March 10, 2010 by Chris Dunn
In capstone, we’re all working on a a group documentary project about Broadway.
That’s Broadway the street, mind you.
I campaigned heavily for Broadway to be our project topic because I think Broadway epitomizes the city of Columbia. It’s got the eclectic/trendy downtown, City Hall, historic residential neighborhoods, student apartments, developing neighborhoods, big commercial strip malls and it’s the oldest street in the city.
My contribution to the project? I’ll be working on the development aspect. Broadway “began” where downtown is now, and ever since, it’s been expanding and developing on its western and eastern ends. So I’ve been exploring those two “ends” of Broadway.
Today, I went to the eastern end — past Hwy 63, where I’ve never been before. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was hoping to find a developing neighborhood whose growth has been stunted by the economic crisis and recession. Sure enough, I found that neighborhood.
The sales office at The Vineyards, a partially-developed neighborhood on East Broadway/East Hwy WW.
The speed limit on East Broadway past Hwy 63 is 45; I was going at 35 because I wanted to look around as I was driving. But it’s a two-lane road, and when I saw that the two drivers behind me were getting impatient with me, I threw on my turn signal and drove into a neighborhood. After a quick drive around, I observed that:
- each lot was fairly large and not every lot had a house built yet,
- mailboxes were completely identical to each other (much like those in the Village of Cherry Hill), and
- quite a few houses had signs indicating they were for sale or sold.
I parked at the clubhouse near the neighborhood’s entrance and approached a woman who was walking with her young son. After introducing myself as a photojournalism student looking into development in Columbia, I was pleasantly surprised when the woman — Becky — said she was a builder before the economic crisis hit.
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Posted in Capstone, Journalism, Missouri, Photography, Photojournalism | 4 Comments »
March 10, 2010 by Chris Dunn
Okay, so I’ve fallen a few days behind in blogging for the new 30-day photo challenge. But here’s a two-day blog post!
Day IV
I was taking photos of a church window on the way home from work on Monday when Jeff alerted me to the puppy in the car behind us.
I want a puppy so, so badly.
Check out a few more photos from Monday!
Day V
Yesterday, I went to Townsend Hall to deliver some photos to Carolyn.
The side entrance to Townsend Hall.
Townsend used to be a K-12 school building, as Elliot told me in freshman year. I’m not sure how he knew that, but if you look at an overall photo of the building, it’s pretty easy to see that.
Posted in Capstone, Mizzou, Photography | Leave a Comment »
March 9, 2010 by Chris Dunn
I have a big, fat radical idea for the MU School of Journalism:
Start early.
Do more journalism.
In other words: Instead of only one or two required semesters for students at any given newsroom — how about three full years?
Click on the image to view/download the full PDF file.
In light of recent discussions and in anticipation of tomorrow’s forum (flier above), here are the facts, the problems and my totally radical ideas.
The facts
Don’t know how the MU School of Journalism works? Here’s a fast run-down:
Posted in Jeff City/The Missourian, Journalism, Missouri, Mizzou, Photojournalism | 19 Comments »
March 8, 2010 by Chris Dunn
I spent the entirety of yesterday — Day III — asleep.
Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but my point is that I neither saw nor did anything of which I would want to make a picture.
There was, however, this book that I bought for Jeff:
Classic children's book. Obviously for very young children.
I spotted it at Wal-mart a few days ago and, upon asking Jeff if he’d ever read it, bought it when he said he hadn’t.
It’s classic stuff. And it’s only $3.50. Everyone should buy a copy, now.
And I should try to fight off my next prolonged attack of lethargy.
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March 6, 2010 by Chris Dunn
I run in my Chuck Taylors.
These Chucks have been my trusty shoes since my junior year of high school.
I’ve hiked mountains, rock-climbed, gone trail-running and danced the two-step in them. I’ve worn them while editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper and while on countless photo assignments in college. They’ve stepped in horse poop, sludged through mud, shimmied up trees and been branded with the Philmont Scout Ranch cattle and horse brands.
