Social Issue Assignment

You will be responsible for creating a photo and writing an informative caption of a social issue. 

The main purpose behind this assignment is for you to capture an image and do research so you can present a photo and caption that relates the impact of the social issue while showing who it effects.

Highlight those adjectives and adverbs. And dig in to get some statistics and background info on the social issue you pick and how it affects the person (or people) within your photo.

This assignment should test how well you research an issue, identify and locate people dealing with the issue and how quickly you react to situations. This is where the journalistic efforts come into play and the photography portion is about equal to the research portion. 

A helpful tip is this, identify an issue you have some sort of familiarity with or you are passionate about.

A few examples would be:

•  Animals (Humane Society)

•  Homelessness (Contact me before doing this)

•  Poverty (Dirne Center)

•  Unemployment (Temp Agencies or Labor Office)

•  Single Moms

•  Teenage Parents

•  Mulit-Job Workers

•  Pollution

•  Poaching

•  Illegal Dumping

•  Wolves (Idaho Fish & Game)

•  Medical Reform/Care Needs (Dirne or KMC)

•  Bicycles vs. Traffic

I can give you some direction on finding contacts for these and other issues you may find.

Make sure you have a back-up event if something happens to your primary shoot.

The baseline requirements for this assignment are the usual: properly composed, a good exposure, sharp focus, correct color balance and a complete caption. The rest of your grade depends on the items we talk about in class: communication points, accurate representation, well thought out idea or concept, creativity and those adjectives and adverbs that come across in the image.

Shoot with a purpose, always be editing and work that viewfinder from the outside in.

If you have any questions or need some guidance, feel free to contact me via email or cell. We'll be going over more information on the person at work assignment in class on March 23.

The due date for this assignment is April 6.

Below are some examples of social issue photography.

Animal Shelter Crowding

Allison Campbell browses the cat area of the Kootenai Humane Society shelter on Tuesday. The shelter currently has about 120 cats and kittens waiting for adoption and many more being cared for by foster homes.

Health Care and Poverty

Lani McLane, right, a dentist at the Dirne Dental Clinic, and her assistant Kelin Bard work with a patient Wednesday. The clinic's MediCaid client load is about two-thirds full leaving Dirne administrators searching to fill chairs with those in need of dental care.

Food Banks

Nancy Kadrmas organizes the groceries she chose Tuesday at the Community Action Partnership food bank in Coeur d'Alene. A proposed House bill and the proposed 2012 budget would call for significant cuts to the Community Services Block Grant, which funds Community Action Partnership services.

Dying with Dignity

After the hospice staff left for the day, Nancy Warner tried to bathe her husband Dick Warner in order to stick with a routine. Despite her best efforts, she had to stop because it was too painful for him. "He's here because this is where he wanted to be," Nancy said while fighting back tears. "I can't imagine what he would have to deal with being in a facility with strangers caring for him." Hospice of North Idaho has seen a significant shift in the number and type of patients they are caring for since 2000.

Homelessness

Kenneth "Wolf" Giffin, a Persian Gulf War veteran, collects his possession after receiving a trespassing warning from Kootenai County Sheriff deputies Friday. The homeless camp where Giffin was staying had more than 20 different camp sites where the homeless population has stayed unknown to the general public for the past six months. The site was in the trees near the Harbor Center along the west side of Northwest Blvd.

Caring for Children with Disabilities (this was a student's shot from last year)

(Sorry folks, but I couldn't find a caption with this image)

Bicycles and Traffic

Jay Johnson pedals his way north Wednesday on 4th Street in Coeur d'Alene. Several efforts are underway to make the community more bicycle friendly. Kootenai Medical Center has received 22 patients who were involved in some of the 51 accidents between bicyclist and motorists over the past three months.

