Photo Journalism

Eric Durban

It is amazing how much emotion you can capture in a picture. I really enjoyed the street photography of David Snider and would love to do that for a living. I found it very interesting that his parents are blind and his profession is photography. It would be interesting to know if their situation influenced his passions. David LaBelle presented a great guide to photography. Many of his tips were obvious things, however, other tips gave me a new perspective. I have a lot of curiosity when it comes to taking photos, but I've only ever done point-and-shoot with my basic digital camera.

The subject of blending really stuck out for me. Whenever I have covered stories in the past for a newspaper, people almost automatically recognize you when you walk into a room. Your recorder and notebook always give you away. Blending in seems to be one of the greatest obstacles for a photographer. People's feelings and actions can instantly change when they see you pull out the camera.

The other appealing aspect of photography is the possibility of travel. LaBelle advises in his tips to have clothes and food ready on the off chance you'll have to go somewhere quick. Photography seems to be one of the few professions that can really take you to the edges of the world. Realistically, very few photographers get those experiences, but the possiblity is intriguing. I liked how Snider described his work, "record the river of life." I can't think of many jobs more fascinating than that.