The Journey of Photo Journalism

   Welcome to college, to the process of learning, the process of maturity. Some days I see it and some days I don’t. Some times I feel it and sometimes I don’t. At the beginning of the second semester I made a promise to myself, commit. To do so the first thing I felt I needed to do was get myself organized in every way possible. First I got myself a day planner… yes, a day planner. It works… when I remember I have it, which is becoming more and more often.

   And to improve my overall feeling and functionality I’ve re-organized my room… twice, the feng shui was a little off. Also I’m proud to say my room has been spotlessly clean for the longest consecutive period since my parents stopped cleaning it for me. I know this doesn’t seem like I’ve done much but I’ve noticed some improvement already. But still, I don’t feel good about everything. It’s odd, some days I don’t feel like going out and shooting, some weekends even.

   At first I didn’t know why, but it’s pretty simple; laziness and procrastination among other things. No one said this course was going to be easy. Sometimes I need to be reminded of that. I often question my commitment, my work ethic. I try not to make excuses because excuses are… well… exactly that; excuses. I thought I was a hard worker, but right now I certainly don’t feel that way.

   There’s a lot that goes on through my mind the more and more I get into the course. It’s true, some days I don’t feel I have what it takes and other days I feel on top of the photographic world. We learn a lot here and I have no doubt that I am a better photographer than when I started. But sometimes doubt can sneak its way in. I occasionally find myself wondering if I’m doing the right thing here. Whether I’m in the right place, both geographically and mentally.

   I feel as though I lose touch of what these courses are here for. I feel like when I go out I’m shooting for assignments, I lost sense of the reason I personally wish to be a photographer. But theses courses aren’t meant to force you to shoot one way or another. I don’t need to want to shoot an assignment; it’s the process of shooting an assignment that is gearing me to shoot what I want to shoot.

   Part of the reason I don’t always like shooting here is because I haven’t felt the greatest here. When it comes to photography and this program, Belleville comparable to a public washroom. They’re over used, people write on the walls, and leave their mark. It’s hard to write a line that hasn’t already been written on the wall.

   I’m not saying I don’t like it here; I do enjoy the course and the people. All I can say is that I might be looking forward to what’s coming after the program more so than what is happening during the program.

Notes: I’ve taken down the photo of the week blog because I’m busy enough trying to get things ready for assignments. Also I’m hoping to start a bit of a project soon, nothing spectacular but stay tuned.

Also for some of my recent photos be sure to check out my photo log at www.andrelphotolog.blogspot.com

Thanks,

Andre