It’s been a while since something proper has been blogged. My life is a swelling tide of journalism, fiction and photography; my musings follow accordingly.
I just finished struggling with one of the most difficult cover pieces I’ve ever had to write. November’s Performer cover taught me a lesson in interviewing; be prepared to stray off the topic of your specific angle, if for nothing more than extended library of quotes from which to draw, and to prevent having to re-interview. I’m impressed with myself that the story ended up taking significant shape with such little to work with, but it’s been delivered and approved, and not without lessons. I’ve been working in this industry since I was fifteen, and while many things are inherently expected, sometimes one forgets that surprises (and disasters) are still possible. (I thought that Medill taught me this when they said, “Always take notes during your recorded interviews just in case,” but apparently, there’s more.)
With that said, the best story I think I’ve ever written is hanging out on the Performer cover this month, and “thrilled” doesn’t even begin to touch it.
On another journalism note, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m heavily considering J-School for a Master’s directly out of Tufts. Wait, what? I don’t want to say too much - not that I’m superstitious, but rather, that I’m still digesting - but I had a really world-rocking interaction with the Director of Admissions at Columbia this Friday, and it’s sort of sent my plans into an interesting direction. I’m feeling the field out, but something about this is piquing my interest in a way that’s different than many things, so I can’t let such an intuition slide without a bit more investigation.
Photographically, it always feels good to be re-energised by shooting. Not a landscape photographer, I nevertheless ventured onto some train tracks that had piqued my interest in Somerville’s Union Square. (Park Avenue in Union Square; sigh, get me home!) I haven’t felt so good about a location in a long while. It was both an aesthetic adventure and a lesson in light metering. On the 6x6 Mamiya, I shot two rolls of 120 Fuji Neopan 400 and a roll of 120 Kodak NC 160. I’m dying to contact these.
And finally, fiction - it’s going. And for right now, that’s enough. That’s beautiful.
M
