On November 5th, Parker Curtis and I headed to Houston for the 2011 Lone Star EMMY Awards. The University Star, the student newspaper at Texas State University, won in all three categories we were nominated in… go Star team!

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY STUDENT PRODUCTION – SPORTS
Ride 2 Recovery
The University Star
Tina Phan, Photographer/Editor

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY STUDENT PRODUCTION – ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT/CULTURAL AFFAIRS
Haitian Amputee Soccer Team
The University Star
Tina Phan, Photographer/Editor
Parker Curtis, Photographer/Editor

(Andrew actually submitted a reel showing various work, but here’s one of the videos he produced for this years Fun Fun Fun Fest)
COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY STUDENT PRODUCTION – PHOTOGRAPHER
7Daily
The University Star
Andrew Goodwin, Photographer/Editor

Parker and I had to run loops from the backstage area to the front of the stage since they named university categories out in sequential order. By the way, that golden EMMY statue Parker is holding is just a prop, and was swiftly taken away from us after the photo was shot. Students who win for university productions receive a strange engraved piece of glass as an award instead of the traditional statue. I like how they let you keep the envelopes they open on stage to announce the winner.

Andrew couldn’t attend the ceremony since he was covering Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin/on stage with Childish Gambino at the time, but with the power of Photoshop, here’s what the photo would’ve looked like if Andrew was there too.

People sitting at tables near us were congratulating us and I recall one woman being rather puzzled when I was explaining to her that we were a student newspaper and not a student tv newscast. Another notable event: The Dallas Morning-News also won two EMMYS that night for Health/Science News Single Story and Military News Single Story. I just find it interesting that video being produced at newspapers are winning over some of the TV stories.

Thank you’s are definitely in order for the following people, as well as everyone else at The University Star and the people interviewed for the stories:

Scott Thomas, web editor 2009-2010. Scott and I essentially started the multimedia section at the Star in fall of 2009. I was a staff photographer and Scott asked me to be his assistant web editor. We really didn’t know what we were doing, as most of the time we were running around with cameras and troubleshooting Final Cut problems we’d never heard of, but I guess it worked out. Scott was the one who initiated this type of video storytelling at the Star. Before that, the Star’s previous web editor was doing a weekly TV newscast, so really none of this would be possible if it wasn’t for him.

David Nolan, senior lecturer at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, is the catalyst in all of this. Scott and I did not know much about video until we were in Nolan’s Visual Storytelling class in Spring 2009. This was the first time I truly learned how to use a video camera and edit in Final Cut, as well as how to piece together a mini-documentary. I’d be totally lost if it wasn’t for what was taught this class.

Amanda Venable, the editor in chief 2009-2010, who let Scott and I tear down and rebuild the whole web and multimedia areas of the Star. It was also under her leadership when it was decided for a multimedia staff section to be created. By Spring 2010, a multimedia editor position was created and I was the first editor.

Allen Reed, the editor in chief 2010-2011, who really helped whip the multimedia section into shape and gave it so much more structure. Additionally, he would show me funny cat videos whenever I was feeling particularly overwhelmed by my workload.

Andrew Goodwin, multimedia editor 2011 through present, and my assistant multimedia editor in fall 2010… I didn’t even know work from newspapers could get entered for the EMMYS until he submitted a video he produced for the Star and got nominated in 2010. Granted, I helped start the section, but once Andrew became editor, there was a very noticeable jump in the quality of work being produced by the multimedia staff.

Parker Curtis, current assistant multimedia editor. The Emmy we won together was definitely team effort. When we were filming the Haitian Soccer Team story, he actually got stung by a bee (and didn’t seek medical attention/instead kept shooting as his hand swelled up, against my advice). During the editing process, he took the reins as I was out sick half the time with food poisoning.

Katie McGaha-Pruitt, assistant multimedia editor in spring 2011. I remember she was acting as editor for the day when I shot/produced the Ride 2 Recovery story. She helped me cut down interviews and made suggestions during the editing process until it was finished at 1:30 in the morning.

The University Star Multimedia staff, Fall 2010
(L-R) Melina Cowan, Cecily Fish, Tina Phan, Matt Barnes, Andrew Goodwin, Katie McGaha-Pruitt, Parker Curtis, Fabian Juarez

The University Star Multimedia staff, Spring 2011
(L-R) Andrew Goodwin, Katie McGaha-Pruitt, Parker Curtis, Tina Phan, Matt Barnes, Ramon Mejia, Eric Babin, David Castenada (Not pictured: Cecily Fish and Matthew Wright)

I’m really honored to be a part of all this and help start this section.
-Tina Phan, multimedia editor – spring and fall 2010

Mini shredded BBQ chicken pita wraps by Ecstatic Cuisine. Appetizers at wedding held at Umlauf Sculpture Garden.

Grilled seasonal vegetable medley

The buffet opens! That’s Israeli couscous in the center.

