Super Soaker Priest

Hm. A Catholic priest uses a super soaker to bless his congregation.





Is it full of holy water? I'm not much of a religion buff. Either way, funny.

Multimedia Analysis: "Love in the First Person"

In efforts understand what I consider good journalism and then apply it to my own work, I'll be analyzing certain multimedia pieces from time to time. The first in the series is called "Love in the First Person" by Matt Eich.

"One year ago Matt Eich, 20, and Melissa Turk, 19, were typical college students. Then, everything started changing. Matt won the prestigious College Photographer of the Year contest, Melissa found out she was pregnant, they got married and moved from Ohio to Portland, OR, for Matt's summer internship.

In "Love in the First Person", Matt and Melissa, with help from their friends, document their life together as they share their thoughts and fears on the sudden changes in their future. They come to realize that, as Matt says, "Nothing good comes without some sort of struggle," and that beginning a life together is as much about faith as it is about commitment."

-Media Storm

What I Like:

• There are several photos towards the beginning of the piece where Melissa is out of focus in the foreground and the background is in focus. There's a bit of symbolism of Matt looking to the future, not focusing as much on the present, which he now must do because of the baby. Notice that the railroad shot of Melissa out of focus comes up as she says "I don't ever want to feel like I'm keeping you from the places you want to go, so I just want you to take me with you."
  
• I love the shots of Melissa at home (in bed, the shower). They are very intimate shots of her that I think only Matt could have gotten. It also says a lot about how he cares for her, documenting the smallest detail of her stomach, collarbone, eyes etc.
  
• Awesome shot of the baby at the end.
  

What I Don't Like:

• There are a lot of technical problems with the wedding reception photos and video. Feet cut off, blown out exposures, shaky video, lots of blur, focusing was off. But these are pictures done by others, not Matt himself.
• While there were parts about the couple's fears about parenting and marriage, there's not much examination of how their lives will be harder/different, though Matt mentions not being able to be free "to go wherever, whenever". I wish they had delved deeper into the effects of the pregnancy on their lives. What did their parents think? How were they going to support the baby? Were they both still going to school? I think the heavy consequences of having a baby so young were very sugar coated in this piece.

Other Comments:

• This story is relatable to photojournalists, and really anybody who has a job where they're constantly moving, traveling, and working odd hours. (3 am call from your editor?) How to balance that career and a family is an issue many photojournalists face. Most professionals I talk to are single for a very very long time., and when they start a family, they generally settle down at a small local paper or teach. But Matt is only 20 when he jumps into marriage and fatherhood. He now works as a freelancer in Athens, OH (which I think is near his home). But he's also worked in Oregon, Alabama, Louisiana, and California in the past few years. I wonder how those assignments worked out with a wife and child.
• The idea of documenting a story in which the photographer is involved is interesting. On the one hand, you have great access and you have a full understanding of the story and which parts are important. But there's also a risk of being biased, maybe adding in or editing out things that misrepresent the event or people involved. I also think the audience might respect the piece less because the journalist isn't disattatched to the story. And does the story become more of an personal piece than a news or feature? I'm still trying to work it all out. How much should a journalist put themselves into a situation, if at all? How do you remain objective if you're involved? I don't think it's impossible, because I don't think objective necessarily means neutral. I need to do some serious thinking on the subject.
• Isn't it just like a PJ to snap pictures while they're making out?
• I'd like to see an update of this story.
  

Sin Tax LTE in College Heights Herald

The College Heights Herald published my letter to the editor about the cigarette and alcohol tax in Kentucky.

New cigarette and alcohol tax is immoral

The use of the cigarette and alcohol tax to cover gaps in the state's budget is nothing short of immoral. When the government adds extra taxes to items deemed as unhealthy or vice-ridden (tobacco, alcohol, porn, gambling), it takes on a role as nanny to its citizens.

A sin tax sends a message to citizens that they are not capable of being responsible for their lives, so the government will nudge them away from destructive behavior by jacking up the price.

But Beshear isn't trying to punish smokers and drinkers - he's just generating funds to keep programs running, right? Wrong.

While alcohol and cigarettes taxes will raise a lot of revenue because of their popularity, why tax only those items? Why not tax other commonly purchased items, such as clothing or water? Because these items have no negative connotations, they are not "sinful" like tobacco and alcohol.

Ultimately, the government should stay out of individuals' shopping habits and find alternative ways to cut costs.

Miranda Barzey
Radcliff freshman

The letter was in response to the paper's article and opinion piece about the new cigarette and alcohol tax signed by Governor Beshear.

Atlas Shrugged Sales Tripled

It seems Atlas Shrugged sales have almost tripled since the start of the new year, according to the Ayn Rand Institute. Could it be because the financial mess of the book parallels the financial mess of today?

Ayn Rand said she never hoped that Atlas Shrugged would become prophetic, but with all the government bailouts and regulation, it might end up being just that.

I Love a Good T-Shirt

I love the Threadless Tees site. The design is completely user powered. Designers put their plans for a t-shirt up on a site, and other members vote on them. Then the site officials look at some of the highest ranking designs, and go on to print them. My favorite designs are the ones that play on words or an idea. For example:

Fish Tank.

Pillow Fight.

Complimentary Colors.

Swiss Army.


Musical Chairs.


Some are tees are informational:

In Case of Zombies.

Spoilt.

The Rules of Shotgun.


And others are just cute/funny:


Polar Gardening.
The "Other" Vowel.



Attack of Literacy.

Word!


Biblical Disaster.


The only downside to the site is that there's only a set amount of products for each design. So most of the older designs are sold out. But you can request a reprint of your favorite t-shirt. Once I find a job (?), I hope to buy a couple of my favorites.