So, their apple-green color has faded, and they have more holes than my other pairs of shoes combined. I’ve had to retire them from everyday usage and photo assignments, and use just-as-impractical footwear in their place. I have yet to find a new pair in that same color, so I haven’t been able to replace them.
But I still use these Chucks for running because, frankly, I don’t have any other shoe that vaguely resembles sneakers.
So I went running today. Because the weather was nice. And I went running in my Chuck Taylors.
If they last another year, I’ll be very, very surprised.
Posted in Capstone, Photography | 7 Comments »
March 5, 2010 by Chris Dunn
This afternoon, my capstone class decided to start another 30-day challenge. This will take us through to the end of spring break.
So, what better way to kick off this new 30-day period than with a food photo?
Jeff's heart attack of a spinach-mushroom-cheese-bacon, three-egg omelette.
Better yet, these photos were all taken with a 10.5/2.8 fisheye lens.
The omelette looks almost normal in this one. But nothing else does.
David Rees does not like wide-angle distortion. (Feel free to pick apart my word choice, DK.) Therefore, I hope everyone appreciates my using a fisheye for a food photo as a doubly snarky way to start this new 30-day challenge.
Jeff needed two spatulas to flip the omelette. Healthy late-night dinner, indeed.
Note: To reduce any confusion between this new challenge (effective today) and the first one, I’m using Roman numerals in the entry titles for the second set of 30 days.
Posted in Capstone, Food, Mizzou, Photography | 3 Comments »
March 5, 2010 by Chris Dunn
Last night, I cut up some green onions to garnish dinner. I’d never cut green onions before — usually Jeff takes care of it — and my eyes actually were watering a little by the end. (Weak, I know.)
It was during this chopping exercise that I suddenly realized what a pretty gradient green onions have.
Later, we went to Eastside Tavern for karaoke night.
As always, an epic end to the non-proverbial week.
Foul play.
And, I suppose, an epic end to the 30-day challenge.
(Almost) every day for the past 30 days, I’ve posted a new photo. I blogged more food photos than I should have, but other than that, I think I’ve done reasonably well with getting a variety of pictures.
I’ll continue taking photos on a regular basis, but it certainly won’t be an everyday thing. The next time I do a photo-a-day thing, I’ll be in Atlanta and starting my photo internship at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in the beginning of June, about three weeks after graduation. I’ve never been in Atlanta — or Georgia, for that matter — before.
So that’ll be a fresh start in an unfamiliar environment. The best way to get to know a new place? Get out, explore and make pictures.
I’m excited for that.
Posted in Atlanta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Capstone, Journalism, Photography, Photojournalism | Leave a Comment »
March 3, 2010 by Chris Dunn
Today, I bought my cap and gown for May graduation.
Oh, and my journalism school tassel.
I’d like to say that today’s acquisitions constitute the last of my financial contributions to the school — but we all know that’s not true.
I’d like to say that my college education has helped me secure a stable, well-paying, with-benefits job following my graduation — but we all know that’s not true (yet).
Terrified? Yes, I am.
Thrilled? That, too.
But mostly terrified.
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March 3, 2010 by Chris Dunn
Yesterday was a pretty atypical Tuesday, since on Tuesdays I go straight from my last class to my photo-editing shift at The Columbia Missourian — and I’m in the newsroom until the last assignment comes in.
But yesterday, the Avett Brothers were in town. And Jeff had given me tickets for my birthday. So I arranged not to have to edit at The Missourian all night.
The Missourian at dusk.
Instead, Jeff and I went down the alleyway between the Tin Can and the Missouri Theatre (where the Avetts were to perform)…
Graffiti in the alley.
…and ate for the first time at Ingredient, which features gourmet, customizable salads and burgers.
Waiting for our food at Ingredient. Yes, the light above our table was that harsh/stark.
