When Adam Wisneski graduated from Mizzou’s photojournalism program, the newspaper industry was amidst major upheaval as subscribers jumped ship for digital news sources. He moved to Oklahoma first for an internship with the Tulsa World, then after stints interning in Miami and St. Louis, he came back to take a position in the Tulsa World’s web department. In many ways,Wisneski represents the photojournalist of the future. He not only shoot stills and records audio, but Adam is also called upon to shoot editorial video, to edit his and the video of others, and administer the online edition.

Wisneski’s willingness to embrace technological advances and adapt to a changing audience have helped him succeed. But his skills are only a means to an end for Adam. He is wholly dedicated to telling stories. He approaches his work with an uncommon passion and uses new techniques to tell his stories in unique ways.

http://www.adamwisneski.com/

And now, the interview…

©Adam Wisneski

Introducing Adam Wisneski

Portfolio: http://www.adamwisneski.com/

Blog: http://www.adamwisneski.com/blog/

Adam Wisneski invented the digital camera at age 11 after laying the groundwork for the founding of the Internet. At 13, he was the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest without supplemental oxygen or a hat and gloves. He spent his 15th birthday training with Samurai ninjas in the jungles of southern Japan. After fighting against American forces in Desert Storm, Adam accidentally developed the Walkman, thereby inventing portable music. He’s fluent in Hopi, Mandarin Chinese, 16 Norwegian dialects, and Old English as well as modern English street slang.

Currently Adam is the multimedia guy at the Tulsa World. He graduated 2007 from the University of Missouri with degrees in photojournalism and Spanish. He has completed internships at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Tulsa World. He worked as a travel photographer in Costa Rica for Rustic Pathways during the summer of 2008, and was hired at the Tulsa World in May 2009. Also, he likes sailing.

©Adam Wisneski

1. Tell us how you found your way into photography.

When I was in high school I liked photography as a hobby. My sister had an old Pentax K-1000 that I borrowed and would go out and take pictures of leaves and flowers at a park nearby. Photography stayed a hobby for me until I lived in Spain my junior year of college. I’d tried out a bunch of different majors (psychology, family studies, international studies) but never really landed on something that gripped me. I was already late in my college career, so I decided to sit down one day and decide what I would do for the rest of my life. I spent all day at the internet cafe researching different professions, then somehow landed on photojournalism. The pieces fit. I wanted something that gave me a sense that I was giving back or contributing to my community and I liked the technical and creative sides of photography. I knew it was right for me when I got into photojournalism school and all the professors were the kind of people I wanted to be when I was older.

A man fishes during sunrise off shore near Manatee Springs state park in Chiefland, Fla. ©Adam Wisneski

2. How do you classify yourself as a photographer?

I’m a photojournalist by training. I’m as interested in the story of people as I am in the photography. The most powerful images to me are the ones that reveal someone’s soul or personality, or tell a story in some way. About eight months ago, I started doing video content for the Tulsa World. I miss still photography sometimes but video gives me more control over the story, which is why I got into journalism in the first place. With video, I can say things that I can’t with just still images. I can go back in time, have someone tell me a story, convey hopes for the future, etc. And the principles of video are similar to still photography.

"We used to mow lawns together," said Richard Wainscott, left, and Carl Richardson. Now the two live in adjacent apartments inside Oak Towers in Columbia, Mo. ©Adam Wisneski

3. Describe to us a typical week in your life.

Part of what I love about this job is it’s variability. One week for me never looks the same. Sometimes I shoot one or two daily assignments for the paper. These are normally quick feature videos that will accompany a print story and take about half the week to produce. The other half I’m doing a mix of working on long-term projects, making phone calls, learning software, and planning the next week. In one week it’s possible for me to shoot photos for the paper, write some copy, shoot and edit video, or more recently, help update the web site. I have an incredible boss that lets me experiment a lot and spend time making quality stories.

Cuban 2004 gold medalist Yuriorkist Gamboa lands a punch on Adailton DeJesus in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ©Adam Wisneski

4. What is  your favorite subject matter?

People. Still life, landscape and art photography never did much for me. Maybe because I don’t understand most of it. But people, photographs that tell the story of people are never boring to me. I’m a sucker for good light and good content. In my own work, I like the challenge of forming a relationship with a stranger and getting them to reveal themselves in front of the camera.

Charlie Goranitis, 14, left, and Steve Zehr, 12, both of St. Charles, watch another skater launch over a trash can at the St. Charles County Youth Activity Park in Dardenne Prairie, Mo. ©Adam Wisneski

5. How do you approach a photo shoot?

When I was shooting stills, it was hard to know what the scene was going to look like when I got there. I would spend the first 10-15 minutes of the assignment just watching and noticing things about the people or environment. It was a thing I learned from a friend in college, and probably the best piece of advice I ever took. Then I’d spend a little time shooting something “safe” for the paper, something I knew they would run and be happy with. Then I spent the majority of the time experimenting with angles and viewpoints and exposures or colors or trying to catch a telling moment in an attempt to grow as a photographer and get some unique photos.

