Final Thoughts in Houston

I was reluctant to go to my last day at the Chronicle - for one reason and one reason only - I was not ready to leave.

I spent my last day on two photo assignments - one was a press conference put on by part of the Houston Police Department in regards to a lawsuit. The other was a snake exhibit at the Children's Museum of Houston.

Going into the two assignments I was really excited. Press conferences can sometimes be difficult because of what you have to work with. I remembered back to one of my first days at the Chronicle when Steve Gonzales was going through Melissa Phillip's photos of a press conference. The photo that made a lasting impression on Steve, was of one of the men involved in the press conference leaving the place it was held. With that in mind, I went into the photo shoot thinking - how can I show something different than people talking at microphones? I looked for various angles, different ways of showing the situation and then I stayed at the site until they all left.

When I headed out to the snake exhibit, I also had things in the back of my mind - How can I show this differently than if a mother was taking a photo of her child here.

When I was finished with the two, I edited down what I thought was decent and headed up to talk to Steve. It was my last opportunity to have Steve Gonzales go through my photos and give me some last words of advice.

And this is what I got:

What is the story and how are you trying to tell it? Can you tell in this photo what is going on in this situation? Cover yourself - get photos from all viewpoints, at all angles, BUT you have to come back with a photo that tells the story by itself.

Are you moving all over the place? Sometimes it is a matter of picking yourself up six inches (Smiley Pool) or getting over one inch - just to capture that moment, get that extra layer, or make that perfect composition.

Does this photo look like something my grandmother could shoot? Get on the ground, stand on a chair, do whatever it is that needs to be done to give viewers something different.

Wait for the moment. Don't be in a hurry. Slow down, take control of the situation, put yourself in a position to create a beautiful photograph, wait for the moment, and then adjust. And when that is all done in the right way - you will have a photo. Eventually, it will become second nature. (Apparently there is a movie called, Shooter, that shows a photographer in the middle of battle and he is moving around to compose - I'm going to have to check that out.)

Sometimes it's helpful to take a step back from the situation and think - what is it that I'm trying to do or say...then do it.

Sometimes that movement of just stepping back will make all the difference in the world. This applies to editing also. Give yourself fresh eyes on things and ideas.

After turning in my photos I walked with Johnny Hanson to get some coffee and he gave me some last words of advice. He told me that right now while I'm in college - it's important to spend time working on a picture story. Dig deep, work on all the things I learned here, incorporate video, and see what I come out with.

Well, that is exactly what I was planning to do as an independent study course this semester. We will see how it works out.

Johnny and I talked about why we are in this business and he gave me insight on why he is. He told me that you get to see and experience things that no one else does. Yes, being able to travel and all the glamour that goes with various assignments are amazing to be a part of, but more importantly, you have the chance to interact with a variety of different people when you otherwise wouldn't have. It gives a new perspective on the world around you and the people surrounding you.

I was inspired.

And I want to inspire others. Which is why I have tried to keep a blog of all these experiences I've been given and what I've learned from them.

There were two basic things I was told while I was here by more than one photographer also. Julio Cortez said the number one rule is - Have fun. And Michael Paulsen's number one rule is help everyone you encounter. The two of them discussed this - even if it's a 10 year old kid with a point and shoot who has a question on something - help him out. There's something to be said about people who take time out of their day, to help others succeed.

At the end of the day, there was chocolate cake to be eaten, and the room was filled with a number of great people I had met in the last few weeks. I was asked to give a brief speech. Unprepared, I said what I knew, and that was this:

I am amazed at what the photo staff of the Houston Chronicle has to offer to not only their readers but to everyone surrounding them. They speak to each other and their subjects with the utmost respect - offering advice without question or giving suggestions when asked.  They are always looking out for one another and are genuinely curious about what is going on in the newsroom.  On top of all that, they are all extremely talented in their own way and each one brings something different to the table creating a talented diversified staff.