for completing a photo assignment at its most basic level. You need a wide, overall image that sets the scene. You also need a medium image that shows the subject of the story. Finally, you need a tight, detail shot; a close-up image of an item or object that accompany’s the medium shot and adds additional information to the story. As an example; if I were shooting the stands in a stadium during a playoff game, the wide would be an overall shot of the stands, the medium a group of fans in the stands, and the detail a sign that someone was holding. There’s a phrase that sums up this formula; CYA or Cover Your Ass. These are the pictures you take so as to fulfill the basic requirements of the assignment and not piss off your photo editor and the layout team.

And then there is the anomaly image.

One of my professors described it as the “surprise” image.

The surprise image is the shot that rises above the others. It transcends the parameters of the assignment itself and stands on its own. Sometimes the surprise of a football game shows itself on the sidelines. Sometimes it is the backstage during a show; the finish line of a parade or a face in the crowd during a politician’s speech.

Learning the technical aspects of a camera down to an intuitive level is the easy part. It’s capturing a moment; a real moment. Not forced but a candid, intimate, human moment. That’s hard.

Chuck Thompson poses for a portrait inside of his apartment on Friday afternoon. Thompson, who served in the Navy for two years working as a mechanic on F-14 Tomcats, was homeless for several years in Colorado and Rapid City before enrolling in the HUD VASH program that helps veterans with rent so they can have a place to stay.

I was assigned to photograph a formerly homeless veteran in his apartment as a part of a larger story the Journal is doing on homeless veterans in the city. I had ideas for photos that I wanted and packed accordingly, but along with my canon gear and a lighting kit from work I also decided to bring my own Nikon with a 50mm f/1.4 attached, hoping to get a tight shot of his face after getting everything else I wanted. However, as soon as I got there with the reporter it became clear that nobody had spoken to him prior about a photographer being there as well, and he flat out refused to have any pictures taken. Rather than just leave right then and there as I might have done in the past, I sat down with the reporter and listened to the vet talk for almost two hours, engaging in conversation with him at times  and just letting him get used to me. After the reporter had exhausted all of her questions, I was able to talk him into having his picture taken; just him, no apartment. It was clear he wasn’t going to let me bring in any lights and there was just enough window light to make a passable image, so I was glad that I brought the Nikon with the 50mm that I used to take this shot. The picture’s not great. I went into this assignment anticipating walking away with a lot more than this. But I still consider it a small success because it’s an example of one of the most common and frequent challenges of being a photojournalist; turning a no into a yes.

Krista Young, a volunteer and mother of Thunder Boy goalie John Young, cleans the windows during the Thunder Boys varsity hockey practice at the Thunderdome Thursday evening in preparation for tomorrows game when the Thunder Boys will host Pierre for the first game of the Thunder tournament tomorrow.

I was assigned to shoot this hockey team’s practice before their first game of the season the next day. I spent the entire assignment with them; shooting them changing into their clothes in the locker room, waiting on the side of the rink for the ice resurfacer to finish and the practice itself. I was on my way out when I noticed a few people cleaning the floors and windows around the rink. I thought that the act of people cleaning the arena was as much a visualization of preparation as the hockey players themselves practicing, and I liked the idea of capturing that with both elements in the same image. The woman who turned out to be a volunteer for the team rushed to clean the window pane because she thought that I just wanted to shoot the team through the window, Ha!

A fireman watches the fire line of the Silver Mountain Prescribed Burn from a roadway Tuesday afternoon. Today’s prescribed burn of 209 acres marked the first phase of the project which ultimately calls for the burning of more than 1000 acres.

This was the last image that I took on this assignment, and it turned out to be my favorite image. I got to shoot my first fire; a prescribed burn that was five years in the making. I shot the guys lighting the fire and walked with a crew to an overlook where they were putting down photo points. I even walked up an adjacent ridge to shoot the fire from above. I was driving on the dirt road away from the fire when i noticed the stark light beams being made through the smoke. I stopped my car and leaned myself as far out the window as I could to shoot one of the guys who was watching to make sure that the fire didn’t jump the road. At first his back was turned to me, but I waited assuming he would turn at some point which is when I took this picture.

