Day 16 (Thrs., June 23)

Today goes to show I should never stop shooting. I learned that I need to shoot all angles of the story no matter how dull they might seem. That's what happened this evening when I went to shoot the circus.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus is in town so everyone is getting hyped up. Even the bishop, as the religious figure called us and told us he was going to be at the circus blessing the performers and the animals before the start of the four-day weekend. I went out there and I thought the coolest thing to shoot was the actual bishop inside the circus. Well, it turns out that we have covered the bishop doing blessings all the time. So, finding a way to shoot the event w/o focusing entirely on the bishop was the task. However, I was never alerted that the bishop has been covered many times and has had his blessings on our front page over and over. I guess it didn't click when the first week I was here I saw a photo of him on the front page.

I shot the above photo thinking it was the coolest photo ever. A clown being blessed! Well, not that the photo is not cool, but when it comes into the context of the bishop and his blessings' constant coverage, it seems a little redundant. I think the photo tells the story as it is something you don't get to see every day. Before shooting that photo, however, I was looking for a cool angle to shoot the event. I shot the below photo as a back up. Turns out the photo was the one chosen by the editor. I can see why the photo was chosen, but I still think the above photo is cool as hell, even if it involves a heavenly person.

As I worked the photo, the an editor walked by my screen and saw the photo. He said it was cool how I was able to get the story done w/o showing the actual bishop. I was told it was a great photo. I'll take the praise any day. Especially from an editor. But, still, this photo was a back up. Oh well.

This morning I had the same reaction. I shot a football camp for high school players in the area. The following shot was one of the back-up photos and it turned out to be the one my editor chose for the front page center-piece.

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