Although I know I've grown a lot as a journalist in the past four years of writing and shooting photos for The Torch, I didn't realize how much other people have noticed that growth until the dance concert a few weeks ago. When a friend in the concert told me the dress rehearsal schedule, she also mentioned that Shih-Ming invited me to come early to take photos of dancers getting ready.
This was such a big change from my first dance concert, where a nervous freshman stumbled into the seats, was asked to move, then was told if I didn't turn off my "flash," I would have to leave. The "flash" was really an indicator light that showed that the camera was focusing and adjusting for lighting, but I didn't want to say anything to make Shih-Ming more curt with me. I uncomfortable stretched my finger so that it would cover this light throughout the show. Once the show was over, I just left.
For this concert, I sat down and was getting ready to take our my camera when Shih-Ming asked me to move. No big deal. She was taking video and wanted a clear shot of the dance floor. After the concert ended, she asked about my photos. I sheepishly responsed that I got some good shots and she smiled at me.
Through photographing every dance concert, I built up a rapport with her. Even though I do not really know Shih-Ming, I feel much more comfortable around her now and feel like a more experienced and better-known photographer because of my experiences with her.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog. I think the topic--the journalist learning curve--is perfect for the audience you're writing to. I also enjoyed that you were able to scratch the surface on the audacity it takes to be a journalist; by that I mean the courage it takes to put yourself and your work out there for others to evaluate.
However, I think it would have been cool if you would have uploaded one of your first photos and one of your latest (and best) photos to illustrate that growth via juxtaposition.
Overall--I really liked this!