Meet LBC Gospel Choir's Fall Concert - part 1

I work best when I have rewards waiting for me and tonight, while I plugged along on a paper, I decided my reward for doing such would be to post two photos on my blog from Mizzou's Legions of Black Collegians Gospel Choir's concert I went to Friday night. I'm working on filling in some gaps for my story, so I was glad to get to photograph them in a performance setting again.

Anyway, more on all of that later, here are two photos for you to look at:

Meet Phoebe, the early years

Hooray, it's my birthday! I turn 25 today and so far, it's been going great. I got a cake from my Boot Camp family (...it's a j-school thing) and went out for some dancing and shouting and laughing. Lots of well-wishing AND, because I'm a Starbucks Gold Card Member, a free drink of my choice (and what a large one it is).

I am so happy.

So here are some of my baby photos, because those are always fun to look at:

I am pretty sure this is exactly 25 years ago:


6 months old:


A year...?:


And my kindergarten school photo:

Meet the feeling

Last spring, when I first started here at Missouri and was trying to figure out how to be a non-sports photographer, I took the photo you see below for my portrait assignment. I liked the shot but couldn't figure out why. It wasn't technically strong, in my opinion. But still, I liked it.



David Rees, my professor at the time and Mizzou's own Yoda, articulated why I liked it: it didn't just show something, it showed how something felt. It wasn't just "this is what I saw" but also "this is how it felt."

"Really good photos don't just show you something, they also make you feel something." That's roughly what David wrote in my critique and it was a bit of an ah-ha moment for me that I still keep with me.

Below are a few photos from a jam session that broke out my last night at Hazel Kinder's Lighthouse Theater and one from backstage that, for me, also convey this. They stick in my mind for the simple reason that they show how the scene felt at the time. Dark and mysterious, perhaps, but with intense and purposeful light in just the right places. Like the riffs played to the basic melody that evolved on stage.

Understanding and shooting this kind of photography is why I came back to school.



(Saxophone player)

Meet Hazel Kinder's Lighthouse Theater

Here is my contribution to my group's final project on Hazel Kinder's Lighthouse Theater. I took most - but not all - of the photos and edited the pictures and the audio.

UPDATE! Check out the full project here.

(Also, I highly recommend the new full-screen option. Click the box with the four arrows pointing outward to see a GINORMOUS presentation.)

Meet 1,000 words

--or--

"Advanced Techniques of Photojournalism in a photographic nutshell"

In direct opposition to my previous post of optimism and serenity, I am putting up a picture that sums up the experience of using flashes/artificial light both for the subject and the photographer. I'm editing for my final project and found this very poorly executed gem in my outtakes.

I'm thinking 2009 CPOY...this screams "personal vision" (or lack thereof?).



(Sorry, mister.)

Meet simplicity

At the risk of being overly poetic, let me tell you that last night, as I was parking my car, I had a moment of serenity where I was glad and thankful to be a photographer. I have the ability to see beauty in unexpected places and find myself appreciating somewhat random scenes. The parking garage was one of them. I looked out my window and thought "how pretty" and, after a few seconds, "how weird...to think that a parking garage is pretty." This morning, I spent several minutes watching the smoke from my incense waft around in the sunlight. Simple, beautiful scenes can bring such serenity.





For more waxing photographic, check this out.

Meet Multiple Flash

(November 30, 2008 Columbia, Mo.) Alita Stoneking, left, and Tom Weisburger, from St. Peters, Minnesota, warm-up their instruments and fingers in the lobby of Hazel Kinder’s Lighthouse Theater Saturday afternoon before the theater’s first annual fiddle contest. Stoneking, who plays in fiddling competitions throughout the Midwest, won first place out of four fiddlers in the open division and Weisburger placed second. (Photo by Phoebe Sexton)

Lighting Diagram:

Meet Hazel Kinder's Lighthouse Theater (pt. 1)

Some fun shots from the fiddling contest and bluegrass show at Hazel Kinder's Lighthouse Theater:

Meet Kevin, your multi-light assistant

I wasn't paired with Kevin for the multiple light assignment, but since he's in my group and we were all working on our final project together, I got some fun shots of him assisting.