Then we went to the concert. I didn’t take my camera — because frankly, I was there to enjoy the music.
Posted in Capstone, Jeff City/The Missourian, Missouri, Photography | Leave a Comment »
March 1, 2010 by Chris Dunn
I’m a little embarrassed/ashamed about how many of my entries for the 30-day challenge are of food that Jeff and/or I have made.
Homemade nachos pollo. You know you want some. (Should've taken the photo after we topped this with green onions.)
But honestly, food and the making thereof are a huge part of our lives, especially since we pride ourselves in making our meals from scratch. So while I’ve indulged/cheated by taking probably too many photos of the food we’ve made, I would be grossly misrepresenting our lives if I didn’t include this culinary element in some respect.
Posted in Capstone, Food, Photography | 3 Comments »
March 1, 2010 by Chris Dunn
More than two weeks ago, I spent my entire weekend at the Mizzou Aquatics Center, where the fourth annual Missouri Grand Prix was going on for four days.
Eric Shanteau swims the championship heat of the 200-meter individual medley finals on the second day of the fourth annual Missouri Grand Prix.
I was there to help the assigned Columbia Missourian photographers — most of whom had never before shot swimming, which I think is one of the more technical, difficult sports to photograph — and edit and submit their photos to the newsroom. But I also had plenty of time to make pictures, so I made full use of this opportunity.
Unfortunately, my portable hard drive crashed just 10 minutes after I’d submitted the photographer’s photos in my last editing shift on Feb. 14. This meant I lost all these photos, and more — until I sent the drive to the data recovery company. Hence, the delay in posting these Grand Prix photos.
View from the diving tower.
Of course, there were many other photographers there, so trying to find angles and content that nobody else was getting was practically impossible. But it was a good challenge, and considering this was my first time at a big swim meet, I’m pleased with how my photos turned out.
This year was also the first year — in my memory — that Michael Phelps, Katie Hoff and a few other big names were not in competition. Due to the snowstorms that were pummeling the east coast at the time, the North Baltimore Aquatic Club swimmers scheduled to compete (including Phelps and Hoff) were unable to attend. Almost every other photographer I know was disappointed about this, but I frankly didn’t mind. I even tweeted, “Oh boo hoo, no Michael Phelps at the MO Grand Prix. There will still be incredible swimmers in the pool too, you know.”
So I, for one, enjoyed not having to stress about getting Michael Phelps photos. And I had fun. Enjoy some photos:
Missouri swimmer Jowan Qupty prepares to compete in the second heat of the 200-meter breakstroke finals.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Capstone, Jeff City/The Missourian, Journalism, Missouri, Mizzou, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports | Leave a Comment »
February 28, 2010 by Chris Dunn
I like to make fun of Jeff for slowly but surely turning into the human equivalent of a camera store. Since he started working for MU Athletics as a photographer, he’s purchased one piece of equipment after another, and it’s always a guessing game as to what he’ll think to buy next.
A few weeks ago, Jeff purchased safety cables with which to secure remote cameras. I’ve never actually seen him use the cables. For all I know, they’re used to unnecessarily torture a stuffed fish abandoned by his old roommate Dann.
Another of Jeff’s recent purchases? A 35/2 lens, which I used to take a photo of his newly-bought safety cables and the poor fish:
Some of the decor in Jeff's room.
In other news — the data recovery company was able to recover all but a few JPG files on my dead portable hard drive. I received the recovered data on Friday after my shift at The Columbia Missourian. So, besides shoot the Kansas State game, all I’ve done this weekend are back up all my files to my desktop external drive; match and confirm the duplicate copies between my portable, desktop and laptop drives; and reconcile all copies to ensure that no data was lost when I eventually formatted the new portable hard drive.
It’s been a chore.
It also means that I have all my working project folders and this semester’s photos back. So I can finally blog Days 11 and 12, which I missed because those photos were on the drive, as well as resume work on various other projects.
