Remembering Diane

True friendship...

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZFbMptAF8vrZzb4C_LbKWXLgI5mQUeg7Cmg880/

Behind the Lens & Seeing Gold

I've been fortunate throughout my career to have worked with a variety of talented photographers, beginning with Peter DeMott during my Arlingtonian days of high school and reporter/photographer/friend Brian McDermott during my Reporter days in New Jersey. They introduced me to the world of 35mm cameras.

Since then I've been inspired by the work and eyes of Gary Smith, a longtime photographer at the Maryland Independent who unexpectedly passed away four years ago, and Augie Selckmann, the first full-time photographer at the Times-Crescent and later the Calvert Independent. I will never forget the photo that Augie caught of a rescue from a car crash ~ it was of a volunteer fireman holding a baby to his shoulder as he soothed and patted its back while the other firefighters finished getting the mother out of the car. The emotion caught in that instant still catches my heart. These two photojournalists widened my view of photography.

There are many others who inspire me to seek a documentary viewpoint, whether in storytelling or catching life's milestone moments, and these include Amanda Banning Pankhurst and most recently Backpack Journalist and Documentary Filmmaker Extraordinaire Bill Gentile.

But for the past 12 years, I've considered myself most fortunate to be inspired daily by my colleague, Val Nyce. The college's lead photography coordinator, Val gives generously of her time, encouragement and tutoring as she shares her expertise and experience. I've always considered her work as golden ~ and now my opinion has been affirmed by the National Council of Marketing & Public Relations District 1 Medallion awards. Congratulations, Val; it is well-deserved!

Behind the Lens at the College of Southern Maryland
CSM’s Photographer Val Nyce Earns Gold Award from NCMPR
"Often before her first cup of coffee, Valerie Nyce is evaluating the probability of a beautiful sunrise. While peering through the viewfinder of her Nikon, she frames shots of the vibrant red, orange and purple backdrops as the sun rises over the Wicomico River outside her backdoor. “Every morning is different—every sunrise is different,” said Nyce of the ritual that began when she opened a Facebook account several years ago and wasn’t sure what to post there. In addition to spectacular sunrises, the College of Southern Maryland's lead photography coordinator posts her images of soaring bald eagles and flora and fauna she finds on her rounds of Southern Maryland... More here."

Timing is, well, everything

John C. Maxwell via SocialOomph posted on Twitter the other day the following quote:

People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for. -Harper Lee

Indeed, Harper Lee says it quite well ~ If I'm uninterested in what you are selling, I'm not going to notice your marketing. Period

Case in point. We switched providers a few years ago for our cable service. Other providers pepper my post office box with direct mail, but since I'm not looking to change the materials are generally tossed aside. However, my daughter headed to college and she and her roommate are setting up their new apartment with subscribing to cable TV and Internet service on this week's to-do list for them. I was online and up pops an ad for a college student special. Now Comcast has my attention since the savings match the girls' need and my budget. Any other time, the marketing would have gone unnoticed, but, as Harper Lee so aptly describes, Comcast was offering the right message at the time I was listening.

A similar example occurred this summer during the fifth annual Twilight Performance Series at CSM. An exuberant 5-year-old was having the time of her life enjoying the music of "Another Level." She hardly sat still a moment, jumping and dancing in time with the toe-tapping beat. Smiles galore, and mom, grandma and grandpa were all reveling in pure enjoyment. I took a moment to chat with the grandmother and she mentioned that her husband had been scanning the newspaper earlier in the day to find something for them to do that evening, and he ran across the calendar listing for the free concert on the lawn. They decided it would be a perfect evening of entertainment for the mix of generations to enjoy. She said they had never noticed the offerings before that day.

It may often seem that no one is hearing you, but that is no reason to stop talking. Keep sharing your story. Tweak your message to match the seasons of time and of life stages. And when the timing is right, I'll hear your message.

Steady...and...action!

Running across an on-location shoot in the Big Apple is hardly a novelty for New Yorkers whose home is a favorite for close-ups, as reported recently in the New York Times. “There is just no better or more versatile character for television than New York City,” Hal Rosenbluth, the president of Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, is quoted there in describing the increasing number of TV shows filiming in New York City, including 23 prime time shows slated for the upcoming season.

 
Understandably, the inconveniences of street parking being dislodged or crowds awaiting a glimpse of a favorite performer must become wearisome for residents. But, as a recent visitor to New York City, I must admit it was pretty exciting to walk up on actor Bill Pullman on July 2 filming as part of  Lola Versus.

"7-1-11 Bill Pullman is currently working on the independent comedy "Lola Versus" filming on location in NYC."

Intrigued by the crew's use of the Steadicam which I just had been discussing the previous day with College of Southern Maryland Associate Professor Alan Lifton, it took a moment to focus instead on the person who was being followed as in Pullman rather than the one doing the following as in the Steadicam operator. Now doubly interested, I paused and watched the action steadily unfold. 

