Photo Story; Up Close and Personal with CPD

Lt. Goodwin- Corvallis Police Department

I had the opportunity to follow Lt. Goodwin with the Corvallis Police Department. I really wanted to capture the day and life of a police officer in an aspect that most people don't get to see but also in the light that people perceive. Throughout this entire project I learned about things that I had no idea went on behind the scenes to ensure the safety and best interest of the people in Corvallis.

I followed Lt. Goodwin for a span of three weeks and in those three weeks I was able to go behind the scenes and experience a few things of what he is involved in and what his future plans are for the City of Corvallis.

I also learned of new and upcoming changes that will benefit all persons of Corvallis and how much dedication and time go into planning events for the community. This by far was an amazing experience and I was honored to have the opportunity to follow an officer. These photos are important for me to share because it shows a different side of a police officer that rarely anyone gets to see and how dedicated these individuals are to making their city safe, resourceful and enjoyable to live in.

During a debrief for the night shift turnover officers, Lt. Goodwin along with Officers Seney, Parrish, Bristow and Souza, sit in to discuss current open cases, events and potential arrest for the community. Every shift Corvallis PD does a debrief with a the Sergeant on staff and discuss any potential risk they may face during their shift. Throughout the debrief, topics range from current job openings in the department to potential murder suspect in the community. Some briefing topics are open to the public in their public records and some, since they are still open investigations, are not open to the public for safety measures.

Lt. Goodwin of the Corvallis Police Department meets up with other members of the Community Livability Team on November 20, 2019. Members talked about future plans for the city and how to mitigate the risk of the homeless population growing larger with no resources to help these individuals strive in the community. Throughout the meeting, Lt. Goodwin advised that he also wants to insure that the homeless are getting the correct resources at the current safe camp for instance, transition courses, resume courses and more. The safe camp wishes to enforce future housing ideas without involving courses for success or law enforcement however, meeting codes and following the law are crucial for this new plan to be implemented properly.

Officer Thomas and Lt. Goodwin assist an OSU student that lives at The Retreat, register his bike through an app call 529. With this app it allows not only local authorities, but nation wide authorities to locate a stolen bicycle with a few simple steps: register serial number, take a picture of the bike, take photos of any unique attributes on the bike, a picture of you standing with the bike as well as putting a small sticker on the bike that links to the app. With these measures the probability that your bike will be found increases immensely.

Officer Raybould, Thomas and Zessin assist Lt. Goodwin with the bike registration event for the week. The officers brought lots of "gear" for the students at The Retreat including squeeze police cars, pamphlets with how to register your bicycle using the 529 app, police pens and more. An employee for The Retreat sits with the officers to learn more about the app and how the complex can make it easier for students to register by keeping some pamphlets and allowing them to post large posters throughout the common area. The officers helped eight students register their bicycles in hopes that more students will see how easy it is to register and decrease bicycle theft in Corvallis.

Officer Thomas talks to Lt. Goodwin about future plans for the Bike Registration Program at Corvallis Police Department. Officer Thomas explains that although they come to off-campus college housing, they try to get involved with local events as a vendor in order to spread bicycle theft awareness. Without registering your bicycle the likely hood of the police finding your bike is slim to none but with the 529 app, it will increase the chances of the police retaining and returning your property. Statistically for Corvallis, there is about 1.7 million dollars of bikes stolen a year, not including OSU campus. If you'd like to register your bike click the link below and follow the steps. Call your non-emergency line for assistance or stop by your local police station. https://project529.com/garage

Lt. Goodwin participates in his son's Boy Scout troop and talks to another parent about upcoming events for the boys. Lt. Goodwin, an Eagle Scout, was the troop leader for their recent "Hiking Merit Badge" and supervised over 10 boys on several different hiking distance including, one 5-mile hike, one 15-mile hike, and three 10-mile hikes. Lt. Goodwin strives to be an active part of home life when he is not serving the community of Corvallis. Although his schedule can be demanding, Lt. Goodwin makes every effort to not only participate in community events as a police officer, but also participate as a civilian, along with this family.

Bernie Boston Bio

About Bernie Boston:


Bernie Boston was an American PHotojournalist who is best known for his flower power photo from the 1967 anti-war march at the Pentagon and his involvement in capturing the news and numerous civil rights protest. Boston was a photographer for the Dayton Daily News, the Washington Star, and The Los Angeles Times. 

Boston covered every president from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton. Boston graduated from RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) in 1955, and also studied at the School of Aviation Medicine in the Air Force and then served in the Army. During his service he spent two years in Germany as a radiologist in the neurosurgical unit.

Boston was presented with numerous awards including: The White House News Photographers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Press Photographers Association Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award – NPPA’s highest honor in the field of photojournalism.