With video, I usually have a plan going in. It’s normally just a rough idea of what I think the story will be about, and how I think I’ll shoot it. But that takes a lot of observation at the beginning, too, and sometimes my plan goes out the window and I wing it. For me, the biggest challenge with video is deciding what I want to say with the story. Once I’ve got that, the shooting comes more naturally, and in turn, the editing is easier.

Fans get their first glimpse of Celine Dion during her entrance on the stage at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., on Feb. 2, 2009. ©Adam Wisneski

6. Can you share with us a memorable experience from your career? A special moment, or favorite shoot?

The funnest place photography has taken me was to Costa Rica. I spent three months there as a travel photographer for Rustic Pathways, shooting their student programs all around the country. It was a free license to travel, experience things and take photos. I got paid and became an expert on the country in the mean time. The photography wasn’t right up my alley, it wasn’t journalism, but I had a blast, and it opened my eyes that there are A LOT of ways to make a living as a photographer.

The most memorable story I worked on was when I was interning at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. They sent me to Menominee, Wisconsin to shoot a story about the U.S. county with

the highest enlistment rate in the army. It was a poor Native American reservation. Spent three days there, roaming around and meeting people, talking my way into situations, got invited to a sweat lodge. I felt like a real photographer for the first time, a lone wolf, sent out “on assignment” to report on a community. It was exactly the kind of story I could imagine seeing in National Geographic or Newsweek. But, the pictures I took were mediocre. It was a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. I did an ok job, but I didn’t knock it out of the park.

A Costa Rican child celebrates his first time in a swimming pool. ©Adam Wisneski

7. Do you think being from (or working in) Oklahoma has influenced your artistic vision? If so, how?

Not really, yet. I just got here October 2008 but most of my career so far was spent in other places. I do love the photogs I’ve met from here so far, though.

8. How have you benefited from being part of a creative community (workplace, classroom, associations, etc.)

Being part of a creative community is incredible for me. In college, I learned so much just by being in the photo lab at the paper and talking and learning from other photographers. It pushes me to work harder and to grow as a photographer.

©Adam Wisneski

9. What is your vision of the future of the industry?

I’d bet my meager savings on the future journalist being a multimedia guru. Reporters, photographers, designers … everybody. In my industry, soon (like now-ish) it will absolutely not be enough to be just a still photographer, or just a writer, etc. I think newspapers will have a big opportunity to take advantage of tablet PC’s and internet TV. I think we’ll all be watching TV streaming through our internet connections in two years at the latest. That’s good for the newspaper video department. Suddenly the Tulsa World channel is as convenient to watch as Channel 8 or 6. The goal will be to win viewers with quality, unique, local content.

Ruth Pringle is comforted by her husband, Tim, after gaining citizenship in Collinsville, Ill. ©Adam Wisneski

10. What is the vision of your future?

One of the reasons I wanted to work at a newspaper is that it’s the best training you can get. Producing work daily or weekly or whatever the schedule might be, it forces you to churn out work constantly. It’s pretty tough for me to plan my future in an industry that will flip on its head in a couple years, but I’m comforted by the fact that I get paid to get better at photography and video.

My dear friends Ryan and Ashley Daly. ©Adam Wisneski

11. Can you lend some advice to young photographers?

Yes. This is the only thing you will ever need to know and is the secret to being an amazing photographer.

Shoot pictures constantly.

It can be for money, for fun, for beer, because you’re bored, whatever. It doesn’t matter if your camera gear sucks, or it’s raining, or it’s not spring and no flowers are blooming, or you’re not getting paid, or you’re worried your camera will get messed up or stolen. Take pictures constantly. Look at pictures constantly. Shoot 1,000 frames a week. Carry your camera everywhere. Take it to the bar, to the gas station, to Wal-Mart, to parties, on a road trip, to the bathroom. Photo guru Chase Jarvis says “there’s at least 10 great pictures around you right now.”

Downtown Tulsa ©Adam Wisneski

I think a lot a photographers get hung up on a couple things (I know cause i felt these things at the beginning, and still do sometimes).

One, they think they’re gear isn’t good enough to take good pics. So they won’t go out and shoot cause they think they need certain gear to make good pictures. I’ve seen killer photo essays done on iPhones. If you’re camera doesn’t have scratches and gaffers tape and missing pieces, it better be brand new, or you’re not using it enough.

Two, they feel embarrassed to take pictures of strangers or even friends in public. Don’t sweat it. It feels funny at first. But that goes away eventually. And eventually when people question your public picture taking, it seems strange to YOU. “Of course I’m taking pictures, what’s the big f’in deal!”

I think the more familiar you are with shooting public pictures, the more free you feel to concentrate on making good pictures.

Often at a bar or party people will ask me why I have a decent looking camera on my shoulder. I say, “Ok, don’t tell anybody cause I’m trying to blend in, but, I work for National Geographic and we’re doing a story about (insert creative idea here). Seriously, don’t spread that around.” It’s a law of nature that within an hour everybody knows who I “am.”

My sister and her husband on their wedding day. This sums it up. ©Adam Wisneski