Project 1 commenced at the Iron Bowl, 2009 in Auburn, AL. We'll see what comes of it.

4x5 portraits of fans.

My Approach

How could you ever punch that? (what's up ISO 1600?)

Rob here (credit: B. Miller):



So my approach, since that's what both of you wrote and I didn't, will be to show up with some pictures that I've already taken to help convince the guys to let me move forward with a photo story. I'm working out how (if) I should do photo releases. I know I should, but that's another hurdle I'm nervous about. I guess I need to overcome that pretty soon.

This past weekend 4 out of 6 fighters became Alabama Golden Gloves champions. There's one in particular who I want to focus on, though I want to include the whole team in part of the story. They really do function as a unit in a lot of ways. But I think it will be easier (and therefore better, for me) to keep things acute. When I was in NY I took a writing workshop at Media Bistro and they taught that a magazine story is about ONE thing. While that obviously has it's limits, and doesn't account for some really good story telling, I think it's still a good rule to follow, especially at first. So that will be my approach. Probably have some establishing shots of the gym, coach, other fighters. Then close in on the one and try to tell his story and what boxing (and this ministry) has done for him.

Like I said, I don't expect to incorporate audio directly into the essay, though I hope to record some for my "commentary track" that I want to create.

Bob,
I used to go to that church and while I don't have a relationship with them anymore, I think the pastor and his wife would be a good contact. You may also want to get in touch with Dr. Abrams, the human sexuality professor at Samford. He's a therapist in town and I know for a fact that his wife as given birth at least once, maybe twice, at their home. I seem to remember him having a midwife at one of the panel discussions he set up for the class. I would try to contact him and see who he can connect you with. I think he'd be all about that and he would know people on all sides of the issue.

S.Y.B.O.

rob

um...whoops. i give anyone permission to punch me (just not in the face...or, in the mid-lower bodily region...or, well...let's just say in the arm)

ok so my thoughts for my story. talked with cary briefly, getting very stoked. Allison has already begun researching this from a public health vantage point and she and I have talked several times about collaborating on this story for a stronger impact. her degree is all about approaching issues that affect the general health and well-being of the public in ways that can result in effective policy change, and the idea of her getting on board for this really gets me blood pumping (isn't she amazing?).

i leave for kentucky today for about a week and a half. as soon as I get back in town my plan is to schedule a meeting with the director of Impact Alabama with the goal of discussing his experience in trying to affect policy change and gain some wisdom from a seasoned political advocate for social rights issues. next will be to get in touch with two of the birthing houses on the alabama border (Allison found the information for these for me). Also, I found out that the wife of the pastor of the Downtown church is the leader of the organization that pushes for legalizing home-birth and midwifery every year. I also plan to contact her with the intention of meeting an expectant family that intends to travel to one of said birthing houses. Eventually, the idea is to document that process.

I think at our next meeting we should bring pencil and paper and visually map out the "3 circles" we discussed regarding how the stories relate to each other and the what extent we cover local, national and international ideas.

I'm very excited as of late to being moving forward. Perhaps it has something to do with this snazzy camera I just got, but mostly I think I'm just excited to be shooting for myself again. It's been a long time... Let's remember it's not because of publications that we take pictures, but because we have a fascination with the world around us, and, perhaps, an interest in improving it.  

the diagram

so i was just talking to john [yam] and got even more frustrated by this. i asked him for help and now i am more confused.

dammit.


anyway here is the diagram
click it to see the whole thing. it gets cropped here.

okay...

i have some words i guess to explain what im currently thinking. for the sake of multi-tasking with the work i do, i think im gonna go with video presentation (and then may additional info for the analogue site)

here are the notes i've made to myself as well as a photo of the diagram i drew out trying to show the connections, then trying to make it look more tree-ish.

rob and bob...this is very overwhelming. i have no idea what im doing!

i digress.


"So it feels like the real story is the connection of person to person. i've sketched it out roughly as a tree, which of course is pretty trite but it still it is appropriate since DIG is all about growing stuff.



DIG as an organization is mainly comprised of Sarah and Steve. Sarah connected to Terry who connected to me. DIG in general takes on volunteers on site as well. I shot all the people [roughly] connected with in Jinja. Terry and sarah and steve are all connected to donors. DIG is connected to four main sites who all have their own connections. Two examples: TASO. This is a group that helps all sorts of aids / hiv patients in the area. there are volunteers who work on the DIG garden on site. At least one of which has had DIG start her a home garden...and the people who helped her put it in, from her community, have the opportunity to have their own home gardens too. Or the orphanage....you've got paul and rose...they have 4 kids. then they take on 20 orphans during the normal school year. they have their own crops, but also the DIG garden. even one of the children has his own tiny garden. they also have two small expamples of low-surface-area gardens too to help inform their neighbors with less land than themselves. it also indirectly impacts the living extended family of the orphans they take in. i'm sure each place has their on connections, obvious or not.

so i want to put together a video presentation that illustrates the story of DIG but way of possibly literally using an illustration of roots/branches to explain how individuals can directly impact others. have dig be the seed and Sarah and Steve and so on be the roots / source of life, and have above ground be the countries impacted, then branches to organizations, then sub branches to individuals and subs to who they impact, etc etc.

folding in audio recording from on site, photographs, and video interviews of sarah, terry, possibly me?. much less images than the thing i did for terry, and in a better way.

presented online for analogue via Vimeo. presented to potential clients of mine via DVD.




after effects?


god...this is so overwhelming."



the words i wrote BEFORE that taht i didnt feel like were going anywhere are as follows:

"Connection tree of how I am connected to Sarah Koch and how she is connected to Terry, DIG, Steve, Lisa, and how Terry is connected to donors, etc.

i keep on having this image of expanding concentric circles that are something like city, state, region, country, world etc.



idea starts with connecting Uganda to Birmingham. connection is immediate with DIG and the work they do. sarah from birmingham, goes to uganda. sub-connection points for this is AIDS/HIV work in uganda, and AIDS/HIV work in birmingham. the importance of gardening / nutrition to the people in jinja and the urban gardening we have at jones valley."

two (?)

Here's what I'm thinking:

The photos and words that I shoot and write will be published in a typical online photo essay style. Specifically, it will start out with some kind of text (or maybe the text will come after an initial establishing shot) and then the essay will proceed. I expect there will be some notes or explanations to help tell the story. I'm a big believer in context. My vote is that the website displays one image at a time with if possible.

Accompanying the essay will be an audio file, kind of like a podcast. Either one of you could interview me or I could just go through some questions about how I found the story, why I focused on certain things, etc...sort of like a behind the scenes or a director's commentary. It won't go along with the pictures (like a director's commentary goes along with a movie) but it will hopefully round the whole story out. As I see it, after you look through the essay, at the end, there will be a link to open the audio file in a new window. So, you could, while listening, look back through the photos and make some connections to what I'm saying. But it's not necessary.



cheers,
rob

one

this is really hard for me. just fyi. it doesn't help that i cannot concentrate today.

all for now