The National Geographic Story

1 thought on “The National Geographic Story”

1. No story?
   No portraits? No closeups of the weathered and interesting skateboards?
   No interview that would let us know what skateboarding means to them?
   No info about the Skate Park 5Ws and the H)? Who started this? Why? What do they hope it’ll do for youth? When was it built?
   No story at all about skateboarding, youth, recreation?
   You could have made music more dramatic photos. Lay down and take a chance, put yourself right there where -near anyway- they land. What about those great New Mexico early evening skies with skateboarders flying past them?
   No story….hmmmmm….troubling.
   I suspect -am I wrong- that you didn’t give this enough time.
   Here is what you needed to do:
   A good photographer picks a subject, involves themselves in the subject, learns from their previous shoot what they missed, goes back, shoots more, learns more, sees more, and goes through the whole process al over again. I.E., the only way to tell a story like this is IMMERSION in the subject and the people and place that you’ve chosen.
   This is not a story, it is a shoot.
   Too bad because, you have the core of a good idea here. This culture has depth. These kids have passion for what they’re doing. Man! They risk their bones when they do those jumps…why not take some risks yourself? Why not?!
   The suggestions above are how you do that story.
   To repeat: 1) Get an idea, 2) Narrow it to a beginning place, 3) Go do it and just see what you see (with your camera), 2)Come back to your “darkroom (the computer and photoshop) and start to see what you -and your camera- saw, 4) Edit down to the bare bone. Be ruthless. You don’t need quantity yet. You need to find the idea that is not of the intellect but is of the heart and soul of you and your subject, 5) Go back. Go at it again, Be There!, 6) Repeat until done.
   In three weeks there was time for depth.
   Do you see where I’m going with this Samantha?
   Use photography as an instrument of education not self expression so you can be the intersection between people, their communities and their lives and the rest of us viewers/readers. Teach us from what you learned by the time you invested (and the time and skill you have invested in learning the art and craft of photography, too).
   Tall order. You can do it. Next time.

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