A large blue spruce tree arrives at Main Street Square on Wednesday morning. A lighting ceremony will be held at the Square’s Holiday Celebration and Winter Market on Saturday at 5 p.m.

I’m trying to look more and more for the quirky image; one that gives at first glance a chuckle. This visual of a person disappearing into this massive tree was one that came to mind before the assignment and tried to capture as the tree was being placed into a harness to be moved into the square.

Aviation mechanic Roy Kimbell returns to finish repairing an oil leak on a Cessna 172 engine inside a hangar at the Black Hills Airport in Spearfish. The city recently assumed control of the airport which until now had been under the management of Lawrence County.

I was assigned to take photos of Spearfish airport, which had recently been granted control of the local airport which had previously been under the control of the county. I wanted to shoot more than just a couple photos of a line of jets set out on the runway. Walking across the airfield to a hanger that housed the administrative office, I came upon Roy fixing up an airplane. Talking with him for awhile was a great experience, an he added a human element to what could have been arbitrary images of some buildings or planes.

Shaan Sakaria, left, and Shriram Gangineni look on as the kids fashion show progresses during Diwali Night at the School of Mines on Saturday evening.

A group of dancers perform the Dandiya, a regional folk dance of India during Diwali Night at the School of Mines on Saturday evening.

Spectators watch a fireworks display during Diwali Night at the School of Mines on Saturday evening.

Berlinn Farner, 3, was one of many children who attended the 35th annual Harvest Meals for YFS’ Child Development Center and Girls Inc. of Rapid City programs.

Guard Jamall Taylor tries to maneuver during the Hardrockers match against Grace University at King Center on Friday evening.

Some additional photos from this week.

From the Desk: 1 month; a retrospective

It has been exactly one month since I started working at the Journal. So I wanted to share some of my images taken while on assignment and put down some thoughts I have had since starting…

A group of women and their dogs wait to participate in a competition during the 2016 Rapid City Kennel Club Dog Show at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Friday afternoon.

Photojournalism is in some ways unlike any other job in the world, while in others it is like any other job. One of those things being that it’s very easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and become frustrated with yourself; what you are doing and where you are going.

Julie Gilliland and Eli Hernandez practice reading during Denise McCormick’s kindergarten class at Badger Clark Elementary School in Box Elder on Tuesday afternoon. The Douglas School District Board of Education has approved a proposal to realign grades k-3, which has upset some parents.

While photojournalism is hands down the best career in the world and one that I wouldn’t trade for anything else, it doesn’t mean there aren’t days where I want to rip my hair out from dealing with the daily grind.

From right, David, Laura and Mathew Scott wait in line with others to get into Storyteller Bookshop during Scare in the Square in downtown Rapid City on Saturday afternoon. The couple and their son were representing all three Star Wars trilogies.

Wesley Delaney and Leighton Aves, both 9, count their candy during Scare in the Square in downtown Rapid City on Saturday afternoon.

 

And what is the daily grind?

The varsity boys cross country teams of local community high schools run at the start of the 2016 Region 5A Cross Country Meet at Rocky Knolls Golf Course in Custer.

 

The daily grind is a high school volleyball game and a minor league hockey game followed the next day by a city council meeting and a building dedication ceremony.

Forwards Josh MacDonald and Ryan Walters wrestle the puck away from forward Travis Ewanyk during the Rapid City Rush’s match against the Idaho Steelheads at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center on Wednesday night.

The daily grind is running back and forth for an hour and a half on a football field in 35 degrees because both teams suck and won’t stop punting.

Bonny Petersen and Leanna Bussell meditate to remain calm during a 2016 presidential election watch party for the democratic party in Pennington County at the Rushmore hotel in downtown Rapid City.

The daily grind is a person at a podium.

Ellen Pinholt proposes the construction of a fenced-in dog park on Idlehurst lane in Rapid City to the Vision Fund Citizen Committee in the community room at city hall on Tuesday.

 

The daily grind is another high school volleyball game and a minor league hockey game, followed the next day by a photograph of an elementary school.