Social Issue - Local Soup Kitchen

Laurie Dorame of Emanuel Baptist Church carts in food casseroles and donations from community members on Thursday, March 24 in preparation for a soup kitchen offered by the First Presbyterian Church every week. Eleven churches rotate the responsibility for this faith-based service. Last year 2,661 meals were served at this church. There are thirteen similar kitchens in Kootenai County. The Kootenai Environmental Alliance which donates to the First Presbyterian Soup Kitchen reports that in Kootenai county overall in last year 6,447 individuals received assistance from the Food Bank Network with an additional 15,226 meals served at different facilities. Anna and Charles Setzer sit down for lunch on March 24 at the First Presbyterian Church Soup Kitchen. The couple have been eating lunch here for over 25 years. Mrs. Setzer was in a car accident that left her a "three year old kid in a woman's body," according to her husband. Social Security Disability Benefits average $474 per month per recipient. This stipend is not enough to cover rent , food and utilities. Soup Kitchens not only help the homeless , but people at risk of food insecurity. 1 in 6 Americans qualifies as food insecure adding up to a total of 50 million Americans. Kameron Barber, 6 weeks old, sleeps in his car seat while his grandmother waits in line for a hot meal at the First Presbyterian Church Soup Kitchen on March 24. The Community Action Partnership program which distributes food to 30 different sites in Kootenai County reports serving 35,321 families last year. 18 % of its beneficiaries are under the age of 18. Nationwide 1 in 4 children is food insecure or does not receive adequate nutrition which places them at risk for irreparable damage to their cognitive development.

Social Issue-

Josh Guffey broke his leg, fractured his pelvis and his back in five places March 17th while riding his four-wheeler with a friend on a trail not made for four-wheelers. He took a ride with the bike down a 75 foot embankment and took quite a beating landing right between two logs that pinned him in place until an ambulance and help could finally reach him up a trail at Nettleton Gulch.

When Josh isn't laying in bed or sitting on a chair you can find him fishing or going to the grocery store with his friends and family. It's been hard for Josh to do everyday tasks like taking a shower or simply shaving. Now maybe the next time he rides he'll stick to four-wheeler trails.

Social Issue - Homeless/poverty/hunger

Cooper Downs, volunteer at Community Action Food Bank in Coeur d'Alene, loads a van full of food to be distributed to area shelters for the homeless Wednesday morning. The food, delivered weekly, varies in quantity based on need, with the greatest demand coming toward the end of the month when food stamps run out. "There's more in need around here than many people realize," Downs said. "Last week we delivered 470 pounds of food."



















George Erdman, full-time volunteer at Fresh Start in Coeur d'Alene, helps unload and set out the food shipment from the Community Action food bank Wednesday morning. A portion of the food is spread out on tables and counters for those at the shelter to eat as they wish, while the rest of the shipment is portioned out into bags given to individuals based on need. Fresh Start, open from 7:30-noon daily, has shower and laundry facilities, computers with internet, and also provides a mailing address for those without one.



















Geoff Groth, 20, (left), volunteer for Community Action Food Bank in Coeur d'Alene, hands bags of food Wednesday morning to a recipient in need who wished not to be named. Most of the recipients are homeless and rely on the food to stay alive. Individuals obtaining food are allowed one bag per person in their family they are feeding. Many fear for the future of the program as government funding is expected to decrease substantially in 2012, increasing the importance of donations to keep the program running.

Social Issue- The Real Life Superhero Movement

Friday April first, Knightowl, one of Portlands real life superheroes, patrols the streets searching for someone in need.

Straight from the pages of comic books, superheroes are appearing on the streets of major metropolital areas. From Pitsburg to Portland these caped crusaders are cleaning up our community one citizen at a time. But, unlike the comic book heroes, these do-gooders are no more than the average people who have a common desire to help others and uphold justice. Some call them vigilantes, some call them crazy, but to me they are just good people trying to make a bit of difference in our corrupt society. While I was in Portland, OR over spring break I had the opportunity to meet with one of their local real life superheroes named Knightowl. This 28 year old good samaritan is a volunteer firefighter and EMT student by day and superhero by night. When asked what his role in the community was as a real life superhero he replied "I think that if you can ease a little suffering or be that person who happens to intervene when you see something wrong, that’s something that anybody can do. The only difference is that the real life super hero community tries to show that anyone can".

