10/26 Write-Up

My Profile:  My name is Hannah and I am currently a junior in high school. I turn 17 in a month and I've known that I was interested in photography since I was 11, maybe even before that. I have an identical twin named Kelsey who wants to teach literature. I absolutely love lit and history courses. I am the sports editor of the 2014-2015 Onyx Yearbook and am currently enrolled in journalism 3 at my school. I can't explain why, I just know the I love photography. More accurately, I love photojournalism. While weddings and senior pictures are admirable endeavors, they're not where I want my career to head. I love telling important, news-worthy, eye-opening stories with my pictures and I do enjoy written journalism as well.

My Mentorship: I am currently an intern Jacobs Media, which runs WDUN radio and Access North Ga., among other things. I work in the newsroom under the 1:30-4:30 newscaster/writer for ANGA Allyson. She has taught me more than I ever imagined I would learn this year in just 3 days at the office. I listen to her casts, edit them, learn how to get news, journalism ethics, AP style, and even simple things like answering the phone and taking down tips. On Thursday, upon walking into the office, I was handed a press release I was told to write 1 story for ANGA and 2 HTS (headliners with tape (tape:editing an interview and pulling a quote that is less than 13 seconds long) headliners with tape are written very specifically and are read on WDUN.) I was so nervous to be let on my own after only 2 days, but I was so proud of the work I did when I finished. She encouraged me to write a 3rd HT, one with a new angle, and after I did, she praised the work I did, making me sure I was on the right path and that I loved my Mentorship. Everybody I work with is so nice to me and they always push me to do more. I could not be happier here, learning about photojournalism, written journalism, and who knew-talk radio.

My Future: Next year I intend to stay with WDUN, if they'll have me, whether I am doing it through HMP or not. After that I intend to attend the University of Georgia to earn a degree in journalism/photography. From there, it's a lot less clear. I don't know exactly what I will do, I just know if it is in photojournalism, I'll be happy. I do know my end goal is to be a National Geographic Photographer or writer or a photographer at the White House. I can't wait to continue working with Jacobs Media.

Week of 10/14 Assignment

Going into my mentorship I thought it would be exactly what I was originally signed up for: photography. It is not... at all. Sure, I definitely do photography... whenever there is a need for pictures for the facebook or for the news website, I take them. But my mentorship is so much more than just taking and editing pictures. I am learning how to edit sound clips of news casts, how to write scripts for the teleprompter, how to use the program they use, appropriate journalism knowledge, how to write for the website, what sources are good and what are not, and so much more. I am learning far more than I ever thought I would and I LOVE that I get to work with journalism as a whole on all fronts, not just photography. My perception has changed about my mentorship greatly. It is SO much harder than I ever thought, yet SO much more rewarding and exciting. I love working with this company. It is suprising to me about how fast-paced this mentorship is. I knew they covered day-to-day news so it would by no means be slow, but just the sheer speed of it all is amazing.

I feel like I can improve my performance simply by taking in all that they teach me and using it. They said it would greatly benefit to learn a specific writing style, and I intend to do so. I also intend to learn how to use a camera in more detail and learn how to improve my interview skills.

10/6 Assignment

My mentors at WDUN/Jacobs Media/Access have become huge partners in my education and for that I could not be happier or more grateful. They are partners in my education in that they educate me on the stuff that I am actually going to be doing for the rest of my life: photography. Instead of sitting in a classroom, not that I am advocating against classroom learning (I do believe it is necessary, just not in all situations), I get hands-on experience. They do not baby me or hold my hand through the process- they text me an event and say cover it. I could not be happier with that! I learn by doing, not seeing. My high school taught me my fundamental knowledge and all the knowledge that you just kinda gotta know. My internship taught me what I need to know in regards to my career. Because of this, I would say they definitely qualify as partners in my education.

I have met the goal of getting my pictures used by a larger media corporation. I have met the goals of learning more about photography and going out on my own. I have not changed my goals, I have just learned to focus more on them and define them more clearly. The ultimate goal is international photojournalism. The big dream, as it always was, is National Geographic photographer.

I think my supervisor is really the one making my life easier. But one way that I feel I make theirs easier is by covering events by myself so that they do not have to. I am willing to do anything for the betterment of the company so I plan to do as much to help her as possible.

9/29 Blog Post

Recently I began my internship for photography/photojournalism at Jacobs Media, who is over Access North Georgia and WDUN Radio. This has been an incredible learning experience thus far, and it is only been one day. I have learned the most in the following aspects of my internship, that I will discuss throughout the blog post: office politics and dress, and I have learned many things from this experience that resonate on a personal level. I have only had one experience, but through said experience, I have learned all this things. In the following post I will relay the narrative of the events that I experienced and learned from on my first day on the job.

I walked in to the Hoschton Fall Festival entirely alone and completely unknowing as to what exactly it was that I would be doing that day. However it did not take long for me to catch on and fit right in. Protocol was simple: I was to be efficient, professional, personable, and not distracting. I was to promote Jacobs Media through my professionalism and friendliness. After I gathered as much I was ready to begin the day. I walked around for two hours, just taking pictures... exactly what I wanted to do! Except it was much more than just walking around clicking buttons.. It was documenting an event, the history, of a place. It was promoting the idea of companionship and festivity already evident in the atmosphere. 

I was nervous, for first I had to meet the lady that had been my contact, and who I had learned to be my boss and person who gives my instruction. She was incredibly nice and introduced my to several other employees, all in increasing order of being in charge. While a hierarchy was definitely in place, it was not frightening or oppressive. It was clear that I was on the bottom, however, it was also clear that I could move my way up. This was evident after I was introduced to a previous intern who had done just that. After observing how the employees interact, I saw that the interactions were professional, but at the same time, very casual and friendly, showing that though first they were in business together, they were definitlely friends. I was included in this friendly conversation, my favorite of which being one between me and my direct boss/contact, we can refer to her as Kate (names changed) and the previous intern, now college student, who we can call Jake. 

Through these interactions I began to get a feel for the place, like what they expected and what one was supposed to wear. Every employee I met was wearing casual but still professional clothing. For example, "Kate" was wearing a UGA t shirt with a WDUN jacket and black slacks. Everyone was similarly dressed. I could not get an accurate representation of what I should wear at the actual office, because this first interaction was at an outdoor fall festival, which might be the reason everyone dressed casually. "Jake" was also wearing a UGA t shirt and this showed me that their dress represented a deeper level of friendship and getting along with one's coworkers. This effected personal interactions in that everyone was comfortable with one another and everyone was dressed for the fall festival occasion. 

The last thing I would like to mention about the experience is the fact that I was able to put my skills to use. I have been a yearbook photographer for 4 years now and I was able to use that experience to go out and photograph the festival. I received no training from Jacobs Media, just the instruction to go out and do. This was in no way a bad thing, because it made me rely on and strengthen my old skills and allowed me to gain new ones from learning by doing. 

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