From a class to a family ... intro2pj a class like no other

It's hard for me to sit here and think what did I learn in photojournalism? What do I wish I learned?  How was it challenging? The reasons for all of these are because I feel as though I am still digesting everything that I took in while taking this class.

Photojournalism is a class that I expected to be tough, I knew there was a lot to learn regarding photojournalism. It's the things that I didn't expect that I found to be the things that stuck with me the most, the small simple things like take reference shots, take down names and make sure you'll remember who they are, minor editing, take less shots; quality over quantity.

Crop tight, I think this is something that no matter what I will hear in the back of my mind. I feel as though I look at my own photos in more detail now. I always check to make sure the subject is in focus, that I haven't cropped anything important or relevant out of my image. The other thing is captioning these images after editing, I realize that a good caption can make an image even better because then the story becomes clearer.

Blog, blog, blog ... I think I hear this in my sleep and as a person who absolutely dislikes blogging this is going to be the biggest challenge for me. Keeping up with a blog, deciding what direction I want my blog to go in. Do I want to stay on a sports path, I mean I am the sports editor for the Outlook. Do I want to just have a photography blog because I enjoy photographing more than just sports? I understand that blogging is vital and will get your name out there, it will also get your images out there along with how you write, but to sit and blog about things just seems so not my style. After taking photojournalism I believe this is and will be my biggest challenge.

I do wish I learned more about sports photography. I believe that I am my own worst critic and sports are my strength so that is something I have always wanted to stand out in. I know my pictures are good, I just believe they can get better in time. I feel as though we touched on sports and I was the one people kind of relied on for that help and I don't want to say I let them down, but in the same instance I don't feel as though I helped them as much as I should be able to. 

In the end I believe as a class, a newspaper staff and as a family we grew together. I believe that we all used each others strengths to help compensate for our own weakness. In the end we all knew who to go to to ask for help in certain areas. There was someone for everything and that is what I took away from this class, the relationships with everyone else. I know if I need help there is someone in that group I can ask whether it was writing, editing or photo related someone is always going to be stronger than me. I also feel as though I found my place in that group and I feel that because of that group I gained more confidence in my abilities.

We also had Lori King, someone who believed in us as a team. She believed that we have what it takes to be the best and pushed us. She guided us all to be the best in the areas of our choice. If you are a writer she pushed you just as hard as she pushed the photographers. If you wanted to do both she helped you do it to the best of your abilities. Lori is the person we all looked up to because she is a photojournalist, she is one of the best editors that I have ever worked with and she is just an amazing person.

So when I sit here thinking about the class, the challenges we faced and the things that we overcame it hit me. The biggest thing I took away from this class is that it doesn't matter who you are, where you are from or how far you have made it in this world your family is your family. Family is the people we chose to have in our lives because they are the ones that are there to pick you up when you're down, to help you get through the tough times and most importantly the ones to share in the happiness that success brings. I learned that you can walk into a room full of people and not know a single thing about them and come the end of the semester you realize that these are the people you will remember for the rest of your life.

We did it ladies and gentleman !! To an awesome semester where family was formed !!  I love you all and I look forward to our future as a team, a family ... as the Outlook staff.

My experiece at Bittersweet Farms

Dan Everett (left) and Anne Foltz work in the barn getting Cheyene prepared for her walk.

    

Matt Pierson stops to smile with Cheyene in the barn.

When we first got to Bittersweet Farms we were met by one of the residents, he was happy to see us there and wanted to take us to the barn where he works.This residents name was Dan Everett, he is one of the people that Bittersweet Farms aims to help. 

We were then greeted by Shannon Dane, in listening to her talk it's not only apparent that she does pretty much everything that needs to be done at Bittersweet Farms, but she loves doing it. What I need to now tell you is that this is a place where people with autism can go to work, to help and to just be around other people who understand them. 

Autism is something that people struggle to understand because it doesn't really make sense to them. I have worked with children with autism and the first thing I learned is that every person is different. The main thing I learned is that they all need structure, routine and understanding. Autism isn't something that you can look up in a dictionary and just say ok that makes sense, it is something that is more misunderstood than it is understood. 

Old Man takes a nap with his friend.

Bittersweet Farms is a place that people with autism come to work and socialize. They can work in the barns helping with animals, they can do crafts which are sold in the store on the farm, there is woodworking shop along with the basic up keep of the farm; this place gives people with autism the ability to lead a full functioning life regardless of where they are on the spectrum. 

As our day went on we got to meet more of the residents, they showed us what they did at the farm or even what they were working on at that moment. They told us about the animals and how much they loved being around them. In working with special needs I learned that animals can be special to people with autism because animals love you no matter what and they seem to just understand. They have a calming persona to them that people can just feed off of. I watched the smiles appear on a couple of the residents faces when they told us about Old Man. Old Man is a big furry black cat who just loves to be in the middle of the group, he also loves to take naps with his friends.

This place is amazing, the people are wonderful and the environment is perfect for people with autism. It helps them be a part of something that they more than likely wouldn't be based on the struggles related to their autism. Bittersweet farms helps these people reach their full potential, the potential that would have been limited had they been sent somewhere else. This is the kind of place that we need more of so the fact that they are trying to cut their funding in mind boggling.

 The residents make Christmas ornaments that will be sold in the store at Bittersweet Farms.

Charlie Adkins shows a flower that was made in the Helping Hands Nature House. 

Charlie Adkins shows a flower that was made in the Helping Hands Nature House - See more at: http://owensoutlook.com/3019/whats-new/down-on-the-farm-ornery-bittersweet-farm-participants-remain-strong-despite-threats-in-funding/#sthash.sWF6hjlQ.XXYAJaQa.dpuf

Residents showed us the ornaments they made with the items they collected around the farm.

 One of the goats pokes their head out to see what is going on in the barn.

 The chalkboard in the barn lists duties, says hello and has words of encouragement for residents.

Shannon Dane was our guide to Bittersweet Farms.