Changes in Journalism

Flying High

Tue, 6 Jul 2010 00:31:37 -0400

It was time to go up in the air for the third time of my oil-spill adventures. This time on a Coast Guard HC 144 to fly over the site of the Deepwater Horizon spill and the new skimmer “A Whale.”
My goal for this last week of coverage is to get up in the air as many times as possible. Hopefully, by helicopter a few more times. Nothing is more fun than hanging out of flying machines taking pictures.
On a side not, but also flying high, I had my first photograph published in The New York Times.
A special thanks to Luke Sharrett, an intern for The Times and good friend/fellow photographer, who recommended me to the national desk for the assignment.
Here is a link to the story.
It’s going to be another exciting week in the Gulf of Mexico.

My Best,

- Steve

Three Days in One

Fri, 2 Jul 2010 00:10:55 -0400

After running around the Gulf of Mexico for weeks at a time, telling a story can become so regular that you lose sight of what is really going on.
To avoid this, I did what I knew best - I got on the open road and headed West.
I had an idea of where I wanted to go, but no clear direction of what story I was going to tell.
Ending up in a place like Pass Christian is exactly what I wanted and exactly what happened.
Twice destroyed by hurricanes, this small coastal community is facing an even bigger threat as the oil sits off their beaches.
One multimedia project would not do the trick, and I didn’t have a writer with me for the day.
Here is their story in words, pictures and video.

My Best,

- Steve

Back in the Saddle Again

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:46:41 -0400

Just a quick update from the Gulf of Mexico...
In Pensacola, Fla. now working on a few pieces for the Miami Herald on the locals reaction to the spill. It is very similar work to Louisiana, but with a quirky Florida twist. Everything in Florida is odd - and plastic.
Pensacola is nowhere near as rustic or “southern” as Louisiana - nor is it a fishing village.
It is difficult to take people seriously when they say they are living off of the water when I doubt they know how to fish.
After working on this story for nearly two months on and off you can get a little desensitized and not much surprises you anymore.
This week will include HazMat training, Joe Bidon and a Jimmy Buffet concert.

More to come soon...

- Steve

Turtle Hunting

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 00:02:04 -0400

The creature slowly emerged from the white foam.
Contrasting with the white-foam waves crashing against Ft. Lauderdale beach it still took us by surprise.
Old tracks were visible and had our fixed attention when out of the corner of my eye, in a black night as dark as the ocean floor, a 450-lb. prehistoric animal moved ashore.
Immediately backing up and diving behind a sand dune, I crawled into position - ready to fire.
Waiting for the right moment and trying to focus with no light, I fired.
But it got away.
Slowly returning to the mysterious world from which it came.
The loggerhead sea turtle, like many other species or turtle, are nesting this time of year off of Florida's beaches, and I was on a mission - to shoot a nesting loggerhead sea turtle off guard.
Sounds pretty bad, right?
Don't worry, no turtles were harmed in the making of this blog post.
My mission was to shoot photographs and video of the nesting mothers of the ocean. No guns present.
We got to the beach around 11 p.m. and in two hours we spotted three loggerhead turtles and a half dozen tracks along with a dozen nests.
It has been a very active season according to our guide, but this doesn't promise a nesting turtle.
After hours of searching we came up empty handed, but that was ok. Just witnessing these massive creatures on land was enough of a victory for me, and the multimedia feature was still possible.
After my writer and I combed the beach and wrote/recorded a script, we parted at about 1:30 a.m.
Here is our feature.
In this case, the journey was certainly more important than the destination, and this adds to my long list of entertaining stories that have come from the photo desk of the Miami Herald.

My Best,

- Steve

How to Cover an Oil Spill

Sat, 5 Jun 2010 00:16:48 -0400

How do you pack for a trip that has no final destination or ending date?
Carefully.
Oh, and you must be able to carry it on an airplane and get it through security.
Very carefully.
One last thing. You have 12 hours to go from driving on the turnpike in Florida to boarding an airplane in Ft. Lauderdale.
Go!
For anyone who is planning to cover a story like the BP oil spill, this blog post is for you! (Shamwow!)
First, plan to do laundry. I know, this is something you’d never think about doing on vacation. Well, no matter where you go, it is not a vacation.
Light, light, light...
My responsibilities for The Miami Herald were to cover the spill, shoot galleries of photos and multimedia packages daily. This means photo and video equipment.
Tripods are awesome, but monopods are smaller. You may have to do more work to steady your shot (especially during those long press conferences).
Shoot your video with a DSLR like the Nikon D3s, D300s or Canon 5DmkII. Compact is key and having a video camera and still camera is too much to carry.
Be girly, bring lots of shoes.
I pack sneakers, sandals and, most importantly, boots.
One last piece of advice. Stay in constant contact with your writers and editors. Even if they’re not on the ground, and while sometimes it seems like they have no idea what is going on in ground zero, you’re wrong.
You may have the story idea that is best, but they know what else is going on in the hometown where your publication is.
Now, if your gut says go do a story, then go do it.
I’ve learned a lot over the past two weeks on how to balance what I want to cover and what my editors want me to cover. The solution is communications. As long as everyone knows what you’re doing it will be smooth sailing.
But most importantly, have fun! I was lucky enough to be sent to New Orleans, La., and I’ll admit, I’ve never had a bad meal in this city.
Thanks again to all of the writers, editors and friends who have helped me over the past two weeks.
An even more thanks to the great people of Louisiana. I have yet to meat a mean person in this state and I don’t think I ever will.

