A Passion for Life

After our critiques in capstone class, I tweaked my multimedia piece and now it's even better!

Capstone Job Profile

This project has been a rollercoaster of access. My subject, Pat Dudenhoeffer, is a prolife advocate who has a very interesting story. He has always been prolife but really got involved in the movement approximately ten years after his ex-wife aborted his second child, an act according to him, that was part of a messy divorce. Through his prolife activities, Pat participates in sidewalk counseling outside of Planned Parenthood in Columbia, speaks to churches and other groups about prolife issues, and has begun to raise funds to open a pregnancy resource center in Jefferson City for girls in need. Additionally, Pat is a caretaker to his father who has COPD and Enphazema, as well as his wife who is gaining her dual citizenship and cannot drive, and his children. There was a time in this project that Pat got really busy with all his responsibilities, and I worried that the project would not come together. That’s when I found out about his father. I spoke with my professor and we came to the conclusion that the caretaker aspect was important to telling his story. Planned Parenthood was also somewhat difficult to shoot at, since they questioned why I was there through a use of a police officer, something I believe may have been to try and intimidate me into leaving. More than anything this project has taught me to go with the flow and preserve to make it work.

reading reaction

I thought the lammot reading was very interesting. Particularly I liked the looking around chapter because it stressed the importance of seeing the story that is really there rather than just the one you have in mind. So many times as photogs we have a specific idea in mind as to what we think the story is, but we really need to remember to let the story present itself to us. I also really liked when she talked about drop kicking your puppy, because I think in creative fields many times we are our own harshest critics.

Battle of Lexington Re-enactment

One Day Story

Blues singer TJ Wheeler talks to students about the soul that goes into the traditional style blues songs they are learning during music class at Grant Elementary School on September 7, 2011.



Fifth graders Shahed Mohamed and Gabriella Langille sing during music class, practicing blues songs for the Blues in Schools performance with blues singer TJ Wheeler at Grant Elementary School on September 7, 2011. The students performed alongside Wheeler at the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival on September 10.



TJ Wheeler instructs fifth grader Sara Kacem on how to place her foot on the ‘wash tub bass’, an instrument made from a metal bin and wooden rod attached by a rope, at Grant Elementary School on September 7, 2011. The ‘wash tub bass’ is played by placing one foot on the rim to hold the tub down, and strumming the taught rope. Different notes are produced by adjusting the tightness of the rope.



Grant Elementary School children wait in anticipation for their performance to begin on a stage at Flat Branch Park during the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival on September 10, 2011. The children practiced with blues artist TJ Wheeler for a week prior to the festival.




Blues artist TJ Wheeler plays the kazoo at the live performance of the Blues in Schools program at Flat Branch Park during the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival on September 10, 2011. Wheeler said, “I want to teach children not only about music, but about the heart and soul that went into the blues songs”.



Fourth graders Jack Welshons and Jack Martin dance to an island blues song during Grant Elementary School’s performance at Flat Branch Park during the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival on September 10, 2011. The fourth and fifth grade students practiced singing, dancing, and playing blues related instruments for a week before the performance as a part of the Blues in Schools program.




Audience members watch as Grant Elementary School students perform blues songs alongside blues artist TJ Wheeler at Flat Branch Park during the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival on September 10, 2011. The performance was part of the fifth year of Blues in Schools program and was free for the community.

Lammott Reflection

The more I read of Bird by Bird the more I enjoy it. In this section, I particularly liked the polaroid chapter. So many times as photographers setting out to photograph a story we have a certain image in mind of how we expect it to play out. However, the reality is, it hardly ever ends up going the way we expect. Keeping an open mind and letting the situation drive your story is the most important thing in my opinion when shooting a story. If you go into the situation too close minded about what your story will be cripples prevents real moments and deeper situations to unfold.

Editing Exercise