| BENJAMIN J. HAGER
|
(814) 441 4065
web portfolio: benjaminhager.com
| PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
|
The Sun, Yuma, AZ
January 2007 to Current
Staff photographer for 30,000 circulation, community-based newspaper located in the Arizona desert southwest. Shoot 4-8 daily assignments covering high school, college and professional sports as well as immigrant, military and retiree issues. Outfitted with Nikon digital photo gear and Cannon digital video camera.
Journal-Star, Peoria, IL
Winter/Spring internship at 85,000+ circulation
publication with the
responsibilities
of a full staff photographer. Shoot all elements of Peoria news, as well as
Bradley University and Chicago professional sports. Shoot with Nikon digital
outfit and corresponding lighting gear. Introduced to multimedia and online
photo presentations, using programs such as Soundslides, Flash and Final Cut
Pro.
Times-News, Erie, PA
June 2006 to September 2006
Contracted freelance
photographer shooting sports, news, features and events for central Pennsylvania newspaper with
circulation of 40,000. Covered all elements of State College Area High School
and Penn State University news, as well as magazine spreads for Centre Daily
Times nightlife section.
Oakland Tribune, Oakland, CA
August 2004 to January 2005
Met with staff
photographer on a weekly basis to shoot and evaluate news, features and sports
photos based on Tribune and AP standards. Shot professional and college sports,
breaking news and portrait work during the semester-long program awarded
through San Francisco State University. Completed weekly portfolio evaluations,
technique and caption tutorials, and general guidance in the field of photojournalism.
| ADDITIONAL SKILLS AND EQUIPMENT |
Experience in Microsoft
Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator, Mediagrid, Photoboard, Photo Mechanic,
Soundslide, Flash, iPhoto and Smart Agent. Proficient in both Mac and PC
format. Proficient in AP and Chicago style.
Nikon digital photo outfit,
including (2) D2H, (2) SB800 speedlights, Nikon 80-200 (2.8), 24 (2.8), 30-70
(2.8), 50 (1.8), 300 (2.8) and 70-300 (4-5.6).
| EDUCATION |
B.A. Journalism & B.A. Photography
California State
University, San Francisco, CA
Economics
Penn State University, State
College, PA
Art Direction/Copy Writing
Academy of Art University,
San Francisco, CA
Professional Memberships: NPPA, Sportshooter.com, Lightstalkers
| ACTIVITIES AND AWARDS |
Digital Photography
Instructor, PA Youth Conservation
Leadership Corps, summer 2006
Photostory of the
Year,
“Dancing in the Dark,” Xpress
Magazine, spring 2005
Editorial of the
Year,
“My Grandmother Loves Bush,” Xpress
Newspaper, fall 2004
Erie Community Service Award, Diehl School District,
fall 1999
Letter of Commendation, United States Marine
Corps, summer 1998
Company C Honor Graduate, United States Marine
Corps, summer 1998
Published In: The Associated
Press, Yuma Sun, Peoria Journal-Star, Erie Times-News, Centre Daily Times,
Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Bay View and Xpress Magazine.
| REFERENCES |
Randy Hoeft
Managing Editor, The Sun
Supervisor
(928) 580-6625
Rich Forsgren
Photo Editor, Erie Times-News
Supervisor
(814) 882-0370
JD Dunbar
CEO, Rural Leadership Program- Penn State University
Former
Employer
(814)
880-1135
Sean Connelly
Staff
Photographer, Oakland Tribune
Mentor/Coach
(510)
390-2362
Ken
Kobre
Photojournalism Department Chair, San Francisco State University
Veteran photojournalist and author of Photojournalism: The Professional’s
Approach.
(415) 338-7430
Instructor/Supervisor
| BIO IN BRIEF |
Growing up in State
College, Pennsylvania- home of Penn State University and its storied athletic
and academic programs- it seemed a forgone conclusion that I would attend the
college where my father taught and received his various degrees. An ambitious
high school athlete, I played baseball for two years at PSU, majored in just
about everything from zoology to economics, while spending my summers working
in a cannery off the coast of Alaska. Possibly showing early signs of my
interest in journalistic exploration, or simply the stupidity of youth, I
joined the Marine Corps, and discovered that I possessed a unique group of
skills for which I ultimately chose not to pursue. I returned to Penn State
with a renewed sense of purpose and perspective, and set out to find a life
direction I could believe in. Hoping there was more to life than a B.S. in
economics and a management position at Staples, I dropped out of school and
moved to San Francisco where I enrolled at the Academy of Art College and spent
two years studying art direction and copywriting. And as exciting and creative
a field as it was, the notion of spending a lifetime using focus groups, bright
colors and guerrilla marketing strategies to trick people into impulse spending
ultimately made me nauseous.
Having already accrued a
small fortune in student loans, and exhausting most other fields of study, I
shifted my attention to the California State University system, where tuition
was reasonable and a collection of brilliant instructors taught as a form of
supplemental income. The choice to become a journalism major was not an
epiphany, but rather the last and most logical end point. I loved, and still do
love, sharing the lives and stories of the people this career allows, and I
truly believe that we ultimately do more good than damage. San Francisco State,
my chosen university, was, by blind luck a top-10 journalism school and gave me
a great base education. I completed all the requirements of the print
journalism program, but in my final semester, took a photo course and
discovered the perfect balance between journalism and art. Three semesters
later I had finished both majors, and left the Bay Area to build my portfolio
through travel, freelancing and internships.
The following year I shot
freelance for the Centre Daily Times, followed by stints in both Washington,
D.C., and New York City, where I improved my portfolio considerably. Realizing
the need for consistent newspaper experience, I accepted the fall 2006 photo
internship with the Erie Times-News, and then parleyed that with a second at
the Journal Star in Peoria, Illinois. I grew immeasurably as a photojournalist
over that stretch of time, and soon accepted a staff position in the Arizona
desert southwest with the Yuma Sun.
Having the opportunity to
photograph and shoot video in Yuma, a region made up of a unique demographic
found no where else in the country, has been both challenging and rewarding. It
has forced me to adapt and learn on the fly, and tested my ability to juggle as
many as eight assignments per day while shooting in 110+ degree weather. And
with the newspaper industry in flux and staff positions on the decline, I feel
grateful to have the opportunity I’ve been given, and continue to work to
develop and grow professionally.