My Best,

Steve

Complete Equipment List

Nikon D300s (video/stills)
Nikon D300 (2 bodies)
Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8
Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Nikon 300mm f/2.8
Rode Stereo Mic for DSLR
Manfrotto Superclamp
Manfrotto Monopod
Pocket Wizards
Zoom H4n audio recorder
Microphone with clamp and 10ft. of cable
Apple MacBook Pro 15”
Apple iPad 3G
Apple iPhone 3Gs
Western Digital Passport Hard Drive (250GB)
G-Technology External Hard Drive (2TB) (Backup drive)
Backpack
Boots, Sandals, Sneakers
Pelican Case for camera (highly recommended for traveling by boat)
LED light for camera
Bottled water and granola bars (you never know when your next meal could be)

The Big Picture

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 23:03:13 -0400

Like many Americans who live near the Gulf of Mexico, I grew up on the water.
I got my SCUBA license when I was 12 and before then, I was snorkeling, canoeing, body surfing and doing most other forms of water-based activities you can think of. Without water, I might have turned out to be an overweight college student addicted to video games or a fan of just “hanging out.”
Instead, I am active, and I have water to thank.
For 13 days, the Gulf of Mexico has been my home - specifically, Barataria Bay, Timbalier Bay and Terrebonne Bay.
These three bodies of water are rich with the best seafood in the world and arguable the most exotic place on earth.
For every new friendly face I meet in Louisiana, I say the same thing at some point in our conversation.
“You don’t want me here,” in serious tone. “The longer I’m here, the worse it is for you.”
Sometimes I say in jest, “I hope to never see you again.” Jokingly, of course, because these are truly the nicest people on earth that are being destroyed by a 22-inch pipe spewing out the most foul substance mother nature could concoct.
There is a reason oil is buried miles below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.
While I have been covering the catastrophic events of the BP spill, I have only seen the small picture.
I’ve flown with blackhawk helicopters, ridden on countless boats and trenched my way through many wetlands.
Today was different, I flew out on a fixed-wing HC-144 Coast Guard aircraft to see the spill from an altitude of 1,500 feet.
As I stared out of the plexiglass window, my cheery, intoxicating level of enthusiasm began to sink.
All I could see for miles was the glimmer of oil on the surface of water I grew up in.
All I could smell was the stench of thousands of barrels of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.
All I could think of was, what if this doesn’t stop, and what can I do?
This was before we even reached the sight of the spill.
I was in for a long flight.
I started to get a little queazy and moved back to my original seat, laced with cargo netting and a single belt - something you would see in a military movie - to gather my thoughts.
To truly understand the vastness of this problem you need to see the big picture.
No, the big picture is not what CNN tells you is going on in the gulf.
The big picture is not the millions of gallons of oil in our waters.
The big picture is Adam Verdin, a 20-year-old fisherman who makes a living in Isle de Jean Charle.
The big picture is Rev. Mike Tran of Our Lady of the Isle Catholic Church in Grand Isle trying to bring hope to his distraught parishioners who have given up.
The big picture is with Mike Ellis, who owns a $250,000 charter fishing boat in Venice and now cannot fish and cannot get a call back to work for BP.
I know that not everyone has the luxury I have of meeting these people, but instead of believing every story told on the television about BP executives and destroyed beaches. Try and think of the one thing that defines your life. For some, this might be their life’s work, or their family or their land.
Now take away the one thing that defines your life. Just as the water has been taken away from Louisiana, and think about how you’re supposed to file a claim for your livelihood.
Is that really worth a few thousand dollars?
The big picture and big lesson I learned today was a spill like this effects everyone - even those, right now, drinking on Bourbon Street.
This is not my last blog post from the big easy, nor my last day.
But today was a turning point in my understanding of the BP oil spill, and I hope to share these experiences with as many people as possible.
I leave Louisiana on Saturday, but this story will take much longer to leave me.

