Band-O-Rama

Today's assignment put my motivation for being a photojournalist to the test.

After my first year of college I was on the fence about my future. I had gone into J-school dead set on being a top reporter. I had excelled at my beginning reporting class, and I was getting ready to start my first semester as a writer for the college newspaper.

Then I went to Band-O-Rama.

Well, let's be honest. It wasn't the only factor. I had also just finished my required photojournalism class all reporters had to take, and I loved it. There was something freeing and wonderful about photography, and I suppose I wasn't horrible behind the camera.

Cut to Band-O-Rama, the annual end-of-year concert held at my former high school. I had performed in the event every year when I was in band, and now I was attending as a spectator to hear my younger brother play. It was the typical high school band event until Todd Yates walked in.

Yates was a photographer for the local paper, and for some reason he grabbed my attention. The entire time he was there I just watched him as he worked the event. I could see some of his shots and angles in my head, and watching him compose them in front of me was captivating. I keep elbowing my sister, "look what he's shooting now," or "that's such a great angle." I'm sure my sister thought I was nuts.

As I walked back to the car with my family, I though to myself, "Even if I end up shooting some local high school band-o-rama the rest of my life, as long as I was taking photos I think I would be happy." Looking back on it now it was a completely naive and idealist thought, but when I got back to the car I announced to my family I was changing my major. I'm sure they thought I was crazy.

So here I am, almost 9 years later, covering a local high school's equivalent of band-o-rama. Since I started at this paper I always seem to get this assignment, and that's OK by me. Because with all that's wrong with the newspaper business and how much I complain about my job, overall I am happy taking photos. It's nice to be reminded of that every once and a while.