He was also a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist for his photos of Coretta Scott King at the unveiling of a bronze bust of her late husband in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda and for his flower power photo of the 1967 anti-war photo of a young man placing a flower in the barrel of an armed guard. Boston was also inducted into the Hall of Fame of Sigma Delta Chi, The Society of Professional Journalists prior to his death in 2008 and after his induction he served as a chairman of the NPPA Freedom of Information Committee.

Boston's photos are an interpretation of civil war news and local protest that went on in the 1960's as well as news after the 60's. Boston definitely chose to be in the middle of the action to capture intense photos and show the viewers what the middle of chaos, during these protest, may depict. 

My favorite photo by Bernie Boston was of Ronald Reagan laughing with a colleague, capturing his innocents as a human and not the seriousness as The President. It seems that President Reagan is laughing at the title of the article "won't wrinkle ever" and how misconstrued that statement might be seeing that he has wrinkles, while laughing, in this photo.
https://www.rit.edu/news/photo-exhibit-highlights-alumnus-bernie-boston

Week 10 Forum: Favorite Assingment

Topic 1: Best Photojournalism:

My favorite photo is when I had the opportunity to attend a cross-country meet in Portland. I was able to be in all areas of the course but I really wanted to capture when the runners crossed the finish line. I knew that they would be exhausted and probably fall on the ground or walk really weird like their muscles were going to give out; I know that feeling all to well. But I remember seeing these two girls, teammates, crossing the finish line. One teammate waited for the other to cross and then helped her walk around to regain her energy.

I saw this and thought "I need to capture this raw moment" and so I just took the picture. I didn't realize it was going to turn out so great since this was my second time shooting a sporting event, but it came out better than I imagined. This picture is the perfect expression of how a runner should feel after they gave it their all on the course. With this photo I learned that even pictures that you think won't turn out so well, do and pictures that you think will be amazing, won't.

I learned that if you just take the picture and take multiples, you are bound to end up with something amazing.

Since the beginning of the term to now, I know that my skills have improved in at least the action shots. I think it improved because I actually enjoyed being at the events and really wanted to capture pictures that told the story without captions. I wanted to be able to look at the photo and think "wow! that is one cool picture!" and I think, with action shots, I did pretty good.

My approach to taking these photos was to just take a lot at one time (using the heck out of my shutter) and just hoping I got a great one in there somewhere verses when I would just take one or two and then not end up with the results I wanted.

I think I need to improve on portraits and humans of LBCC because to me, it is a bit awkward to just tell someone to pose or place them in a posing position and then take the photo. I like taking photos that are off guard and natural.
Examples: OSU basketball games, LBCC Volleyball games, the cross country meet, LBCC Women's basketball and the Vet Parade.


Topic 2: Your Goals

Goals:  Week 1 Forum 
Getting an A is definitely top priority because I sort of bombed last year so I need to get my GPA back up.
I want to get better with photo editing; I started a small business and I still like to vlog so pictures and editing skill sets are a must for me.
I want to get out of my shell (more) so I can get used to reporting and being comfortable with taking pictures.

1. Getting an A is still high priority for me so hopefully after completing my assignments, I can say that I definitely tried my hardest to maintain that goal. Being pregnant and going to school is not easy especially in the third trimester but I came to school and traveled to events even when I was uncomfortable, physically, and did the best I could, so I am hoping that was enough to get me an A.
2. I think with photo editing I learned more than I thought. Being apart of the paper really allowed me to ask questions to some of the photo editors and learn new tricks. I never used an apple computer before or photoshop/ bridge but in the class I learned how easy it was and now don't feel as discouraged with continuing my vlog or instagram photos because I can make them look professional.
3. I definitely think I got out of my shell more as the term went on. At the event I felt confident in my ability to be along side some of the best in the business, I pushed myself to attend press conferences because "why not?" and I figured the worst that could happen was they say "no" and you move on. I think I realized when I was doing my photo story, how comfortable I had become with my photography and journalism because I was not afraid to just ask questions or take pictures. It helped that the LT. worked with my husband and he has a good reputation, but I also needed to maintain that and be professional. I would have never emailed a LT. or anyone at the beginning of the term so to just go for it was something out of the norm for me and I am glad I did.

Forum 8- Addario Parts III and IV

I enjoyed Ch. 10 out of the other chapters because in the very beginning she starts off the chapter of her romantic getaway with Paul and the detail in the description of her vacation was very opposite of what most of the novel had been.

In this chapter we see a different side of Lynsey, as side that she had thought would never exist in her life. An opportunity for marriage and with someone who knew all she did in her job and still wanted to be with her even if she was barely home. The simple fact that she did not have to change her profession or how she went about stories and started discussing them with her fiance, was compelling. I love the part of the chapter where her and Dex meet with a Taliban leader Haji Namdar and he allowed them to interview for the New York Times. She states (pg. 199) "some men shielded their faces when I turned my camera on the; others didn't flinch. And some were proud to be photographed for the most important American newspaper in the world. They might have been illiterate fighters, but most insurgents understood the influence of the New York Time on the U.S. government." This specific quote resonated with me because it is so true, everyone knows what the New York Times is and how influential they are to military. The fact that these people wanted to behead westerners but agreed to do an interview only with journalist from the New York Times showed just how important this paper was to not only the journalist but to everyone around the world.

My favorite photo from this chapter is was the one of the Marines who are gathered around a casket of another Marine who in southern Afghanistan, 2010. (pg. 210-211). This is my favorite photo because it depicts what we as military members, unfortunately, face. In war we always have the mindset that we are either going to get out of this alive or dead and even though that is how our minds work, death is always something that we can never prepare for. I liked this picture because I appreciate Lynsey not being biased about war and who is on what side but that she captures everything and on each side, everyone is suffering.

What I have learned from not only Addario, but this class is that there are stories everywhere waiting to be discovered. Some stories are comfortable and easy and others are intense and take a lot of preparation but every story is worth it. I also learned to be more confident and sometimes you will get a "no" and that is okay. I've humbled myself in my picture taking abilities and realized the more I take pictures the better I will become. This class has done a great job with preparing me for my future and allowing me to bush my own boundaries that I was not aware existed but also to just enjoy what I am doing and not be so critical when I am barely beginning.

Book Report

Lynsey Addario Book Report:

When we were first assigned to read this book, I had no idea what the book was about. I started reading “It’s What I do” and instantly fell in love with the storyline of the book. The most compelling part, to me, was when she was going through all these war zones and even when she was “home” she still felt like she belonged in a place of chaos. She felt more at peace in a country that was dealing with terrorism, bombings and male dominance than she did in the United States or even Mexico. I enjoyed reading this book because she described that part of the world so accurately, I felt I was right back in the action. My favorite part was when she was trying to get her Afghan Visa and she ran into a man named Mohammad. She went with tradition and falsely stated she was married and had two boys back home and later in the chapter broke tradition and directly spoke to Mohammed only to find out that he enjoyed talking to her and had so many questions about Americans. It began a friendship that in most cases, would not have blossomed. Addario is not scared to break the normal traditions to get the photo or the story behind the photo, she cared for these people deeply and she cared for the country. Ch.2 “It’s What I do”

Addario utilizes certain techniques and styles that I admire, her ability to not be manipulated into taking shots of what the Embassy of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wanted her to just so that they could look like the good guys was compelling. She was not afraid to take the shots that were NEEDED and still took the shots that were necessary for the public to see that there are people here suffering from this war and not every person was pro-war. She also treated everyone with respect whether it was a male or female, even though she pushed the boundaries a bit to capture the best photos, she was still respectful of their culture and their traditions and sympathized with them when it came to the tragedy of war. https://nppa.org/code-ethics.

During the duration of the novel I had many mixed feelings about her work and her mindset, but it all made sense when I put myself in her shoes. I joined the military to serve my country and let’s be honest, get free tuition but she chose to do photojournalism and purposely place herself in these war zones that only some of us are “lucky” enough to see and she did so fearlessly. She wanted to understand this country and why this was the turn of events and although that was not my mindset when I deployed, I quickly realized the same concepts she did, these are people and they are also scared and just want peace. I think what she is doing is brave and crazy because in certain areas it is more dangerous but if someone doesn’t show the world what is needed to be seen, who will? I took that perspective and tested it with my time in photojournalism and the results were far from what I expected. I wanted to put myself out there and break down the wall of my anxiety and although I don’t consider myself “shy” this class pushed me to go after stories or take photos I probably would have never dreamed of. I had the opportunity to live out a childhood dream when I photographed the USA vs OSU Women’s basketball team and if I didn’t push myself to email the right people, I would have never received that opportunity. Addario pushed herself on these stories and broke barriers when she was in a foreign country, all for the story. I appreciated her confidence even if it was not there most of the time, she still pushed herself and never let love or family concerns stop her from that.

