By Kenny Barto
I’m not a journalism major. There, I said it, and now that I’ve covered that, I can get into how exactly a non-journalism major decided to work for The Recorder. Quite simply, it’s a long story, and I hope you enjoy it.
I went to a technical high school, where I focused on working with computers, so I guess you can call me somewhat of a nerd. I bought my first camera, a Nikon D50, when I was in 11th grade, and immediately fell in love with sports photography. I might be a nerd, but I am into sports as much as I’m into my computers. I would always go to New Britain Rock Cats games and take photos from the stands, as well as, go to all of my high school’s games and give photos to my friends on the team, who always appreciated it.
My first experience in print media came when I was a senior in high school. I eagerly volunteered to be the yearbook editor-in-chief, and it was an awesome job having an entire publication in my hands. I ended up being extremely satisfied with the result, and had a lot of fun working with a team to produce something that a lot of other people looked at.
I started off my college career a few months later at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, PA. I know what you’re thinking…The Little League World Series happens there! Yes it does, but that also happens to be the ONLY thing that happens in Williamsport all year long. Of course, Penn State is about an hour away, which is definitely something any college student should experience, but all-in-all, it was not a fun place to be. So, I decided I wanted to transfer back to Connecticut, where I felt like I belonged. At PCT, I worked for the college-run news bureau as a photographer. I ended up learning a ton about photography including studio work, since the college spent a lot of money on a high-tech photography studio that I could work in whenever I wanted. However, the downside was that I worked for the college, not a student-run organization. So, we basically only highlighted the good things, and could never talk about the bad things.
I ended up missing the transfer application deadline to CCSU, so I decided to take just 3 classes at Manchester Community College. With the help of a family friend, I also got an internship in the IT Operations Department at Travelers Insurance where I worked over the summer of 2009, and continued into the fall semester. Even though I will always have my photography, my IT career is definitely where the money is at. I consider myself to be extremely lucky to have the position at Travelers, because I know it’s not easy to find a position at a major company.
I began at CCSU in the spring 2010 semester. I got lucky in that the previous Photo Editor had graduated, and the spot was open for me, as long as I passed the tryout. In the first week, I voluntarily traveled to Sacred Heart to cover basketball, and did everything that was asked of me. I knew I would go absolutely crazy if I wasn’t able to continue my photography career, and I just had to be able to have Division 1 sports in my portfolio.
I picked Management Information Systems as my major, which may or may not have been a smart idea. It seems like it will take forever to graduate, but based on all of the statistics that come from CCSU, if it takes me 5 total years to complete a bachelor’s, that’s normal.
The Recorder has been great to me, and I have not only been able to make great contacts, I’ve also made some great friends as well. I’ve been able to shoot some awesome sports games, most notably the Whale Bowl at Rentschler Field this past weekend and the Hartford Colonials last semester. I’ve also been able to see Louisville, where we traveled to the National American Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers conference, and will be traveling to Los Angeles for the ACP conference next week. In addition to all of the glamor, I also have to cover things that are less than exciting. Guest speakers, faculty senate and SGA are some of my least favorite things to cover, but since I am the Photo Editor, the work must be done.
Because I have such a passion for photography, meeting other professional photographers is extremely helpful in improving my skills and position within the field. One of the most helpful people to me has been Steve McLaughlin, who is the “team photographer” for CCSU sports and a number of other schools. Not only does he pass along gigs that he can’t do, he critiques my images and has been an awesome mentor. I would not have met him if it weren’t for my position with The Recorder.
In addition to being with The Recorder, I am also a writer/photographer for Pinstripes Plus Magazine where I get to cover the entire New York Yankees minor league system, which is something I really enjoy doing. For the baseball buffs out there, I’ve been able to interview Brian Cashman, top prospect Jesus Montero, as well as first round draft picks Cito Culver and Slade Heathcott. I’ve also been able to cover games at all of the minor league levels, and will make my first appearance at Spring Training in March when I travel to Tampa during spring break. Of course, my passion for baseball followed me to CCSU, where I cover them all season long.
A different person seems to ask me every week if photography and sports writing is what I want to do. Although I’m happy when I’m covering games, and consider it a great privilege to be able to talk to professional players, it’s extremely difficult to find a good paying job where there seems to be no shortage of that in the IT industry. However, that doesn’t stop me from being able to enjoy my time with The Recorder, where I’ve had nothing but great experiences since I started last year.