I had to hike a mile down a mountain and along train tracks in the rain to photograph a crew of guys who are taking a batteau 360 miles upriver. It was probably the best day of work I have ever had.
Kevin Ferrel (right) holds onto a guide rope that keeps the specially designed batteau aimed straight as crew members behind him struggle to hold their position against the strong rapids of Balcony Falls on the James River near Glasgow, Va.
Members and friends of the expedition stand on the shore of the James River before setting up camp for the night.
It was one year ago this week that the idea for this site came to be. I won’t go into page view stats or techy details of what has happened between then and now. But I do want to say that right now I believe the design, functionality and interest are stronger than ever.
VirginiaPhotojournalism.com arose from the belief that Virginia-based photojournalists can benefit from an online forum for sharing photos, ideas and contact information. What good is the work of any journalist if it is not shared? How can we grow in our craft without meaningful critique? And how can these discussions start if we don’t even know who each other are? Combining these three missions is as simple as posting a photo every so often and responding to the work of our peers. I have tried to make the process of joining and participating as simple as possible. If you have any questions there are resources on this site to help and I am always available by email.
In the last few months I have been talking to the officers of the Virginia News Photographers Association and we have all expressed interest in combining our efforts to bridge the gaps that we feel exist between the talented photojournalists across this state. If it comes to be that they choose to house their organization under this roof, I am optimistic that the pooling of resources will benefit everyone.
However, just like this site, the VNPA is only as useful as the dedication of its members. So please take a minute to sign up, create a profile and start participating in the discussion!
To all my friends in Roanoke this weekend: I regret not being able to join you but I hope you all keep the momentum going both for this site and the VNPA. There is a lot of potential in this state and I feel very lucky to be working alongside all of you. Congrats to all the contest winners and I look forward to another inspiring year!
Alright, middle schoolers. Fun frame from a play practice tonight.
Seventh-graders Chad Gilliam (left) and Matt Penalva (right) practice flying for the upcoming production of "Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka" at Dunbar Middle School in Lynchburg Va., April 19, 2012. Thursday was the second day the young actors had worked with the system of cable and harnesses and they were all smiles. "You can see everything," said Gilliam, who will play Charlie Bucket in the show. "It's like you are in space, just floating around."
…and last but not least, our winners for quarter four!
Thank you to our judges from the Indianapolis Star (who also gave our entries some wonderful titles!):
Matt Detrich – Staff Photographer
Danese Kenon – Assistant Director of Photography
Robert Scheer – Staff Photographer
FEATURE
“Mariachi Band” – Sam Dean/The Roanoke Times – This photo took first because there weren’t a lot of moments in the category so the cool feeling , composition and light helped this come together.
“Children’s Museum Extravaganza” – Ross Taylor / The Virginian-Pilot – Again no moments but the cool light and composition and timing helped this.
“Meeting Snoopy” – P. Kevin Morley / Richmond Times-Dispatch – This pic had a moment but it was almost there…sweet face on the little girl and way to be ready when it happened.
ILLUSTRATION
“Antsy To Find The Perfect Picnic Spot” – Ross Taylor | The Virginian-Pilot – PERFECT execution and full of fun information and a joy to have in anyone’s portfolio!
“The Rise of Zombie Games” – Ross Taylor | The Virginian-Pilot – Another illustration packed full of cool visuals with a story telling edge!
“Running Back” – Kyle Green / The Roanoke Times – Great portrait but we felt this should have been in the portrait category as we didn’t see any Photoshop manipulation.
NEWS
“Protestor Charged” – Robert A. Martin/Stringer – Super story telling image with great emotion that stood way above the rest!
“Where Are The Jobs Protest” – P. Kevin Morley / Richmond Times-Dispatch – Nice “In Your Face” emotion that takes the reader where they need to be!
“Grieving Father” – Kyle Green / The Roanoke Times – Another great emotion – great face but the photo could use a major crop to help get right into the emotion.
PORTRAIT
“Strong Co-Captain – Ross Taylor | The Virginian-Pilot – Greta portrait approach with all the emotion and sense of place but now as we look closer should this be in the illustration category as it looks enhanced with photoshop.
“Missing Mother” – Sam Dean/The Roanoke Times - This was a fairly weak category…we felt this could have been lit better as the cross is blown out.
“Track Star” – John Boal(?)/News & Messenger – We thought the lighting was flat and could be a little more dramatic but nice idea.
SPORTS
“Celebrate and Complain” – Andrew Shurtleff / The Daily Progress – Great reaction photo of one girl celebrating while the other disputes the call. Fantastic job of capturing it all in one frame!
“Exhausted Runner” – Kyle Green / The Roanoke Times – Another great shot that is helped by light and composition…great execution!
“Celebrate Winning Goal” – Jill Nance/THe News & Advance – Super face anchoring the photo but a tighter crop would give it more impact.