Throughout the book she display’s photos of her work and although all of them are impressive a few stood out to me. There was a photo of a mother kissing her son while her other son stood by with a grin and at that moment, she captured pure love for one another. This photo spoke to me because during a time of chaos, war, violence and fear, a mother showed love to her children which implied that they are still human and still have a heart full of compassion. Another photo that spoke volumes to me was of a man that entered a room full of bodies after a mass grave was discovered in Baghdad after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The emotions that this man is displaying is one of grief and possibly anger. I liked this photo because again it shows the humanity and it also show the lack of humanity, he [Saddam Hussein] had. The perspective of this book is not from a typical American viewpoint but from the viewpoint of those directly involved and affected by this war, the Middle Eastern people. Another photo that caught my attention was of a woman who is walking along the street of a clear ghost town. In the photo it seems that a bomb just went off and she is using her burqa to protect herself from the smoke. I liked this photo because to me it almost depicts a sense of familiarity to her almost like she is getting used to this being her everyday life. It also showcases how far this country has come from its former beauty and how tragedy, bombings, and run-down buildings are something these people have to get used to. http://www.lynseyaddario.com/

This book was a perfect representation of what not only military members see but what photojournalist see. I loved her quote of “French journalist, in general, are known for being fearless and crazy. The joke was that if a French journalist left a combat zone before you, you were screwed… (Laurent Van Der Stockt) he turned tome and said, “we’re leaving”.” Prelude-Ch.1 “It’s What I do” One of my favorite quotes that she says, "Friendships form fast in war zones." pg. 92 

When I read that quote, I couldn't agree more. It's a strange thing, war, you could have nothing in common with someone and on a normal basis probably never hangout with them but when it comes to war, you have to have somewhat of the same mentality and drive to survive which makes the bond an irreplaceable one. I have met some of my best friends in the military and had to depend on them numerous times to have my back. Addario related to this in a sense because these people were the only ones who knew what she was doing in her job and understood and that is another reason why her statement is so accurate. It’s hard to explain to someone what you’re doing or why you are doing it, if they are not there. The people you meet with have a lifelong bond with you because you all are facing the same thing every day.

I encourage everyone to read this book. She captures the scene of war perfectly and she also has an unbiased judgement which makes the book even better to read. This book puts into perspective that war, whether it is on one side or another, is a tragedy and real people are dealing with loss daily. This book to me deserves five stars for how accurate she is with detail and how every interaction almost puts you directly into that conversation. The book is so good, I might read it a second time just so I can find more details I may have missed the first run through. I highly recommend this book to any person who is not afraid to know the truth of both sides of war and who struggle with understanding humanity from an unfamiliar perspective.  

My hometown/My Neighborhood

Linn-Benton's guard, Emily Huson, drives to the basket assisting in LBCC's final score of 70 points. The Roadrunners took on the Bulldogs in the activity center at LBCC and suffered their first loss of the season this past Sunday with a final score of 74-70. Huson ended the game with 2 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists for LBCC.

Starbucks barista, Happy, prepares coffee for customers in North Albany. The North Albany location is one of several Starbucks in the Albany area and is located off of NW North Albany Rd and NW Hickory St.

The landmark I chose was First street in downtown Albany, the Historical District. I chose this street because of all the shops and restaurants this particular street has and it is the start of the Historic District.  To me, First street is pivotal to the beginning of a wonderful downtown that I personally fell in love with when we first moved to this area. The Christmas season is in full affect with lights around the trees and store fronts displaying their best seasonal decor.

Week 7 Forum

Week 7 Forum:

1. This weekend I will be in Gold Beach, OR, my husbands family is from Gold Beach and they know a huge amount about the town and what's historical, so I am leaning towards doing that town and getting all the back history about it.

2. I want to take a picture of their historical bridge but also get landmarks that people may not be so familiar with. One activity that I could take would be maybe going out on the water and getting which ever "season" is going on for example, crabbing season, salmon season, etc. One portrait idea I want to do is maybe a coach, a pastor, or a local who has been a resident for a few generations.

3. The biggest challenge I foresee is the activity feature. Numerous activities don't always happen in Gold Beach so I am eager to see if anything will happen this weekend that I can capture.

1. If I don't do Gold Beach, OR I will definitely do my town of Independence, OR. There are many areas in Independence that I can capture for the landmark one being Main Street.

2. I want to take a picture of Main Street as well as a few other landmarks to choose from. Events that might be happening are a few open mics at Jubilee, this restaurant on the corner of main or paint and wine nights at Brew.

3. The biggest challenge that I think I will face is maybe getting a portrait shot or even an event.  

Outline TWO photo stories that you could do for your final assignment.

A Cop is my first Option.

A Student/Athlete would be my second

• Who? Not sure who the person is yet but I am sure they will assign me a person. 
• What? I want to shoot a police officer during their shift capturing highs and lows of the job.
• When? I am hoping to start next week or the week after, I am kind of waiting on the Lt. to get back to me.
• Where? Corvallis, OR.

* So I really want to capture the behind the scenes of what Police Officers face and the stressors of the job. I really want to get the perspective of what the media is not portraying which is everything the officer has to go through and the thoroughness that actually goes on to make sure the person does their job according to their policies, etc. I also want to capture the good things officers do like giving back to the community and basically community involvement, however I also want to capture them in action- maybe during an arrest or a high speed chase.

* I know that I need to get in contact with Lt. Goodwin of Corvallis PD in order to set this all up so he is my main POC at the moment.