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

Let the egg nog glow

Every year, millions, and quite possibly billions of people create a shift. A shift so great the whole world seems to benefit from it. Turn on the radio or the television and its there. Walk downtown or through the mall and you can just sense it coming. That’s right, it’s Christmas, and the best thing about Christmas is the Christmas Spirit. The time of year when a good portion of Earths population seems to forget its wrongs and troubles while exchanging them for good company and a cheery atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong, there are still things in this world that aren’t right, even on Christmas, but all in all, Christmas fever takes over.

Some people feel it from December and even into November, while some don’t feel it until the gifts are all under the tree or unwrapped. Some people can’t help but feel the Christmas cheer and spread it right from the get go. While some lose the meaning of Christmas while stressing about Christmas presents. Yet, when the calendar hits the 25^th even the stressful shopper can’t help but feel the spirit. After all, they’re weeks of stress probably paid off in what was a great act of giving. And that’s what it’s all about. In a world of take take take, Christmas seems to bring out the ‘give’ in people. This might just be the only time of the year when people worry and stress about what they’re going to get for someone.  Rarely do we ever stress about what we’re receiving for Christmas. Of course we still look forward to what has our name on it when it’s under the tree, but there’s nothing like seeing the smile on your families face when they get what they hoped for.

Anyways just a few thoughts I figured I’d share. Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you enjoy your egg nog, turkeys, baked goods, and Boney M.!

Reflections, When

It's my Birthday today, I'm 23 now.
I have a half beard, half moustache and I could probably use a haircut. Today I got to thinking, I'm only seven years away from being thirty. Now those of you who are older than me, I bet your thinking "your still young, stop complaining." Meanwhile anyone in their 20's probably just did the math to see how long until they turn 30.

Just a Young'n

I'm not sure why but usually I can't help but feel at least a little down on my birthday. Maybe it's because I'm to old to get excited about the new toys and birthday presents I'd get from birthday parties. More likely it's because I'm counting down the years until I'm thirty, or even worse I think about the things I haven't accomplished in my life to date.
Well to tell you the truth sometimes I feel like I haven't done much, I haven't seen enough and it gets me down and makes me want to make my life more exciting.

There's been something nagging at me today, sure it's my birthday but I couldn't help think about the haircuts I've had over my life.
My mom sent me some photos for my last post and I remember thinking about how many different looks I've had. Today it  I looked back on life as if it were one big blur that got me to be the person I am today, just a guy who could probably use a haircut.

That's me on the far left...

Then I started looking a little deeper, I started recounting the past 12 months or so.
I figured since I've been in school not a lot could have happened. In the last year, I've traveled the distance between Ontario and B.C. a total of 4 times. I lived in Squamish for 3 months, photographed the Canadian National Kiteboard races, which included a number of top racers in the world. I got to photograph Weezer, Metric and a few personal favorite musicians/bands. I interviewed and wrote an article on Shad who is probably my favorite hip hop artist. I witnessed the Canucks Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Finals in downtown Vancouver and photographed and recorded the riots that followed that Game 7 loss. At one point I've been at my lowest and thought theres no way I can be a photographer, at another point I've been at my highest and thought I could start a business on the spot. I've even built my own website from scratch.
Then I started looking further back.

So far in my life I've been to Mexico, West/SouthWest U.S.A, Hawaii, and I've seen most of Canada. I've worked for three different landscaping/lawn care companies and I've worked collecting soil samples to test it for minerals. I've worked at Walmart (although very briefly) and I was a tech support for Windows Vista when it first came out. I've been an electrician, a forest fire fighter, and I've worked in a hostel. I've even worked at a newspaper.
I can't recount the exact details that got me to where I am, nor can I count how many times I've changed hair styles.

I'm 23 now, I'm a photojournalist.
I look back on my life and I can see how much I've accomplished and how much I've grown.
I don't know what I'll be next year or the year after that, but I'm not worried about it.
Our birthdays happen every year just like Christmas happens every year. Nothings going to stop us from getting older, and nothings going to stop us from growing.


Feel like you haven't done much?

What have you learnt in the past year?
Have you grown?
How old are you?
Whether it's three, nine, 16, 23, 30, or 60... thats a lot of years, and a lot of growth.

I've reflected on my "when" maybe it's time to reflect on yours.

Cheers ;)
Andre

Oh and check out my new website, andrelodder.com




Some more photo progression with my various choices of haircuts:

My Oma and Me

Grade 12... what was I thinking.

 

A few Christmases ago

the most recent photo of me, (my beard has grown in since then)

Advisory Board

Twice a year professionals from the photojournalism industry come to the school to critique our current portfolios and look at the work we've done so far.
This happened Monday November 7. It was a great opportunity for us to meet with the people who could end up hiring us after we graduate.
We met with photo editors and photographers from major News outlets as well as accomplished Freelancers and Retirees.