But all in good time.
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February 27, 2010 by Chris Dunn
MANHATTAN, Kan. — I’m in the Bramlage Coliseum media room after the Missouri Tigers lost 63-53 to the Kansas State Wildcats.
Kansas State senior forward Luis Colon shoots against Missouri sophomore center Steve Moore during the first half at Kansas State on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010.
Two points of interest. The first: It’s unusual for a Columbia Missourian photo editor to cover a basketball game, but none of the staff photographers could or would volunteer to travel with the writers to Manhattan.
The second: I shouldn’t have worn a purple top for a game at/against Kansas State.
During the final 30 seconds of the game — which lasted about five minutes of real time — I was bored at my place at the endline. One of my camera batteries had died, so I was switching between lenses on the other camera, and I was pretty dissatisfied with my situation in general.
So I went into the stands, where I saw a young boy whose emotions were very much invested in the game: He was crying, shouting and, at some points, turning away from the court as if he didn’t want to watch the Tigers lose. I started making some pictures.
Ten-year-old Jack Kropf of St. Joseph, Mo., watches the Tigers lose to the Wildcats during the last 30 seconds of play at Kansas State.
Then I heard, nearby, voices shouting: “She’s taking pictures of their son, and they don’t want her to!”
Continue Reading »
Posted in Capstone, Jeff City/The Missourian, Journalism, Missouri, Mizzou, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports | 4 Comments »
February 27, 2010 by Chris Dunn
Yesterday while I was photographing the March March parade, two individuals in the parade stood out to me.
The first was Carolyn, who is a professor-adjunct at the University of Missouri.
I’d spotted her while the marches were still parading (or, while the paraders were still marching?), but found her again after everyone was gathered on Ninth Street.
On Ninth Street between the Missouri Theatre and the Missouri United Methodist Church. Guess which one is Carolyn!
Then she turned in the other direction.
Now guess which one is Carolyn.
And then I approached her and asked if I could take a portrait. She happily agreed.
Carolyn, complete with a 'stache!
I think it’s great that so many people came out with their own costumes and just had a great time marching around downtown Columbia.
I’ll blog about the other individual who caught my attention… later. Today I’m traveling with two Columbia Missourian sports reporters and Jeff to Manhattan, Kan., where the men’s basketball team is playing tonight — so it’ll be a busy day!
Posted in Missouri, Photography, Photojournalism | 1 Comment »
February 26, 2010 by Chris Dunn
This evening, a few hundred bicyclists, unicyclists, hipsters, musicians and more marched through downtown Columbia to kick off the seventh annual True/False Film Fest.
It was the March March parade.
March March participants and onlookers gather in front of the parade's destination, the Missouri Theatre on Ninth Street.
Erin and I were editing at The Columbia Missourian when we decided to take a break and make some pictures of the parade. Accompanied by David and every other photographer in town, we went downtown and, I’m confident, had a great, fun time.
David (left) looks a little too happy to see a Teletubby at the corner of Locust and Ninth Streets.
For those of you who may not know, True/False is a three-day documentary film festival that showcases dozens of pieces and that has steadily developed a reputation as a solid film event. The festival attracts visitors from all over the nation and the world, and it tends to bring out even the more reclusive residents of Columbia.
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Posted in Capstone, Journalism, Missouri, Photography, Photojournalism | 3 Comments »
February 25, 2010 by Chris Dunn
A few days ago, David Rees spotted Jeff in the photo lab and asked, “So, what’s for dinner?”
I’m guessing his question had something to do with my three or four entries detailing the various meals Jeff and I have concocted over the past 20 or so days.
Well, David, I’ve now got a response to your query. We haven’t had a chance to cook together since you asked Jeff — until tonight.
Meat.
When we were at my house in Houston over winter break, my mother prepared pork stew with carrots and a brew of Chinese sauces and cooking wine. It is delicious, but I didn’t ask her for the recipe until we’d already returned to Columbia. So my mother e-mailed an approximate recipe and mailed up a few ingredients we wouldn’t be able to find in Columbia.
