Farewell Column

My column in today's Vernon Morning Star.

http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/opinion/168050716.html

Can you list the names of the four Beatles? I could. It was one of the first questions I faced in the newsroom.

Sometimes I think my answer alone got me the summer job at the paper, but I’d like to think my skills and education had something to do with it too.

When I was younger, I never thought to myself, ‘when I grow up, I want to be a reporter.’

No, I had bigger dreams. Like most kids, I dreamed of the NHL, and if I didn’t make that I was going to be in the NFL, but if I absolutely had to I’d settle for the CFL.

I also went through phases where I was convinced I was going to be a firefighter or a police officer. At one point I even thought I was shrewd enough to be a lawyer.

But as we grow older, reality always seems to creep in.

During my high school summers, I had stints working in mineral sampling, lawn and garden care and even a brief term at Walmart, hardly on my way to making the NHL.

Soon dreams of being a professional athlete turned into being a sportscaster. The thought of being a police officer turned into a body guard or security officer, but that just wasn’t enough.

After high school I did some work in forestry, as an electrician, a forest firefighter and even a short tenure at a call centre.

Eventually I moved on, if I couldn’t fulfill my dreams, I wanted to do something where I would at least get some of those experiences.

Fast forward a few years and here I am in the newsroom.

I’m the rookie, the newbie or fresh meat as some might say.

I wish I could tell you some entertaining stories of how Kevin and Rich pestered me throughout my tenure here, but I really can’t.

It wasn’t quite everything you’d expect from an internship. I wasn’t the guy getting coffee for everyone, nor did I change the water cooler on a regular basis.

Instead, Glenn put me right to work writing stories and Kevin had me shooting old(er) guys playing soccer. Little did I know, that would be my Monday nights for the next two months.

In April, I graduated from photojournalism, I was running on a high, ready to conquer the news world.

I figured Vernon, my hometown, would be an ideal place to start my career.

After all, 20 of the 23 years I’ve been alive have been in Vernon, I was born at Vernon Jubilee and I had graduated from W.L. Seaton Secondary in 2006.

While I might be a rookie in the newsroom, I considered myself a seasoned vet when it comes to this city.

Oh, how I was wrong.

The more stories I wrote and the more people I met along the way, the more I realized there is a lot more to Vernon than my early years and it would take at least another 20 before I could actually consider myself the aforementioned ‘seasoned vet.’

I’m not sure where I’ll end up in the future, but if my time here is a sample of what I can learn in this field I have a lot to look forward to.

I’m not a hockey star (yet), nor do I plan on starting police training any time soon.

No, I think I’ve found something that will let me live out all my childhood dreams. Even if it’s by telling the stories of people who are fulfilling theirs.

And who knows? Maybe a sportscaster isn’t so far off.

Canadian Ultimate Championships 2012

I recently travelled to Victoria for the 2012 Canadian Ultimate Championships (CUC2012)

I primarily went to visit friends and shoot photos of our local teams but I managed to catch some other games too. I also helped out with scorekeeping a few games and managed to catch some great ultimate action. Here are some photos from the weekend featuring teams such as Sofa Kings, Bushfire, Lotus, Too Bad, Grand Trunk, Blackfish, General Strike and Furious George among others.

Enjoy!

More photos available on my website, andrelodder.com

The Summer Sufferings of Social Networking

After a rainy June, the sun has finally come and the Okanagan once again feels like the Okanagan.

With the summer I'm finding my social networking has gone down tenfold. Before last week I couldn't remember the last time I signed into my twitter account, and even the use of facebook has gone down.

As you can see, my last post was in May, so my blog hasn't escaped the summer sufferings of social networking.

There's just something about the sun and all it's glory that keeps me from wanting to be on a computer writing things for hours upon hours. I do that enough at work.

Speaking of which,

Following the three-week internship required to graduate, the Vernon Morning Star took me on as a reporter for July and August.

I'm happily working in the community I grew up in and am thrilled to further my education following my graduation.

I thought I'd share a few stories and photos I've taken at the morning star thus far.

Frankie Finds Family of Rescuers

Vernon Morning Star

The Monday of the Canada Day long weekend started out as typical for Vernon residents Denis and Gerry Marson.

The couple had been sitting on their patio with Gerry’s sister watching a hawk’s nest across Highway 97 near Okanagan College when the unthinkable happened.

