Gaining a New Appreciation for Feature Photography

The assignment this week focused on feature photography. Lori King showed her portfolio to the class and we were all inspired by her ability to capture the human element in a variety of ways. She seems to effortlessly place herself in the perfect positions and bring the emotion out of the moment through her photography.

My hunt for feature photos might not have yielded work comparable to hers but it was still a fun and educational experience. Any time I can bring my camera with me while exploring somewhat aimlessly ends up being a good time. We needed to capture an enterprise photo, or something occurring randomly that could be featured as a news item or something that had a human element to it.

I walked around Wayne State’s campus on a few different days, searching for anything visually stimulating or anyone who might be doing something interesting. I ended up enamored by the construction crew that I strolled past on my way to class every day. They are working on what will be the new Anthony Wayne Drive Apartments. They would fearlessly peer over the edge of the 6-story building to fasten something, or hustle back and forth with heavy equipment, or guide cranes that whipped steel beams through the blue sky. All of my other schoolwork required for me to ignore this hard work as I hurried to class each day. But for this occasion, I was able to stop and watch and try to get the best angle for a visually interesting photo. The one I used shows a lone construction worker kneeling ever-so-closely to the edge of the roof. The lines of the unfinished building beneath him lead up to him, and portray a sort of magnificence that a small human could have a hand in constructing such a powerful and towering structure. All this and he seems to be relaxed as he lingers near the edge of what would be a deadly fall.

Our other photos were to be covering an event. I happened to have won a scholarship from the Journalism department and was invited to attend the Journalism Day Luncheon on Thursday, October 19. The faculty handed out scholarship awards to students and other prestigious awards for graduate of the year, alumna of the year, and journalist of the year. The photos I captured included some of the award winners, and a nice moment where the Graduate of the Year gave a warm hug to the instructor that inspired him throughout his college career.

All in all, this was a fun assignment and I hope to bring my camera along with me more often and be ready for any opportunity to capture beautiful moments.