Magnus McDaniel, 14, left, ties up an inflatable slide with his sister Isabella McDaniel, 15, in front of the mural painted across the flood wall along the Ohio River in Point Pleasant, WV. The mural displays the chronological history of Point Pleasant and the surrounding area. This portion depicts the settlement of the town after the Battle of Point Pleasant.
This photojournalism capstone course was it, the highest-level photojournalism course in my undergraduate curriculum at Ohio University. It challenged me in numerous ways other than just trying to get good images. I found and solved many challenges in researching original stories, designing pages (both newspaper and magazine), writing accompanying articles for both forms, and writing detailed story proposals with cited research.
Over the term of the course, we had to create at least one newspaper layout, one magazine layout, stories to fit the two layouts, and at least one video over the course of four projects. The first tasked us with covering an event or a place, the second focused on a relationship or personality profile, the third on a issue topic, and the fourth on a story of our choosing.
For the first project, I chose to do a newspaper layout about a place. Stories of the mythical Mothman brought me to Point Pleasant, WV. Originally, I set out to photograph how the Mothman legend has changed the small river town with a population of approximately 4,300 people. Upon investigating the legend's impact on the community, I found that the Mothman wasn't part of the community's personal identity, but merely something that a few people of the city adopted in the wake of popular culture interest. Instead, the city identifies deeply with the river and the lives their families have found along it. Tourists came to visit only the museum and the statue, and locals rarely stopped by those places. It was a challenge going into the story with a preconceived notion and then having to rework the story. Creating a story encompassing the whole of Point Pleasant was a bit of a naive goal, but I felt that in balancing the tourist activities and the local history, I came away from the two-week project with something that spoke to what Point Pleasant is like. (A few singles from the story begin with the image above and closes with the portrait of Dave Clem, retired Navy chief.)
For the relationship or personality profile, I created a video about a couple has been married for 51 years and both own businesses under the same roof in The Plains, Ohio. The video, “Stitched Together” can be seen under “Multimedia”.
For the issue essay I returned to one of my areas of special interest: incarceration. I had originally planned on expanding upon the photo essay I did about the SEPTA Correctional Facility my sophomore year (The previous story, “SEPTA Correctional Facility” can be seen under “Photo Stories”). To do this I planned on visiting another correctional facility or two, photographing activities at a local reentry program for ex-inmates in a nearby town, and eventually finding someone getting out of a correctional facility to later continue for my final project. Unfortunately, as things often to do with stories, ideas didn't pan out as I hoped and access fell through in places. I ended up simply expanding upon my previous essay at the SEPTA Correctional Facility. Doing so provided the challenge of not making the same images twice, and also invited me to cover things I didn't previously have access to photograph (visitation, community service). I feel as if I've gathered some strong new images to add to my current photo essay on the facility. Working in SEPTA also led me to the family on which I decided to focus for my final project. I started a photo essay on the family and presented it in a magazine layout, but I still plan on photographing more and reediting the images a bit more before I have a product I'm ready to feature in my portfolio.
Photojournalism Capstone has taught me many important tasks aside from the act of taking pictures. As always, and in this case especially, Ohio University's Visual Communication facility and the courses they teach have become the backbone to my understanding of photojournalism. I couldn't be more thankful for the education I've received, and more excited to continue working in the field and deepening my knowledge.
Point Pleasant, WV, foreground, lies just across the Ohio River from Gallipolis, Ohio, background right. In 1967, Silver Bridge, the bridge connecting Gallipolis and Point Pleasant, collapsed during rush-hour traffic, claiming the lives of 46 people.
Scott McIntosh, left, and his daughter Brianna McIntosh check out newspaper clippings following the 1967 Silver Bridge collapse and the rising hysteria concerning the Mothman, a creature described as, "a large flying man with ten-foot wings," as well as glowing red eyes. The Mothman was reportedly spotted between December 15, 1966, and December 15, 1967, and began the urban legend that has made Point Pleasant famous in popular culture. Point Pleasant is home to "The World's Only" Mothman Museum, as well as a few other tributes to the folklore.
Tanya Moats, right, hurries back to take a picture of the Grafton high school soccer team as they pose with the Mothman statue in downtown Point Pleasant. The statue and museum bring in tourists from around the world, but don’t garner much attention from the locals.
Billy Painter, left, swings on a bench with his wife Mickie Painter as she holds their 5-week-old granddaughter, Lucy Ray Scott, during a reunion BBQ at Krodel Park Campground in Point Pleasant held by their church, Jackson Avenue Baptist Church.
Keith Sargent, left, Chip Kearns, right, and Rob Jarrell, foreground, play music together during the Jackson Avenue Baptist Church’s reunion at Krodel Park. The park is a center for community events and is home to a reproduction of Fort Randolph, which housed settlers during the Revolutionary War.
Tanya Giles, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, poses for a portrait during the Tribute to the River Festival held in September along the Ohio River in Point Pleasant. Though popular culture identifies Point Pleasant most closely with the Mothman, locals have a generational connection to the Ohio River and the lifestyle that arises in a river town.
Retired U.S. Navy Chief Dave Clem spent 26 years in the Navy. Clem now spends his retirement as a co-pilot on the P.A. Denny stern wheeler as it travels from port to port along the Ohio River.
Resident Monitor Chasity Bolyard counts residents, as the all-male inmates are called, in the East Wing of the Southeastern Probation Treatment Alternative (SEPTA) Correctional Facility in Nelsonville, Ohio, for the 6:30 p.m. count. The men are counted every two hours of the day and during sleeping hours.
“I grew up with no dad, and I don’t want that for my girls,” explains resident Justin Cox. He received the tattoo pictured after the birth of Alexis, his second daughter, now 7 years old.
Residents wait around during a game of basketball in the facility's recreational yard. Resident Dwayne "Duey" Barley explained that many residents often spend much of their time simply passing the time, waiting to get out.
A resident takes a break in the kitchen. The tattoos on his knuckles read, "Live Life."
Residents finish up their dinners in the facility's dining hall. Residents are served three meals a day, and the kitchen is run by residents supervised by staff.
Erich DiFronco plays guitar as his roommate, Tumarcus Steele, raps while DiFronco is not singing. Before coming to SEPTA, DiFronco was in several collegiate choirs. He and Steele pass the time learning covers and writing original songs in their east-wing room.
Resident Shannon Jordan does push-ups as part of his daily-workout routine in the west wing of the facility.
From left to right, Dwayne “Duey” Barley, Jason Collins, Chris Norton, and Tim Wybiral prepare to participate in community service after being picked up by a sheriff. Residents can work community service and, under certain conditions, hold part-time jobs while incarcerated within the facility.
From left to right, Dwayne “Duey” Barley, Jason Collins, Taylor Holmes, and Brad Nott pick up trash along a country highway as part of their community service with the Adopt a Highway program.
Adam Abbott listens to his sister and grandmother while other residents visit with their families. Residents are allowed one half-hour visit a week from family and friends on Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday.
Harold and Wendy Johnson embrace and kiss at the end of their 30-minute visit.