THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 23, 1994 TAG: 9412230694
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MONIQUE WILLIAMS, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: Long : 156 lines
EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Heather Crunk, a 1994 First Colonial High graduate, says it was love at first snap.
She was no older than 6 when she got her first point-and-shoot camera, and by 14, she had graduated to a single-lens-reflex camera.
``It was then that the real fun began,'' she said, because she could manipulate the lens opening and timing to achieve different results.
Crunk, who toted her camera during her travels to India, Europe, Mexico and South America, is drawn to photography because of the honesty of the medium.
``There is no distortion,'' she said. ``You can trust a picture and you can go back to it and bring back the memories and the feelings.''
It wasn't until Crunk took photography in high school and worked as a lab assistant to her teacher that she realized her avocation could turn into a vocation. Crunk will enter Virginia Tech in the fall to study communications and journalism.
``As soon as I started developing film,'' said Crunk, ``I knew that's what I wanted to do.''
To most photographers, Crunk's story is a familiar one.
``Somebody handed me a camera and it became a passion,'' said Harold Gerwien, a photojournalist for the Military Newspapers of Virginia in Norfolk and once personal photographer to four secretaries of the Navy
While passion may be one of the many attributes photographers share with one another, a formal education in today's techno-world is a must. Gone are the days when a photographer could learn the craft from a home-study course. Today's photographers are required to be computer literate and able to work with complex electronic and digital equipment.
Those who intend to become self-employed or free-lance photographers might be able to get by without a four-year degree, but employment as a photojournalist for a major newspaper or a major company requires a degree.
``It takes as long to understand the basics of photography as it does to play the piano,'' said William McIntosh, a portrait photographer in Virginia Beach who has photographed many of the local civic leaders in Hampton Roads.
Both Gerwien and McIntosh learned theirs craft before a college degree became requisite for employment. Gerwien enrolled in the Navy, took out a loan, bought a camera and began shooting. McIntosh began his career after World War II, when most photographers were self-taught. He learned his craft by reading professional materials and biographies.
Photography - like medicine and many other professions - has become a field of specialities and subspecialities. There is photojournalism, portrait photography, fashion photography, commercial photography, underwater photography, aerial photography, science photography, scenic photography, environmental photography and food photography.
Many photographers are self-employed, photographing weddings or doing family portraits. Some free-lance for companies that pay them on a per-assignment basis.
The Association of Freelance Photographers reports some 30,000 members, and the National Press Photographers Association says approximately 18,000 photojournalists are working nationwide, mostly for newspapers and magazines. Many more are unaccounted for since they operate independently and do not belong to any particular organization. THE ARTISTRY OF IT ALL
Photography touches our daily lives in many ways and behind every frozen moment, somebody is holding a camera. A good photographer can master technique, but what distinguishes photographers are their ability to capture a moment, to convey a feeling, to tell a story without words.
``Photography,'' said Gerwien ``is the coordination of heart, mind and hand.''
When all these elements fuse well, it creates indelible images. Alfred Eisenstaedt's photo of a soldier's embrace with a young woman after World War II isn't just recorded history, it captured the jubilation of the moment and the mood of an entire nation.
By far, the most intriguing subject for photographers is people. People laughing, people in agony, people playing, people doing and undoing.
``It's difficult to tell a story about a cup and a saucer,'' said McIntosh, whose favorite subject is people. ``You try to tell who they are. . . . It's not just a record of their faces.''
To those interested in portrait photography, McIntosh recommends apprenticeship at places such as Kmart or J.C. Penney's because of the volume of work available. DEDICATION IS A MUST
If visceral intuition and perception are traits that make great photographers, tenacity is the trait that allows them to triumph.
``People told me that I shouldn't be a photographer,'' said Gerwien, ``but you have to have a little belief in yourself, and you can't take no for an answer.''
Tamara Voninski, a staff photographer at The Virginian-Pilot and graduate of Western Kentucky University, was offered a position at the paper after completing two internships. She estimates that less than one-tenth of her classmates went on to get jobs.
``You have to spend every second living it and breathing it,'' she said. ``It doesn't leave much time for a social life.''
And it is expensive. The cost of cameras, lenses, film and other equipment can make it almost prohibitive to many students who barely manage to cover tuition.
Being a photographer can also be physically taxing. The equipment they carry is heavy, and they must lug it in 100-degree temperatures or standing in a downpour.
But those who make a career observing and recording the rest of us would not trade their lives for any other.
Gerwien, who took photographs for the New York Times Magazine, U.S. News and World Report and Esquire discovered early on that the camera was his passport to the world.
``If you can take good pictures,'' he said, ``the camera will take you to the ends of the earth.'' ILLUSTRATION: D. KEVIN ELLIOTT/Staff color photos
At right: Heather Crunk of Virginia Beach has pursued her interest
in photography around the world.
Below: Two photos from the portfolio of retired Navy photographer
Harold Gerwien.
Harold Gerwien has been personal photographer to four secretaries of
the Navy.
Photo
D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Heather Crunk of Virginia Beach will attend Virginia Tech in January
to major in communications and journalism. She wants to be a
photographer.
Graphics
THE BOTTOM LINE
In this area, a starting salary for a photojournalist working for
a newspaper is between $20,000 and $28,000.
In larger metropolitan areas, it's about $35,000 to $40,000. A
veteran can make $60,000.
Photographers who charge hefty sums are usually as famous as
their subjects. Reportedly, Richard Avedon charges $10,000 for a
sitting.
MORE INFO
Photojournalism
University of Missouri in Columbia, (314) 882-7651
Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, (614) 593-4100
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg,
Va., (703) 231-6267
Art photography
Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, Calif., (805)
966-3888
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, R.I., (401) 454-6300
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 636-3600
Commercial/technical
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y., (716)
475-6631
by CNB