Two baby hawks were sitting in the nest when the mother swooped down to the Marson’s yard to gather food for her nestlings. She never made it back, the result of being hit by a semi truck.

The Marsons were devastated and unsure of what they could do for the two abandoned nestlings.

“It was the holiday, we weren’t sure who we could call so it was a hard night. In the morning we called the SPCA who put us in touch with the South Okanagan Rehabilitation Centre for Owls,” said Denis.

Two members of SORCO immediately made the trip up to Vernon to try and help the birds despite not usually covering the Vernon area.

“Usually we won’t come as far as Vernon it would go to Kamloops, but the Kamloops rehabilitation doesn’t come out and get the birds, you have to bring them. We felt like we could hopefully have the resources to do this,” said Dale Belvedere of SORCO.

Belvedere and the Marsons quickly called anyone they could in order to find a boom tower that would reach high enough to extract the young birds from the nest.

“It was devastating, we knew there was no way they could survive for very long. I looked at that tree and I wasn’t sure if we were going to find anyone able to get that high,” said Denis.

Darcy Goodwin of Horizon Tree Services was contacted, and agreed to help out but couldn’t have a truck available until 3 p.m. Tuesday.

According to Belvedere a young bird needs to feed every three or four hours, but by the time the truck arrived it had been over 24 hours.

It wasn’t just starvation the birds had to survive, the weather was beginning to play a factor in their survival.

“I was here this morning and we could see the birds in the nest, then there was that hail storm that came in and we were thinking ‘oh geez they’re not going to make it,’” said Goodwin on Tuesday.

By 3 p.m. the storm had subsided but another set of rain clouds could be seen blowing in over Kalamalka Lake.

The boom was quickly set up and within a half hour had touched ground again.

Only one of the birds made it with the younger of the two having succumbed to the elements.

However, saving one of the nestlings was a triumph in itself.

“She was such a great mother, really looking after those chicks. It’s sad but at the same token we did save one, so that’s a good thing,” said Denis.

“Frankie,” the young red tailed hawk, is now with SORCO and is doing well eating raw chicken every three hours.

According to SORCO it should only take about two months to rehabilitate the hawk and release it near the location it was found.

Meanwhile the Marsons are thankful for the quick response by both SORCO and Horizon Tree Services.

“To stop and think what they did to save one little chick, it’s pretty heart warming,” said Denis.

For more information on SORCO visit www.sorco.org.

http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/news/161507415.html

Other Stories:

http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/community/162220325.html

http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/news/150679105.html

http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/community/150245655.html

Some Photos So far:

Hope, Support, and a 35mm fixed lens

For me, that sums up the two years it took to graduate in the photojournalism program at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario.

A photo from one of my first times going out and

 shooting with my D90 and 35mm fixed, trying to

 learn aperture and depth of field. Found a buggy

washed up on the side of the riverbed, practice 

makes perfect.

A Nikon D90 and a 35mm fixed lens (or the Canon equivalent) was the absolute minimum required to begin the program.

Thats how I started two years ago, but thats not how I ended it.

The D90 and 35mm fixed lens (with a broken auto-focus) is still same setup I use now, but it took a lot more than that to graduate. I guess that's kind of impressive if you think about it. Either way I hope that I can expand on that collection in the near future.

I grew up my whole life in Vernon B.C. until two years ago I decided to attend photojournalism for a reason I can't pinpoint.

I've been a soil sampler, a landscaper (on three four separate occasions with three different companies), an electrician, a tech support for Windows Vista (when it was first released), a forrest fire fighter and I even had a brief stint working at Walmart.

Not once during all those years nor during any of the years prior to those endeavours, did I see myself becoming a photographer or even a writer.

But here I am doing both, sort of.

I was never the one to pick up my dad's camera and instantly fall in love with photography. Nor did I pick up a pencil and become a natural writer. In fact, I can hardly read my own writing and my spelling is atrocious (thank goodness for email and auto-correct).

When I look at other peoples photos I think to myself, 'there is absolutely no way I am that good, and possibly never will be.'

I know it's not a good attitude to have but I'm an average photographer and an average writer.

I attended school with some phenomenal photographers, some of which are making headlines or at least bylines in the newspapers already.

In one of our classes we were told not to blog anything that might downplay ourselves. Potential employers might read our blogs and decide not to hire us.

Potential employers, please stop reading?

