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After School

I was finally able to spend some time with some Rocksprings kids as they played on the playground after school. Although they were fascinated with my camera, they didn’t hold anything back and carried on like I wasn’t there. I think I’m really going to enjoy this project.

Waiting

I’ve run into some difficulty gaining access and making contacts in the Rocksprings community, but Monday afternoon I will be meeting with Marilyn Appleby of the Athens Housing Authority and she has agreed to put me in touch with some of the residents. I’m very eager to get started on this project. Hopefully I will have an update soon.

My Reason Why

On Saturday, December 10, 2011, I and the rest of the UGA NPPA student chapter went into the Rocksprings community, a housing project in Athens, Ga., to participate in Help Portrait Day. We took portraits of those who would not normally be able to afford to have professional photos taken of them and their families, and printed the photos out on location. This was such an eyeopening experience for me. I recall hearing one mother, as she was waiting for her photos to be printed, say that she had never had a family portrait taken of her and her sons, both of whom were over 13 years old.

I often think about the short time I spent in Rocksprings and feel guilty for all of the things I have and take for granted, like the hundreds of photos of my family and friends. I want to understand what life is like in Rocksprings so that I can do more to help.

For now, here are a few photos from Help Portrait Day of the people I hope to get to know.

Food for Thought

1. After participating in Help Portrait day in December in the Rocksprings housing projects, I would really love to go back into that community to document life there. I know it’s a rather broad topic, but I think after a few visits I will find a story to narrow in on. I’ve also thought about documenting what it’s like for children to grow up in that community. I could focus on maybe two or three kids ranging from elementary school age up to high school.

2. I read an article on The New York Times website about the census and racial identity. The article talked about the way we typically define race as a set of physical traits, yet for many, identity refers more to ethnicity and cultural traits. For example, the census asks if a person identifies themselves with Hispanic ethnic origins, but it also asks one to identify with a certain race, which for a person of Hispanic ethnicity, could be any race. This causes many to check the “other” box about race and leads to inaccurate data about the racial makeup of a neighborhood. This can affect voting districts and the monitoring of discriminatory practices. I thought it would be interesting to explore this issue in Athens to get a better understanding of how people choose to identify themselves and how this affects the community as a whole.

3. I would really love to do a project on girls with eating disorders. Though an eating disorder is a sensitive matter, it has the highest mortality rate of any other mental disease.  I have contacts with a few girls in Athens who are in recovery from an eating disorder, which could be an interesting approach because being in recovery does mean that the problem has gone away. In some ways recovery can be more tormenting for a person than when you are in the midst of an eating disorder  due to the constant struggle between trying to be healthy and wanting to act out.

Thoughts?

An Introduction

Exactly one year ago, I held a camera in my hands for the first time. What I thought would be just a fun photography class turned out to be a life calling, and I now find myself on the verge of a semester-long documentary project, something I never pictured myself doing. Last semester was my opportunity to sharpen my technical skills (lots and lots of sports) and learn what the day-to-day life of a photojournalist is like. Though I love the fast pace and variety of assignments I’ve worked on in class and at The Red and Black, I’m thrilled to start working on an in-depth story.

The key thing I feel I’m missing in my work is intimacy with my subjects. I want to connect with and understand people in order to be a more effective storyteller. I want to see my community in a more creative light. I’m ready to do more.