THE ASSIGNMENT
Client: NJ Monthly
Capture an array of activities along the New Jersey shore for an annual family guide feature.
THE STRATEGY
Like a lot of my editorial work, most decisions are made in the field and in the moment. Good journalistic work requires quick judgements made on the scene and don't always lend themselves to intensive pre-planning or production of mapping out images. The strategy in a case like this is more about being well-informed to know which situations will yield the narrative you're going after and then manage the basic logistics of how to make the most of limited time.
Having done a lot of work on the Jersey shore, I was able to take advantage of past knowledge of the place and what makes it such a beloved family destination each year. I am an over-communicator at times so when several of the locations I'd been given were closed, I was in touch with the Art Director not just with closed doors but always with other opportunities that could fulfill the same goals. I was given a huge list of possibilities and trusted to make judgement calls about how much time to invest in which situations. When telling the story of crabbing, the small boats made it tough to find a family to follow so this became a first person experience when we included my kids, Ari and Margot, to tell the story - and we were full of delicious steamed crabs the next night!
In the end the project was a success but as with all things planned for 2020, the project reformulated as small stories printed in multiple issues over the summer instead of the big pre-summer blowout that was planned for May.
"...everyone is thrilled. The pictures look FANTASTIC, you got so much high energy and great color!!! Thanks for going the extra mile. - Laura Baer, Art Director