Photos, Text & Multimedia by Andrew Burton
Photography JuniorS.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
In August 2008 I was able to act as an assistant to the photographers working for Newsweek magazine. While my immediate tasks were to carry camera gear, know which athletes to watch and have equipment ready on a moment's notice, I was also able to shoot for myself during lulls in the competition. However, the photographers I was aiding would already have the best gear, leaving me with less-than-ideal, left-over lens and camera bodies.
The situation made me think critically and creatively about what I was shooting, and how to have a different perspective. For instance, while covering the men's horizontal bars in gymnastics, photographers would use focal lengths ranging from 70mm – 300mm. I was left with a 400mm, forcing me to take a much tighter look at the athletes I was photographing. On the opposite end of spectrum, I was left with a wide-angle lens at a women's track and field event, where a lens with a large focal length is usually desired. Again, I was forced to look at the event in a different light, which hopefully allowed me to walk away with a unique image.
By the time of the closing ceremonies, I had learned a lot about how to act as a responsible photojournalist in the real world and how to make better photos. The above selection are the best photos I took.