Let me start off by saying Last years Critiques were good, I feel like I gained a lot by them at a time when I was still just starting out.
This year went equally as good. For reasons I'm unsure of, my motivation has been more than lacking and my production value since I've gotten back to school has been below par. Meanwhile I feel students from first year are far out-shooting me so far this year.
The photo's I showed were from when I spent my time in B.C. over the summer and are what I feel are a true indication of my potential. They were reasonably well received which in a sense gave me a renewed confidence in myself.
Further more I realized that I need to start working harder here, focus more on the shooting aspect of things and try some new ideas. Basically change my whole outlook on shooting in Belleville because it's quite obviously not working out at the moment.
I've shown these people all my work from the summer and I'm going to have to show them something new when they return in the fall so that's something that is going to help keep me focused, these are the people who can potentially hire me in the future, if I don't show them what I can do, even here in Belleville then I fear a working in the industry will be further away then I would like.

For my current portfolio visit andrelodder.carbonmade.com
Also check out my Photoblog, andrelodder.tumblr.com

Follow me on Twitter @AndreLodder

I'd also like to take this opportunity to give you some blogs from others who are also currently experiencing the Loyalist College Photojournalism journey.

stephennorman.tumblr.com
tkongphotography.tumblr.com
kellymichellegagnephotography.tumblr.com
liamkb.tumblr.com
charmainecollinsphotography.tumblr.com/ 
michellecochranephotojournalist.blogspot.com
devaaning.blogspot.com/
leeimages.blogspot.com/ 
wynterphotography.tumblr.com/ 
iamrachelcohen.tumblr.com/ 
sanfordphoto.wordpress.com/ 
www.pearced.com/
meganvossphotojournalism.blogspot.com/
colebreiland.com/ 
lindahornphotography.tumblr.com/
tkongphotography.tumblr.com/
samanthacantelonphotography.tumblr.com/

Note: Theres more people in the course, I'm just not familiar with their blogs...

Thanks,
Andre

Up Next: Reflections Conitnued...

Reflections, Who? Friends!

Every person has a unique character that differs from everyone else. Yet we're all influenced by the people around us. Think of your best friends at this point in time. Are there certain tendencies or traits that the two of you share?
The People around us influence our character more than we know. For me it all started back in my childhood.

I'm on the far left, Wendy is just to my right. Her sister Kim, My sister Daylinn
and my brother Collin (I think) complete the picture

My first best friend was a girl named Wendy Doesburg. She was a part of the church I belonged to at the time and from what I can remember, we were inseparable. When I watch old family videos we were always seen together. I remember one time we even had a fake wedding, and eventually she became my first kiss. You know, that first kiss when you were something like four years old that you did because you seen older people doing it which meant that it's okay even though you get cooties.
Anyways, the two of us had the makings for that cliche Hollywood love story where the couple grows up together since birth and eventually that cute fake wedding turns into a real one quite a bit later in life. But no, that wasn't our fate. I think I was about nine when her family moved away, I was devastated, I'd lost my best friend during the pre-facebook era. Suffice to say, it wasn't until facebook came out that we were able to get in touch again.
I don't remember exactly how it was because it was a long time ago and I was young. From what I gather via family videos, photos and the memories that I do have, Wendy and I were two pees in a pod. It's kind of hard not to be influence by someone when you spend so much time together.

(from left to right) Andre Lodder, Ravi Kler, Kris Korol, Noah Koens,
Erik Christenson, Shawn Wagantall, Shawn Simpson and Parm Atwall.
Some of my greatest friends from highschool.

Things moved along in my life. Friends came, went and stayed. It wasn't until high school that I once again was blessed with a really good group of friends. Of course, this was when things changed drastically in my life. It was understandable though, coming from a small private school of 28 kids total and being home schooled for grade seven. It was overwhelming going to a public high school and things were bound to change.
That's when I was accepted into group of friends that I kept for most of my highschool years. Who have shaped the better part of my teen life. Meanwhile, I also had friends from the church, it was almost as if I was living a double life via my friends. (of course it's not as extreme as the whole church friends vs public school friends/Church vs devil)

Shawn Hoskins and myself posing seriously for fun.

Then grade ten hit, it was a sleepy french class and the new guy Shawn Hoskins was sitting in front of me. I don't entirely remember what it was, but I think Shawn was picking on me and my large nose. kind of a weird way to start a friendship but it developed and once again I had a best friend.
Though admittedly we were pretty immature, I developed a lot of tendencies and a lot of character from Shawn. He actually taught me the beginnings of a lot of the social skills I have today. We skipped class together, we did homework together (so it would take half the time). He helped me start to get in touch with my creative side (working on school projects) and my active side (playing ultimate, and rugby if only for one year).

After high school we even moved in together along with another good friend in Elias. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. Our interests started to differentiate, and with that came a move. That's when the time came to move out. Are friendship was all but over. We started to distance ourselves over the years, hanging out less and less.
Meanwhile I started hanging out with a few other friends that I only knew a little of from highschool but have become some of the biggest influencee in my life to date.

After moving out of the old house, I moved in with Drew Nylen and Ryan Haak two of the friends from this new group of friends. The contrast between houses was substantial, I knew this was a good thing. I remained in contact with Shawn but our friendship slowly deteriated although its still great to see him whenever I'm back in Vernon.