Slideshow examples

Audio slideshow for class:

The Flower Show

---

While poking around online, I found it interesting that various universities' news/photo offices are doing multimedia. A sample:

Tufts:

Science Takes Center Stage

Harvard:
Harvard's Election Excitement

Boston University:
The Hot Seat

Meet some of my role models

While in Boston, I was able to get some face time with a few of the folks who had a hand in helping me become the person and photojournalist I am today. Many thanks to them; I hope I can continue to make them proud.

Professor Mitchell Zuckoff, Boston University Journalism Department



---
Pastor Lorraine Thornhill, First Holiness Church

(her "oh, can I go there, Church?" face)

---
Vernon Doucette, Boston University Office of Photo Services

---
Professor Peter Southwick, Boston University Photojournalism Department



---
Professor Joe Lippincott, Boston University Photojournalism Department

Joe: "Phoeb! ...What the hell are you doing here?"
---
Justin Ide, Harvard News Office Assistant Director for Photography

I triple-dog-dare you to have a portfolio edit with him. Triple.Dog.Dare.

---
Rick Young, Boston University Office of Photo Services

Life is good.

[ Tyler ]

Meet the Inner Strength Gospel Choir of Fall 2008

The whole reason I am in Boston is to follow through on my personal dream to sneak back and surprise my choir for their concert. I tried to do it last year, but ended up canceling the flight because their Spring concert was far too close to finals week for me to both make the trip and pass school that semester. This Fall was one of my last chances to fulfill my dream and still have people in the choir who knew who I was, so I kept my trip super secret and strolled into sound check earlier this evening. For a first-person account of this, go here:

And now, for some pictures (nothing too innovative; all were taken from my seat area):


Tyler at the start of the [really awesome] liturgical dance.


I just like this photo. And she sang really, really well.


The choir had a huge amount of energy - it was wonderful to witness!


Herbert S. Jones, one extremely talented director.


This is my Dionte, with whom I used to sing in the front row of the tenor section. He had two really wonderful solos tonight; I'm so proud of him!


Everyone listening to Matlin's wise words.


I love Marsh Chapel (despite the fact the acoustics aren't too friendly with gospel music) and was happy to get to look at all its intricacies again.


Tyler was KILLING it as a director and brought some extreme joy and energy to his two songs.


It was an awesome concert with such great music - the trip was absolutely worth it.

[More to come from this event - stay tuned!]

Meet my fall Boston trip: first 24 hours

I am in Boston and it is glorious. Some highlights:


Dominick showing off his scooter tricks in BU's photo-j hallway.


My boys Eron and Andy being some sort of ridiculous right before
we all decided to chop off about six inches of my hair.


Andy giving it up for the deliciousness of our dessert choice.


One of my absolute favorite T musicians. I was first hooked when he and his buddy would play the Park Street platform Wednesday afternoons at the time when I'd be on my way to Harvard News Office. Today, he was playing "Besame."

Meet Multi-Light Training Camp

So, this is a light. And a very stern TA in the background.
(I was paying attention!)

Be safe: protect your equipment from Dynalight VD.

Esten keeps Rita on one lapel and David on the other so he can be a well-balanced,
driven photographer at all times. And because the buttons are super cool.

Woo hoo! Cross lighting achieved!

Now with fill light! Esten approves.

Apparently the cool thing to do in lab is be serious and point at the camera.
(PFal, why so serious?)

Things I forgot to say before I took this picture:
"Hey Esten, I'm going to take a picture of you holding that fill light." (sorry, buddy)

Break dance party.

"J-School Rocketman" -or- "Who needs wrists to photograph?"