March 5: Self-censorship

I was sent by the Greeley Tribune to cover the final rounds of the State High School Basketball Championships in Colorado Springs. I am in love with basketball. Sports has improved my mental physique a lot in terms of getting the shot and timing. I have ventured with AP photographer David Zalabowski in Denver on several occasions and his split-second timing is spectacular. His secret, I think, is he shoots sports almost everyday.

The AP Leafscan at the local paper really polished my editing skills as much as the Coolscan has spoiled them. At 10 minutes/scan, you suddenly develop mysterious snake skills on the editing table.

The local team's loss reminded me of my decision to stick with smaller papers. As favorites to advance to the finals, they were really emotional after losing a game they thought was in the bag. I was going to ask for permission to follow the team into the locker room but remembered AP shooter David Longstreathe's advice back in 1996: it's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

I shot a couple of frames as the players broke down and cried. I got a shot of the coach consoling each player with a hug or a pat on the head. I learned from this lesson is that we often censor ourselves from the good photos. I normally would project what I thought people might think and thus not shoot.

But using tact and discretion, take a chance and shoot. I remember Bill Eppridge's story about the famous Robert Kennedy assassination photo. As Kennedy lay in a pool of blood, Eppridge was blocked by someone who told him not to take photos. This is history, goddamit, he told the censor, and took the shot.

Had a chance to see a slide show by Denver Post photographer Brian Brainerd. Brian is as mellow as you can get without regular hits from a bong. He's down to Earth and gentle in his ways. I learned a different style of shooting from him, one that's different from the one-dimensional style that newspapers sometimes box you into. He showed me the art of 'quiet' photographs, one's that don't shout 'Here me roar'; one's you discover slowly, one's you can look at almost forever. I want my photos to be like a Miles Davis tune you can listen to over and over again, not that top 40 song you love and then can't bear to hear after a week.(ATTN: Spice Girls)

March 19: 'Spare some change?' time

As a freelancer at several local papers, my enthusiasm for photojournalism has been slightly dampened by the meager salary and often tiring and sometimes dangerous work. There is only so much 'drive' can do to make you feel good about your work. I am continually worried about making ends meet; the last check I got was seed money for a cheap meal. This is not the way to live. Yet I still always try to surprise my editors with something they didn't expect. I hope this lasts a lot longer, if not I am going back to computer-science till I amass a small fortune.

James Keivom

Behind the Viewfinder - A Year in the Life of Photojournalism
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