Joe Philipson

Saturday morning, late morning, my friend Michael Carnrike sent me a text saying if I wanted to fly in an airplane I better meet him at the airport in an hour.

It snowed the night before, so before we could go up the runway had to be plowed.

While the plane gets filled we look at the plane and take it in.

Soon, we will be thousands of feet in the air.

The plane rumbles to life, shooting adrenaline into my body.

The miracle of flight. It’s good to live when we do.

We made some incredible maneuvers and pulled enough g’s that it was difficult for me to shoot at times, a roller coaster whose track lay only in the mind of the pilot.

Yup, and that’s the ground right there. We pivot on our left wing and corkscrew through the sky.

A scenic pass through Rochester, New York’s very own lower falls. You can see the mist from the waterfall rising up above the bridge.

After we landed I asked Mike if I could take a photograph of him in the front seat before we left.

I had a great time and it was a photographic first for me.

Luminaria – a small paper lantern which is of significance in New Mexico especially on Christmas Eve.

This is a quick story about luminaria in Berkeley, CA. Something that is just beginning to take off. As a personal challenge, I shot and edited this in the same night. Only now am I uploaded it because I have decent internet. But I think it was a success. I hope the photos and video portray the spirit of christmas as I walk through the neighborhood of North Berkeley.

The photographs are best viewed in HD, it’s worth the load time. Happy Buffering!

2nd Annual Rochester Tweed Ride from Joe Philipson on Vimeo. 10/30/11 – Rochester, NY. Photographs and video from this years Tweed Ride. // joephilipson.com

I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph Tammy and Jordan in Austin, TX a couple of months ago. I left for Austin two weeks after my road trip back from California where I had shot Sarah Michael’s wedding. I really loved this couple, they made me feel more welcome then ever before and I put this wedding up there as the best one. Not because it was the most expensive or had the best venue, but because the people were so genuine and honest and it really showed in with the photos. I tried to widdle down the images but I just see the expression and the moment in all of them.

I’ve known Sarah since I was a sophomore in high school. When she asked me to do her wedding of course I agreed.

An old friend of mine, Sarah Michael, asked if I’d shoot her wedding at the beginning of the year. I told her I’d be honored. The wedding took place in my hometown Lancaster, California.

As I sit and edit these photos I process the day slowly, remembering each event. It was a pretty crazy (in a really great way) day. I’ll put more photos up as soon as I finish all of them. So far I’m quite happy and excited.

The week has been intense, with multiple meetings on different days with different agencies. I’ve learned a lot about how to practically go about getting out there and being a freelancer. I made some great contacts that I hope to utilize soon in the future as I start my career as a freelance photojournalist.

Based on the discussions I’ve had with multiple editors I feel that the best place for me to land when I’m finished with school is either back in Hawaii, or in Los Angeles where I’m originally from. I learned also that it’s not so much about taking great photos as it is about telling great stories. I definitely need to work on that aspect of my photography. Technically I’m proficient but I feel I lack the story telling capabilities.

To help myself with these things I’ve decided to start reading more, which I have been doing. (Since making this decision I’m on my 3rd book) Not just reading more but analyzing how the story develops. How it begins, arcs, and then concludes.

I learned about what’s expected of me as a freelance photographer. How much I expect to be paid, how long I should be working, how I should be submitting my work. How to pitch work if I find myself in a situation that I feel may be news worthy.

I wish I was able to meet and discuss these things before I had my summer internship with LA Inc. but I am now looking forward to what I have to do and what I need to learn. I’m just so literal at times that I hope I can get my head around it.

Photography started out as something fun, a way of expression for me. However, I want my photography to mean something more than just something nice to look at for me and my friends and family. I want my photographs to say something, and to make an impact. I have an opportunity coming up to work with a non-profit this quarter. I am going to work on developing this story, so that it can reach a wider audience because it has a deeper message.

I need to get over my fear of asking people for their information for captions, which is easier to do when you’re working for someone, but none-the-less I should not have this dilemma. I need to be content with shooting minor things because, although it looks cool to have a huge event in your portfolio, it isn’t as impressive as pulling off stunning photos of a little league game.

Day five was pretty much the same as all the other days. Same talks, same questions, same answers, different place. Today it was NPR, Reuters, and Washington post.

I really loved NPR, it had the feeling of a startup company that has always drawn me in. It didn’t have the same strict feel about it that the other organizations we visited did. Not saying that they weren’t as professional as the others but I could definitely sense a company culture unlike the other places I visited.

Reuters, like many of the others, stressed the importance of video as a skill set, however, I’m not convinced that “Multimedia” is the future. It’s just another tool, in the hands of the story teller.

Washington post was great, we got some of our work reviewed, including the slideshow I made for LA Inc. about Manny Aguirre. I got some great feedback and can’t wait to go back and re-edit. It was also nice to see a lot of the projects my fellow classmates put out this summer.

Today was the last day, I arrived back in Rochester around 4am. Good to be home, since it feels like I haven’t been back since I left for LA.

And now the gallery: