PROJECT: Part I

For my multimedia project I will be covering local area farms and how they are dealing with the current economic crisis that is facing the nation. I am looking primarily to see how the farmers are changing the way they do business and what have been the changes they have noticed so far. I also want to delve deeper into the issue and see how the local community is responding; are they buying local, or are they shopping more at the large food chains?

My first interview was with the owner of Emery Farm, which is located in Durham. He proved to be a most difficult subject for a multimedia project considering that he refuses to be photographed. Apparently, when I called and scheduled the interview I wasn't clear enough when I said that I would be conducting an interview and taking some portraits. He was more than gracious in allowing me to tour the grounds and take any photos that I cared to take but he was adamant in his refusal to go before the lens. Considering that the assignment for this week was to conduct n interview and photograph the subject, my frustration was substantial. I put that behind me and continued on with the interview, only to find that Bill was just as much a talker sa he was a model. He was very succinct and concise with all of his answers and I had to change my tactics about two minutes into the interview. I got rid of the prepared questions and simply spent a few minutes walking around with him while he did simple chores around the farm. Instead of trying to make this seem like a process, I tried to make him more comfortable with me before I started to pose more questions. After a few minutes of gentle prodding, he began to open up in his responses and by the end of the interview he had even become cordial and affable. He spoke about how he and his brother had been leasing the farm for the past 18 years, and how the biggest change to come about during this period involved the farm becoming more family friendly; including hayrides for families, field trips with guided tours, a petting farm, a play area for children. He stated that this allowed the community to embrace the farm more closely and that business had in fact tarted to climb as the change to the more family-friendly format took hold. When asked about the current problems facing the farm, he said that the economy had not affected them in any way and they were in fact enjoying a time of increased business. He and his brother have not altered the way they buy, sell, or grow their crops because of the economy and they were in fact more worried about the weather this summer than the current economic crisis. When asked if he foresaw any changes in the future, he was certain that unless catastrophe struck they would continue to do business the same way they had for the past 18 years. By the end of the interview I felt as though Bill ad I had actually connected on some level and that he was finally comfortable looking at me. But he still was not going to let me take his damned picture!

I spent the next 45 minutes walking around the grounds and taking AS MANY pictures as possible. This proved to be a challenge because at the current time of day the sun was very bright and caused many problems as far as shadows and lighting in general. This actually proved to be a valuable learning experience because I was able to experiment with angles and I got some experience in dealing with outdoor photography with less than ideal conditions for photography. My favorite photo that I was able to take was of a scarecrow that is sitting among a row of pumpkins. Without a human model, he was the closest thing I had to take a portrait, so I took a few different shots and chose the best one for the slide show.

As far as the technology aspect of the course, I am beginning to overcome my fears about using all of these various tools but I still find myself struggling to get them to work properly. I spend hours uploading photos and changing the formats of files so that I can use audio from my reorder just to listen to a short clip. But in tackling these problems head on and ultimately bringing them all together in a large project I am confident that I can come out of this with a stronger understanding of these tools and how to use them, and a greater appreciation for the results they can produce.