By Victoria Tanner ’16
FAIRFAX, Va. – The National Press Photographers Association Northern Short Course (NSC) was more than inspiring. Speakers sat in the front of long rooms with rows of journalists in front of them. Everyone is listening attentively. And everyone is taking notes. Videos are playing in one room while two doors down, still photographs are projected onto the screen. The workshops featured journalists who spoke from real world experience; they weren’t lecturing us on theories, they were giving us real world advice to make us better journalists.
Some of the pieces caused me to tear up including Scott Strazzante’s Common Ground and a video by John Kirtley. The work I saw at the NSC reminded me why I want to enter the world of journalism in the first place. I want to tell stories in a way that causes people to think and react. I believe many of the sessions I attended taught me lessons that can also be used in writing. As a multiplatform student, I was hesitant about not having broadcast experience, but I realized many of the things NSC speakers emphasized can be used across all mediums. NSC reignited the spark inside me to pursue photojournalism.
Friday was exciting, maybe because there were many photojournalists around, or maybe because it was the first professional event I had ever been to. But regardless of why I was excited, I wanted to learn as much as I could from the two days at NSC. I was able to have my photographs critiqued, giving me a professional’s opinion and advice for how to produce better photographs.
On both days of the NSC I attended several business-oriented workshops that focused on freelancing. Learning about contracts was something I knew to be important, but I did not understand the complexity. As Alicia Calzada, a former journalist now lawyer who works with NPPA, handed out mock contracts, half of the page was highlighted in yellow to emphasize what should be in every contract. The workshop, “From Staff to Independent,” showed me it’s important to start freelance work by pursuing personal projects that you truly care about.
Saturday ended with an awards dinner honoring photographers and members of the NPPA. The University of Maryland student NPPA chapter was awarded, “Outstanding Student Chapter,” and with over 20 Merrill students, and 2 alumni, in attendance throughout the weekend, we were proud to represent our j-school and chapter. This was a huge honor for us, our membership quadrupled this year and we hosted more events than in the past. Being honored at this event brought on an incredible feeling of excitement and thankfulness. Our chapter is small but mighty, the minds involved truly care about their projects and I am very lucky to constantly be surrounded by great journalists.
I left Fairfax, Virginia that weekend with passion in my heart and ideas in my mind. These ideas ranged from photo essay topics to things I need to learn more about. I left with new friends, a better understanding for what lies ahead of me, and a super cool new backpack that currently holds all of my valuable possessions. The NSC reminded me to follow my dream and I cannot wait to return in the future.
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