While setting up my lights to shoot a volleyball match today I said to myself... "I'm a professional photographer." And for the first time, I actually felt like a professional photographer.
I think Aug. 29, 2005 was a turning point in my career/life. It's the point I started to become a Pro and stopped being a recent graduate. I think it took exactly one year for that transaction to take place.
It's hard to believe all the stuff I've seen, thought, felt... etc since Aug. 29, 2005. The range of emotions is crazy. I know at one point following the storms, I didn't even want to touch a camera. I was so sick of photography. I've seen the Houma Civic Center go from a place where the Circus entertained kids, to a place where people lived for months, then back to the circus again. I could go on an on...
It's one of those aspects of your life where you wish you could go back in time. Maybe do things differently, maybe not. Maybe work harder, maybe not. I don't know.
Poynter Online asked me to write a little piece reflecting my thoughts on the past year. My observations and such while working for a newspaper. So read it if you get some time... I'll copy and paste it below.
Or, if you don't feel like reading and you want to watch a slide show I put together, go here. It's a revisit of a few of my Faces of Katrina people. We caught up with some to see how they're doing a year later. This is just the tip of this project, I plan to follow some of these people around for a while. I don't think this story has an end. This is Everett Webster. Really cool guy.
Here's what I wrote for Poynter... keep in mind that my journalism strengths are in the visual side of things, not the writing side of things.
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The people of South Louisiana never stop amazing me. With everything they've gone through, the hurricane victims have a more positive outlook on life and the future than anyone I've seen. It seems everybody wants to do their part in helping to prevent another "Katrina" or "Rita" from happening again.
The older generation are attending public forums to voice their thoughts to local and state politicians. While the younger generation, who will talk about Katrina and Rita like the older generation talk about Betsy and Camille are learning as much as they can so they don't have live through another 2005 hurricane season.
Since Hurricane Rita, I've photographed many families who, without hesitation, rebuilt their house. The most common response when asked why they chose to rebuild rather than move to higher ground is, "This is my home." Generations of families have grown up in this area. Many of the families even live on the same street as their parents and grand parents. As tough as it is to rebuild and recover from such a hurricane, the people down here almost see it as part of their life. It comes with the territory of living down the bayou.
Soon after Hurricane Katrina, I met and photographed hundreds of New Orleans evacuees who fled to Houma. I listened their stories about how they survived the storm, how they ended up in Houma and how they were missing family members. I became a friend. I've recently contacted a few of these people to see how they're doing a year later. Some have moved to Houston, Atlanta or somewhere else in America. While some have moved back home to New Orleans and the surrounding area.
What I saw in the time I spent with these people is their ability to adapt to a new way of life. They know things will never be the same, they've accepted that fact. What they're doing now is dealing with what life has thrown at them. It might be living in a small apartment when they used to live in a two story house. Or living in a FEMA trailer parked in their front yard. Or dealing with the insurance companies to get the roof damage fixed. Katrina hit everybody. Some more than others, but everybody is having to learn how to live this new post Katrina lifestyle.
But amongst all the struggles to adjust, the people of South Louisiana still know how to enjoy life. Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest are just two examples of what people have used to get their mind away from the tough times, and enjoy the fun times that this area of the country is so well known for.
so maybe I haven't noticed much of a change in the past year, but I have noticed a strong determination to get back to a comfortable way of life.
