For some time, I had been trying to land an internship at a mid-sized paper. I was (and still are) way too inexperienced to be interning at a large metropolitan paper like The New York Times. I really wanted to experience another paper outside of my home state. I did my research. I looked up the paper, and looked at their site, looked at their photo galleries, found out the names of the photographers on staff there and looked them up. They were pretty fricking awesome. The paper played real nice with images, even running photo pages. I had my mind made up. I would try my hardest to land an internship there. For a year and a half I sent off applications every time there was an internship posting for The Gazette on the NPPA's job board. Susannah Kay was the intern that summer, I saw some of the work she had been doing there and was blown away. The Waldo Canyon Fire has just cut through the springs and I had exchanged a couple of emails with Mark regarding the upcoming internship for the Fall. My application had risen to the finals and I was pretty excited. On June 28, 2012 I received an email from Mark informing me that I was not selected for the internship (I later found out Michael Ciaglo landed that internship. Totally understandable. That kid is a fricking rock star). My heart sunk, yet I was pretty pleased to hear that I had made the finals. "You just need to work harder!" I told myself. I would try again in the Summer...only to get beat out again for the internship...again (This time by Junfu Han.) So, I saw down and started make a list. April was a whirlwind for me. I had gotten rejection letters left and right for internships. Either I wasn't qualified enough, or I was too qualified. Decided I need to re-edit my portfolio. Dear reader if we're anything a like, you can totally understand when I say that I am terrible at editing my own portfolio. I never know what to keep and what to get rid of. Quite honestly I don't think any of my images are really all that good. So I set out to observe how other photographers looked at images. I looked for an opportunity to observe photographers looking at images, judging them, and getting their feedback on their visual consumption process. As luck would have it, I was asked to help facilitate the judging of the NPAC Monthly Clip Contest I judged the NPAC Monthly Clip Contest with Jamm, Eugene, Marco, and Cindy. had a great time discussing photography and observing other photographers look at images. I had been combing through my archives, re-editing old assignments and projects, and hunting for frames I may have missed. Reliving old assignments, trips, and projects...a hint on nostalgia, made me realize there's so much I needed to work on, so much I want to see, and so much I still need to do to live my dreams. And then popped up a posting for the Fall 2013 internship with The Gazette. I guess the third time was the charm since I was selected for the Fall internship! Flash forward to August 2013. I had packed up my camera gear, shipped off my EF 400mm f/2.8L and headed out for my first real experience of living on my own, working at a newspaper in a different place, a different community, other than Hawaii. I was about to jump into the deep end, and I was excited. I won't get into the specifics of what I did and what I shot, to get a feel for what I shot you can view the posts tagged with The Gazette. It's been quite the experience. I've met so many amazing, talented people who are passionate about their jobs, about their community, and about their town's paper. I met so many friendly people who opened up their lives to me, who allowed me to tell their story, to share their voice with the community, and helped me grow as a shooter.

Some Advice:

Alright, alright...I know the main reason most of you clicked on this link is because you're looking for the advice on applying for this internship, so here it is. Mark, the Director of Photography at The Gazette, is one of the best guys I know. () In the short time I've worked with him, and in talking with past interns, I've come to realize that what I believe what Mark looks for in intern candidates is someone who's a hard worker, a solid shooter, someone who's not afraid to take risks and is easy going and easy to work with. Not to mention, easy to joke around with and make fun of! (That's probably why I got picked up. I'm a pudgy asian guy who laughs at everything.) But besides the obvious qualities that any editor would look for in an intern, Mark likes straightforward, genuine moments in the images he'll be looking at. Genuine moments that capture the quintessential essence of the people, their community and the situation. He also likes people who see things through, people who are tenacious and who don't give up. I applied three times, I stuck with it, opened a dialogue with him, and started a conversation and showed him my growth and my desire to be at The Gazette. He and the staff are very open, and always willing to give feedback. Don't hesitate to ask them for advice, for feedback and where they think you could grow. So, like I mentioned to the mass of Ohio University VisCom students and Western Kentucky Students at The 2013 Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, APPLY FOR THIS INTERNSHIP! It's a great opportunity to work with some of the nicest, most genuine people in the business, who will treat you as a member of their own family, who will help you learn and help you grow.