I know for a fact that I graduated as a mediocre photographer from my program, and I'm not hurt by it.

It may be true that I'm an average photographer and likely below average writer, but I took something more important from my time at Loyalist.

VERNON B.C. (17/4/12) - Andrew Farmer of the Kal Lakers goes for a run between Jonny Pfutzner (left) and Jarrett Illingworth (right) of the Kelowna Christian Knights during high school rugby action on Tuesday April 17. The Knights came out on top by a score of 19-14 with the game-winning try coming in the final seconds of the game.

– The first photo I had published in the Vernon Morning Star.

During my last semester, my teachers nominated me for a leadership award and I know it might not seem like a big deal but to me it is.

The way I see it, my teachers didn't see me for the camera I had in my hand, nor the photos I had on the board. I was seen for the person that I was (or hopefully was) and rewarded for that.

As I begin my career in photojournalism, that award will likely stick in my head more-so than the diploma.

My work as a photographer is only a part of the person I am, and that's why I felt I received the award.

I can only hope that the qualities that people saw in me to win an award like that are more important than the qualities that it took to graduate from the program.

After all, thats the reason I got into the program in the first place. I wanted to meet new people, tell their stories and maybe inspire a few others including myself.

I met a lot of great people at Loyalist, most of which I'm happy to call friends. Without them it would have been pretty tough to get through the program and especially the two years in Belleville.

I always told myself that Belleville was holding my creativity back. I always felt like I was just waiting to get out of there and blossom.

I'm back in Vernon now and I've completed the three week internship required to graduate and I still don't even feel like I'm budding, let alone blossoming. I guess these things just take time, and seeing as how I have more on my to-do list than taking photos and writing, I'm going to be pretty patient, at least for the time being.

It's impossible to say where my life will lead me in the next few years. It could be into the newspapers, a war zone, a third world country or somewhere/something else entirely, but I do know that I'm ready for it.
After all, I got hope, support, and a 35mm fixed lens. And those things aren't going anywhere.






For fun, here is a Multimedia piece on Slackline Montreal, a third semester project completed during our October reading week. Did some tweaks to an original edit that I wasn't happy with and only released it recently. Enjoy.

Friends, Fishing in the Fog

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (13/3/12) - Theo and Liam get an early start on the fishing season Thursday March 13, 2012. The two were part of a group of friends that spent a foggy morning fishing at South George Park. Photo by Andre Lodder

Suffering.

I'm not sure why I didn't do it from the start but I've been big into shooting sports of late. It's something I'm really comfortable with, both in my photography and my writing.
I've been dubbed the unofficial sports writer when our section takes to the pioneer. While I'm really excited about it because I feel like I have a purpose again. I guess that's kind of what's been missing since I came to the school.

It's funny, while I absolutely love sports and dreamed of being a professional athlete. I felt like I was being realistic earlier than I probably should have. While most people were dreaming of being the athletes we watch on T.V. I was realizing that was never going to happen. I turned my focus on dreaming about being the one delivering the Sports news, both on T.V. and in the newspapers. When I was in high school I kind of thought that too was a bit of a high hope.

Now here I've come full circle, focusing on honing my skills as a sports writer and seeking internships almost solely based on the chance to write about and shoot as many sports as possible.
Who knows, maybe one day I will be the one delivering your sports highlights on T.V. but that's probably still a long shot.

We're about two and a half weeks away from being released to the real world, I'm gearing up for the trip home that is becoming more and more likely (still waiting on a few internship opportunities here). Meanwhile, Frank O'Connor the program coordinator is trying to convince me to come back for the Sports Journalism Program here at Loyalist.
I was almost thinking about it because it is something that I would definitely be interested in. However, the though was short lived because I realized I'm not ready to go another $10,000 in debt to stay in Belleville for another year. Maybe in the future but at this juncture of my life I can't afford that kind of debt.
But maybe one day.

Anyways,
I apologize for the infrequent updates to this blog. As I said, I'm focused on sports right now and I've decided to keep it separate from my other work so this blog has suffered.
You can keep up with my latest work in sports on my sports blog, cleverly labeled Sportfolio

If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to comment or contact me by email: i-feel-@live.ca or on my Twitter @AndreLodder

-Andre

About a Month Left

It might not be time for a farewell post but I can definitely reflect on a few things that have happened in the last few weeks.

