signs and communication

As Tuesdays go, today has been a rough one. School is running me ragged. It's been one of those days when you just don't feel like even getting out of bed, let alone going to class or doing homework. Let's note that projects kept me up and at the computer lab until about 5:30 a.m. last night, and it's 4 a.m. now. You can imagine my level of enthusiasm for my 8 p.m. CM-Life assignment tonight after doing more homework all day.

Don't get me wrong. Shooting for CM-Life is a coveted position for anyone who's serious about photojournalism at Central, and being a CM-Life staff photographer is incredibly important to me. However, this is the point in the year when the sun seems gone forever and work seems here for longer.

Evening assignments also often instill a kind of inertia in me; after the day of school, I crave kickback time with friends, a run to blow off steam, or just a nice cold PBR. Long story short, I was running on empty when I arrived at Plachta tonight to shoot the Deaf Professional Artists Network's presentation.

I didn't know what to expect. I'd borrowed a long lens for the occasion, knowing I'd need it to procure a few dreaded "speaker shots," and waited meekly in the aisle, cutline book tucked in my jeans, for things to get rolling.

After a mildly long-winded introduction from a quite well-meaning RSO leader, a guy came out and began speaking. But he wasn't just talking with his mouth, he was speaking with his hands.

Sean Forbes, deaf rap artist and founder of the Deaf Professional Artists Network (D-PAN) speaks about his passion for music and sharing it during the Deaf Professional Artists Network's visit to CMU Tuesday in Plachta Auditorium.

Never having come in close contact with anyone fluent in sign language, my lackadaisical mood flipped into one of fascination. The fluidity and dexterity of Sean Forbes' fingers and wrists was beautiful to me. I decided to snap a few 'safe shots' (in-the-box portraits without much inspiration) and then focus on capturing the fluency of hands signing. I was entranced.

I returned to the office for deadline and told my editor, Ashley, about my vision for the night, crossing my fingers she would choose the 'artsier' imagery I had in mind. I'm really excited to say that a detail set much like the one I have edited above (in color, and with different hand gestures because I can't remember which frames we chose and I must've shot over a hundred) is running as a secondary image on the front page. I'd prefer it run big and primary, but this stylized sort of work is a rarity in CM-Life.

This is the first time I've really pitched my vision for an assignment; it wasn't anything wildly earth-shattering, but I'm so pleased it's getting published this way. Here's to all kinds of communication, be it sign language or sharing vision, and getting that cold beer when things wind down for the week.