The daily grind is trying to make a storage unit and an exercising room look interesting.

Surprise!

It doesn’t work.

The daily grind is being told about a really awesome assignment you’ll be doing the next morning then being told 30 minutes later that the paper is using handout photos instead.

The daily grind is waiting another hour to go home because the writer hasn’t got back to you yet about info you need for a caption and there’s a hornet that somehow got through two separate doors just to exclusively menace your desk.

lines up snow boards in preparation for the Black Hills Ski for Light Ski Swap which will take place Saturday at Rushmore Civic Center. The swap is a fund raiser for the annual event that gives a day of skiing to impaired children and adults.

School donor Bob Malone of Texas greets a line of students, faculty and supporters of the Tiospaye Center for American Indian Scholars at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, which was expanded after a generous donation by the family of Maria “Agnes” Roybal Trujillo.

The daily grind is two more high school volleyball games.

Custer outside hitter Morgan Parys hits the ball during a match against the Hill City Rangers on Tuesday afternoon.

 

But sometimes…

The daily grind is running on a muddy field with rain and hail pouring down on you without a rain jacket using a safeway plastic bag to keep your camera dry and not caring because you know the photos will be great.

Crusader Running back and Line Back Daveon Provost leads stretches during football practice at Red Cloud High School Wednesday afternoon.

 

The daily grind is getting up at 4:45 am to climb boulders in the dark and stand in 27 degrees waiting for the fog to clear just enough to get your picture.

Mt. Rushmore is seen through clearing fog at sunrise from Iron Mountain road in the Black Hills in October.

The daily grind is hearing that people are keeping a copy of the newspaper in their car from that story you did on them to show other people.

Joan Renelt tries to put a golf ball into the hole as her husband Tim looks on at the Rapid City Executive Golf Course on an unusually warm November afternoon.

wide receiver Mason Archambeault gets a hug from quarterback George Johnson after his touchdown catch during the RC Stevens-RC Central football game at O’hara Stadium Thursday evening.

1st and 2nd place winners Karlee Simmons, right, of Hill City and Haleigh Timmer of St. Thomas embrace each other at the end of the 2016 Region 5A Cross Country Meet at Rocky Knolls Golf Course in Custer.

The daily grind is having insightful conversations with people you’d otherwise never meet.

Lynn Delameter stands outside of his business the Black Hills Sleep Center, which he is closing down after being in business since 1971. Lynn, who is originally from the area, came back on a visit after spending seven years in California and decided to stay; “I had a love affair with the Black Hills” he said, being the perfect place for someone with a passion for skiing and motorcycles.

Roy Kimbell, 85, who served as a B-29 super fortress mechanic during the Korean War, went on to graduate from the South Dakota School of Mines with a masters in mechanical engineering before working for 30 years as a jet engine performance engineer for aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. While his career was based in the testing of jet engines, “this is my first love” Kimbell said in reference to the propeller plane he was working on. “Since I’m retired this is sort of a fun thing to do.”

Jared “Cappie” Capp stands in front of his energy-independent house on Friday morning in Spearfish. Capp has created a house that generates its own electricity, and uses various building methods and materials to make the house entirely self sustaining.

Luis Rodriguez & his son Kiev 45, Rapid City. Retired Combat veteran; Iraq. Nurse at Rapid City Regional Hospital. “Perhaps he’s not very eloquent…but he will have the right people behind him to make things happen.”

Outside of the polling place at Walter Taylor 4H building, a couple cancelled out each others votes for president. Darrell Welch, a retired law enforcement officer said he voted for Trump as “the lesser of two evils” while his girlfriend Desiree Derflinger, a lumber trucker who identifies as a republican, voted for Clinton because “Trump is an idiot”.

Maybe, the daily grind isn’t a grind at all. Maybe this job and every assignment is ultimately what you make of it. Granted, there are some assignments that will just suck no matter what you do. But you embrace them anyway. You work like hell to find that different angle; that something that will elevate a routine event into something that challenges you. Because you’re not OK with just doing OK…

I’d write more but I have a football game to go shoot.