My first photoshoot...

I love interning. Sure many could complain that it's simply free labor and you should be getting paid, but quite honestly it doesn't even matter anymore. I get more opportunities being a free intern than I would at any summer job I could have. I'm not sure if I have mentioned this yet but I am interning with the UNCW Marketing and Communications Department. So, I write press releases, attend meetings, observe meetings and speakers and most importantly....I get to attend photoshoots. Who knew setting up lighting, pluging in cables, carrying heavy cameras, in the end setting up everything for almost three hours just to shoot the new chancellor for a grand total of 12 minutes would be so exciting?!

I took a class this past semester called TV Asthetics, which was basically an introduction to TV production. It convered the ins and outs of television from behind the scenes working with the cameras, audio, various angles and lighting, to analyzing the final production. It was a class I could never fully decide if I really enjoyed or not, and yet for the photoshoot it sure did come in handy. I actually felt like I knew what was going on...to a point.

I set out with Jamie Moncrief, the UNCW photographer, Tuesday morning and met up with two other students in front of Alderman Hall. One student, Bill, was another intern (but he was paid because he was a graduate student...fail), the other was a student photographer, Katherine, that had been working with Jamie for several years, and she ended up being the actual photographer for the day. She's fabulous. We learned how to set up the lighting, how to block certain lighting, and worked to create the perfect angles in order to shoot the portrait of the new chancellor. After about two hours of setting up, and many silly "stand in" pictures of me, a few "photo-bombed" by Jamie...

...the star of the show arrived for his big debut in front of the camera! I got the important job of holding the white screen angled towards him to get that perfect lighting on his face.

I hadn't met the new chancellor yet, but I had been eagerly awaiting his arrival on campus. For the 12 minutes we did get to spend together, I think i've decided that I like him! He was more reserved than I had expected but I'm sure he was just intimadated by the huge screens and fancy cameras everywhere. Plus I can imagine it would be uncomfortable to have everyone looking at you and watching every move you make. He's coming in a quite a tough time too. With the state-wide budget cuts, everyone is looking for a leader with all the answers, and as a man who has never been a chancellor before....I'm sure he's pretty freakin nervous to have to step up and be the man with the answers. But I like him! He was so humble and genuine and gave off such a confident first impression that I trust my university is in good hands.

Well after the glamorous photoshoot our team of four headed to lunch at this quiant, hole-in-the-wall chinese place right beside campus. Yum! It was delicious and so cheap! Afterwards Katherine and I ventured nearby to Sand Dollar, which is a dollar jewlery store and which is where I bought my new glasses...that I don't actually need to see anything.

It was a fabulous day :)

"Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand." - Chinese Proverb.

<3

Erin.