Tampa Photography Blog

Geekfest is a gathering of professional photojournalists from around the country who come together once a year to drink, share work and mainly kick each other in the butt.

Everyone needs encouragement and inspiration and sometimes the best place to get it is from others in your profession.

I have to admit, at first I felt a little disconnected this year. I no longer work for newspapers and in my freelance career, I don’t shoot much editorial work. My clients want commercial photography, family portraits, business head shots and boudoir portraits.

Many of the photographers at Geekfest are still working in journalism and focused their presentations on photo stories, which I rarely shoot any more. But what’s great is that whenever I leave this conference, I feel like I too can shoot whatever I want, whether a client wants it or not. I sometimes forget this is for me, not them. It feels selfish to say that but I didn’t choose photojournalism as a way to please others. I chose it (or it chose me) because I’m good at it and it’s the artform I’ve been most passionate about for the last 15 years.

St. Pete Times Director of Photography Boyzell Hosey started off the weekend by updating us on the “Eye of the Storm”. He created this tagline by comparing the newspaper industry today to a Category 5 Hurricane. Boyzell said people suffering in the industry ask, “Why me? Why on my watch?” To which Boyzell replies, “God says ‘Why not you?’” His talk comforted me even though the industry doesn’t affect me directly. But many of my friends still work in the business and I can’t hear about any more furloughs, layoffs, buyouts or just plain sadness about their jobs. It breaks my heart.

One of the most shocking and moving photo stories was the “Resurrection of Amalia Mendoza” by Greg Kahn of the Naples Daily News. Amalia was in a horrible car accident in 2001 that took her eyes, nose and part of her skull from her. She put all her hopes and prayers into a doctor name David Trainer. Kahn followed her through this journey and the video and stills are incredible.

The story that I was most impressed with was “Michael’s Story” by Los Angeles Times photographer Liz O. Baylen. She covered a story about a 6-year-old boy who was molested by a L.A. Unified School District special education aide. Liz could not reveal the identity of the victim or his parents so she said she used audio to recreate the story. And somehow she pulled it off.

The person I think I connected with most during the presentations was Atlanta photographer Zack Arias. He’s humble, honest and tells it like it is. He touched on a few key elements with lighting that I had simply forgotten. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with bills, deadlines and clients that I forget how simple creating a great photograph can be. Zack reminded me that after I pay the bills, it is for me. Shoot for the client and please them, but shoot some frames for myself too. He said (and he may have been quoting someone else), “Commercial work is your life but photojournalism is your mistress.” Love it.

When I heard humanitarian photographer Ben Rusnak talk about what working for a non-profit entails, I was impressed because it seems the first thing you have to do is let go of your ego. He said you need to give up control over your photos and the design in which they are used, don’t expect to receive any photo credits and understand that fundraising comes first, and changing lives is second. Ben is a rare shooter—most of us have egos (it comes with the profession) and it warms my heart to see that he has risen above it all.

As New York Times photographer Todd Heisler came to the podium and looked around the room, he said, “Is photojournalism dead? Well, apparently not.” He wowed us with his “One in 8 Million” project, showing how everyone, even in NYC, has a story. Lawyer/teacher Alexis Lambert reminded us that photography is a business whether we like it or not. She’s a genius when it comes to contracts, copyright law and anything related to the University of Florida. And that’s not the only reason I adore her—she’s also one of the funniest people on the planet. Designer Deb Pang Davis broke down the rules of marketing yourself and described branding in a whole new way for me. She stressed that we should speak about our passions and focus on our personalities, not our work. Brilliant.

San Antonio Express News photographer Lisa Krantz has passion about everything. From her daily assignments to her big projects, like covering Sam Houston High School, she loves what she does. It is wonderful to listen to someone who simply can’t say enough great things about their career. Picture Editor Mike Davis showed me a new side of editing—how he sees our raw images. Wow! I was not ready for that. Editors do have a different eye and it was fun to see that. He said, “There are people who respond well to visuals and those who don’t—most of them work at newspapers.”

I saved the best for last, as did organizer Melissa Lyttle. With a welcome only heard in sporting events, Portland photographer Sol Neelman entered the ‘arena’ wearing a Lucha Libre (wrestling) mask. I saw him hiding by the door to the auditorium (with the mask on) and he casually says hi, how are you, etc. I can’t help but laugh—he’s amazing and he doesn’t even know it. Sol is refreshingly honest (he might curse like a sailor), and he encourages others to do what it takes to be happy. He said, “If I can suck, you can suck too,” after showing us his first portfolio. In a room filled with photographers (who can sometimes be competitive), that was brave. Sol makes a living by chasing his passion—weird sports. He’s covered everything from the Redneck Games in Georgia to Hog Wrasslin’ in Wisconsin. To say he’s passionate is a gross understatement.

On the last day of speakers, a shooter walked by my friend and I and we saw what looked like spiders tattooed on both calves. When he came back, we asked what they were—he said they were apertures. Freakin’ apertures. Not the numbers (f2.8, f4, f5.6, etc.) but the diagrams of each aperture as they are seen inside a lens. Bad ass.

After seeing all the work presented, listening to the passion of other photojournalists and being in the same room with all that talent reminded me why we’re here—to leave something behind that we created or as Sol put it, “This is what I saw on this planet.”

Geekfest 2011…here I come.