Author: DAISY FAGUNDES

I couldn’t execute my original video idea, so I ended up doing my video project showcasing NYC during COVID. I interviewed my friend Erianna and a local security guard, both have had completely different experiences during this time. Thank you so much for a great semester, everyone stay safe!

I would like to do my video project on immigrant families. My family immigrated here from Portugal and I think it would be interesting to interview some of my family members, older and younger, to receive their insight on the process, the cultural difference, the language, etc. If possible, I would also like to include my experience as well.

Title: The Untraditional Route to Success

Host intro: In this day and age, many people believe the only way to success is going to college. But that is not necessarily the case. Two 22 year old, freelance creatives, decided to take her dreams into her own hands. Daisy Fagundes has the story.

*Vacation Manor song Playing*

I am with Ali Fitzgerald in her bedroom in Bushwick, a Brooklyn neighborhood known for being home to many young artists and creative types. Ali’s love for music shines through her extensive record collection. Her pink record player sits right by her bed with a massive Vanilla candle. Every night Ali throws a record on and lights her candle, giving her room a very calm aesthetic.  Music has always been a driving force in her life, and it is the reason she got into concert photography.

ACT (Ali): I went to a concert for one of my favorite musicians and I met his photographer, who was a super cool guy, and I was like wow this guy’s got a really cool gig going for him.

TRACK: When Ali discovered her love for photography, she immediately asked her mother for her camera. This led directly to her first photography job.

ACT (Ali): I was able to shoot the day after my mom gave me the camera. There was a small independent band called Vacation Manor and they were playing a free show at a local bowling alley in my hometown.

TRACK: The stars definitely aligned in Ali’s favor. This shoot was the first of very many shoes that she would shoot in her career.

ACT (Ali): Freelance itself, in the meaning of the term is kind of you are doing your own thing and creating your own schedule and essentially working for yourself. So, being a freelance photographer kind of means that you’re not tied down to any particular job or any particular artist you kind of just do what you want when you want to do it. If that is just a hobby that is the same freelance if you were making a whole career out of it. It is just kind of on your own.

TRACK: Freelance is becoming more and more popular, especially in the United States. Over 57 million Americans do freelance work and in 2019 freelance workers contributed over 1 billion dollars to the US economy. When in need only 25% of freelance workers said they can find work within a day. Therefore, freelance work may instill a fear of sometimes not being able to pay your bills.

ACT (Ali): For some, it does. For me personally, I am still working on growing myself and growing my brand, and I am working several minimum wage jobs to pay my bills now while I try to create a life for myself where I can freelance full time.

TRACK: COVID has greatly impacted artists and their source of income. A lot of artists have had to think on their feet and figure out new ways to use their trade to make money.

ACT (Ali): Everybody is really focused on social distancing obviously and doing distant shoots, you cannot really get the same amount of intimacy with your clients that we like to have. For me personally, definitely not being able to go to concerts has kind of really made me flip what I do upside down and approach my whole photography career from a completely different angle.

TRACK: Ali is one of many people trying to make the most of the pandemic. My boyfriend Dylan has been using this time to explore his career options and has decided to take a creative path doing some wood working.

*insert saw sound*

ACT (Dylan): When I was in high school, me and my friend built a foot pedal lathe in my shed. We would make candle sticks and rolling pins for our moms and people in the neighborhood and thats what really got me into wood working.

TRACK: The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an eight percent employment growth for carpenters between 2018 and 2028.

ACT (Dylan): I decided that taking a career path in something more hands on and something I’m more passionate about was the right path for me.

TRACK: Society breads children to believe they must go to college to make it in life. Dylan was no exception. He was put on a fast track to college and a desk job.

ACT (Dylan): When I was learning things like how to build a foundation of a house and restore old houses and things that I think are interesting. I know can do those things on my own property or somebody else’s and I am able to make money off the skills that I have.

TRACK: The pandemic has had us all feeling very uneasy and unmotivated. Today we were lucky enough to speak to two creatives that kept their mind on the right track to their goals.

ACT (Dylan): My main goal is to have my own business where I will use the skills I learned in a creative way.

ACT (Ali): Long term, my goal would be to get booked to go on a tour.

OUTRO: A big thank you to Ali and Dylan for partaking in this interview. Let this serve as a message to all that there is not only one path to success.

I am the type of person who is always looking for new and interesting galleries, exhibitions, or museums to go to. I had never been to Photoville and I am very happy that I attended in person and plan to do so for years to come. I was moved by a lot of the pieces and the stories behind them, however, I was really touched by Dana Scruggs’s story.

Dana Scruggs shined light on the mental health issues that have come along with COVID and quarantine. I think it’s really important to acknowledge these issues because a lot of people are distraught due to the tremendous amount of change that has taken place in the last six months. Dana talks about how she lost her spark to be creative and spends most of her days dwelling in self-pity.  Dana discusses the comfort she has found in purchasing items because it’s the only thing she has control over. The photo she included is a beautiful photo of herself in her living room surrounded by all of her newly purchased items. In the photo, her apartment looks beautifully furnished, however, she does not look happy. Shopping can be fun and relaxing but when you depend on it, the items become baggage as Dana said. This piece was so real and I think we can all relate to it. COVID has made us all feel alone and uneasy, therefore I really like how vulnerable Dana made herself by publishing this story to the public.

 

*For some reason, my photo will not upload due to size. I’m going to email it*

 

For my radio pitch, I would like to do a story on freelance photography. My friend Ali is a freelance photographer in NYC and I will interview her. She dropped out of college to pursue her dream of being a photographer. Ali usually photographs at concerts.

I feel like this would be an interesting story given all angles of the story. We will dive into the in’s and out’s of freelance photography and her journey. It will be interesting to hear the steps she had to take since she does not have a degree. Posing the argument that college is not always necessary to pursue your dream career. We will also speak about how this industry has changed since COVID. With no concerts or gatherings, what is Ali shooting? Is she expanding her options?

I’m really excited about this topic because this industry is suffering with all the COVID chaos, so I’d like to share Ali’s story.

 

I had such a great time planning and executing this project. Hope you enjoy!

https://daisyfagundes.exposure.co/city-girl-turned-ruralnbsp?source=share-daisyfagundes

For my photo pitch, I would like to compare and contrast New York City versus a rural environment. My boyfriend recently moved upstate to a 25 acre farm while I live in Williamsburg. These two environments are quite literally opposites and I feel like it would be very interesting to spot differences and similarities among the two. I would observe the landscape, the people and their body language, businesses, the social structure (ex: homelessness rate), and many other aspects.

During COVID, the city has clearly changed in many aspects such as population density, social activities, work places, etc. I am curious to see how rural upstate New York has been affected by these chaotic times and how it is being handled since properties are way more spread out than in the NYC. I have never been to a super rural area and I think it’ll be fascinating to visualize a completely different lifestyle than I am used to.