Portraiture

   The portraiture assignment was very fun, but still not as easy as I thought it was going to be. Tim Carroll was a trooper for taking the time to be the subject for the assignment. We decided to shoot the photos in the newsroom and incorporate the books, notepads and print issues he values most as the editor-in-chief. We agreed that him sitting at a computer would be a little boring, so we got creative and arranged his favorite materials in a circle, so they were in an "orbit" around him.
   The room has bright fluorescent lights, which was a relief. There is, however, a large table in the middle of the room that I had to stand on to get a nice wide-angle shot. Overall, shooting portraits is a bit easier than capturing, say, an action shot in a split-second, but they still take some creativity and focus.

Michigan senator raises awareness of human trafficking at WSU School of Medicine

Sen. Gary Peters pushes for legislation to provide training to better identify
patients who are victims of human trafficking at the Wayne State School of
Medicine on March 30. Peters said human trafficking is currently the fastest
growing crime. (Photos by Alexander Franzen / The South End)

   Sen. Gary Peters (D-Michigan) urged for legislation “to help health care professionals identify patients who are victims of human trafficking” in a press conference at Wayne State’s School of Medicine on March 30.    Peters said the Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act will provide funding to medical schools “to develop the best practices and research,” and hopes WSU will apply for the grant once the bill is passed.    “I think we would have an outstanding shot here at this university to be that leader, given the fact that we have too many folks in our area that are victims, and we have an outstanding school that has the unique capabilities of making that a reality,” Peters said.

   School of Medicine Interim Dean Jack Sobel said Gov. Rick Snyder’s selection of WSU faculty members Herbert Smitherman Jr. and Dena Nazer to serve on the state’s Human Trafficking Commission indicates the university’s commitment and involvement to the issue.

   “We are in a unique position and have a responsibility to participate in identifying and treating (victims of human trafficking),” Sobel said.

   Angela Aufdemberge, president and CEO of Vista Maria organization, and Patrick Lindsey, WSU vice president of government and community affairs, also spoke at the press conference.

Sen. Peters (left), Jack Sobel (center) and Angela Aufdemberge (right) spoke about the
Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care Act. "We are in a unique position and
have a responsibility to participate in identifying and treating these individuals," Sobel said. 

iPhone photos: A glimpse of campus

WSU students gather to protest the recent Chapel Hill, North Carolina shooting. (WSUPJ photos by Alexander Franzen)

The march included members of the Arab Student Union, Amnesty International and the Muslim Students Association.

Amistee Air Duct Cleaning Co. performs maintenance on Wayne State's
residence halls.

   From this assignment I learned that a cell phone camera can be an essential tool for unplanned, sporadic photo shoots.

   I had only heard about the on-campus march to protest the Chapel Hill shootings three hours prior to when it began. I had no time to hop in my car and retrieve my DSLR from home, so I put my faith in my cell phone camera to capture some photos of the protest.

   First, I took photos when the group of students gathered in front of the Undergraduate Library, and then I hurried ahead to get a few shots of them actually walking together. The sun was setting behind the students when they began walking, and in this moment I learned the difficulties that come along with bright, overpowering sunlight. My photos of the students marching came out terrible—they were completely over-exposed.

   I was not only shooting photos of the march for this assignment, but also for backup photos for a news brief for the South End website, in case a photographer couldn’t show up on the scene. Luckily, a photographer with a DSLR was able to make it and took some excellent photos. I did, however, post my cell phone photo on Twitter and within a few minutes, the Fresco News License asked for my permission to use my photo on their platform.

   The photo of the Amistee air duct cleaning trucks was also quite sporadic. I just happened to be walking by when the trucks were parked out in front of Ghafari Hall. I pulled out my cell phone, snapped a quick photo and continued walking to class. Maybe this photo could be published with a future story about residence hall maintenance. Who knows?

   From this assignment, I discovered the importance of thinking like a news photographer when taking photos on the scene or at an event. The Chicago Sun-Times article on iPhone photography basics touched on how writers and photographers use different hemispheres of their brain when at work. To me, this is very true. Now it’s time for me to tap into visual and spatial thinking when taking photos.

Introducing an aspiring journalism hound

   I am a junior majoring in print journalism at Wayne State University. I work as the Deputy Managing Editor for the South End, The university's student newspaper.

   I enjoy writing and editing news articles for The South End and working with student writers to publish online news content.

   I live for creative, truthful journalism. I am forever inspired by the works of legendary journalists and writers, including A.J. Liebling, Truman Capote and Albert Camus.

   Aside from spending my days reading, writing and editing, I also enjoy to romp through wooded trails with my dog Atticus, a black and tan coonhound.

   I aspire to write for the New Yorker, and I'm exhilarated to begin chasing my dream at Wayne State.