My new found group of friends were exactly what I needed. They played sports, read books, and were absolutely hilarious to hang out with. The only T.V. in the house was in Ry's room and we never really used it. Quite a comparison to the house with Shawn and Elias where videogames and movies were a major part of our lives.

Drew Nylen and myself laughing at the beach, one of the frequently
visited locations when we lived together.

When I lived with Drew and Ry, I was in what was quite possibly the best shape of my life, I was more active then I had ever been and I had been introduced to rock climbing, one of my growing passions.

Eventually I again moved out, I went to Hawaii for a month and half and couldn't afford the cost of rent on top of living in Hawaii.
Drew and I still kept in touch as both of us were going through similar trauma (though admittedly his was far greater than mine). When I got back to Canada, Drew and I were already in the midst of planning a larger trip for January and we bonded more than I think I have with anyone else in my life. Drew not only became a big part of my life, he became an inspiration and still remains one.

I've named a number of people who might have had the most influences on me at certain times, but of course I can't forget the people who have been there consistently. Such as my good friend Kris, who along with Drew are probably two of the more important people in my life.

Though there are hundreds of people who come into our lives and may have some influence, the ones we admire the most and usually the ones who influence us the most are the ones we can call our greatest friends. It's with our best friends in life that we decide on who we are. We share experiences with them, we share memories, all of which help shape us into who we are as a person.

Though I may have gained some friends, I have most certainly lost some. Its unfortunate that it happens. To all my fallen friends and also the ones not mentioned here, I hope you know that you've helped shape who I am today, if I'm ever in the area, maybe a coffee or a beer is in order.

Thanks,
Andre

Reflections, 5 W's, an H, and an A.N.D.R.E

What makes us who we are?
There are a number of answers to that question. I think we are who we are because of the experiences of our past.
All of these experiences can likely be summed up in the six most popular questions out there.
Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.

How?
 

Photos are important. If it wasn't for photos,
I wouldn't have been able to show you this one.

Look at that cute lil' guy... (It's me)
For those of you who may not know the person behind this blog, my name is Andre Lodder.
There are so many different things that have made me the way I am, which is why I've chosen to do this in multiple posts on my blog. I'm continuing the title "Reflections" from my last post because it sums up best what I'm doing. For most, these few posts will sort of be my introduction, but for me, it will be a reflection. A reflection of who I am and how I got to where I am today.
At some point in the next few blog posts I hope to reflect on each of the six questions, Who, What, When, Where, Why and How in no particular order. I'm choosing 'How' for my first post because it'll really just be a summary of what you can hope to see in these posts.All of the five W's are important, but in answering 'how' you are getting the gist of all the other questions. After all, these posts will be  explanations of how I got to where I am today.

As you can see this photo may be few years old, and though a few things have changed since then (such as my preferred brand of beer) there's a lot that has remained the same. For instance, I still prefer eating with my hands. Up until just a few days ago I had a very similar hair cut. I'm still just as cute (if not cuter?) and yes, I probably should still be wearing a bib while I eat. Throw some peanut butter and jam on that sandwich and throw me in a Van and you'd think the picture was taken yesterday.
However, this photo alone doesn't do justice for who I am or how I got here.
There are so many different things that have gotten me to this point. I have my family and my friends; they are the 'who'.
The things I have come to learn which have grown into hobbies or activities and become as much a part of me as the hair on my head; they are the 'what'.
I've lived on this earth for nearly 23 years, in that time I have learnt so much.  In the future, I hope to keep learning about others and more importantly about myself; this is the 'when'.
Home, is where you make it, whether it be in Vernon, Squamish, Belleville, Canada, or the moon. That is the 'where'.
'Why'? Well that's how life goes.

My story isn't about how I was destined to be a photographer or a journalist ever since I was a kid.
You know when you were younger, and you were asked that cliche question, "what do you want to be when you grow up? "Pretty sure I've never said I wanted to be a photojournalist. In fact I didn't even know there was such thing until six months before I entered the program.
I came to the school without an ounce of knowledge on photojournalism. Well... I guess that isn't entirely true, I knew how to turn the dial to the green square (auto setting) and press the shutter. I also knew how to form words with a pen, yet I was never much of a story teller. So how did I end up here?
I didn't know any photographers by name until I came to this program, so I don't know who could have inspired me to come. I don't think I've done any activities in particular that would have helped me to know what I'm doing here. I bought my first camera only a few years ago but I still didn't use it much. So I don't even know when it first interested me. I didn't know where to start, or why I even wanted to in the first place...

Yet I'm still here. If you put the question 'How?' into a multiple choice answer, with the choices Who, What, When, Where, and Why. I'd have to answer both None of the above, but at the same time All of the above. There isn't one single event from my past that has led me to want to be here, yet absolutely every experience has molded me into the person I am. Since I'm here, and this is something I'm interested in, that means every one of my experiences has led to photojournalism.

How I got here, is the reason I'm here.


-Andre