Working the Wire

After drying myself off from the snowpocalypse I am finally ready to post about my amazing trip to India in January of 2010.

I was documenting non-profits and working on my long term storytelling skills, something I don’t get too much practice with all the daily assignments in my job.

Wonderfully I was able to produce a story that we ran on the wire, and was also asked to write an article, and produce an audio slideshow.

I was thrilled to be able to come back with so much work to show from my short time in India – a country I cannot say enough about where  the people are just so warm and welcoming. The people I met really touched my heart and soul and were a privilege to spend time with.

Most so were the girls in my story from the Akhil Bharatiya Mahila Ashram.

See the audio slideshow  To Stand On Their Own: Indian Girls Ashram

I just fell in love with these 50 girls from all over India who get an education (that otherwise often ends after primary school) at the Ashram thanks to donations. There they are taught to be strong and independent – just what my mother taught me. Girls age 9-18 live at the ashram, in Dehradun, India, where they do everything themselves; clean, cook, serve each other, pray together, study, braid each other’s hair, and care for each other. Polite, friendly, inquisitive, bright, I can’t say enough about these girls.

There’s not a man in sight and it’s just the happiest simplest place that I think I’ve been to.

If you go to India please bring small presents to give. There is a real culture of hospitality and when I left the ashram every appendage available – including my ears – were draped with gifts from the girls. I have two bracelets, two rings, a necklace, earings (put in by the girls on the spot!),  a lovely shawl, and mostly a warm place in my heart for this special place.

Special thanks to all the girls at the Akhil Bharatiya Mahila Ashram, and to Mary Calvert and Jamie Rose with Momenta Workshops, Abhay Gupta, Manoj Sharma, the wonderful Madhvi Mittal, Melanie, Alpana Mukherjee with ADOPT ( a non-profit that provides rural women with private toilets and biogas cooking units, greatly reducing their home work load), and Mrs. and Mrs. Swamy with the Purkal Stree Shakti (where women’s cooperatives make the coolest quilts that you can buy on their website).

I hope the photos I made help the ashram in some way. Here’s a few to share:

All Photos copyright Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press May not be reproduced without permission.

I’m thrilled to see that the story has gotten some really special play:

AP Audio Slideshow

Link to the article and still pictures

Photos in the Washington Times’ site

And some really cool play in Stars and Stripes (just wait for the commercial to stop loading about 5 seconds)

I miss you, India, I hope to be back soon.

Slideshow I shot and produced for the AP taking a look at the Obama Wall, a series of panels that were put up near the Lincoln Memorial that prompted an outpouring of public writings to president-elect Obama.

Latest slideshow for the AP, Turtle Rescue

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

In other news…the WPOW Gallery Opening on Sept. 25th at the Sewall-Belmont House was an incredible success, with tons of people coming. I was honored to have two photos in the show, both from my time with the AP. The theme was “Women by Women” and we will have the same show up at Fotoweek DC which begins on Nov. 15th.

Lastly be sure to check this out, James Nachtwey’s powerful TED wish come to fruition, the story of those suffering and dying from extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Perhaps you’ve seen my latest claim to fame?

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

and finally…the Blue Crab Blues slideshow for the AP.

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

On Friday I returned from a weeklong multimedia training in Dallas. Yeehaw! It was a week of learning, trial and error, teamwork, and incredible, company bought dinners. Ah, training. De-licious.

AP Montgomery reporter Kate Brumback and I got one of the better story ideas, a look at what in the world is hair art advertising, with the very talented and driven, Mr. Mac.

Mr. Mac’s verbal (and hair) stylings made for one enlightening and entertaining slideshow. Prepare yourself!

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AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The National Spelling Bee is BACK for 2008, and since this is my second year covering it I decided to produce a behind the scenes slideshow on the Bee. It almost killed me doing this spot on the first day of the Bee (yesterday, Thursday 5.29) but it was totally worth it. The kids were adorable and so candid about why they love the Bee and spelling. I really enjoyed meeting them and photographing the stuff leading up to the competition, then rounding the slideshow out by adding some pictures and audio of the kids spelling.

Huge thanks to AP Photog extraordinaire, Pablo Monsivais, whose help with general coverage and member specials yesterday made my spot production of the piece possible.

Back for more photos today!

And yes, in case you were wondering, that was me in the numbnuts video. 

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

In a banner two weeks for Mid-Atlantic multimedia, here is a second piece I’ve produced. This one was in collaboration with reporter Stephen Manning, and looks at the 25th Anniversary of the Vietnam Memorial and the things left behind.

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Produced my fourth SoundSlides piece for the AP, titled Dropping Back In, about a GED student working to get his GED after being kicked out of two of the high schools in DC that are described as dropout factories, schools where a high percentage of students fail to graduate.

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Newest slideshow that I produced for the AP is up, it’s about Gabe Horchler, who wakes up in the morning, hops on his bicycle, and then rows to work down the Anacostia River. I tried out a new technique that’s available on the upgrade to SoundSlides. What do you think?

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Audio Slideshow I produced for the AP on African immigrants living in the DC metro area.

I produced the slideshow, recorded the audio, and of course shot the pictures, for this story that ran on the National wire. The story was titled “America’s Africans” and was written by David Crary, a wonderful writer and all around great guy who I really enjoyed working with.

Link to the written article here. The picture got great play in the Pretoria News, which is linked.

Also updated my sportsshooter page with the pictures from the above church, which was my favorite edit from the larger project.