The U.S. Army and I... Part 1

The short relationship between the Army and I was always a bit strained. 

My decision to join the army could have been described as impulsive. It was my senior year in high school and I learned college was no longer an option. I needed something to throw myself into.

Despite that, I had always liked the idea of being a soldier. Someone strong and independent. Someone fighting for something worthwhile while being able to travel and see the world. As a kid I use to pretend to be a warrior, however I was always pushed academically so I never thought about actually trying to become one.

Many people surrounding me were against the idea. I was set to graduate valedictorian of my class and many of the teachers and staff at the school viewed the army as beneath my potential. Even my mother who said she would support any decision I made, said so with an undertone of worry. Many people could not imagine the petite me being someone who could fight.

Why the Army and not another branch in the service? It was the first thing that came to mind. When I think of the military I think of army first. Yes there are the Marines, Coast Guard, Navy, and the Air force, but there is something about the Army persona that seems very American. It was also the closest military office that showed up on the website.

I started off just wanting to know what ASVAB score I could get. In order to see what jobs in the military I could apply for, I needed to know what score I could get. The ASVAB, or basically the placement test, had a score range from 1-99 points, and each job would only accepted those with a certain number of points. So I called the nearest recruiting office, which again happened to be army, and they straight away set up a practice exam for the next day.

On the practice ASVAB I got a 94 and on the actual test I got a 92. At which point the recruiter was already wanting me to fill out paperwork, choose a job, and completely commit to the army life. Even though I could apply for almost every job, the job I originally wanted was not available. I felt completely pressured by the recruiter to pick another job even though none really appealed to me.

My recruiter was going to transfer to another career field within a few weeks time and he wanted to get me enlisted before then. However with a three+ year contract I wanted to make sure I was doing something I wanted to. The other career field in the army I was looking into required me to take the DLAB. Due to some miscommunication, I was already set up to go to MEPS the following week. Upon meeting with me and my mother, the recruiter said that if I did not go to MEPS on the day they scheduled and take the test, that his superior officer would be unlikely to set me up with the test again.

He also wanted me to pick a job before I went.  It was either picking a job now or getting to MEPS and choosing one of the jobs that was available at that time. As it was explained, it was frowned upon to go to MEPS and not become enlisted. That doing so would tell the army that I was not ready to commit and therefor the army shouldn't spend anymore resources on me. Already knowing I couldn't go to college, the idea of not being able to follow through with my backup plan was something I didn't want to face.

Therefor I settled on a job I thought I could live with and was sent off to MEPS the following week to enlist and take the DLAB.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for part two!

The Worst Part of Being a Photographer

Often times being a photographer is great! Photography itself is an important part of the human experience, it allows us to reflect inward. It's very rewarding to see others respond to your photography, and even more so when you move your own soul.

With event photography you are there to help capture "the moment." This is extremely hard to accomplish. There are technical issues you have to overcome; poor lighting, limited equipment, rapid movement, bad background objects, etc. These issues with time and experience become easier to deal with and help establish better understanding of photography elements. Dealing with these issues will make you a better photographer.

Then there are social issues you have to overcome. It seems like everyone wants a say in how you do things. It doesn't matter if they have any experience in the photography field, some people still think they know better than you. Granted, even with no experience, most people know when they look "bad" in a photo. This however does not mean they know everything about photography. Angles, aperture blur, subject placement, shutter speed, lighting source, flash bursts, and contrast are only some of the many elements photographers have to consider. For people with no experience in photography to force their advice on a photographer, in my opinion, is incredibly rude. Most times these "good seminarians" are only repeating information the photographer already knows or is asking the photographer to go against their own reasoning.

I have experience this myself quite a few times, most recently at a dancing event. The first time I offer to do photography at an event I will usually do it for free. This helps get my contact information out and gives me practical experience. At one large-scale live band dance event I decide to do just this. I was the only photographer there and I did about half photography, half dancing.

About half way through the event a woman came up to me. I had seen her at other dance event but never knew her name. She introduced herself and offered to help take photos while danced. While I usually don't let others use my couple hundred dollar equipment she was enough of an acquaintance that I knew she would treat it with care. Upon editing the photos it was discovered that she unfortunately never turned on the flash and all of her photos where pitch black and unable to be used.

Two-thirds the way through the event a good dance mentor came up to me. This mentor while being an absolutely amazing dancer had no experience in taking photography. We weren't very close either, despite having had a few good conversations I can't say he initiated any of them. This was the first conversation- he had ever initiated with me, and he asked if it was okay to give me pointers as what not to do wrong. As not to be rude I completely heard him out. Most points he brought up were valid from a general standpoint and despite being mildly offended I told him I would do my best.

After the event, I uploaded the photographs and got a message from the same mentor. He again asked if he could give me some pointers. Again, out of politeness, I said I would hear him out. He repeated the same advice he gave me earlier that day but also went on to say what photos should be posted. He added in a few references to some professionals who make big bucks. Now all of this was fine and I could remain calm till he said, "you'll probably get 95% awful photos throughout an event. I prefer seeing 50 dope ass photos over 200 meh." This is a fact that all photographers know. It is also not necessarily the photographers fault, people are hard to capture looking perfect. While it is okay to have an opinion about what photos you like, I don't think it is okay to dismiss the other photos the photographers post as worthless. Especially at more non-formal events, my aim is not necessarily quality over quantity. I think it is important to capture a variety of people in various situations. Not all my photographs are award winning but I think it means a lot to someone to see their picture somewhere.

“All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.” 

― Susan Sontag

What this mentor said made me angry but also changed the way I look at event photos. While he thought final photos should be more like portfolio pieces, I viewed these event photos more like scrapbook material, something homely and nostalgic. At more formal events I do go for the portfolio style, but I also think the scrapbook style offers something more connectable. After talking to a fellow photographer I have decided upon the fact that you can't always listen to others' advice. I still tend to be overly cautious of what I post if he was at the event. However, I still try to keep in mind he is only one person out of many who attend these events. I will keep doing both styles and try to keep true to myself.

Thank you for reading