I think I've been worrying a little bit to much about upgrading my profile in order to impress people in the industry. But in this last semester and especially in the last week or so I realized I just need to photograph all the things that I enjoy photographing and the portfolio will put itself together almost automatically.

This semester I've taken up shooting and writing about hockey and sports in general. It's kind of odd that I haven't really taken up until now considering my background and interests. I guess I was just trying to focus on improving my skills of things that I probably won't do as much later. It's almost like I knew sports were just going to come. But in the mindset of trying to impress those that might be hiring me in just a month or two, I finally decided to take up my rightful place in the photographic and writing world, sports.
I haven't necessarily excelled at it by any means but I definitely enjoy shooting and writing about it so much that it sort of comes naturally.
As a fourth semester requirement we work on the school newspaper called The Pioneer, and in the three weeks that we've been a part of it I've been almost solely a sports reporter. I've written stories, photographed and even written a few columns on it.

On a side note,
I was also given the honour of being the editor for the paper for a full week which was a great experience. While there are certainly differences between being an editor for this paper as opposed to a paper outside of school, there was a lot to be taken from the experience. It was great to learn what editors deal with even though it's a little different in that editors don't usually manage 22 photojournalism students writing 22 different stories. Not that it's a bad thing, I just wonder what the difficulties of managing a few less reporters would be. I feel that if I had more experience as a reporter I would embrace a position as editor, at least for a little while anyways. But then again, I love taking photos and writing, I'm not sure I can give that up.

Until next post, keep fit and have fun!

Andre

KINGSTON, Ont. (10/2/12) - Bull's goaltender Malcolm Subban makes a save in a 2-1 overtime thriller against the Kingston Frontenacs Friday Feb. 10. Subban has three wins and one loss since he returned from a groin injury suffered on December 29th. Photo by Andre Lodder

KINGSTON, Ont. (10/2/12) - Owen Fletcher winner of the Canadian Tire "Win-a-spot-in-the-starting-line-up" contest, looks up at Darcy Greenaway of the Kingston Frontenacs, prior to the game against the Belleville Bulls Friday Feb. 10. Photo by Andre Lodder

The NHL, from East to East

Published as, “Eastern teams get more coverage in NHL”

Ever heard of the East Coast bias? Sport leagues and media outlets are often accused of it, and often that’s because it exists.
It’s no secret, really. The concept involves organizations such as the National Hockey League and its media outlets having biased viewpoints in favour of eastern teams.
In a world where the dollar reigns supreme, the bias is almost justifiable.
There are a few variables that lead to this inequality, one of them being that the NHL is simply trying to make as much money as possible.
From the NHL’s standpoint, directing most of the attention to the eastern teams makes sense. More teams mean more fans, and more fans means more money.
Only eight of the 30 teams in the NHL lie in the west. With Winnipeg and Dallas being right in the middle, that leaves 20 teams in the east.
What the league’s commissioner, Gary Bettman, seemingly fails to recognize is that the western teams, specifically Canadian teams — the Oilers, Flames and Canucks — are like lotto tickets that always have the right numbers, a cash guarantee.
Bettman isn’t the only one who’s guilty of the bias — some western fans are also upset with how their teams have been represented in the media.
Media outlets such as NHL.com, the league’s official website, direct most of their attention towards eastern teams for the same reasons the NHL does — the fans.
For example, if it were up to the NHL.com analysts, the All-Star Game would be heavy with eastern players. One day prior to the actual selection for the All-Star Game, the analysts released their version of the roster and 61 per cent of it consisted of players representing eastern teams, including nine of their 12 selected defencemen.
It doesn’t stop with giving eastern teams more attention. Catering to the fans is understandable, but questions have been raised as to whether the NHL is swinging games to make them more entertaining.
John Tortorella, the coach of the New York Rangers was recently fined for accusations made toward the NHL and its referee’s for trying to extend the Winter Classic into overtime for entertainment purposes.
Tortorella later apologized and retracted those accusations but was still given a fine worth $30,000.
Despite what Bettman seems to think, the NHL’s focus should be on building the presence and appreciation for hockey in North America, not sacrificing the integrity of the NHL to make a good buck.
With the integrity of a national sports league in question, it might be time for the NHL to step back and evaluate its priorities.

 by Andre Lodder, published in The Pioneer, Jan 19, 2012.

Back and Bussed out.

