It is one thing to hear about a story. It is another thing to see it. That is the power inherent in photojournalism and what makes Jake May's coverage of the water crisis in Flint, Mich. so heart breaking.

I've been following Jake's work for a couple of years on Facebook and through the APhotoADay listserve. The love that he has for his city is evident in both his words and is work. You can learn everything that there is to know about apertures and shutter speeds but you can't be taught how to care. Jake cares and it shows through in his work.

The images he has made of Flint and it's people tell the full story of what the city is enduring. The words that accompany them simply add additional context. Simply seeing the photos of what these people's tap water looks like tells you everything you need to know about it. The scientific results are simply additional information.

This story also isn't dependent on images of angry or despairing people. It utilizes numerous detail photos and shows what everyday life is like with the new reality in Flint

My favorite image presented in the Time story is of the children playing. It is joyful and heartbreaking. It shows that despite the current crisis life does go on in Flint, children play. It is heartbreaking because it is these same children that will be suffering from this disaster for the rest of their lives.

Another thing I like about Jake's work on this story is how he has embraced using multiple outlets to maximize his audience. Using Instagram as well as his newspaper to document what is happening.

Last Class

This is my new blog for Picture Story and Photographic Essay. It's kind of scary how quickly I've gotten to my last photojournalism class at MU.