Day 5
Friday - And thus, this journey concludes. The group spent last night (Thursday) at the RIT alumni party. Although it started out a bit like an awkward middle school formal, people started to actively converse after an hour or so. I spent a good amount of time talking with Frank Fournier about how to create a documentary on an overdone topic in a non-cliche type of way. His insight into the photographic process is truly refreshing and very helpful. I also met and talked with Yunghi Kim. Because of her background working at the Boston Globe for 7+ years, we immediately had something in common. She was really helpful as far as helping me to create a career plan in Boston, suggesting different employment paths I had not considered.
This afternoon, we met at Snyder's apartment for our last scheduled event. Bob Elder talked about his non traditional style of street photography. It really has been interesting in all our visits to see the range in types of work photojournalists have pursued after their education. Some settled more into the classic style of newspaper photojournalism, while others have used their past knowledge to develop a newfangled and personally characteristic approach.
While this trip was somewhat terrifying in that it solidified how much I do not know and how much room for improvement I hold, it was an experience I truly needed. I had formulated a list of things to learn and polish at the beginning of the quarter, but by the end of week 3, I began to loose focus. This trip has reset my mind and aspirations.
Thus, the bucket list.
-technical understanding and improvement (I am very much aware that I'm not a technically strong photographer, and that needs to change. I can't hide from that side of the field any longer. I need to embrace my lack of comprehension and work my butt off to improve it.)
-speed (Listening to many of these photographers speak, I became familiar with my "need for speed". I edit as slow as molasses and don't usually turn out an excellent image, or something I'd even be comfortable with my peers seeing, in the beginning of any shoot. I want to work on producing great work, faster.)
-accuracy (While it's something that photojournalists are constantly paying attention to, I need to work on this, excessively. It is somewhat conglomerative of the technically inefficiency, but just to reiterate. I need to be more accurate on focus, exposure, catching moments, etc. Pretty much everything.)
-variety (This is something I'm hearing more and more lately, as I form my portfolio. Most people say that I have great moments, but the way in which I look at situations doesn't vary a lot. Same viewpoint, same composition, same lenses. I don't fully understand how I'm going to change this, but I need to. I tend to get very stuck in habit, not just in photography, but all aspects of my life. Once I get comfortable with something, I don't often take risks by trying new things. I need to break free of this and learn to take more chances. It is quite possible, and likely actually, that I'll fail. And frankly, that terrifies me. But it's the only way I'm going to learn.)
I think it's pretty obvious that I have an overwhelming amount to accomplish. I don't expect all of this to happen overnight, but I need to start seeing changes.
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