Amanda Goes to Jail!

So... Yesterday I went to Jail...

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...to take pictures!!

It was incredible! I went to the Monroe County Jail to photograph the inmates as they received gifts from one of the county's many church organizations. I was really excited to take pictures, but a little nervous about the rules I might encounter at the jail. I knew I couldn't photograph any faces without a legal consent form. I was afraid the prison guards might have to search my gear. But... no worries! There was no search and one of the guards gave me a tour of the jail when I got there. I actually brought my keys w/ my pepper spray key chain right into the prison without a problem. Of course, I don't think they knew that... hehe...

I spent a couple hours inside the jail and walked with the church people as they handed out gift bags to every single inmate and guard -- they even gave me a bag (it had some cookies/candies a couple religious advertisements and a pair of socks inside). When I left I felt like I was walking out of a strange and different world.

I just have to say this... being a Visual Journalist totally Rocks!! It's the coolest job in the entire universe! I've shared Christmas this year with people with Down Syndrome, inmates, little kids, Santa Claus, Gun Enthusiasts, ballet dancers, rappers and hundreds of people at a small town parade. It's been great -- and I've even had snow!

Oh! What a week!

What a crazy week! Today snow is covering Monroe county. On Monday I had to feature hunt for photos to run later that day in the paper. As always, when I need to shoot something and have no clue where to begin -- I panic. But -- after 15 minutes of driving around and finding nothing, (it was about 7:50am! - even the sun was still asleep) I stumbled upon these two. The little boy was home from school due to the weather. While his grandmother tried to shovel their driveway, he insisted on playing with snowballs!

This week I also shot at the local community college. It felt really weird being at a college and not being a student - for a moment I wanted to run out of there. I had to give myself a lecture in the bathroom - tell myself I was being stupid. Guess I just miss being one of the kids. This kid didn't make it any easier for me - he really didn't want his picture taken - especially not around his classmates. So, I improvised and took him to the library... fyi - the story is about how he's the first international student to graduate from the college.

Bedford, MI really takes wrestling seriously. During their final tournament they used a spot light on the mat. It made the photos really interesting and the shooting a challenge.

Doesn't this guy rock?!! It was freakin' freezing out - my face went so numb I had a weird accent when I talked! The event was "Wreaths Across America" - a program where current and retired military members put wreaths on monuments. This guy was amazing! No pun intended - but he was a real trooper! :-)

Is it just me or does anyone else think that it can't possibly be 8 days till Christmas! Seriously??!! Dude - we just barely had Thanksgiving! Anyway - I'm still working on my story about Monroe's Mayor and I'm headed out now to photograph his last city council meeting - wish me luck!

One Fun Assignment

Today I got to hang out with hall of fame rapper "Prince Whipper Whip" (famous for being a Puerto Rican rapper from the Bronx) as he and his sons worked recording Christian rap in Toledo, OH. I spent about 1 1/2 hours in this tiny basement studio watching them create their music. It was fun - definitely something I'll remember.

Things I've learned about WINTER

So -- I've got a recipe for you:

Take 2 snow storms

1 ice storm

1 day of rainy drizzle

1 frozen car

add daylight that only lasts about 6 hours

Stir it all together and add 1 clueless kid from California -- I guarantee you'll create something unforgettable.

Before I came here I was warned -- people looked at me out of the corner of their eye and shook their heads saying "I was in for a surprise." They told me I would freeze, that I'd hate it and offered me advice like - "Drive Slowly" and "Buy a big jacket" So -- I was reasonably prepared ...... for Autumn! ..... NOT for Winter! (and they're telling me that it will only get worse)

So, for my friends and family back in Sunny California, I've created a list - A list of things they don't tell you about living in freezing weather.

1. Icicles are cute - but not when they're hanging from the sides of your car and side mirrors

2. The sun no longer equals warmth

3. When the sidewalk is shiny -- DON'T GO THERE!!! You'll find yourself ice-skating without the proper footwear. (My fall count so far is 1 and about a million arm waving fall recoveries.)

4. Getting ready to go now includes 15min of scraping the ice off the car and putting on about 4 layers of clothes. (who knew scarves were for more than just accessorizing)

5. Everything gets wet!

6. Wearing a warm hat is worth every second of horrible hat hair later.

7. SNOW TOTALLY ROCKS!!

8. Snow covers up EVERYTHING -- even that hole you didn't expect to find when you took that step. (yeah, it wasn't fun)

9. Driving becomes an extreme sport

10. Did I mention SNOW TOTALLY ROCKS?!!

I'm learning a lot -- Literally, something new everyday. Last week I learned what Sleet was and how to scrape snow and ice off of car windows (when you don't have a scraper you use a CD case -- who knew?) Today I learned about ice and how you walk on the grass, not the sidewalk.

It's been fun - and filled with bruises ha ha! I bought my plane ticket today. I return to Sunny California on January 30th. Hope everyone is keeping warm.

Stuck in the Cheese

You know that great, adored business book "Who moved my cheese?"
well, I've got something to say to them --- I've got the D*** cheese and I can't get it to go away! Okay, so I know this doesn't actually have anything to do with that book but I seem to be stuck with a lot of cheesy photographs (Imagine for a moment, what its like to be stuck in a tub of cheese -- ha ha that totally made me laugh! - I knew these blogs were good for something!). I'm in a funk. I tell myself - today I'm going to shoot something edgy, something artistic. I pull up my camera look around and all I can see is cheese. Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese! In the last two weeks I've only had one assignment where I feel I didn't totally choke. Here's some photos from it. I don't know - I just want so badly to make amazing photographs - it bugs me when my work isn't up to my standards. Like I said - today, it seems, I'm just stuck in cheese.