Plates for the bride and groom

Chocolate bites and lemon bars by Ecstatic Cuisine. UT Indoor Air Conference VIP dinner at Umlauf Sculpture Garden.

A delivery of locally/organically grown Purple Dragon Carrots from Hairston Creek Farm in Burnet. Shot in Ecstatic Cuisine‘s kitchen.

June 1, 2011

Due to an abundance of overripe bananas from last week, I decided to make banana bread. This was my first time ever making it. I used Martha Stewart’s banana bread recipe but switched out the 1/2 cup of sour cream for 1/2 cup of Stonyfield French Vanilla Organic Yogurt for my loaf. Homemade noms, yes!

I wanted to try something different because the only banana dessert I’ve ever helped make is a Vietnamese one called bánh chuối, which literally translates into “banana cake” even though the dish is more of a banana bread pudding.

Canon T2i
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8

Melissa in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. She’s our NYC tour guide all weekend! : )

Gaby and I flew to New York to see the city and visit our friend Melissa Zhang. Day one of our four day trip included a weird JetBlue experience, Doughnut Plant, a failed walk to B&H Photo and Video, New York cheesecake, freak cold front/rain, the Museum of Modern Art and more.

*I may or may not have been listening to a lot of Jay-Z on the plane ride

Canon T2i
Canon 50mm f/1.4

Received my issue of News Photographer from NPPA in the mail before I started heading to Houston for my flight.

Michelle Michael, who won NPPA Video Journalist of the Year, is on this month’s cover. Look at how much equipment she carries! I don’t even know what that luggage on her back is… tripod bag? Portable lighting kit?

The downside to being a photog/videog is that when you travel, you feel obligated to bring so much of your gear. My carryon is filled with lenses. I’m holding back on bringing my Rode mic. Now I’m thinking about bringing a separate SLR body to shoot 35mm film, in addition to my point and shoot Leica . Halp!

Nexus One + PicPlz Little Plastic Lens filter

March 30, 2011

Greek salad at Cedars Mediterranean Restaurant. Alex and I had dinner after my grad class. I have to eat healthy now because I’m sure to be a glutton this weekend in New York.

Myself and a few of the other University Star videographers got milkshakes at Gil’s Broiler after the ASG presidential debate. Student money, pride, milkshakes, bricks… it’s all campus politics.

Nexus One + PicPlz The 70s filter

March 28, 2011

Over 200 injured veterans and supporters cycled 53 miles from San Antonio to San Marcos during the first day of the Ride 2 Recovery Texas Challenge.

See the video I produced for The University Star here:

Canon T2i, 1080 @ 24fps
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8
Rode VideoMic Directional Video Condenser Microphone + Rode Deadcat Microphone Wind Muff

Preview of a show I shot tonight: Balmorhea. Danny Malone, The Eastern Sea and Balmorhea at Mohawk for Red River Noise.

See more of my photos from the show here.

We decided to have a barbecue/cobbler lunch at Black’s after I’d unintentionally started many “what’s the best Lockhart BBQ” wars on Facebook (it seems people hold very strong opinions on their barbecue).

Katie is a foodtographer.

Black’s Barbecue, established in 1932. Apparently Texas’ oldest barbecue.

In line where you scoop up your own side dishes and pick your meat.

Since I’m a vegetarian, all I got was some peach cobbler, potato salad and apple-cobbler-pie-stuff. Noms!

A cowboy serenaded us with country songs while we ate. I felt like I was living in Abilene all over again.

Apple-pie-cobbler-thingy close up.

Sausage (teehee!) and brisket close up.

Photo by Katie McGaha
I really wanted to try the barbecue sauce but didn’t exactly have anything to eat it with since all I got was cobbler and potato salad. The vegetarian way to eat BBQ sauce, when there’s no Boca Burger patty around.

Photo by Katie McGaha
I’d like to dip some French Fries into this sauce.

A taxidermy-ful choice of wall decor.

Afterwards, we browsed Main Street Gallery, an antique shop in Lockhart at the corner of Walnut and Main.

I like the colors of this chair.

Civil War-era photos.

Vintage books.

Sometimes, objects found in antique stores can be a little creepy. Katie’s expression says it all.

Typewriter from the early 1900s.

Vintage Texan belt buckles. I honestly considered buying the one with the cowboy being bucked off. A giant Texas belt buckle and a cowboy hat are what I forgot to buy while living in Abilene.

The owner was trying to get this player piano to play for us. Unfortunately it didn’t work : (

Circa 1800′s. That time I held a daguerreotype in my hands. The daguerreotype (pronounced /dəˈɡɛrətaɪp/; original French: daguerréotype) was the first publicly announced photographic process.

The owner of Main Street Gallery noticed that we were taking pictures while browsing and showed us some old old photographs created through near-extinct processes.

He gave us free tin-type photos. Katie got the child, I got the couple. Kinda cool, kinda weird, kinda creepy.