Pablo Alcala’s 2007 Year in Review
January 3, 2008
Lexington Herald-Leader Staff Photographer Pablo Alcala presents his 2007 Year in Review in this audio slideshow.
- Charles Bertram’s 2007 Year in Review
- David Perry’s 2007 Year in Review
- David Stephenson’s 2007 Year in Review
- Mark Cornelison’s 2007 Year in Review
- Pablo’s 2006 Year in Review
- Pablo’s 2005 Year in Review
Pablo,
I think you are a very talented photographer! As are yoiur coworkers.
I watched you work at the funeral of Phillip McNeil in Owingsville and I thought a photo printed in the Herald of the young fiancee of McNeils weeping as she clutched the American flag was the strongest photo I had seen in a while.
I noticed it was not among your slideshow.
Was it too strong in your opinion?
I also appreciated your work at the Franklin Sousley memorial in Flemingsburg last Feb. and the send off of the Carlisle National Guard unit in Nicholas County this summer.
I am inspired by viewing your photographic art.
Keep up the good work and contact me at the Carlisle Mercury Newspaper in Nicholas County if you are ever in town again or in need of any assistance in our beautiful county.
Sincerely,
Charles Mattox
News editor
Carlisle Mercury.
The photo of the female friend of Sgt Phillip David McNeill hugging his girlfriend at his service is a very powerful photo. Sgt McNeill died doing what most of us would be proud to do, to defend the freedoms of the USA. This snapshot of the emotion of the moment is vivid and unforgettable. I have a son who is a medic in the Air Force, and I think of this situation daily. He thinks he will ship out to Iraq in the later half of ‘08. He is ready to go and says that he wants to do his part to preserve what we have here. I am the father but my son is the hero. God bless America.
Pablo this is great stuff! Wow, seeing these images makes me miss taking photos. You truly have the best job in the world. What other job would pay you to “see” and experience the world around you.
I don’t know if you already have other slide shows with your narration, but I think they really work. Have you tried a slideshow with narration where you explain what it was like to be there taking the photo? Like a track of narration where you either give context to the photo, or add a level of dimension by explaining to the viewer what you saw– your words talking about what you experienced. This, I feel, really helps to put the viewer in your shoes and gain a better understanding of what you were trying to capture.
Good luck!
- Jeremy
Thanks for the comments.
Charles, and Larry, I had to edit down a year of work into handful of photos. It was a hard decision to talk the one photo of McNeill’s girlfriend out, but I was trying to keep it at one photo per event I covered. As someone who has lost close members of my family, and spent time with Marines in Iraq, I take those assignments very seriously. I think it is the hardest part of my job, to take photos of a situation when I would rather look away. It might be the most important as well.
Jeremy, we have done these slideshows for the past three years. I think newspapers in general are hesitant to use voice overs too much as the main way of telling a story. Maybe we just try and find the hardest way of doing things to our own peril. We have a photo department blog here and maybe that would be a good place to start something like you mentioned. I have to give a very public “Thank You” for your hard work at the Knight Digital Media Center workshop I just attended. I learned so much and also broadened my perspectives on this whole multimedia thing.
Pablo,
Good work, enjoyed looking at it, keep up the good work.
Frank