When I was a student photojournalist there were times when I felt unsure of the direction that I wanted to go with my photography. Was there a purpose to what I was doing? Would I ever make an impact on others and in a community? All I could do was look around and find people that were making an impact in communities that they worked in, and I didn't have to look far. Steve Jessmore, a 1981 graduate of CMU, was a staff photographer in Saginaw and would come back to speak to us about the work he was doing. He had a passion for his work and truly believed in community journalism. He said it best in his
alumni profile, “Going back to work in my hometown of Saginaw, I've always focused on community journalism wherever I've been. I don't believe the best stories are the high profile ones, but rather the ones that celebrate daily life, the positives and grass root successes.” There was no better example of this than his
Sense of Community column that ran for four years in the Flint Journal sharing the stories of 170 residents making a difference in Flint.
Throughout my career I have tried to surround myself with creative and inspiring people, either on my staff or just by following photojournalists work that I respect.
Preston Gannaway is a staff photographer at the Virginian-Pilot and was a photojournalist for the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire (2003-2008) when her documentary story on the St. Pierre family, Remember Me, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography.
Gannaway said on her website, "Carolynne St. Pierre knew how she wanted to die: surrounded by her family. But before she did, she wanted to create a record of her life and the love she had for her three kids: Melissa, 15, Brian, 13, and EJ, 5." That is where Gannaway came into their lives. They allowed Gannaway into their home in 2006; she documented the good times and the bad through Carolynne's battle with liver cancer. It is a true example of the human spirit, a family's love and a photographer's dedication to her subject. The six chapter story can be found at the
Concord Monitor's website.
