Flying Short Course

Stops (Oct. 2004)

23rd
Secaucus
24th
Detroit
26th
Minneapolis
28th
Oklahoma City
30th
Ventura

Speakers

NPPA 47th Flying Short Course

October 2004

Chris Curry

[Photo of Chris Curry]

Growing up in Houston, TX I began studying fine art photography at the Art Institute of Houston and soon discovered photojournalism. I was inspired by the work of Diane Arbus and Eugene Richards.

I began to look more closely at the work in my hometown newspaper, The Houston Chronicle, and was amazed at how well the photographers told a story in their pictures. I knew that I had found my life’s passion-trying to capture spirit as well as imagination and all within a single frame.I used the work I saw in the Chronicle as a template and began making pictures for a portfolio, which landed me my first job at the Lufkin Daily News, circulation,17,000.

After learning all I could at the LDN I took a chance on a job I came across on the NPPA job bank and moved to the Midwest to serve as a photojournalist for The Hawk Eye, circulation, 23,000, the daily newspaper for Burlington, Iowa.Following that year I was hired on at the Peoria Journal Star, circulation, 90,000, in Peoria, Ill., a newspaper two hours south of Chicago. With a bigger staff I found more time to concentrate on personal projects.

Last year I decided to take on a project on the Amish, located near Arthur, Ill. A challenge, since the Amish don’t usually allow pictures of themselves to be made. I had given up about a hundred times when I met a minister, Willis Bontraeger, who took pity on me. We began talking like old chums and he invited me to their Sunday service and even allowed me to bring a camera. Although, it would have been nice for Bontraeger to tell the other parishioners that I would be attending their church service.

I received many perplexed looks on the faces of the families and many heated exchanges but once they saw that the minister had given me an invitation they began to welcome me one by one. And slowly the story came together.I feel that projects and stories are a bonus for readers. While daily work is the bread and butter of any newspaper, personal projects allow journalists to tell a little bit more than the who, what, when, why, where and how. They showreaders that journalists do care about the community and want to use their medium to make a difference.

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