Thomas Miller | Oct. 24, 2010
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| Photo by Thomas Miller |
| Junior Olivia Elsner participated in the Missouri Photo Workshop, the nation's oldest documentary photography workshop. |
In September, Elsner attended the Missouri Photo Workshop, one of the oldest photography workshops in the country. Along with 38 professional and a couple of college-level student photographers representing 12 countries, Elsner spent five days in Macon learning and developing her photography by pitching, shooting and editing a story with a limit of 400 pictures for the week.
Elsner’s story, “The Proposition’s Price,” focused on the effects of a piece of legislation designed to stop puppy mills but had the side effect of hurting local dog breeders. The dog breeders who became the subjects of Elsner’s story had several bad run-ins with people posing as journalists, and when Elsner arrived, they assumed she, too, was trying to generate bad publicity about them.
“When I first got there, a guy grabbed my arm and yanked me away because he thought I worked for the humane society,” Elsner said. “I spent two hours convincing them the Missouri Photo Workshop was a real thing.”
After those two hours and some help from local residents, the breeders agreed to let Elsner tell their story.
“It’s a fabulous mistake that I got in,” Elsner joked about her acceptance into the workshop, something her mentor professor Steve Raymer would not agree with.
“I find her work very challenging,” said Raymer, a former National Geographic photojournalist who has shot all over the world and has published several books of his work. “I went home one night and told my wife ‘her stuff is so good, she may very well be a better photographer than I am.’”
Raymer first met Elsner in his J210 Visual Communications, where he said Elsner instantly stood out.
“The camera was like an extension of herself,” he said.
Since that first class, Raymer has guided Elsner and helped her develop as a photographer. Before Elsner traveled to Ghana to work as a photography intern for Proworld, a company that sponsors alternative spring break and abroad trips, Raymer helped her get ready for what she might see and what she might want to capture.
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| Photo by Olivia Elsner |
| While in Missouri, Elsner worked on a package about dog breeders affected by a law to shut down puppy mills. This shot was part of her work. |
Once there, Elsner worked with IU alumna Melissa Farlow, BA ‘74, and the Denver Post’s Craig Walker.
“Olivia shows great promise as a photojournalist,” said Farlow. “She came to the workshop very determined to succeed. She researched her story idea thoroughly and worked hard throughout the week to improve her images.”
Raymer said he was proud to be Elsner’s mentor but doesn’t take credit for her work.
“I didn’t have anything to do with it,” Raymer said. “It’s nice as a professor to be able to say that.”
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