As part of their service to the community the real life superheroes do such things as bring food or blankets to the homeless, serve as a deturant for predators of all sorts, or just to lend a helping hand to whoever may need it. Although, there are a few real life superheroes who've taken their role to the extreme and have taken it upon themselves to begin performing citizens arrests and seeking out known criminals. This has been the case with Phoenix Jones of Seattle. Recent happenings in the area with said superhero have caused a stir in the real life superhero community. Knightowl's view on this was "I’m not going to fault them as long as they’re doing it legally".

But other than the bit of controversy this has created the real life superhero is a good way to give back to the community and make a difference in a fun and rather unorthodox way. Knightowl commented that his favorite part of being a real life superhero is that "It’s just cool. The people I’ve met and the people I know in the community, they’re some of the most amazing people I think I’ve ever met,"

and when asked what he would suggest to anyone wanting to become a real life superhero he stated jokingy "Don’t! no just kidding. Set realistic goals be real about yourself. I mean above all be real. A lot of people get caught up and too fixated on the paraphernalia of the superhero motif that they don’t think about the reality of it"

So, next time you walk down the street and see someone dressed up in costume, and it's not halloween, instead of pointing and staring, respect them because they might just be a real life superhero.

Social Issue Oil prices are an every ones mind these days and people are actually struggling to get buy on just a minimum wage pay. The economy is shot because we are purchasing way too over priced oil and petroleum products in eastern countries when there is nicer cheaper oil right above us in Canada. With gas near four dollars a gallon and diesel fuel over four and a half we are draining the economy and plunging are self's into years of debt. I believe this is a important social issue that we need to fix right away because its starting to effect people's life's. A normal minimum wage worker spends at least 60% of his/her paycheck on gas just to drive back and forth between the job and home. If we don't change either what powers are cars or lower gas prices soon, I feel that America will never be debt free.

Social Issue- Hunger/Soup Kitchen

I found this assignment very challenging because there were multiple subjects to concentrate on and each offered different opportunities. This Soup Kitchen took place at The First Presbyterian Church and was hosted by Emanuel Baptist Church. Perhaps I can get some feedback from the class.

Social Issue - Final Edit (Almost)

I have narrowed everything down to four photos and have written my captions.

Soon to be new homeowner, Carolyn Williams, and Henry Netzer inspect the progress of Habitat for Humanity’s latest project near 12th and Walnut Streets on Saturday, April 2nd. The program requires at least 250 hours of sweat equity and she has completed over 500 to date along with homeowner training and a 6 week course on how to get and stay debt free. With 18.6 million American households spending more than 50 percent of their income on housing, Williams will be able to maintain 30 percent, a level considered sustainable.

Regular volunteers,(left to right) Henry Netzer, Jim Pontier, Bob Siegert and Tom Collier enjoy a lunch of beef stew and rolls on a cold, rainy day last Saturday. These gentlemen are here most Tuesdays and Saturdays to help complete Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho’s 33rd home since its inception. While this is another milestone for the organization, the fact remains that 1,500 people are now homeless in Kootenai County, up more than 50 percent from last year.  They and many other low income people do not qualify for this or any other form of housing assistance.

Only one of the next two is going to be used.  I have
not decided yet and any input is very welcome!!!
Their captions are very similar.

Jim Pontier, 63, of Spirit Lake, on Tuesday, March 29th, cuts a length of pole to size for a bedroom closet in the new home. The plan is to have the project completed for a ceremony in March after which the new owner, Carolyn Williams, can start moving in. With 14.3 percent of Kootenai County living at or below the poverty line, up from 9.4 percent in 2008, and pay rates remaining essentially the same despite inflation, the need for affordable housing is increasing rapidly.

Jacob Kendra, 19, of Coeur d’Alene, on Tuesday, March 29th, installs the finish trim around a bedroom door in the hallway of the new home. The plan is to have the project completed for a ceremony in March after which the new owner, Carolyn Williams, can start moving in. With 14.3 percent of Kootenai County living at or below the poverty line, up from 9.4 percent in 2008, and pay rates remaining essentially the same despite inflation, the need for affordable housing is increasing rapidly.

