ERIN SUTHERLAND

On Thursday, July 8, 2010, I had the pleasure of covering President Barack Obama’s speech to employees of Smith Electric Vehicles and special guests, including Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, in Kansas City, Mo. My good friend Joel Kowsky started the whole chain reaction that got him, me, and my other good friend Kristen DiFate credentials to produce a multimedia piece of the event for the Columbia Missourian.

Watch the video here.

This fortune came exactly eight days after I found out that I would be attending the 60th Missouri Photo Workshop in St. James, Missouri. August 1, 2008. Little did I know how it would manifest.

I came across it looking back through my photostream and project365. Funny how much things have changed since this fortune. I’d say it was pretty accurate.

Life is good.

Scott and I went to St. Louis to see some fireworks and hang out with my Bestest Friend in the Entire Universe™, Becky, and her boyfriend Mark. Our original plan was to get off the train at the arch. However, we were running late and got off at the wrong stop.

That was one of those perfect mistakes. I think this may be one of my most favorite photographs I’ve taken this summer.

originally posted on the staff class blog.

Day one.

Day two.

Day three.

These are my selects for my project365 from all three days I spent at the Missouri High School Rodeo State Championships. The first night, I came in to finish up for Jonathan when he had to leave for the newsroom. It was HOT. The second day was actually on my shift, and it was even HOTTER. And dirtier. And longer. The third night, Scott and I went back for the finals. Thankfully, the weather cooled off a bit and it was a nice night. Before coming to Mizzou, I would never have pictured myself spending three days at a rodeo.

What an experience, covering an event like this. I’ve never seen a rodeo before, let alone hang out with horses standing pretty much on top of you everywhere. I had only touched a horse once, at the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival this past October. I got dirty, climbed fences, watched cowboys get trampled, got almost underneath horses and leaned over the tops of holding pens to get a better angle praying the camera wouldn’t slip out of my hand. (The strap was wrapped around my wrist quite a few times, but still.) Standing in the shower before bed on Friday night, all I could think was, “Who is this person I’ve become?”

Moments like this, my friends, is what we live for.

Originally posted to the staff class blog.

The cookie.

The reaction.

Happy cookie day, Andie.

(This was the first cookie she had in about six and a half years due to diabetes. She recently got a clean bill of health, directly related to changing her diet and state of mind. You go, healthy girl.)

Originally posted to my staff class blog.

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Kristen and I are gearing up for a multimedia piece on demolition derby in and around Columbia, MO. We decided to start with reconnaissance work at the Auxvasse derby this past weekend. It was my first time going to an event like this, and I’m quite excited to say it’s not the last this season. May the photo gods smile upon us as we piece this story together.

(So say we all.)

After long wait, it is finally time. Presenting …

Interfuse 2010 from Erin Schwartz on Vimeo.

Interfuse 2010: Welcome Home.

I have this note everywhere, but please be aware that there is some tastefuly-presented nudity in this project. If this could get you in trouble at work, wait to view it at home. It’s totally worth it.

Notice something funny about this photo?

Yes, you’re right. There are no people.

Last week, I went on a wild story chase to Dubuque, Iowa to see how IBM has affected their community since opening a call service center about 18 months ago. We had grand plans – photos, stories, maybe even multimedia. The reporter, Gikunju, and I were stoked. Six hours in the car later, we found ourselves in this beautiful community. Little did we know there were iron gates ahead.

IBM has very strict PR policies. We knew this going in, and heard our first rumblings of “no” within minutes of starting our search for stories. Carefully crafting our questions to avoid the possibility of breaching their NDA’s, we asked mostly about how they liked living in Dubuque, if they had problems with their housing at first, if they came here without their families, and most importantly (at least for me) if we could take pictures and video.

“I’m sorry, but you need to go through our PR representative.”

We did find a handful of people to talk, and even fewer that agreed to photographs, but overall, we were met with the iron cold shoulder from the IBMers. Visually, I saw almost nothing that would work. Empty apartment rooms, empty streets, empty stores. I still feel defeated.

I know there were visual stories to be told. The access was just not there.

originally posted to my staff class blog.

Okay, he’s my parents’ dog, technically. But I love him the same. Check out this little video of him at a recent Greyhound picnic, bobbing for biscuits.