I chose Lapper Industries to shoot my final project, which is a photo story, because I find my dad's work to be very interesting. He worked as a computer engineer as well as an automotive engineer for 20+ years, but recently made a huge industry change into wind turbine engineering as well as military defense equipment. I admired him for taking upon a huge challenge and entering a field he's never worked in before, especially one that truly serves the American people in a way he hasn't had the opportunity to do, since he served in the U.S. Navy. He's producing designs in equipment that brings green energy to life at a large scale- making massive wind turbines that ship out internationally. He also has his hand in defensive equipment for the U.S. military and is shaping the steel for incredible land rovers and other vehicles. In under 10 years, he has moved his way up to Vice President of this rather new company.
Going to work with my dad to shoot this project brought me back to when I was a kid going in for "bring your kid to work day," like I used to do in the first grade. It was somewhat surreal. But now, he was able to introduce me as his daughter in college and I was able to see his advancements, as well as his interactions with a plethora of people whom he all seemed to have a special relationship with. At the end of the day, I had a new found appreciation for the hard work that these men put into industrializing our country. I also had an even deeper admiration for my dad because he presented himself as such a down to earth yet respected boss, therefore they are extremely lucky to have him!
As far as the photographs go, I did have trouble getting the correct settings...which was frustrating. I have to take responsibility for the amount of time I put into practicing my manual settings this semester though, and it wasn't very much. Improving my capabilities as a photographer is a long-term goal of mine but right now, I have a lot of short-term goals that are taking precedence. I was enrolled in five classes this semester (in which I had an hour long commute to), two jobs, and my long-distance relationship that demanded a bit, too. I tried my best to make my deadlines and complete my project but I was never able to get "comfortable" with the manual settings.
On the other hand, I did get more comfortable bringing my camera into situations- asking for permission to take their picture, getting close, and finding quick opportunities to capture moments when my subjects weren't looking or didn't even know I was there. I even find myself thinking of "the 5 w's and h" when I'm writing something other than a news story- such as a paper, or even when I'm taking notes! I would recommend this class to anyone because there is a lot that you can learn and the opportunity to challenge virtually any potential photojournalist, at any level.
Enjoy the photo story!
