"A lot of people try to be somebody else, something that they're not. You go to prison and a lot of white guys try to act like they're black, try to fit in with all the black guys. They pretty much got power in most penitentiaries. I just kind of put it out there that I ain't on that shit." – Steven Hipps

These images are from my final project I photographed for the Fashion & Portraiture Commercial Photography course I took this past semester. For the final project, we were allowed to photograph anything of our choosing as long as it resulted in a consistent fashion or portraiture series of up to six images. I thought of doing this sort of series while I was working on another project at the SEPTA Correctional Facility in Nelsonville, Ohio. I photographed a man who had a tattoo on his neck of his daughter's footprints when she was born. He explained to me that he grew up without a father, and he didn't want the same to happen for his daughter. In the context of incarceration, tattoos often show glimpses into the lives of the wearers outside of a facility and helps create connections with their lives when not behind bars. Incarceration is a topic that always piques my interest, and I was happy to explore it in a new way with a portrait series. I've always thought of a portrait series as a way to look at a cross section of a topic and gather quick perspectives that speak to a larger idea or experience. In this series, I found that people most deeply identified with where they were from, their faith, and their family. These were the things that the men photographed held most dearly, and made me think of how those factors will likely be the most important facets in their successful reintegration once they're released from the correctional facility. 

I used a three-light setup to create this series: a beauty dish, a strip box, and a grid spot. The beauty dish acted as my facial key light, the strip box put some light on the men's backs or sides so that they stood out from the background a bit more, and the grid spot popped some highly-directional light onto the main tattoo. This was my first experience working with a grid spot and the series allowed me to experiment with the strobe and two studio flashes that I own. I posed all the men in the correctional facility's recreational yard against the same brick wall. Considering it was a chilly day in December and many of these men were shirtless for a bit while I got each portrait just right, they were all real troopers and easy with which to work. Once I got a few portraits done, I had no shortage of residents eager to be photographed with their tattoos or to get their friends who had extensive art in their skin. I rarely make images back and white, but I chose to with these images to make the series more consistent and to reinforce the gritty nature of incarceration. Doing so somewhat standardized skin tones and allowed the eye to go to the brightest part of the frame quicker - the tattoo and the face. All the tattoos I photographed were conveniently also created with only black ink.

It was a pleasure hearing varied stories from all these men. They were kind to lend me their personal stories and stand for me to photograph their most meaningful tattoos. I look forward to expanding series such as this and exploring topics in different ways from standard photographic reportage in the future.

"My tattoos are my way of expressing myself. I was never that great at expressing myself verbally, that’s why I chose the art of tattooing. They represent my personality traits, my beliefs, my loves and how I view the world. Basically, they are me." – Brandon Masters

"That's what the Columbus skyline looks like anywhere from the hilltops on the west side. When I was in prison everyone was talking about where they were from and what home was like. I got it to always remind myself of my home." – Eric Broughton

"The reason why I got my daughter on my left chest is because it's closer to my heart, and that's where I want to keep her. The reason I got Jesus on the right is so he can watch over her. She's 4-years old now and she was 18 months when I got the tattoo. I did two years in prison, and that's when I got the tattoo. I got all my tattoos in prison." – Joshua Gibson

"Being from Chicago, the Cubs are one of my favorite baseball teams. I just wanted to represent from where I’m from." – Tamarcus Steele

(The Tattoo reads "Death" and also reads "Life" if flipped over)  "The wage of sin is Death. The gift of GOD is eternal Life.” – Paul Lousey

"It's just where I'm from." (Chillicothe, Ohio) – Dustin Welch

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.

Makylie Killian models Celtic-style ceramic earrings and an amethyst necklace.

This semester I branched out from my photojournalism-centric photo classes and took a commercial photography course focusing on fashion and portraiture. The course covered methods of photographing subjects in a manner that focuses more on featuring products than necessarily the person pictured. Having experience taking primarily portraits, the course challenged my typical approach to portraiture. Though there's much more experience to be had in commercial photography, I feel as if I have gained a lot of ground and made myself a competent fashion and portraiture photographer.

