South Bend Tribune Internship: A Look Back

I just finished an audio slideshow about my experience from my four month internship at the South Bend Tribune in South Bend, Ind. There is also a link to my Sportshooter page showing a summary of my work from the internship.

Above is a page on my Web site discussing this internship.

Only in California

Good to be home

Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 100 ISO, f5.6 at 1/500 of a sec

Road Trip Home

I finished my photo internship at The South Bend Tribune this past Monday, and now I am living at my parents house in San Francisco, Calif., for a few weeks before my trip to Europe in June. Road trips are not unfamiliar to me.

This was the eighth time I had driven from the Mid-West to the West Coast. I’ve done the southern route and the northern route. Small roads in the desert of Nevada, to the huge monster known as I-80. I’ve done the drive with a co-worker, best friends, a girl-friend, a father (3X) and a god-father (2X).

I have been living temporarily for the past 5 years, never staying in one place for very long. This perpetual state of transition will probably last another year seeing as how scarce newspaper visual-journalist jobs are.

Before leaving the Mid-west, I got to have dinner with Katie, a theater friend from my University of Illinois days. Even through she graduated from school two years before me, we have stayed close, possibly gotten closer, since she left Champaign, Ill.


Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 3200 ISO, f1.4 at 1/50 of a sec

You always need someone to do the drive with. For safety and sanity, it’s a good idea to bring someone you know you won’t run out of conversation points with. My godfather, Lee, arrived at Midway Airport on Tuesday and we headed out the next morning
on I-80.

It's a good idea to bring snacks for the trip.

Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 100 ISO, f2 at 1/640 of a sec

The driving went by very quick. I have never felt so relaxed while doing this long trek through middle-America. I think it was the sense of being done with work, with weeks to relax before my next big event (six weeks in Europe).


Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 500 ISO, f5.6 at 1/5000 of a sec

Driving the central states can get monotonous. You go for miles in a single direction with out any turns.


Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 100 ISO, f3.2 at 1/8000 of a sec

We stayed our last night in the small town of Elko, Nevada. After showering, I sat down on my bed to get dressed and found some warm morning-light reflecting off of the huge wall-to-wall mirror.


Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 640 ISO, f1.4 at 1/160 of a sec

Now I am safe and sound in San Francisco. I will soon be posting an audio slideshow some of my work from The South Bend Tribune. If you’re in SF, and reading this, call me because I wanna see you. I leave June 16th for Budapest!

High School Prom

Shooting high school prom is sorta like shooting a bloody car crash. While I’m shooting, I keep asking myself, “can we even print this?” But in then end, you find moments that express the excitement and fun that comes with prom. You just have to suck it up and know you aren’t a perv for taking pictures of high school kids kissing. For select songs (the one's that talk about grinding and touching your toes and such) you just put your camera down and wait for the next song to start.

Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 2500 ISO, f1.4 at 1/125 of a sec

Like in any event-based assignment you find your groove and stick with it until you’ve made that image, and then move on. I don’t like shooting with flash. First, I don’t like the look of flash. But more importantly, it ruins the moment. You only get one chance with flash, then everyone knows what you’re doing.

Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 1600 ISO, f1.4 at 1/250 of a sec

It’s easy finding some close couples during a slow song. So I tried the more rambunctious kids. I think “Mr. Brightside” from The Killers was playing at this point. This was our song, Nick.

Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 2500 ISO, f1.4 at 1/80 of a sec

This is my second-to-last day at the South Bend Tribune. My last assignment tomorrow will be covering the Notre Dame graduation. Seems fitting.

This image has nothing to do with prom, but I shot it earlier today and will probably never get run. Favorite of the week.

Nikon D3 with 28-70mm f2.8 at 38mm. 2000 ISO f2.8 at 1/200 of a sec

Lazy Day

We’ve had a few small rainstorms the past couple of nights here in South Bend. Each morning my landlady’s backyard gets covered in more and more of these tiny green leaves. No, it’s not grass.


Nikon D3 with 20mm f2.8, 400 ISO, f5.6 at 1/100 of a sec


NIkon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 400 ISO, f5.6 at 1/60 of a sec

I don’t own a true macro lens, so I made with what I had.


NIkon D3 with 70-200mm f2.8 at 70mm, 800 ISO, f5.6 at 1/100 of a sec


Nikon D3 with 70-200mm f2.8 at 200mm, 1000 ISO, f5.6 at 1/200 of a sec

My Landlady's Garden

Nikon D3 with 20mm 2.8, 200 ISO, f2.8 at 1/500 of a sec

100 Voice Women's Choir

Last night I covered the 100 Voice Women's Choir at Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church. The concert was a split Mother’s Day/Breast Cancer Awareness event and featured local singers from all over the Michiana area.

For the most part the assignment was a typical performance. Although, two instances struck me as new and unusual. First, at the end of one of the songs, one of the choir members became overwhelmed with joy and relief. I found out later that the young woman, Crystal, who has Down syndrome, had been practicing that song all week with the help of Jenny, the lady standing directly to her left of Crystal in the image below. Crystal had never completed this particular song without error. But during this performance, she got it right...

