A Mission to Protect

    This morning I worked on my final major project for small format, for which I chose to photograph the Davie County Sheriff's Office. Both of my parents are lawyers, and I have grown up around the courthouse and everyone involved in the system. In light of recent events, I wanted to portray law enforcement officers in a way that is true to who they are. They are people just like the rest of us, and I have a great deal of respect for their commitment to protecting innocent lives everywhere. I know that modern news media focuses on a bandwagon approach to reporting, and I know that tragic and hateful acts are committed regardless of the circumstances. However I also know that targeting an entire group of people to place blame is only going to make things worse.

     I know it isn't much, but if I can make just one person change his or her mind about the humanity of law enforcement, maybe I can still make a difference.

The mission of the Davie County Sheriff's Office is to ensure a safe, caring environment for its citizens and visitors to live, work, play and raise a family; to reduce crime and to effectively manage any natural or manmade disaster.

Our mission will be accomplished with an unsurpassed level of vigilance and concern by utilizing all of the resources made available to us by cooperating with all levels of government and the citizens of this great County. We will provide quality Law Enforcement services based upon the highest ethical, professional and legal standards.

Mission Statement of the Davie County Sheriff's Office

Close, Personal, and Done

     Today marks the end of our 36 strangers assignment, and I have never felt more relieved in my life. I made the mistake of putting off shooting for most of the semester because I felt like I had all the time in the world. Wednesday morning, two days before the major assignment was due, I only had six usable images. I had around twenty total, but I hadn't gotten all of the personal information I needed to accompany the portraits. 

     I created a spreadsheet of each stranger's name, age, hometown, and interesting fact so that I could keep track of how many photos I had with each lighting requirement. Somehow it made everything seem a little clearer, and I now know how to keep myself in line during future work. As stressful as it was, I'm glad that it was assigned and proud of myself for refusing to give up. 

Procrastination is opportunity's assassin.

Victor Kiam

There's a Storm Brewin' Harry

     While taking pictures of Seth for my on location portrait assignment in small format, I realized that neither of us could be serious in front of a camera. After many creative solutions, including using a remote and turning away so that he could stop laughing, I wanted to see if Stormy could handle the lights. Starting outside the barn, I set of both flashes while Stormy remained completely calm. Seth moved her closer until she was in my frame. I adore this picture because Stormy is my favorite critter, and she put a genuine smile on Seth's face. I think it captures the joy they both bring to my life.

Windows & Windows

     This portrait of Emilee was actually an assignment for last semester's portrait lighting class. Unfortunately for her, the best light in my apartment is in the morning, so I woke her up in time to shoot at eight. I'm grateful that we can use fellow photography students as subjects because it takes far less time to explain turtling or windows at the waist. She was wearing a short sleeved shirt, so I grabbed one of my own flannel shirts. My flannel hung on Emilee in such a way that she no longer had windows at the waist, so I had to gather the back of the shirt with a binder clip. I felt ridiculous, but it was oddly comforting to know that I could find simple solutions in a pinch.