#APImagesChat with Brynn Anderson
HAPPENING NOW: @AP’s @brynnbot answers questions about her experience photographing at The Associated Press. #APImagesChat
We’d like to welcome @AP photojournalist @brynnbot to our November #APImagesChat.pic.twitter.com/cxOji6lJIv
Q1: @brynnbot, how did you get your start @AP? #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/ozLTV98Byl
A1.1: I was so fortunate to get picked for the @AP cross-format #photojournalism #internship in Philadelphia with staffers @jacquelinelarma, @apmrourke and @slocum99. And I attended @EAWorkshop. This all really jump-started my interest in #journalism. #APImagesChat
A1.2: Before graduating from @WKU and taking classes @WKUPJ, I did 3 internships @LimaLandNews, @JournalStarNews and @pbpost. Then I got my first full-time job @OWHnews. All of these experiences helped me prepare for @AP. Then a call @MikeStewartAP changed my life. #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/eshwemZ2HV
A1.3: It’s exciting being the youngest photographer on staff. I have been able to learn from some of the most talented photographers in the world: @DavidGoldmanAP @jaechongpix @gherbert @Jacquelyn_M @JulyThePhotoGuy @ponypix @LynneSladky and @MartaLavandier. #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/cqSZb2iz9N
Q2: @brynnbot, what’s your most memorable image of all time? #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/Le9tYBihyG
A2.1: My most memorable image was shot at an internship @JournalStarNews of a woman named Bobbie Jones. Her three-year-old caught their curtains on fire and burned down the family’s rented home. #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/6lZzuJC4tR
A2.2: Jones is a mother of 13, and after the fire, they had nowhere to live. I photographed her as she walked through the home and collected what remained of her personal belongings. #APImagesChat
A2.3: There were many moments when I was unsure when to document and when to put my camera down. I learned how to make an image quickly after this one. As you can see, I only shot two frames before she moved away. #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/ZYm85H2iFn
Q3: @brynnbot, has there been one event you’ve covered with @AP that’s stuck with you above all others? What was it, and why was it so meaningful? #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/pNerPr6k26
A3.1: The most memorable moment working @AP is of a young student crying in her friend’s arms at a memorial for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland. The raw emotion she felt transferred to me and at that moment was captured in my camera. #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/9vF8XhTK3K
A3.2: It was the most difficult assignment I have ever covered. The devastated families and their community lives with me today, and I’m sure it will for the rest of my life. #APImagesChat
A3.3: Another is the one-year anniversary of one of the victim’s mother in her daughter’s untouched room. Sobbing behind my camera, I was still able to capture a moment that will be with me forever. #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/fP0j7mKTTO
A3.4: On a lighter note, two of my more memorable moments were meeting @DwyaneWade and when @antoniobanderas photographed me during an assignment. #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/QMcyTSAUuP
Q4: @brynnbot, what’s the most unusual thing that’s happened to you while you’ve been on assignment? #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/eKAgpWzkLH
A4.1: The most unusual thing that has happened to me was a man in his pajamas walking toward my car with a gun sticking out of his pants. #APImagesChat
A4.2: I was on a stakeout assignment for former Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives Mike Hubbard’s home waiting for his arrest. The man tapped on the window and told me to leave. #APImagesChat
A4.3: I didn’t and proceeded to tell him that I was in a public place and would call the cops if he harassed me any longer. It was terrifying and unusual. #APImagesChat
Q5: @brynnbot, what is the most challenging part of being an @AP photographer? #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/tjjrxktTS2
A5.1: Definitely being a mother and balancing life, job. After 3 years with @AP I got married and had my daughter. That first year of trying to breastfeed/pump while covering a hurricane, or pumping while in my car or in the bathroom before a football game was hard. #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/LZJBd2p9BC
A5.2: Finding a balance for a 24/7 job with a 24/7 child can be difficult. Still is. I was fortunate to take off for 5 months. I’m lucky to provide for my family and be an amazing mom at the same time. That’s the dream for me. #APImagesChat
A5.3: Also, being a woman in a male-dominated field has had its own challenges as well. And I admire those women that have paved the way for me like @LynneSladky, @kawpho, @wisepix and @asancetta. And so many more. #APImagesChat
Q6: @brynnbot, whose work do you admire outside of @AP? #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/uAXpSvmUUd
A6: Some of the photographers I admire outside of the @AP: @ErwittElliott, Robert Frank, @MaddieMMeyer, Sam Abell, @MaryEllen_Mark, @jraedle, Francis Gardler, @dustinsnipes, @mickeywelsh, @drewangerer, @joelsartore, @JoshuaHoffine2, @alyssaschukar, @MitchelWuPhoto. #APImagesChatpic.twitter.com/93rlE61UXZ
Back atcha!
Q1: What genre of photography influences you the most & why?
Q2: Since you have covered all of them, what interests you the most?
#APImagesChat
Hello! I am most interested in politics and general news. I think they make the most impact on the most viewers. I'm most influenced by images that give me the most emotional reaction. In that case it doesn't matter the genre, just the image.
I have been a staff photographer since I began in photojournalism, so I have used whatever I’m graciously provided. #APImagesChat
A7.2: I have shot @nikon @sony, but what I currently use is @canon. I love to shoot with a Canon 5D mark III and a 35 1.4. My favorite lens of all time so far is the 85 1.2 I don’t own one, so I can’t shoot with it often. #APImagesChat
A8: I use my phone for everything - even shooting sometimes - so I use a few apps. My favorite is @Instagram. It’s best for displaying photos. I have one for my work, /brynnranderson and one for my personal life as well /brynnbot. #APImagesChat
Good question! The best answer I can give you is to practice, practice, and practice some more. Look at other amazing photographers work and try to do what they do until you develop your own eye. You've got it! Just keep trying. #APImagesChathttps://twitter.com/Hunsicker/status/1195060700588019712 …
#APImagesChat Hi! Tremendous feedback when I started with the @AP. They wanted me to grow as a photographer and so did I. I was open to any feedback and willing to make changes based on that. I just want to be a better photographer, always.https://twitter.com/navasphoto/status/1195055638990053376 …
#APImagesChat Hi Nick! I decided to take a photojournalism class in college @wku and I was hooked. I love talking to people about their lives and being able to capture that. It's amazing. I still have a long way to go as a photographer but I love it.https://twitter.com/nickydishes/status/1195053991643828224 …
We’re out of time, big thanks to @brynnbot and all of you for participating in this month’s #APImagesChat.pic.twitter.com/LZhhmhHvAR