So tonight, we attempted to replicate my mother’s success.
Stewing.
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Posted in Capstone, Food, Photography | Leave a Comment »
February 24, 2010 by Chris Dunn
Let’s just face it: This was going to happen.
By “this,” I mean “Jeff’s face eventually appearing in this 30-day challenge.”
Today, I was still sick, so I missed classes and work and ventured outside only to attend the weekly sports beat meeting at The Columbia Missourian at 5 p.m.
But apparently, being sick is no excuse for not taking a photo for the 30-day challenge (thanks, Erin), so when Jeff came over late tonight to return my camera that he borrowed… well, I didn’t mean to have him model for me.
But that’s inevitably what happened.
The set-up: We were sitting up, opposite each other, on my bed, and I had my legs drawn up with my sheets over my knees. He was leaning forward with his chin nestled on the sheets between my knees — and I snapped a few photos.
"Moooooo."
By no means are these the most journalistic images in this 30-day challenge. But like I said — this was just bound to happen.
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February 24, 2010 by Chris Dunn
One of the projects in David’s capstone class is the one-day/five-points-of-view story. This is a picture story that must be told in five pictures and that happened over a relatively short period of time (no more than a few days).
As you might have gathered from my blog, I chose to do a light exploration of backyard chickens in Columbia as a result of the recently-passed “chicken ordinance.” But now I’ll let the photos — and their captions — tell the story.
The chickens have escaped from their greenhouse home on St. Joseph Road, and it's up to Adam Saunders to chase them back inside. Saunders and other members of the non-profit Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture own six hens, which is the maximum number allowed by a Columbia city ordinance that permits urban residents to keep chickens in their backyard.
Five of CCUA's six hens stare each other down inside the greenhouse on Feb. 17. CCUA owns three Rhode Island Reds, one Buff Orpington, one Australorp-Rhode Island Red mix and one Dominic. Roosters are not allowed under the city ordinance, largely because of their crowing.
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Posted in Capstone, Food, Journalism, Missouri, Photography, Photojournalism | Leave a Comment »
February 23, 2010 by Chris Dunn
Today, I have been sick and went to only one class. I’ve spent the rest of the day sleeping, consuming the healthiest foods I have in my meager pantry and watching the Olympics.
That is why I have no photo for today.
Yesterday, I had classes, work and a group project nearly back-to-back-to-back.
But when I left work at 5:45 p.m., I saw something unexpected: Daylight.
I don't remember the last time I saw natural light while walking home from work.
Then the group project. For our photo-editing class, Laura, Jessica and I were to edit a short video using raw clips provided by the Columbia Missourian director of photography.
It was… an interesting exercise.
The best part is, this was near the beginning of our working together on the group project.
Fortunately, we know Final Cut reasonably well and completed work more quickly than we'd anticipated.
Anyway. It’s been a long 48 hours, and I’m not quite feeling better yet.
But I have good news: the data recovery company was able to recover all but about 1 percent of my data, and I’ll have everything back by Friday!
Posted in Capstone, Journalism, Missouri, Mizzou, Photography, Photojournalism | 5 Comments »
February 21, 2010 by Chris Dunn
This, my friends, is what mornings were made for:
Smoked mid-Atlantic salmon on mini bagels with cream cheese and green onions.
Although, it was about 1 p.m. today when Jeff and I each had three fully-loaded mini bagels. So really, the bliss that is bagels-and-lox is what any time of day was made for.
That said, I wouldn’t recommend eating three fully-loaded mini bagels at any time of day: after consuming that much food all at once, I spent the next three or four hours sleeping very soundly.
But that’s what Sundays were made for.
(Excuse the abundance of end-of-sentence prepositions.)
Posted in Capstone, Food, Photography | 2 Comments »
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