Miami Times
Marie De Jesus
Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: Picture gallery
Experiencing the vigor, beauty, glamour and culture of Miami is just one of the many opportunities the New York Times Student Journalism Institute allowed its participants in January. The institute, from Jan. 3-14, is the first of its kind in that it focuses on inviting students of Hispanic heritage to work side-by-side with professional editors, writers and photographers from the New York Times, as well as other top papers in the nation.
Although those 10 days included intense work and sleepless nights, the experience enriched students' understanding of photojournalism and the true nature of the news-gathering industry.
All together, we were 20 students, only four of which were photographers, representing universities from across the country, including schools such as Harvard, Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley. Converging on Miami combined all of our experiences and ideas, allowing us to learn from each other and to play on our strengths and weaknesses. Those days of working together and getting lost in Miami infused an undeniable sense of camaraderie. We became a family, a highly stressed and caffeinated one, but nevertheless, a family.
The highlight of the institute was the opportunity to present enterprise ideas for our reporting. I spent days looking for the right frames that would describe the eclectic nature of Miami's South Beach. I wanted to capture the wide range of personalities and languages characteristic of the many cultures that have made South Beach a home. The nightlife is a magnet for tourists looking to meet new people and try exotic flavors in the tropical heat. With its bevy of beautiful and appealing gourmet restaurants, architecture and high-end stores, South Beach seduces its visitors and residents with the promise of an enchanting and romantic night. The idea was to bring that forth through photographs.
When I returned to the newsroom with my images, my photo editor, Jose Lopez, fell in love with them. I knew then that I had accomplished what I set out to do and it was a great feeling. Watching those images appear on the Web site and then to be reproduced in a newspaper format is one of the proudest moments of my life. I cannot begin to describe all the things I learned, everything from writing captions - which I assure you is not easy - to coordinating with the reporters. It was only 10 days but what came out of the institute will last me a lifetime.
Although those 10 days included intense work and sleepless nights, the experience enriched students' understanding of photojournalism and the true nature of the news-gathering industry.
All together, we were 20 students, only four of which were photographers, representing universities from across the country, including schools such as Harvard, Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley. Converging on Miami combined all of our experiences and ideas, allowing us to learn from each other and to play on our strengths and weaknesses. Those days of working together and getting lost in Miami infused an undeniable sense of camaraderie. We became a family, a highly stressed and caffeinated one, but nevertheless, a family.
The highlight of the institute was the opportunity to present enterprise ideas for our reporting. I spent days looking for the right frames that would describe the eclectic nature of Miami's South Beach. I wanted to capture the wide range of personalities and languages characteristic of the many cultures that have made South Beach a home. The nightlife is a magnet for tourists looking to meet new people and try exotic flavors in the tropical heat. With its bevy of beautiful and appealing gourmet restaurants, architecture and high-end stores, South Beach seduces its visitors and residents with the promise of an enchanting and romantic night. The idea was to bring that forth through photographs.
When I returned to the newsroom with my images, my photo editor, Jose Lopez, fell in love with them. I knew then that I had accomplished what I set out to do and it was a great feeling. Watching those images appear on the Web site and then to be reproduced in a newspaper format is one of the proudest moments of my life. I cannot begin to describe all the things I learned, everything from writing captions - which I assure you is not easy - to coordinating with the reporters. It was only 10 days but what came out of the institute will last me a lifetime.
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