As luck would have it
.If you get an opportunity in photography you have to grab it – they don’t come along that often. When you get the chance of a great picture, you have to identify that quickly and make the most of the situation. Whatever age you are you can do that. Even with luck, you will still have to press the shutter at the right time. You need good reflexes and you need to be fit. – John Giles
Today (06-18-09) is my one year anniversary at the “American Press” and that year has been…
Well, for starters, I had to adjust to being an employee again in a system that was totally new to me and it came without any blueprints or instruction manuals. This was made especially difficult by the fact I was used to being the boss. Thankfully, photojournalism does come with a good deal of autonomy. Honestly, I thought of packing it up several times. Still, photojournalism is my first love, so I sucked it up, walked it off, and here I am.
The work keeps me going. I’ve covered hurricanes, football, tennis, boxing, fires, escaped prisoners and lots of features. Perseverance has paid off and I have felt validated by a couple of fairly recent events.
The first is having two 1st places in the Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press 2008 contest (I also got a 3rd place). One was for the multi-photo feature I did on a 4-H horse champion. I did one of my first audio slide shows on this story plus I wrote the narrative to go with my photo essay. The second 1st place was for a rodeo photo (see above).
The second is having “Sports Illustrated” pick up my Foreman photo for their magazine. I know that luck played a big part in Foreman fighting here (1) and having the opportunity to shoot it (2). Still, it is very cool that they chose my photo to run in their June magazine (see below).
What’s next? Revamping my website has been on my top agenda for a year now. Sure, I’ve been busy but procrastination on the layout and selection of photos has drug out for months now. Maybe I spent too much time pondering the look and feel of the website. I should just shut the hell up and do it. As for ‘The Press,’ I can’t wait to see what this 2nd year will hold. I’m learning video editing and teaching myself Joomla! Also, I’m considering a class in Flash and Dreamweaver. Wait & see…
You have done an awesome job and I am extremely proud of you! I’m proud to be able to say my friend has done all this. You are a very talented individual. Keep up the good work!
I’m very proud of you. It is difficult to start over, but you did it. I knew you had an eye! Forge ahead!