Christmas Eve United Way Center Fire

What looked to be a nice relaxing evening with Melissa (my wife) shifted around 8 p.m. to a long night of covering a fire. A massive fire started at the United Way Center building in Columbus Christmas Eve. The building houses over 30 nonprofit community service organizations and was consumed by fire and firefighters worked through the night and most of Christmas day trying to put it out. I spent quite a few of my holiday hours there as well shooting mainly video but also a few stills. It was an occasion I won't soon forget. The cause is still unknown but doesn't seem suspicious at this point. No one was hurt in the fire and that is definitely something to be thankful for this holiday season.

United Way Center Fire from Joel Philippsen on Vimeo.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic

Columbus firefighters work to fight a fire at the United Way Center in Columbus, which started around 7 p.m. Christmas Eve. Firefighters continued working on containing the fire well into Christmas Day. Flames erupted throughout different sections of the building, which hosted a variety of community service organizations.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic

Columbus firefighters work to fight a fire at the United Way Center in Columbus, which started around 7 p.m. Christmas Eve. Firefighters continued working on containing the fire well into Christmas Day. Flames erupted throughout different sections of the building, which hosted a variety of community service organizations.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic

A Columbus firefighter walks along a picket fence amidst several fire hoses as Columbus city and Columbus township firefighters work to fight a fire at the United Way Center in Columbus which started around 7 p.m. Christmas Eve.

A Sampling

One of the things I really like about working for a newspaper is the variety of assignments that come my way. I've been slacking on my blog posts but I've been shooting a fair amount lately. I've also been working on a photo story that I'm pretty excited about for the past several weeks now. I should have that completed in the next few weeks to come. Here are some things from the past couple weeks.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic

East freshman Mitch Gilbert wrestles against Scottsburg's Quinton Shields Wednesday night at Columbus East.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic

SSG Peter Boyd stands outside the Soldier Readiness Center at Camp Atterbury as a soldier walks by Monday afternoon. Boyd who has served in several conflicts now frequently visits the behavioral health office to deal with issues.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic

Columbus firefighter Allen Smith stands beside a firetruck at Station 2 Wednesday afternoon. Smith was sent home during Tuesday night's episode of The Biggest Loser. Smith had spent 11 weeks at The Biggest Loser ranch. Smith who went to the ranch weighing 325 pounds is now weighing about 205 pounds.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic

Police officers surround a house at 703 Hutchins Tuesday night as they apprehend the suspect while pulling him out on a stretcher.

Gearing Up For Veteran's Day

Here is John Brighton. He is a World War II Army Corps of Engineers veteran. John, who I thought was a great guy, is now 90 and still tells stories like they happened yesterday. I photographed John at his home today while he showed me some of the memorabilia he had collected from the war. Veteran's Day is Wednesday and is a day that shouldn't be taken lightly.

Peace,

Joel

Joel Philippsen | The Republic John Brighton is an Army Corps of Engineers veteran who served during World War 2. Photographed at his Lafayette Ave. home Monday. Brighton will be appearing at Hauser High School on Veteran's Day.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic John Brighton holds a bible dated January 25, 1941 signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that he carried during his time in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War 2.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic John Brighton points to himself in uniform in an Army Corp of Engineer graduation picture in 1945. Brighton is a World War 2 veteranwill be appearing at Hauser on Veteran's Day.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic John Brighton speaks about his time in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War 2 at his home on Lafayette Ave. Monday afternoon. Brighton who will be speaking at Hauser High School on Wednesday for Veteran's Day said he wants to focus on telling students the opportunities the military had to offer him as opposed to telling war stories.

Remembering Woodstock

While at the Eddie Adams Workshop my group's theme was Woodstock. Each of the members of the group were assigned a different assignment somehow dealing with the historic event. The workshop is located about 10 or 15 minutes from the actual site so there are a number of people in the area that remember the event or have somehow been touched by the event.

My assignment was to photograph a couple of guys who went to Woodstock when they were teenagers. Neither of the two knew each other when they attended the event and didn't meet until later in life. They have since become good friends and own and operate a barn refurbishing business in New York State. I wasn't sure exactly how to approach the assignment at first but after a while it became evident that the story was about how two guys with different backgrounds became friends and just happened to go to Woodstock. Woodstock might not have defined their lives but it certainly made a lasting impact.

I collected some audio and put together an audio slideshow at this link. Check it out!

http://joelphilippsen.com/remembering%20woodstock/index.html

Niall laughs during a conversation with Zeke Saturday prior to heading out to a worksite.

A barn that has been refurbished by Zeke and Niall in New York.

Niall shows a bumper sticker he keeps in his truck.

Zeke closes a barn door at a barn that was refurbished on the property of one of their clients.

All images © Joel Philippsen, 2009

Back from Eddie Adams

Last week I went to the Eddie Adams Workshop, which is a photojournalism workshop out in New York state. I can't really summarize the workshop up in it's entirety so I'll just say it was bloody awesome. The workshop contained a list of amazing speakers (several of them have won the Pulitzer), the chance to work with some very talented photographers from around the world while being led by some of the best in the industry. It was an amazing learning opportunity. Here are a couple of things I took back with me.

1. I have a long way to go in this journey. ( I knew this but the workshop confirmed it.)

2. No matter who you work for, market yourself as your own business and work on things that YOU are interested in while satisfying your employer's interests too. (they do give you a paycheck)

3. Access is everything in good photojournalism. Build relationships and follow up on them. Most people want their stories told. Look them in the eye and be genuine with your intentions. Spend the extra time to get to know them.

4. Assignments are a starting point. Ask several questions about their life with visual ideas in mind and if it brings about a better visual situation than the original assignment it's all for the better.

5. Journalist with camera.

6. Follow your instincts.

7. You won't die if you only get 3 and a half hours of sleep for several days in a row.

8. Don't go wider than a 24 mm lens unless it's justified. ( I need to work on this)

9. Living in the moment while photographing someone is the only way to go. Don't have an agenda.

10. The photojournalism community is made up of some super talented people who are there to help a brother out.

Here's a feature photo of a family I photographed today cutting firewood. It's amazing how many things have stuck with me from the workshop. I find myself looking at assignments and daily features in a whole new way now. Very refreshing.

Joel Philippsen | The Republic

Skylar Sharp, 8, (right) carries a log over to a woodpile while he and his sister Jade,6, help their father James Sharp as he cuts firewood Sunday afternoon at their Walnut St. home in Hope. The Sharp's are currently working on fixing up their home that has been in their family for three generations.

Anderson Falls

Anderson Falls is a nature preserve tucked away in the eastern portion of Bartholomew County. Here is a video I produced about the area.

Anderson Falls from Joel Philippsen on Vimeo.

Selling Old Stuff

I was working Labor Day and knew there were some festivals in the area I could go out and shoot. After getting to the Labor Day Festival in Vernon, Ind. my story line for my video quickly changed. This festival once known to be a rather large antique and collectible festival had almost no one there. The rain was the biggest reason for the low turnout but after talking to a few of the vendors it seems that low turnouts are becoming the norm in this fading out profession. Check out the video below to see what they had to say.

Selling Old Stuff from Joel Philippsen on Vimeo.