FEATURE MULTIPLE
“Bass Elementary School” – Jill Nance/The News & Advance – Great in-depth story that is well-rounded and really shows the life and celebrations of the students and faculty!
“Toys “R” Us” – Sam Dean/The Roanoke Times – Another well told story from a daily event. All bases were covered showing the craziness of the event!
“Fox Hunt” – Andrew Shurtleff / The Daily Progress – VERY well shot story but started well and kind of fell off at the end. The three starting photos were awesome but the style fell off at the end where we though there might have been more.
Well, more like 1.9 right now. There are still a few things to finish, some wet paint and blue tape if you will, before the official re-launch. I anticipate that to happen the same week at the VPA/VNPA meetings on April 21, which will be a great chance to spread the word about what all has changed.
Managing this website has been a learning process for me, since the site was conceived one year ago, then researched, built, launched, taken down and (is currently being) revamped. In the last few months I have been working with a graphic designer and a WordPress programmer to help smooth over the look and functionality of the site. I feel like the improvements are (or will be) undeniable.
Please stay tuned for more updates. In the meantime, I encourage you to create an account, have a look around and let me know what you think. I appreciate your interest and I hope you return often!
Spring season is my favorite time of year for sports photography. No debate about it. Soccer, track, baseball, golf, tennis. After months of shooting indoor sports (basketball/wrestling) I am always eager for warm weather and outdoor assignments. I don’t mind that most games have about 20 minutes worth of daylight to shoot in before it’s back to grossly colored stadium lights. I just couldn’t be happier to be outside.
E.C. Glass sophomore Klyson Stuber deflects the ball down the field with his head in the Hilltoppers Thursday night victory. Sam O'Keefe/ The News & Advance
First of all, I want to apologize for the delay in getting these results up. After losing Kim Raff to the Salt Lake Tribune it was a bit of a scramble to pick up the reigns and steer this clip contest in the right direction. Second, I have also been working a lot recently on updating this website. Some changes are already in place and there are more to come. If you have any suggestions, now is the perfect time to submit them!
Congrats to all the winners from quarter three!
Extra special thanks to our thoughtful judges at the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune:
Parker Eshelman
August Kryger
Ryan Henriksen
News
Kyle Green, The Roanoke Times
Sam Dean, The Roanoke Times
Andrew Shurtleff, The Daily Progress
Comments: solid find from a news event for first place, well composed graphic image for second, and nice moment for third.
Feature
Jill Nance, The News & Advance
Parker Michels-Boyce, The News & Advance
P. Kevin Morley Richmond Times-Dispatch
Comments: Judges liked the mood of the first place photo, the fun scene and complete framing of second place, and nice face reaction of third place.
Sports
Rebecca Barnett, The Roanoke Times
Nikki Fox Daily News-Record
Ryan Kelly, Christopher Newport University
Comments: Judges were really looking for peak moments or sports features they hadn’t seen before. Lots of generic action submitted. We liked the found moment of the first place feature, the jube of the second place, and the graphic quality of third.
Portrait
Ross Taylor, The Virginian-Pilot
John Boal, News & Messenger
Kim Raff, The News & Advance
Comments: Judges really liked the mood and feel of first place and second place, and elegance of third place.
Multiple
Sam Dean, Roanoke Times
Comments: Although all the entries in this category needed extreme amounts of editing, judges felt it necessary to recognize the work and effort put forth in the soldier
Vegetarians beware this post- animals were harmed in the making of this photo. At least these animals aren’t going to waste in the woods and every usable piece of meat is given back to the people responsible for bringing in the animals.
Joe Albert separates the good meat from the bad while cleaning a deer at the Greenvalley Meat Processors in Monroe. Sam O'Keefe/ The News & Advance
As the newest member to the community I should probably start with a brief (brief) intro. My name is Sam O’Keefe and I started working with The News & Advance in Lynchburg on Monday after working South Carolina. Assignment number one for me was a press conference, but day number two offered a little more visual fun photographing a marching band practice and an elementary school performance. Enjoy!
Ryan Sexton holds his cymbals high as he practices with the Jefferson High School marching band on Tuesday Dec. 13. The band will tavel to England to perform in the 2012 London New Year's Day Parade.
Perrymont Elementary student Nathan Bateman blows a kiss over the crowd as the chorus of kindergarten and first-graders take their places on stage for Tuesday evening's Holiday Zoobilee performance.
Not to show too much bias but I have always said that if I had kids, I would send them to Bass Elementary School. The school is in the heart of the city’s inner city and statistically teaches the poorest in the area. What is so inspiring about Bass though is that despite this fact, their test scores are also the highest. Prior to knowing this, every time I have photographed there over the years, I left feeling so impressed with the dedicated staff, passionate principal Leverne Marshall and fantastic children. I knew there was something special about this school and now there are the numbers to prove it. I was so honored to recently have the opportunity to spend some time at Bass for a more in depth story about the secret to their success. It is truly a place where as Marshall always says “where hope begins and dreams come true”.