My Best,

- Steve

The Nicest People in the World

Mon, 31 May 2010 21:05:29 -0400

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I spend a lot of time traveling, and I am fortunate enough to meet a lot of interesting people.
It is day eleven in Louisiana, and I must say, I cannot find one mean person in this entire state.
Anywhere.
Yesterday, Lesley and I were out in Grand Isle looking for a nice feature story dealing with the BP oil spill. We found a small Catholic Church and went in for mass.
We left making new friends and getting great stories.
One article, gallery and multimedia piece later we were wrapping up our work for the day and remembered that two people that were in the story had invited us over to check out a different part of Grand Isle.
So we called just to see what was up.
They invited us out on their fishing boat for a tour.
We circled most of Grand Isle, saw dolphins, pelicans, shrimp boats and plenty of coast guard boats.
Throughout this trip, I have met the nicest people in the world. I have so many thank-you notes to write and pictures of new friends to post online because of the generous help that the people of Louisiana have given to members of the press like myself.
I can’t wait to meet all the new faces I will come across this week and certainly have a lot of friends to visit when I come back.

My Best,

- Steve

The Best Place in the World to Get a Flat Tire

Sat, 29 May 2010 23:56:41 -0400

There are few places in the world so remote as the Louisiana bayou with so many friendly people as Isle de Jean Charles.
This is quite a statement for someone who has not traveled the world nor met all of its people.
I can assure you that in my lifetime it will be hard to find another place like this.
Rarely do I feel out of place, but on this day I felt like I was from another world.
In Isle de Jean Charles, people live off the water. They eat off the water. They are defined by the bayou.
Isle de Jean Charles is a special place that makes you think, “is this really in America?”
Not because of the run-down homes, or wrecked shrimp boats. This place is unique because its people make do with anything that comes there way.
Floods, hurricanes, erosion and especially, oil.
Many things have been taken from the Houma people in Isle de Jean Charles, but they still do not leave.
They refuse to give in to the oil companies or any obstacle that may threaten their way of life.
Yet, even with these obstacles created by outsides, they will welcome any person who is passing by or just curious about their way of life.
After taking a tour of the bayou and learning about the shrimping, crabbing, craw fish and oyster industry, a feast was prepared.
Not on a silver platter but on paper plates and rusty, rotted wooden tables and chairs.
It was the best meal of my life.
It tasted better than any five-star restaurant.
But the warm flavor of the people made the meal perfect.
It’s not what you eat but in what company you eat with. The Houma people were my family by the end of the day, and their stories are too good to be properly told in words, pictures or video, but I will try.
A multimedia piece is coming soon, and I will update the blog when it comes.

My Best,

- Steve

Putting Life on Hold

Fri, 28 May 2010 08:40:22 -0400

I am far from a “grizzled journalists.”
I am not nearly wise enough to have “war stories.”
But even at this early point in my career, I am putting life on hold.
I say this after talking to countless reporters covering the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico this week. People who work for The New York Times, the Washington Post, AP, Getty, Reuters, German TV, CNN, ABC, NBC and all of the acronyms you can dream up.
All of us have put some aspect of our lives on hold to get the story, and most of us are ok with that.
I got a call on Thursday from my editor asking me to stay another week in New Orleans to continue covering what is now know as the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
I couldn’t say no.
I said “of course!”
What had completely slipped my mind because of the saturated levels of oil-ridden thoughts running through my brain was the friends and family back home.
Specifically, one of my dear friends who will be leaving on Tuesday, June 1 for Ghana, Africa to work for the Peace Corps.
I get back to Florida on June 5.
She is an absolutely amazing person who is putting far more on hold in her life than I, and I cannot write enough about how she will be missed over the next 27 months.
While I am in Louisiana knee deep in oil she will be saying her goodbyes to friends and family - leaving them for over two years.
I wish you the best of luck and to be safe.
But above all, even safety, take some great pictures.

My Best,

- Steve

A Little Reprieve

Wed, 26 May 2010 23:40:31 -0400

While some might not consider oil-soaked pelicans a reprieve - when you’re knee deep in oil stories day in and day out this tends to be a happier subject.
After interviewing the director of Tr-State Bird Rescue, it seems that this operation is the only effective project that is producing results in the Gulf.
There are at least quantifiable statistics on how many birds are getting clean and being released when compared to the mystery of how much oil is out in the waters of Louisiana and what is being done about it.
I spent an hour filming the pelicans and was able to quickly turn around a gallery and multimedia piece to MiamiHerald.com.
Tomorrow, it’s back to the marshes where who knows how much oil we will find.
It’s like a car chase from a James Bond movie when searching for this oil. Fortunately, and unfortunately, there is a lot of it, but it moves with the tides and is difficult to access.
There will be more updates tomorrow about the marshes and charter fisherman.

Click here to watch the video of the pelicans being cleaned.

My Best,

Steve