Over the last 14 months I’ve been working on my professional project, the capstone of my Master’s degree at the Missouri School of Journalism. The time has been a rollercoaster of constant ups and downs, successes and backlashes. But it has paid off as I have learned important lessons about photography, multimedia, journalism and about myself. I’m excited to present to you the outcome of all of this: forgiven, but not forgotten. Please visit the project website, and if you feel compelled to voice your thoughts about it, leave your comments in the forum section.
November 24, 2010
This afternoon, Valeria took me to the place on 512 Mary St. where Deandra Buchanan shot and killed her daughter Angela almost to the day ten years ago. She had a little bouquet of flowers with her that she laid down on the sidewalk where Angela was found. The house where the shooting took place still stands, but has now a wooden exterior rather than a brick one. It doesn’t look like someone’s living there now, and trees and bushes grow all around it. It looks kind of creepy, and I’m wondering if I should go back when it’s dark to work out that aspect. I’m kind of torn apart about it, though, because I’m not sure if it might come across as sensationalistic or editorializing. I’d be glad to hear some other thoughts on this.
October 26, 2010
Yesterday I went to church with Valeria and her granddaughters. I had joined them before, but didn’t really like the pictures I came back with. With the way the church is set up, it’s hard to get a telling image. A low ceiling, a row of columns along the middle of the room, fluorescent light in the main room and tungsten in the altair room all make photographing in the building a virtual nightmare. This shoot went better than the first one, however, and I guess I’ll just have to come to terms with the fact that this is the most I can get out of this situation.
The congregation is quite small, with maybe 40 to 50 regular attendants.
Valeria makes it a point to highlight sections in her bible that the pastor talks about in his sermons.
Valeria talks to her pastor after service.
August 30, 2010
Yesterday Dreisha and Drejanay finally came home from their summer vacation at their uncle’s place in Oklahoma. Valeria got so excited to see them that she and Paul drove all the way out to her sister’s place in Glasgow, Mo., where her brother and the girls would stop on his way to Columbia.
Valeria’s brother is a slow driver, so she and Paul spent about an hour and a half waiting and chatting at her aunt’s place down the road until he finally arrived with the girls.
The first hug in several weeks.
Back home in Columbia, Dreisha and Drejanay couldn’t wait to see their new rooms…
…and were excited about the new decoration.
August 12, 2010