Very Humbling

It’s very humbling to have Tallahassee Magazine do a cover story on me and my 30 years of photojournalism.  I hope that’s an acknowledgment of the quality and longevity of my mission to accurately and honestly inform the public while I was as a photojournalist for the Tallahassee Democrat, as well as, several wire services, national magazines and websites.  I wasn’t counting on it being the cover story and 15 pages inside.  You can see the story in their e-edition here  http://tinyurl.com/44vhscq.  The story on the inside starts on page 90.

The cover of the 2011 May/June issue of Tallahassee Magazine

The life of a photojournalist is much different than their writing counterparts,  While much of a writer’s career is spent in the office on the phone, conducting interviews, writing, vetting their stories,  in order for a photojournalist to do their job, they have to be on the scene 100 % of the time.  Often times, being on the scene is not only tense but dangerous as in drug buys, hurricanes and police shoot outs.  We must me in the line of sight, the line of fire in order to document.  We cannot avert our eyes or turn away from even the more horrid happenings.

Opening page of my feature story

While I do miss the variety of assignments and the different people I met on a daily basis I don’t miss some coverage, particularly coverage where bodies are being pulled out such as the recent tornadoes in Alabama.

I have come to love the creativity involved in the planning and execution of production photography , conceptual and corporate portraiture that I shoot these days.  I love what I do now and don’t know of any other occupation I would want to do.

Listening to: Jubilation Day by Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers