The Picture Story: Blog post One

I am drawn to photo stories that have shot variety- that show not only the subject, but that subject's individuality as well as photos that show the "whole picture" of the story.

I like dynamic photos- ones that show emotion, convey information about the story rather than just what they look like.

I did a project on George Wren, a cobbler who owned Birkenstock on Broadway a couple years back in Advanced about cobblery and that though it is in some ways a dying industry, it makes a small comeback in times of economic trouble.

George, at the time, was doing alright due to economic difficulties, but a few months after I did the project, was forced to shut down his business and began working at Dillard's.

I found out a few weeks ago that he is about to start working with Bob Dawson, another iconic cobbler of Columbia and so I am really interested in doing another story about cobblery, improving upon methods used last time.

I took alot of detail shots to allude to economic difficulty and tried unsuccessfully to use background ambient radio noise, which I think ended up seeming pointless and distracting.

In the last story, I stayed pretty much within the confines of Birkenstock, so depending upon interest in the story, I may ask for access to the cobblers' homes.

Cobblery is infamous for its being an occupation most generally passed down through the generations, so I would like to get more of a feeling of the history of these men and their ancestors role in the field.

I want to more seamlessly and less jarringly include ambient sound in my piece, as I think borders on distracting in this photo essay, which I've made reference to in the past:

Another chance for Michael Vick's dogs

I would also like to get the cobblers' customers into this piece- what kind of people get their clothing or accessories repaired or can they even be catergorized?

What direction is the industry going now?

Will George Wren continue bringing his dog to work?
Why did his business ultimately fail?
What was it like working at a department store versus owning his own business?
What made him decide to go work with Bob?
Will they be able to hire back his assistant repairman?

Here is a low quality version of that photo story: