In class last week, Brittany and I pulled up our Photo 1 assignments, excited to showing someone else the images we’d collected.

My subject is the UF Policy Debate team. When I was picking the images for Photo 1, my criteria in choosing each picture was “Does this tell me something about the team?”

To me, all the images seemed very different.
But I realized this didn’t necessarily come across the same way to someone who wasn’t there when I was taking the pictures. It really hit home when I showed Brittany the pictures I’d taken. I knew what the team members were doing in the images because I’d been there.

Mindy had sent some great feedback that caught some things I needed to collect in later shoots to have a better final package. One point was a good number of my images were taken from the same distance.

Most of the pictures were of students were standing here and there from the mid-thigh on up. I shot the images in two sessions for Photo 1. The first was while the team was packing up their evidence for a tournament one night, and the second caught them packing the van the next day. Each of the four squad members packs a giant Rubbermaid tub full of accordion folders with evidence from news clippings and articles on a central theme. They each prepare a 10 minute argument that they read like an auctioneer, which they call spreading. I chose this subject because I had absolutely no understanding of this kind of debate and the spreading sounds cool.

But sounding cool doesn’t necessitate a variety of images.

In the following image, they’re preparing evidence. I chose it because of the flurry of movement with the paper.

One of the problems with debaters is that they don’t seem to be sitting down very much. They’re packing or arguing. Shooting and recording a practice debate the other day, I overheard their coach correct them and ask them why they shouldn’t sit when they’re cross examining an argument. The answer: sitting puts the person standing in the room in a power position.

I ran into some challenges with the size of the room. There were some pictures I took from the center of the room that I just don’t think I’ll be able to use because I was in the reflection in the window.

Debate doesn’t have that many dangers. But paper cuts can be one of them. On that same note, there’s not a ton of variety of action for debaters. So, I was pleased to catch Amanda nursing a nasty paper cut. Although, she wasn’t too happy about it.

The good thing about the timing for the Photo 1 assignment was that I had a chance to go back and get some of the detail shots and some variety that Mindy mentioned I would need at a later photo shoot. I was able to get some close up detailed shots of the coach’s timer during the debate. Time is a key element in their work, so my hope is to be able to weave that into the slide show later.

So far, I’ve collected about 1,800 images. I’ve figure out that I cull them down by viewing them in the Windows viewer. Anything that works for me, I pull into a file I call “decent.” Then, I use screen shots to print a thumbnail sheet on 11 X 17 black and white paper. After that, I circle the ones I want to tell a story. I can number them and scribble outside the lines with paper.

Soundwise, I’ve collected about two and a half hours of practice debate, which will serve as ambient sound. Due to the team’s travel schedule, I’m still waiting on my main interview with the team captain.

I feel a little unsure because the shape of the story is still not very clear to me. I don’t know how to explain this in any other way. When I write, I can feel the shape of the story in my head, logically and stylistically. At times, when I’ve been unsure of the story shape like I am now, it’s a signal that I need do to more reporting.

I’m hoping after I get my audio logged and the photos organized, this feels like it’s got more of a shape.