I woke up at 6am Saturday morning to the flash of lightning outside of my window. I needed to leave within the next hour to ensure that I made it to the Georgia National Fairgrounds on time for a photojournalism workshop. I was feeling pretty angsty– I hate driving in the rain, it was fall break, and I wasn’t traveling with my team to our game against Western Carolina.

All in all, that does not make for a great morning, but luckily your morning doesn’t dictate the rest of your day.

Fast forward about 45 minutes, some confusing GPS directions, and a whole lot of rain later, we finally arrived at the GNF.

The experience was definitely something to be repeated– I tried a little bit of everything: cows, drill shows, carnival rides, and fair food… and I took a lot of photos. There’s something to be admired about a true state or national fair. You’re surrounded by couples and families, people who are looking to add a little flare to their everyday lives, as well as carnies– people who have made the fair their every day lives.

I saw a lot of things through my camera lens. Happy families, worn-out children of all ages, bright colored signs and a whole lot of reflections. The weird thing about photojournalism to me is that once you capture the proverbial ‘perfect’ moment, you have to spoil it. It is then your job to talk to the people identified in your image so that you can share their story with others. It is no longer enough to simply let the photo speak for itself– without your words, the fullest meaning of the image may not be realized.

That’s definitely a concept that will take me a while to appreciate.