Steadicams when introduced in the 1970s are credited with revolutionizing how filming occurred, enabling action scenes to be caught smoothly without jerks, bumps and jolts. The components include a vest worn by the camera operator, an arm  and a sled, which work together to isolate the camera from operator.

CSM's Alan Lifton demonstrates a Steadicam

CSM's Lifton, who is launching the college's new Digital Media Production program with two classes this fall, is somewhat of a pro when it comes to using Steadicams. As he explains, "When I was the senior producer in the Corporate Communications group at Wang Laboratories in Lowell, Massachusetts, the company sent me to a workshop to learn how to be a Steadicam operator, and two weeks later, when I returned to the Boston area, I was bitten. I bought my own Steadicam in 1986 when I was a professor in Idaho, and worked with it for about six years doing commercials and corporate video."

"In all my subsequent positions I've made it a point to obtain at least one Steadicam for teaching and shooting. I've trained hundreds of people in its use. In order to be good enough to use it in a production, one needs to regularly practice. Having a few tips is really counter-productive and won't help. I've presented Steadicam training workshops all over the world and would hope to incorporate Steadicam training into my classes here, as well as offer off-site training and production assistance to others in the local region. Depending on interest, I could easily offer a short-course."

On a smaller scale, many amateur videographers, myself included, would welcome a stabilizing resource when we use our video cameras. Once we eliminate the shaking that can accompany hand-held video shoots, then we could focus on telling the story.

As we enjoy the big-screen visual results of memorable chase scenes or special effect sequences, we can appreciate the technical expertise that Steadicam operators possess. Considering an operator may be manuevering upwards of 60 pounds in equipment, their physical stamina is also amazing. Even more impressive? The endless creativity that becomes possible when the other stuff is under control.

Mission Possible: A day of networks and inspiration

The inaugural Southern Maryland Non-Profit Institute annual conference held at the College of Southern Maryland was on target last Friday in its goal of promoting non-profit success. From the keynote's energetic opening to the afternoon's closing sessions, the 130-plus participants were exposed to a wealth of knowledge on how to promote their non-profit success as well as how to personally grow from the networking and inspiration to which they were exposed.

Self-proclaimed "Diva Extraordinaire" and Success in the City CEO Cynthia de Lorenzi kicked the morning into high gear with her passion and her humor. In her words, the keys to bring joy back into the lives of women are to infuse your life with creativity, fun and humor.

"We take our selves too seriously. Stop it." Changing her perspective, she said, changed her career and her life. Selected among the Washington Business Journal's top 25 women who mean business and recipient of Smart CEO's Circle of Excellence, de Lorenzi leads what she describes as "an unconventional business networking organization for senior level executive businesswomen in the DC Metropolitan area," which one day she envisions with chapters worldwide. Its mantra?

"No rules. Some work. All Play."

Her advice to the nonprofits represented on Friday was varied, from how to market an organization to how to grow board members (and even some tips on how to communicate with a simmering woman including letting her clean a drawer and to talk, talk, talk). Some takeaways for nonprofits:

• Branding needs to be compelling.
• Attract and invite the most brilliant leaders in the community to be involved with you. If they make a suggestion, put them in charge of it.
• The only gatekeeper is you, so build an incredible marketing machine that has the potential to meet millions. Use Twitter; it's a compelling place that in a sentence can engage a conversation. If you don't have a Facebook group or fan page, get one. If you need to hire staff on a limited basis, check into odesk.com.
• Don't understand social networking? Ask. Learn from the young minds around you. Be willing to be mentored up as much as you mentor down.
• Network. Network. Network. SITC distributes prescriptions: network with three people today and call me in the morning.
• Build your board, recognizing that each board member will bring individual strengths and meet unique needs. Know why you are seeking specific board members, and align your expectations with their service. Do you want them to attend meetings? Raise funds? Make introductions for your organization? Build awareness? Think strategically as you consider your organization's wants and needs.

To learn more about Cynthia and SITC, visit .successinthecity.org and stay tuned here for more takeaways from the conference.

Meanwhile, here's to prescribing to the SITC Rx, and post here in the morning!

CASE Currents: Finding your way as a leader involves some wrong turns

CURRENTS, Council for Advancement and Support of Education

Column: Office Space, February 2008: A-Maze-ing Grace: Finding your way as a leader involves some wrong turns.

We were on a giant checkerboard maze and had only 30 minutes to work our way through it.

This was a team-building exercise at the College of Southern Maryland but at times it seemed more like torture.

Frustration permeated the room as one team member after another was buzzed off the giant checkerboard for making a wrong step. Whether we were ejected from the maze for following a colleague's erroneous direction or for ignoring guidance and mistakenly dashing through the maze on our own, the team was failing miserably. Back to square one for everyone.