Senior Project

Well, my senior project has winded to a close. I can’t say this has been very fun or I’ve learned a lot, but nothing catastrophic happened so I’m fine. It just so happened that I landed during a slow week, though I doubt how rowdy this newspaper office ever gets. I’m not ruling out journalism (I had my doubts before the project) as a result of the project, but rather eliminating small town journalism, or small town life in general from my future life plans. Newspapers are reflective of the community they represent, and after spending this much time here it’s no wonder my pictures of kids on swings take up a third of the front page–there’s nothing much else going on.

Everyone here’s been nice to me, though I often get tossed from person to person as someone scrapes up a job for me. I had almost complete autonomy, which is nice, but I was also looking for a more engaging work experience. I did have fun taking pictures– I took a photo class sophomore year and enjoyed it, but I haven’t had much of a chance to do so since. Plus, during my ample downtime at the office I read a lot of books for fun, something I haven’t been able to do during the year.  If nothing else, this senior project allowed me to spend some quality time with my grandparents.

Well, today I had two photo assignments: to take pictures of a girls dance class, and take pictures at the town pool. I wasn’t very satisfied with my dance pictures, mostly due to camera limitations. They were moving quickly, and since I didn’t know how to adjust the shutter speed, my pictures turned out a blur. The pool pictures, however, did turn out nicely because it’s hard to make a freshly opened pool look anything but enticing. The remainder of the day I spent reading.

Today was a shorter day, and I didn’t actually go into the office. Rather, I spent the morning and afternoon taking pictures at two separate Memorial Day services, which brings the number of times I’ve honored Memorial Day this weekend to an impressive three. I’ve grown accustomed to unobtrusively asserting myself (if that make sense) so I can get good pictures, but following the first graveyard service I avoided photographing people at tombstones.I know it’s done, but I didn’t feel comfortable invading their moment.

Later in the afternoon, I went to a “parade” which turned out just to be a group of American Legion members who had attached mini flags to their SUVs. There was no crowd, so I took pictures of the parade (really a procession) participants  waiting to start the parade. The parade concluded in a graveside service,so I took pictures of that as well.It was sweltering hot, and the repetitive patriotic speeches were starting to wear on me,but all in all it wasn’t bad.

Today has been relatively slow, though it was punctuated with a visit to the Veterans Home to take pictures of a Memorial Day service. I stood with the other members of the “press” and snapped pictures of the ceremony, which included the typical patriotic rigamarole. There was a great diversity in levels of ability among the veterans, but all the care takers seemed nice, which was comforting as one day we’ll move my grandfather there. At the conclusion of a ceremony a 91 year old WWII pulled me aside and we talked a bit about if I was really a “yankee” and his war experiences. After that I wrote captions for the pictures, and made few phone calls to get info for briefs. The day was still slow, so I spent the remainder of my time reading and fishing out the m&ms out of a bag of trail mix.

Well, there’s not much to be said about today. I’ve been doing tasks like typing or leaving messages here or there, but mostly I just read or play scrabble. Everyone has been very apologetic about the lack of work for me to do–apparently this week has been unusually slow because school let out yesterday and summer activities haven’t quite kicked off yet. I did take some pictures of  a baseball camp and kids playing in the park, and wrote  brief about an upcoming rec activity night. Memorial Day is Monday, and so there should be some reliable patriotic things to cover.

It’s embarrassing how much of today I spent lost. Though Jennings is a tiny town, I keep driving in circles and making one too many u-turns. Thus, my gps-less photo day was a bit of a struggle. Due to office chair fatigue, I spent the entire day out and about taking pictures. I made a stop to the Jennings Recreation Center, downtown Lake Arthur,  bayous, and historical landmarks. The paper is publishing a parish guide, designed to attract tourists, but over the course of my day I found lots of deserted buildings that made for compelling photo subjects. If published, however, many of  these pictures would ward off tourists, not attract them. But I made do.

I also spent part of the morning taking pictures for an ad sponsored by a local bridal shop, which was a bit like photographing somebody’s fake wedding. I’ve enjoyed getting out and about, but Louisiana is unbearably hot so I think tomorrow I’ll ask to work on a story instead. Playing photojournalist, however, has been quite an experience. For me, though, it easily identifies me as an outsider. Whenever I tell a subject I’m with the paper and then ask for his name, he typically responds with a jumble of consonants and then a last vowel sound of “eau” like Tibedeau.  When asked to spell it, he says “you’re not from around here, are you?” Guilty as charged.

I arrived at my senior project early this morning, feeling pretty cool as I rolled up in my grandfather’s old green pickup truck. However, since I cannot parallel park in the behemoth (nor any car, for that matter), I elected to park at the nearby public library and walk to the newspaper office instead. Downtown Jennings is a pleasant place– its mural advertisements and long closed general stores give it the feel of an abandoned  WWII-era movie set.

Though unassuming from the outside, the Jennings Daily News office is a brighter spot in an otherwise wilting downtown.My first assignment was to transcribe several letters to the editor–the contents of which ranged from natural gas tax policy to an alarmist record of the socialization of America–and write a wedding announcement.

After lunch, I went on a Jennings photography adventure. The paper is working on a project to promote Jennings’s image, so I was assigned to take scenic pictures. My first stop was the local alligator house, a small building off of the highway which houses an adult alligator, a 150 year old turtle, and three baby alligators. I snapped several photos of the caretaker and the alligators, including one of me holding a baby alligator that I’ll post later.

Though the alligator house was the undeniable highlight, I also took picture of a father-son fishing duo, camera shy children playing on the playground, and murals in downtown Jennings. After uploading my pictures, I started drafting a short article about a welcome home party to celebrate the safe return of the Guard after a yearlong combat tour in Iraq.

Hello! I arrived yesterday in Baton Rouge and was welcomed by a down-home crawfish boil and awkward introductions to family friends. No matter how many times I’ve told her that, no, I don’t remember the girl I played with when I was three, my mom insists upon starting these “reunions” with “remember Sarah? The one who….” Anyway, all familial responsibilities aside, I’m looking forward to starting my internship at the Jennings Daily News on Tuesday. Jennings is a rather sleepy town, so I’m looking forward to learning how news media operates in a small town. I’m not totally sure what to expect on my first day, so that’s a  source of anxiety. From my conversations with my supervisor, it looks like I’ll be observing editors, and taking pictures or writing the occasional story. Though I know it might be stressful, I’m kind of hoping for a dramatic journalistic deadline rush full with tense conversations and shouting about finishing layout. However, I’m keeping my expectations low because, after all, Jennings’ biggest recent news break was related to a string of serial killings, and, well, I’m pretty squeamish. I’ll keep you posted, wish me luck!

hello, blog.

Welcome to Providence Day Blogosphere. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!