Sophie celebrated her first birthday in style yesterday and I thought I would share a nice moment from her little bash. Also, I wanted to respond to Daniel who left a comment about the posting regarding photojournalism portfolios.

I wrote the post originally because my photojournalism class is in the middle of preparing their final presentations for the quarter. We have 15 assignments to pick from during the term, but only eight will go into the portfolio for a final grade.

I think this process helps students work more efficiently and deliberately with their images. Now, responding to Daniel's comment and questions:

From your post, it sounds like you would advise against having some weak spot news, just to have spot news in my portfolio. Correct? I am finding that in my small town I do not always have access to traditional spot news, so much of my work is feature/school-oriented. What do you think?

Although some people may disagree with me, I believe that your portfolio is only as strong as your weakest image. Ideally it would be great to have a representation of different genres in the portfolio, but that isn't always possible, especially if the images end up distracting from others. The thing to do, is to acknowledge that you are weak on news or sports in your cover letter. Explain that you are interested in working on these areas and present the best and most honest work you can.

There is simply too much great competition for jobs and internships out there to hope that a portfolio of mediocre images will survive an editor's cut. Beyond the images, and this is really critical, you have to consider that editors are looking for human beings that can think on their feet, be resourceful, show commitment and passion about their work, and most importantly get along with others. Team work is a critical part of being a photojournalist. Somehow your work (cover letter and pictures) needs to demonstrate your best human qualities.

So, if you are strongest in features, portraits, pictorials, picture stories, and some sports, that's what it is.  Work on your weak points, be honest,  and most of all stick with what you love. Have perseverance and be patient.