Meet a Staffer: Logan Reidsma
Logan Reidsma, a senior photography and geography dual major, is The Daily Orange’s photo editor for the fall 2015 semester.
The Daily Orange: Why did you want to be photo editor of The Daily Orange?
Logan Reidsma: I felt like it was a really good opportunity to test my abilities as a photographer as well as to be able to manage people. I’ve never really been in a situation where I’ve been in charge of a staff of photographers. I was curious to see how I would do in that role. It was also the next progression for me. I was an assistant (photo editor) last semester … and I felt like if I didn’t do it at this point in my life, then I never would have done it and I would have regretted it in the future.
The D.O.: What’s your role as photo editor like and what are your responsibilities?
L.R.: My job is to make sure that photographers are assigned to stories on a weekly basis as well as all of the sporting events in the Syracuse area and the travel games for the major sports. I tone and edit (photos) for web and print as well. I select the photos based on various characteristics for the print paper and then I collaborate with the photographers so that they’ll get better.
The D.O.: What’s your favorite part about being photo editor?
L.R.: At the end of the day it’s about learning and it’s about the experience you gain from working at the student newspaper. So when I send somebody to shoot their first football game and they come back with a great photo of somebody hurdling over a defender and it’s their first-ever football game, I feel really good about that because I put them in the position to succeed and then they executed that very well.
Also, another part I like is still being able to shoot stuff as well as shooting more in kind of a team fashion. That’s something that has been new for me. For example, when Joe Biden came, we had three photographers, myself included, cover the event and kind of go through it like a team process so that we weren’t all covering the same thing.
The D.O.: How would having a photography studio in the basement of The Daily Orange house help the photo department?
L.R.: There are two studios at Syracuse — one in Newhouse and one in VPA — but not everyone has access to those so that’s a little difficult sometimes to get access to that. So if The Daily Orange could have its own studio, I think 1). it would make for better portraits and 2). it would make for better photographers. It would give them another opportunity to grow and learn. It would be a way for subjects to possibly get a real-world photo shoot instead of scrambling and having some kind of environmental portrait that’s not really thought out. If there was a studio, the photographers could plan it a little better and have a better process, more intention in the final image.
smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann
The D.O. is hoping to raise $1,500 for a photo studio to be built in The D.O.’s basement. Help staffers gain real world experience by heading to our donate page.