Lessons learned in photographing Kentucky and all its beauty

By Lisa Fernandez
Photographer
Reading (Pa.) Eagle and Times

Posted: June 13, 2003

I never had been to Kentucky and didn't know what to expect. Would the people be friendly? How would they react to my camera? Would I get a good story? Would I make good photos?

These questions swam through my brain as I traveled to Cave City, Ky., site of The Mountain Workshops for photojournalists sponsored by Western Kentucky University.

Assignments were picked by random lots from a baseball cap. My pick: The Fashionette Beauty Salon.

Then we were sent off to document the people and the town along Interstate 65 in south-central Kentucky for five days. The people we were photographing had no idea that we were coming. We had to convince them to let us follow them around.

That was one of the many lessons I would learn -- how to convince people to allow you to tag along and stick a camera in their faces. In everyday assignments for my newspaper, people tend to know I’m coming and there is no issue of whether they want to be photographed.

This situation was a challenge for my people skills. A task like this was a big one for a shy person like me.

I entered the salon with all the confidence I could muster and spoke about the workshop and what I would be doing all week.

With a display of Southern hospitality, they agreed without hesitation. They actually thought that it was a good idea to document life in the town. My first task was completed.

The next task was to tell the story of the beauty salon a customer dubbed the "Steel Magnolia of Kentucky."

There were more lessons -- like self-control. After my first day, I realized I shot had 118 frames. I had a limit of 400 frames for the five days of the workshop. I was in big trouble. I never was limited on daily assignments. Editors and other photographers always have said the opposite: Shoot more. But now, I had to use my frames carefully and thoughtfully.

My photo coach, Callie Shell, a free-lance photographer who works for Time magazine, helped me with this. Look carefully at your surroundings, she said, and be aware of your background so you don't include something that’s distracting. Once you have a good spot, let the subject come to you. Wait for good light and good interaction between people.

A photo editor in my group suggested that I take my camera off continuous mode to help me slow down my shooting.

With this new-found information, I was ready for Day Two. By day’s end, my photo coach and I saw a difference in my shooting. The shots were better, and I had used fewer frames. Seeing my progress, I was ready for the next three days of shooting and learning.

In addition to photographing stories and attending nightly critiques, we got to see work by the photo coaches. It always inspires me to see work from photographers I admire.

Another lesson they taught me: Keep looking at photographs. You never know where an idea or inspiration might come from. It was magic to hear the coaches’ passion for photography as they spoke about their stories.

Passion is something I always want to have about the photos I take and the people I meet. Because I’m a photographer -- the best job in the world.

Lisa Fernandez was a Summer 2000 Scholar at the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune. Reach her at fotomex1@yahoo.com.

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