Two summers ago I got hired to work at a photo agency on a web project about Australia to be published on washingtonpost.com. I don't know what the man who hired me was thinking, trusting me with a very expensive project. I knew just enough about HTML to have posted my resume and portfolio on my web site. I was a second year graduate student at the Missouri School of Journalism, so I knew something about photo editing. Apart from that, I was woefully underqualified for the job.

I learned fast.

Using Altavista and a big map I researched and planned 24 time sensitive picture stories for the photographer. I knew when the rodeos were taking place in each state and territory, who was in charge of Surf Life Saving in Western Australia, who to talk to in Coober Pedy and which Opal festival was which. Did you know they have Pizza Hut's in Tasmania? I did not. I made the travel arrangements for his journey from Perth to Sydney. I edited his photos, his audio and most of all his text, polishing the rough materials he ftp'd me into something worth looking at. I learned about web production, becoming fluent in HTML and a self-proclaimed expert in how to prepare photos for the web.

In the process I became intimately familiar with a place I have never visited. I also became disappointed with the product - feeling like the photographer didn't make use of my research and the opportunity to the full potential.

I want to go back and do it myself.  Perth to Sydney, stopping at a few of those places in between.

I'm a photojournalist. I love to write and I have an online journal, but who doesn't. With a laptop and a camera, not to mention something to photograph and write about, I could put together a pretty compelling web adventure.

C'mon, Justin, I'm the man for the job. Your miles will be well spent on me.

Curriculum Vitae:
My Biography
My Resume
My Journal
That Australia project
My Photo Web site
Photos of my traveling lizard Harvey