PS: Based on a comment from Gabe, I also have the following photo as an alternative to the lunch break photo above but I think I prefer the wide angle of the one above to this one that seems a little soft to me.  With this photo, it would essentially make three photos with similar perspective.

The sad thing for these captions is that I have so much good information this time that it seems a shame to waste it even though my captions seem a little too long already.

Any thoughts?  Thanks very much!



Social Issue Attempt #3 - Habitat for Humanity

I had a very different event lined up yesterday and it seems to have gone away completely.  I cannot even find the information I had looked up last weekend for it anymore.  Strange!

So today I took another stab at the Habitat for Humanity scene and got a few photos that might work in conjunction with the last set I posted the other day.  As usual, I am not sure I like the outcome but it is going to have to be the best I can do for this week.



The new owner and one of the volunteers discuss the progress.

It has some emotion I think.  I like the other guys working away

down the hall also.

I like this one for the lines and perspective but I'm not sure

it has much to say otherwise.

I thought these guys created a nice rhythm and showed some of the commotion

of people constantly walking through each others work area.  I just wish the one

guy would pay more attention to what he is doing than constantly looking right

into my camera lens.

Lunch break at the new home.  I thought this made a nice area shot.

I wish this were a little sharper and straighter but I think

it is not too bad and figure Jerome is going to ding me for

something anyway... it might as well be for this. 

The perspective is not to shabby.

"And that's the way it is" - Walter Cronkite



Social Issue Attempt #2 - Habitat for Humanity

Attempt #1 sucked and has been scrapped.

So these guys are building a house.  There are a dozen guys in a tiny house with stuff everywhere and lots of activity and chaos.

Detail

This is an acceptable detail shot I think.  I am

going to try for a better one this coming Saturday.

 Medium #1

I like the light in this photo.

Medium #2

In this one I like the line created by the wood. 

I was actually holding the other end of the piece

of wood so the guy could cut it to length.  He asked

me for help.  Does this mean I messed with the shot?

Medium #3

I like the details on the window sill with the saw

and operator behind it, outside the window.  However,

this is my least favorite of the three medium shots above.

Wide #1 - Dudes Unloading Van

I think this photo does a better job of telling the story

of unloading the van but I think the shot below is a

 better photo.  Any opinions?

Wide #2 - Dudes Unloading Van

Does this really say: dudes unloading a van?

Wide #3 - Guys cleaning up the work site

Wide #4 - Guys cleaning up the work site

I thought hmmmm... layers?  Window frame, saw, crap all over,

dudes, truck, trailer, etc... maybe I can finally make Jerome happy!  

I tried.  It looks more like a cluttered mess to me but I still have a hard

time seeing layers until someone points them out to me.  I am also not

sure I like the saw in the middle of everything in either of the photos above.

These guys were working hard and were wet and cold.  Conversation was at a minimum and I could not find any emotion anywhere.  Hopefully I will have better luck this coming Saturday.  I do not like these photos yet but I worked hard to get them so, again, I'm posting 'em!

Good luck you guys!  I am excited to see what all of you did!!!

Unemployment picture story

There's an online photojournalism magazine called Pictory that I'm a huge fan of. Basically, anyone can submit a single image with caption pertaining to the topic provided. It's a neat collaboration of images, and most of them are really good.

This one's about unemployment, so I figure it relates to our current assignment.
Here's the link:
http://www.pictorymag.com/showcases/summer-jobless/

These two are my favorites from the set.















I love the composition and the mood of this one. Also, the perspective is awesome. It's a simple photo, but yet I find it really interesting. The window framing the guy, the motion of the hair being blown by the fan, all add to the artistic elements of the photo. It really portrays a feeling of being carefree, rather than the bleak, depressing feeling most people associate with unemployment.
























Again, a simple composition, but interesting. The color of the chair pops out in a totally awesome way. I'm really taking a liking to the whole vibrant colors that pop out in photos, since I started looking at Chip's work.