I just got back to Belleville for the fourth and final semester of the Photojournalism program here at Loyalist.

The trip marked the seventh time I’ve made the journey between B.C. and Southern Ontario in the last year and a half and the ninth time since I turned 15.

Back then my family drove to Ontario for our family reunion. My dad moved west so most of his side of the family resides in Ontario. Because my sister was in Ontario already there wasn’t going to be enough room for all of us in the Van on the way back so my Parents bought Bus tickets for my 13-year-old brother and I.

That makes twice, once by Vehicle and once by bus.

Despite our family reunions being planned every five years I was unable to make it to the most recent one 2.5 years ago. However, I made my return to Ontario a year later to work for the summer prior to starting the photojournalism program. The trip was made by plane, probably my favorite method to do the trip because how fast it is despite the damage to the wallet.

That’s three.

Last Christmas I was running a little low on funds but decided to make the trip home for Christmas anyways and chose to do it by Bus because it only cost me $260 after tax.

That’s five

Then there was driving home to work for the summer and eventually driving back for school again. The first was with a fellow student who took me to Calgary and the second was driving the van also known as my home from BC.

That’s seven

Then there was my most recent trip home. I decided before the year started that this would be my first Christmas away from home, but a week or two before winter break I looked at some ride-shares on Craigslist and managed to catch a ride with someone making a move to the west coast. I told him I couldn’t afford much but I guess it was enough because on December 17^th I found myself on my way to BC to surprise my family.

Now, Less than 24 hours ago I returned to Belleville after the bus ride home.

That’s nine… one plane ride, four times in a van and four times by bus.

Is it a bad thing when you know what shops/convenience stores are at the majority of the stops along the way?

Anyways I’m going to take some time to give some tips to anyone who’s thinking about making the journey without taking to the air.

There are a few essentials that apply to both driving and bus.

1a. It’s hard to define the most important thing when it comes to planning your trip, I have a tie for the most important things. The first being comfy clothes. You don’t want to be sitting in a seat for 48-72 hours wearing tight jeans and underwear that rides high. Comfort is the most important thing to keep in mind.

1b. Toothbrush and toothpaste, it’s not always easy to find good food on long trips, so it’s essential to keep your mouth clean, it’s also probably one of the best feelings when you’re on the trip.

3. Spare clothes, SPECIFICALLY SOCKS. Clean replacements for your clothing are important, though not essential, except maybe socks and underwear. A clean pair of socks on your feet and a clean pair of undergarments are a close second as far as the best feeling on long trips go.

4. Alkaline forming foods. Again the food available on long trips especially on buses won’t be the greatest, most of it is acidic which leads to an uncomfortable feeling, and possibly heartburn making for an uncomfortable trip. Not sure what Alkalizing foods are? Just Google “alkaline forming food” and there should be a good explanation. Basically, alkaline forming foods even out your pH level, which includes acidic foods. Some Acidic foods include chocolate, soft drinks, coffee, and pretty much anything sugary. Alkaline forming foods include most fruits, green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils, spices, herbs and seasonings, and seeds and nuts. One of the most surprising Alkaline forming foods are oranges because they are pretty acidic, but when consumed is indeed alkaline forming. It’s also a good idea to keep your pH level in mind at all times.

5. Lip Chap, and Fisherman's Friends. Alright this one might seem a bit odd, but I’m serious. The air in buses and vehicles gets so dry from air-conditioning and heating. The air causes your lips to chap and causes an irritating throat, hence the chap and throat lozenges. I prefer Fishermans Friends, they're super effective! Chap and lozenges will make your life so much better on trips, but they’re often overlooked!

And here are some other non-essential but strongly recommended suggestions:

Blanket and Pillow,

Books, and laptops (if you have them, their good for movies)

Turn your phones off between major cities, it wastes battery searching for service, oh and don’t forget, CHARGERS!

I usually bring two bags as carry on, one carries stuff like toothbrush/paste, lip chap/lozenges, laptops, headphones iPod’s and cell phones while the other one carries all your food and other essentials

Snacks of course (keep in mind alkaline forming foods) Nuts are key, seeds are good, and anything you can put peanut butter on (crackers work best). Also Hummus is also practically a meal.

Don’t over eat! Your sitting down your not moving much you don’t need to eat much!

Anyways that’s it, now if you go on a long trip you can add a few more things to your checklist.

Enjoy!

Andre