Work in progress: Early to Rise by Emmalee Reed

News

Work in progress: Early to Rise

emmalee reed

Sep 15, 2020

Location: Columbia, Mo

For the first assignment in my capstone photojournalism course, my classmates and I were tasked with making a quick picture story that showcases the personality of the subject. We all pitched three ideas, decided on one and started making pictures. My first story idea fell through a few days after pitching, though, so I began work on my backup idea the next day.

At 3:43 a.m.

Emily Leiker is a doughnut decorator, and barista at Harold's Doughnuts, a shop local to Columbia. She is the subject of my new story. Despite being a full-time student, she works around four morning shifts each week, starting at 4:00 a.m.

I followed Emily as she got ready for her shift, made pictures throughout and then returned to her apartment with her after she finished at 8:00 a.m.

Working on the story at morning was pretty fun. Waking up early was difficult, but it was interesting to see Emily's routine and watch the sun rise. I had good access and was allowed into the store while she and the other employees were working as long as I wore my mask (which I did). In the store, I was able to just hang out and photograph whatever I wanted. After a few hours of photographing, I ended up with this edit of pictures. I feel pretty good about them, but am not sure if they showcase Emily's personality well enough. It is hard to show expression when people are wearing masks, but there are a few images that show Emily and her colleagues laughing that I think translate well.