Self Portrait Tuesday: Working Press

voguing, originally uploaded by roxydynamite.

Most people leave an annual portrait behind them in their school years. As a member of the working press, a photo is now required on press passes. It didn't used to be like that. Since I don't like being photographed, these portraits make me all itchy and sweaty. The photo above is obviously an outtake from the 2005 pass. My friend, Saed, is behind the camera. We've spent many hours together in the studio setting up for shoots. I'll patiently stand as he fusses with lights in preparation of shooting real fashion models, actors or sometimes just food. I'm comfortable with him and sometimes he gets a good photo of me. Which he invariably deletes because I'm just his test shot. This is one of those shots that he would have deleted but I snagged it first.
This year, Jerry, shot my portrait. He was patient. Giving me good directions like "give me a positive expression" or "just a little teeth." Afterwards, he told me I looked nervous and it was hard to select a good frame. He submitted four. I chose this one. It has a "positive expression" but my face isn't doing all those things that make me look goofy. When I smile big, my left eye closes up and my smile is crooked.That stuff is endearing on a kid. Not a grown person trying to look professional.
The whole point of having this pass, is to identify yourself to law enforcement or subjects while covering news. I'm rarely in the field since I'm an editor. I've found that if you identify yourself as press, people don't ask to see your id anyway.
I never intended to be a journalist. I thought I was going to be a novelist or a poet. As a kid, my nose was always in a book. In high school, I was the editor of the school newspaper and literary magazine. In 1989, my newspaper advisor gave me a tip about an after school job at the local daily paper. I've been in newspapers ever since learning the ropes, doing different jobs, working at different papers. About six years ago, I got fed up with the paper I was at and thought I was done with newspapers. So I quit. Filmmaking interested me. I had the notion to learn how to make documentary filsm. Then I got an offer to help build a brand new photography department and I couldn't resist the challenge.

It seems that I have ink in my veins. It doesn't matter much what medium I use. Words, photos, video. Telling stories is the fundamental thing. When you can tell the truth about a person or a topic in a way that is humanizing and dignified, you've done a good job. When that story moves people to action to right a wrong, lend a hand, make a difference, you've done a great job.