The article Creating a Successful Online Portfolio was assigned to my Practicum class for us to respond and design our portfolios accordingly. This must be the fourth time I’ve gone over the article; and I tweak my portfolio after each reading.

I’m not really a fancy person, nor am I a graphic designer, so a lot of the examples in the article didn’t particularly apply to my portfolio. The article was super-helpful nonetheless, if for no other reason than I remembered to update my portfolio each time I thought of this assignment. For now, my portfolio is clean, easy to navigate, presents a smallish selection of my work quite efficiently, and I know exactly how I want my portfolio to be used. What I need to work on is making it more unique (since right now its a standard Gallery installation) and having better access to contact information.

I’ll get there. Maybe when I’m not working two jobs and going to school full time. Which will probably be never. The cycle perpetuates itself.

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This time of year always makes me pensive. I never look at summer and think “this is nice, but what happened last summer?” whereas winter constantly has me thinking of winters past. Cold weather reminds me of Susquehanna, and of working shows, of starting friendships with those who are no longer friends. This winter I promise to make things different. To keep the friends I make regardless of who leaves me for what, to work towards my dreams, to hope of spring.

With that being said, my internship is almost over. I’m having a blast, learning on the fly, learning from mistakes, meeting people who care about this or that, shooting shooting, editing and shooting.  I cheated, I know… I’ve wanted to work for The Capital so it wasn’t too hard getting my dream internship. The trick is sticking my face around so much that eventually I get a job (before I get fed up and go to grad school, which I know will not help me any more than my BA did).

Last night I (&boyfriend) went to Josh’s photo reception at The Parkside in B’more. Its funny how excited we get over a couple of nicely-printed photos going up in a restaurant. But the point is that they were nicely-printed photos of interesting subjects, in a coherent series, up in a cute new restraunt filled with cool people.

And I wonder, maybe that’s all that art is about; just making a few people happy, making them go “huh,” and look again. I don’t need to change the world, I only want to make more people appreciate art than would have otherwise.

Regardless of my life’s purpose, Colleen and I were able to bang out an incredible photo story of a seafood festival in record time this afternoon. I’ve finally learned the secret formula of photographing kids, pets, the elderly, interracial couples as much as possible. This assignments had no pets, but I think we’ll be OK.

The magnificent story told by Colleen and I can be viewed in a slide show here.

Almost everything I’ve shot so far as been some sort of a: tea party, street festival, or fish fry. I really feel that when outsiders think of Annapolis, they absolutely need to think “crab feast,” or “fish fry” or “seafood extravaganza.” Because that’s what embodies Annapolis: people who catch, cook, eat, and photograph seafood.

On our way back from the seafood festival, we stopped at a beautifully abandoned building. Some days I just love life more than others.

All that being said, anyone wishing to purchase a sword or suit of armor: please visit me on Black Friday. Our mall is open for 22 hours straight. KThnx.

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Three weeks left. Holy crap.

Finally, I did a good enough job to make a slide show. The second picture made it into the paper, pretty big, too, but not in color.

Anyway, if you want to see some pirates having tea and dancing, go ahead and click here. For more information on the Ballet Theatre of Maryland, get click happy over here. I personally plan on attending The Nutcracker this December, providing I can find a suitable date.

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Since I feel the need to prove that I’m actually doing something somewhat creative and productive with my life, here are a couple more photos.

Clearly I’m doing a little more with the juxtaposition of toys and reality, this time employing the boyfriend as an assistant because there are some things I’m just too girly to do on my own. Such as find four-leaf clovers.

You can see the final-ish set of toys in my portfolio. Feedback is more than welcome.

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Last week I photographed a “Halloween Happening” on the day after Halloween, so that didn’t run. I did have a bit of fun running around in the dark trying to properly focus my photos and legibly write peoples names. The haunted barn only became scary the third time I went through, when the actors starting messing with me… All in good fun.

On Sunday I went with a staff photographer Josh to attack a church service celebrating Armistice Day and a fashion show for Transitional Sizes, a clothing rental service. Of course I turned in three photos and Josh turned in one, and his ran instead of mine. I would have chosen his too… I’ve yet to properly expose and compose a shot that also captures the spirit of the assignment sheet. Some of the shots I turned in are here.

Practice makes perfect. I have approximately 30 hours of interning left, and I’ve asked to take extra assignment that might otherwise not be covered in hopes to be able to go out on my own and have my work published. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve also asked to stay on as a freelancer after my internship is finished, and I would be shocked if the answer were No.

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Please allow this image to speak as to my day as an intern at The Capital. Sundays bring the best and worst.

Yes, that is a helicopter dropping packets of candy over a football field while hordes of children (and their parents) wait in anticipation. Yes, it is five days before Halloween

For next week I was told “Bring a bicycle, we’re shooting a race.” Just when I think I get the hang of things, life throws a curve ball. Can’t wait until I actually get an assignment where someone is upset or injured.

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Usually I don’t go to these kinds of things, and when I do, I find the people trite or the message useless. This time, however, was completely different. So here’s a panel that 1) is relevant to my life 2) is required for class 3) I have to photograph 4) one of my internship mentors will be panel-ing. No pressure.

Free food aside, the panel was actually amazingly insightful. Those panelists didn’t give me enough time between revelations to get bored or to take stunning photos. The nerd in me even appreciated anecdotes from the video game producers and web developers of whose positions I understand little to nothing.

Most importantly, I learned that I have not screwed up my life yet. I learned that my existing degrees can only help me (a fact that seems obvious but I really do doubt it sometimes), my instinct to get out and shoot is completely correct, and that my internship will help me more than I know. I learned that all experience is good experience, and that the five years I spent at Medieval Times saying “taller in the back, shorter in the front, squeeze in real close…” like a robot has only helped me. Every time I get bored and try to take a stunning photograph of dirty dishes has only helped me. Every time I talked a guest out of calling customer service has only helped me.

I will say though, that the only panelist who mentioned income was Josh, and I’m very curious to know if these other artistic venues are extremely lucrative… Everyone mentioned that specialization was key, but how you need to be able to do everything, which really calls my attention (and fear) to how newspapers (and thus, photojournalism) are dying, thus lowering the possibility of me ever being able to do what I want and have a roof over my head. While game development and web design are exploding into the limelight, photojournalism is slowly fading away. Of course no one wanted to talk about that in an uplifting, you-can-do-this career panel.

Although, as most of the panelists mentioned, continuing education is highly important (which is what I’m already doing, right?). I just fear that for us journalists, our education is going to be learning how to juggle a video camera, still camera, notepad, and probably some other things that haven’t been invented yet at the same time and then editing it all into a story that is ready for web and press in just 60 seconds. Or something ridiculous like that. But at least I know I’m on the right path for that, or whatever it is that awaits me in photojournalism.

I just feel like… it took me so long to figure out what I want to do with my life, and then start to do it and realize yes, I was right, that the last thing I need is for my career field to disappear.

Don’t get me wrong, the career panel was highly motivating, very awesome, and thought provoking. Its just that the thoughts went in a more negative direction after the lights were turned off and assignments were turned in.

But I have this internship. One Sunday at a time.

Categories: Internship, Job Hunt
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