One-Day Story: Bar-to-Bar Golf Classic

So Jacksonville’s annual “Bar-to-Bar Golf Classic” isn’t really about the golfing. It is more about the socializing and drinking than about showing off one’s miniature golf skills. Plus the money all goes to a charity, which changes annually as well. Here is my take on the event.

Sarah Frye follows her shot up the ramp while friend Christine Yates waits her turn to tee off at the West Morgan Depot during the Bar-to-Bar Golf Classic in Jacksonville, Ill. Each February nine downtown bars in Jacksonville each host a miniature golf hole and patrons make their way through the course as part of a charity fundraiser. Costumes are optional but Frye, Yates and about 12 other friends decided on a cowboy western theme for 2011.

Golfing patrons move from the Irish Toad to their next hole on the course. The golfing starts at the hole after the bar where a foursome registered for the event and proceeds through nine holes until the golfers finish the day at the bar where they originally registered – if they make it through all nine holes/bars.

Golfers wait their turn to take on an especially difficult hole at the Bowl Inn while other patrons use the lanes for their intended purpose.

Tyna Klopfer celebrates a hole-in-one at Bahan’s Tavern.

Golfing is secondary to the event but successful putts are greeted with cheers from teammates. Several bar owners claim this to be one of the two biggest days of the year for alcohol sales, often trailing only New Year’s Day in revenue. Jill Whitmore (right) gets a high five from her teammate Carolyn Eilering after sinking a putt. The team that turns in the best scorecard after their nine holes gets $100 – the cost of their initial team registration.

An unidentified man (who declined to give his name) relieves himself in an alleyway after a long afternoon of miniature golf (and drinking) while his teammates hurry on to the next hole on the course.

POYi reaction

I watched the newspaper feature picture story category. There was a host of good work and things I wish had been discussed more. Some of this judging is quite confusing until the final rounds when the judges are hashing out the places. I would have liked to hear was was wrong with a few of the stories that were thrown out. (A story on migrant farm workers comes to mind, as does a quirky piece on Santa Clause School) I guess that is just the way judging goes.

One thing I noticed was that redundancy in the edit is not tolerated. Those seem to be the first to go. This redundancy hurt what eventually became the third place winner. Had there been one less sleeping soldier picture I think it would have placed first instead of third. One of the judges said as much aloud.

One complaint that the judges voiced about two stories that made it to the final round (one on Amish in Southern Colorado & another on Haiti) was the lack of intimacy. With the Amish story there was no intimacy in the photos, no exploration of the relationships between the subjects. There were no photos inside any of the Amish houses. Granted this would be tough to do given the subject matter, but the judges felt the story was all about process – what the Amish community did instead of who they were.

Contrasting this was the eventual third place winner “A Grunt’s Life” by Damon Winter of the New York Times. One judged remarked that it looked like the photos had been taken by a fellow soldier because they were so intimate and access so complete. This project is the one that has created some controversy since they were shot with an iPhone using the Hipstamatic App. This in turn led to a response from Winter and eventually a chat discussion on Poynter.

I won’t rehash it all, but I think what it comes down to is the iPhone & Hipstamatic App is only a tool that Winter decided to use. When I saw them on screen during the judging I knew there was something up with them. The vignetting and desaturated colors. I just figured he shot them on a Holga or Diana or some other “toy” camera and then did a bunch of post processing work. The imagery behind the technique is solid and that is what counts. Winter claims he wouldn’t be able to make those photos with his pro camera because the soldiers would scatter as soon as he lifted it. The iPhone kept them at ease and produced the results he was after. I don’t think much noise would have been made had he done this with an above mentioned “toy” camera. Why does it matter that it’s an iPhone?

On the adoption of the Chinese albino boys, the judges only complaint was that there was no interaction with the public. I’m not sure the photographer can be held responsible for the family deciding to home school these boys. Plus there was one photo at summer camp. Perhaps that didn’t show enough public.

The story that won, the aftermath of a stray bullet that hit a child, wasn’t really discussed much. Either positively or negatively. It was just kind of nominated for first and then voted on. It is Barbara Davidson’s work for The Los Angeles Times, I believe (names still haven’t been posted for all the categories). Her work was solid, and highly awarded, throughout the contest.

Reading Reflection: Lamott – Character, Plot, Dialogue, Set Design

Character – The obvious answer for this section as it can be applied to documentary photography is get to know your subjects! This entails them getting to know me as well. People are more apt to open up their lives to someone they trust. Concealing my life does not lead to trust.

This getting to know the subject will lead to greater understanding and help the photographer anticipate their actions in any given situation. This will lead to better storytelling pictures I believe. This knowledge will help me anticipate their reactions.

I also like was Lamott has to say about showing everything about the subjects – their faults as well as their good points. This leads to better story and that ultimately is what will connect with the viewer. I’ve worked with print reporters who have struggled with this battle of “writing for the subject.” I have also questioned my photo edits asking myself if I was just choosing pictures that subjects would like or whether they were truly the most storytelling images for whatever I was covering.

Plot – “Plot grows out of character.” While this may be true in the fiction world I’m not sure it is true of documentary photography. I need to have an inkling of what the plot will be before I start a project. This takes shape in the initial interview (either formally or informally) when I’m deciding to cover something.

However, “… something must be at stake or you will have no tension and your readers [viewers] will not turn the pages.” This is the “complication” that Rita speaks of. It is the payoff for why I am spending my time and energy and why the viewer should spend theirs.

I like what she says about having a disinterested party look at the work. Having an objective, and respected, voice in the editing process. Someone who can metaphorically “kill the cats” that I have become too attached to.

“Drama is the way of holding the reader’s attention.” “setup, buildup, payoff.” – Keys to great storytelling whether in words or visuals.

I found the ornaments-with-no-Christmas-tree analogy to re-enforce the five-cents-of-string concept for holding photo essays together.

Dialogue – This one I had the most trouble relating to documentary photography. I think it comes back to getting to know your subjects. Not asking about process or what they do but rather who they are and why they do it. I suppose it can also refer to recognizing and writing good quotes when I hear them.

In the multimedia landscape, I think it refers to audio. In this way subjects can tell their own story and their voice can add power to the visuals. Again this depends on interviewing techniques to get subjects past the “process” of what they do and into the “why.” Subjects describing what visuals show is extremely boring.

Set Design – On the most basic level this is about scene setters/overall photos – where the action is taking place.

But beyond that, environments in photographs can be extremely revealing about the subjects and their motivations and character. Details can speak volumes. I’ve always believed in the axiom that five minutes in someone’s house tells more about them than hours of conversation.