Yes, cynicism can suck it, once again. The Father-Daughter Ball at a Norfolk middle school brought out all the heartwarming cuteness one photographer can handle. Time and again, people kept coming up to me and thanking me for covering something as positive as a father-daughter dance in their predominantly minority school. Well, thanks! I love covering that stuff. Perhaps it's the Indiana still in me, but it sure felt like being a part of a community, if for only one night. I believe in the importance of newspapers in democracies, and I also think that community-building is a part of functioning democracy. Who are we? What do we value? What do our neighborhoods look like? What are our challenges? What are we succeeding at? Examining our communities and, by extention, ourselves-- that's what I love about being a newspaper photographer.
3 comments:
I love this - and love what you say about community building. Right now I'm heading off to a meeting where neighbors will be planning what goes into our neighborhood park. I need to take time out of manuscript writing (and PIP) writing to go argue with the embittered neighborhood porch ladies like, well, like I need a hold in the head. But it's strictly a civic obligation. I gotta do it... I don't dare not get involved. (excuse my double negative there!)
Good thoughts, Amanda.
I'm going to bring them back to mind when work, well, when work sucks a bit.
That's a lot of cuteness.
And I 110 percent agree with you. Community journalism FTW.
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