The course was split into a portraiture half and a fashion half. The portraiture portion featured assignments focusing on representation (skateboard images below), typical formal portraits, on-location shoots (alpaca images below), in addition to natural light portraits, as well as other assignments. The fashion portion tasked me in photographing accessories (image above), texture (sweater at sunset image below), motion (biking image), beauty (orange background image), two or more models, as well as other fashion-based shoots. Fashion was especially difficult for me. I tend to focus on the face (as is typical in a portrait situation), and making the product in the image the highest priority took some adjustments in my shooting. 

A technique universal to all disciplines of photography this course taught me was lighting techniques. Being a class that allowed me to pose all my subjects, presenting each subject in a specialized lighting style was important in creating more successful fashion and portraiture images. I finally invested in two studio flashes in addition to my Nikon strobe and experimenting with the three lights throughout this course taught me a lot about how to effectively light an image. 

Another change of pace for me from my photojournalism background was retouching and extensive toning. In photojournalism, retouching is a major no-no. It includes adding and removing features from a photograph (usually used to smooth skin, remove blemishes, or remove distracting elements in a picture). This was my first experience in retouching a few pictures and exposed me to another set of skills that allow a photographer to "wear a different hat", so to speak, and work in something other than documentary photography. It felt wrong to retouch some of the images below, but each field has its own set of rules to abide by. As long as you play by the rules of the discipline you're working in and are honest in your actions, images can be processed in drastically different ways. 

At the end of this post (beginning with the image of the witch) is a portrait series I did of partygoers during the annual Halloween block party held along Court Street in Athens, Ohio. I did a similar series last year, but expanded upon it this year. I used a background (generously borrowed for the shoot from my commercial photography professor Gary Kirksey), as well as a three-light setup. I changed the lighting for each image depending on the subject, but kept the background the same and lighting ratios similar to create a more cohesive series from last year. 

Colin Richards stands for a portrait with his Fickle-brand skateboard at the Athens Skatepark in Athens, Ohio. A freshman at Ohio University, Richards explained that the skatepark in the city was certainly a factor in coming to college in Athens.

Colin Richards showcases his yellow-striped tube socks, Vans skateboarding shoes, and Fickle-brand skateboard.

Darin Simokov models a sweater with stitched designs at The Ridges in Athens, Ohio.

Jalen Carter poses for a formal portrait.

Marilyn Wentworth feeds the female alpacas at her alpaca farm located just outside of Athens, Ohio. Wentworth has raised an award-winning herd of Suri Alpacas at Phoenix Hill Farm, and she sells products created from their fleece to help fund the farm.

Marilyn Wentworth cleans a sore on one of her female alpacas with water.

Conor Emser models his bicycling apparel while riding his Giant-brand bike.

Makylie Killian models with minimal make-up for a beauty-inspired image.

Adrian Hemm, left, and Daret Spradley model long-sleeved waffle-patterned shirts in Athens, Ohio.

Connie Wolf, dressed as a witch, poses for a portrait during the annual block party along Court Street in Athens, Ohio.

Chris Wolf, owner of the Smiling Skull Saloon and husband of Connie (above), poses for a portrait, "dressed as himself".

Makylie Killian poses in her witch-inspired costume.

A partygoer poses dressed as Mr. Rogers with a puppet in the spirit of the television show, "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood."

Cullen Quigley poses for a portrait dressed as an Eggo waffle.

An Ohio University alumnus poses for a portrait in his store-bought costume.

A partygoer poses for a portrait while dressed as Bob Ross.

Josef Otmar stands in a mock-Napoleon pose while dressed as a garden gnome.

Josef Otmar shows off his toy sunglasses with his gnome costume.

Mariah Roj, dressed as Mary Poppins, spins her dress while posing for a portrait.