The image kind of portrays a sense of having all the time in the world, but not much to do as a result of being unemployed.

Christian pole dancing class creating controversy

I know that as photojournalism students, we are supposed to be developing our still photography skills but we must also consider honing multimedia skills and knowing where one triumphs over the other.
I would like to poll the talent in our class and ask, how many of you think this story would have been better covered with still photography instead of video and why/why not? Should it had been covered at all?

Here is the link to the video.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8026078
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christian pole dancing class creating controversy
Tuesday, March 22, 2011


Sonia Azad

OLD TOWN SPRING, TX (KTRK) -- Women in the Houston area are pole dancing once a month ... for Jesus. Yes, the dance moves once reserved for strip clubs are being embraced by devout, church-going women.
In the quaint turn-of-the-century community called Old Town Spring, where Victorian style shops line the streets, one business stands out -- pole fitness for Jesus. There's no preaching, just teaching.
Set to Christian music, church-going women spin and slither around poles. But the instructor and the students say it's not about sex.
"This is my second class," student Tiffany Booth said.
For them, this is about getting closer to God.
"God gives us these bodies and they are suppose to be our temples and we are suppose to take care of them and that's what we are doing," instructor Crystal Dean said
Booth was raised in church. Now, the pole is her temple.
"I do feel a spiritual connection whenever you have the music on and it's singing about lifting you up and being closer to God. You do feel that," she said.
Getting classes off the ground hasn't been easy for Dean.
"Some guy came up with his Bible and we were in class and he thumped on the door and was waving his Bible," Dean said. "People who want to sit there and judge it, you know, like well that is sacrilegious or you know. That doesn't make you a good Christian when you judge other people."

There are those who just can't get past the stigma.
"In Gods eyes, it wouldn't be attractive," said nineteen-year-old Eric Purgason.
Purgason's family runs Lord and Nature, a Christian gift shop neighboring the Christian pole ancers.
"We have to watch those boundaries that we cross over and not allow the enemy to take it in another direction," said Dee Bovati with Lord and Nature.
We found women who said the classes clear their moral compass.
"If someone wants to swing on a pole on Sundays then that's their preference," class supporter Penny Primeaux said.
And there are those who straddle the subject.
"Are you doing it in front of men? Are you doing it as for sex in exchange for money? What are you doing it for?" said Allison Hogan, who's skeptical of the classes.
But for these women, there is room for both the Bible and a little body roll in the town that touts its old fashioned ways.
"They're going to church and worshiping God and it was just a way for them to continue that," Dean said.
Best Shape of your Life holds Pole Fitness for Jesus classes on the second Sunday of each month, for ladies who take in their church pamphlets. The classes are free. The instructor's reason? She doesn't want to make a profit on God's day.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)


Get more Local »

James Nachtwey's photos from the earthquake in Japan

Pretty powerful images by Nachtwey of the devastation in Japan.

http://lightbox.time.com/2011/03/17/devastation-james-nachtweys-pictures-from-japan/#1

A couple shots inspired by Chip Litherland

So, as some of you know, I went to New York this last week with The Sentinel for the College Media convention. I've really taken a liking to Chip Litherland's work lately. I've always appreciated contrasty b&w stuff and thought that may be my style, but lately I've kind of been digging Chip's style of finding situations where color really pops out in the image. So, here's a couple of shots I took where the colors really popped against the background. The first one I took at the John Lennon memorial in strawberry Fields. The second one is of Noura sitting out in front of our hotel. I did edit both of these first in lightroom and then in Photoshop. I also tried to slightly underexpose each as chip said he often does. What do y'all think? Too vibrant or no?

















(Exif: 200mm, 1/160, f/3.2, ISO 400)


























Exif: (50mm, 1/60, f/2.0, ISO 100)

EVENT

The crowd cheers as blues-rock guitarist Robin Trower and his band return on stage to play an encore for a packed house at the Knitting Factory in Spokane, March 10. The show was part of the band's four-month U.S. tour they embarked on at the end of January.
(Exif: 70mm, 1/30, f2.8, ISO 2500)