"We've been rehearsing all week. Hard work, that's what it's all about."
-Jenny


Nikon D3 with 70-200 f2.8, 3200 ISO, f2.8 at 1/800 of a sec

I wasn’t in the best place for the image, but at least I got something. If I wasn’t leaving in a week, Crystal and Jenny’s relationship may have been a great story to follow.

Each soloist had a palpable conviction in their voice. I wanted to make some images showing the amount of energy each solo performer brought to the table. I placed myself in front of the first row hoping to get in really tight with my 50mm.


Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 1600 ISO, f1.4 at 1/320 of a sec

We shoot performances very often. Most are boring high school musical rehearsals (not Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep Theater Company though!) What makes this performance different? Why should I care any more about this concert than the one they had their two weeks ago? Because of moments like Crystal’s.

Taste of Michiana

Nikon D3 with 28-70mm 2.8 at 60mm, 4000 ISO (yeah, 4000), f2.8 at 1/60 of a sec

Taste of Michiana is sort of a miniature Taste of Chicago, or any restaurant/winery street fair. Except it was indoors!

This was a terrible place to shoot due to the very poor lighting. A few lights are scattered on the ceiling, about 30 feet above a sea of tables and booths. This restricted me from shooting at certain tables, not just because of the lack of light, but the abundance of light beyond it. Lets do these things outside people!

My Kitchen

I was going to the kitchen for a cookie when i saw this.

7:56 PM, Nikon D3 with 20mm 2.8, 1600 ISO, f8 at 1/60 of a sec

Chocolate chip, if you were wondering, but only because the supermarket was out frosted oatmeal.

Foul ball hits man, spills drink

I was shooting a Minor League Baseball game when a foul ball hit a dude in the neck. Ouchies indeed.




Nikon D3 with 300mm f2.8 + 1.4x tele (420mm equiv.) 1600 ISO, f4 at 1/8000 of a sec

Obama, Clinton and Cinco De Mayo

Cinco De Mayo celebration in South Bend.

Nikon D3 with 50mm f1.4, 100 ISO, f2 at 1/8000 of a sec


Nikon D3 with 17-35mm at 17mm, 100 ISO, f2.8 at 1/3200 of a sec

Time is running out in Indiana. Come Wednesday, we won't matter any more. Today I had two assignments concerning the presidential nomination. Both Senators Barack and Hillary were in Michiana, but that would be too much for one photog to handle probably. Another staffer was called in (on a Sunday!) to cover Barack who was going door to door in Elkhart, Ind., asking for change. Get a job!

First, I was sent to John Young Middle School where Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano was stumping for Obama. People who came to hear her speak were registering to volunteer for the campaign at the front desk of the school. I thought this was a descent alternative from the typical podium shot.


Nikon D3 with 17-35mm at 17mm, 100 ISO, f2.8 at 1/500 of a sec

I went directly from Napolitano to Hillary who was speaking outside of her South Bend campaign office. I would vote for which ever candidate has more outdoor rallies. Although the Sun made for some harsh shadows, I'd take this over a fluorescent-filled gym any day.


Nikon D3 with 70-200mm at 200mm, 100 ISO, f2.8 at 1/3200 of a sec

This was my third time shooting Hillary. First was at Mishawaka High School and the second was at Coveleski Stadium (Silverhawks Minor League Baseball Team). This was my extra chance that I spoke about last time. A chance I wasn't sure I'd get.


Nikon D3 with 17-35mm at 17mm, 100 ISO, f2.8 at 1/1600 of a sec

This time around, I was desperate to make something new. We were outdoors again, but this place was different. There was a nice background of the city's buildings. And different materials surrounding the Senator like glass and trees. This allowed for some more experimental images. I spent the first half of the speech making sure I got my safe shots.


Nikon D3 with 70-200mm at 70mm, 100 ISO, f4 at 1/800 of a sec

And then I experimented.


Nikon D3 with 70-200mm at 70mm, 100 ISO, f8 at 1/60 of a sec

I am pretty sure this image will never run beyond the Web gallery at www.SouthBendTribune.com. The editors at the Tribune don't ever like to to take risks with images. But you can't let timid editors keep you down. Especially when you are an intern. I have to grow and work hard no matter what I am told.

It is a delicate balance between shooting for yourself vs shooting for the paper. The paper's needs will always trump my own, but I will never let the paper get in my way of enjoying my job. Just because an image won't be seen doesn't mean it shouldn't be made.

Newsroom Bridal Shower

Nikon D3 with 17-35mm f2.8 at 17mm, 640 ISO, f2.8 at 1/320 of a sec

A woman who works at the South Bend Tribune with me is getting married this weekend. A mini-bridal shower with cake and punch was held in one of the conference rooms where the wife-to-be was being pinned with dollar bills as dictated in her family tradition for bridal showers. Dammit, I forgot to tell people the Diefenbach tradition for 23rd birthdays of stuffing my pockets with your $20 bills.

Chago - My Partner in Crime

Nikon D3 with 50m f1.4, 500 ISO, f1.4 at 1/250 of a sec

Helps me make jokes about anything Gene says on slow news days.