CHARLEMONT — Three teenage boys do flips off rocks at Sunburn Beach into the confluence of the Deerfield and North rivers — their movement frozen in time by Recorder Photojournalist Paul Franz.
In the image, captured Aug. 15, Jordan Grenier of Colrain, Ryan Walker of Buckland and Spencer Hayes of Shelburne are suspended in air, stamped against a bright blue backdrop a split second before splashing into the water.
“In my mind, it captures youth and summer,” Franz said about the image and its significance. “When I think back, I think of jumping off Sun Rock in Connecticut, where I grew up.”
In contrast to writing, said Franz, who has worked as a photojournalist at The Recorder since the late ’80s, images are an important communication tool in journalism because they are able to elicit an immediate emotional response.
Over the years, Franz, who studied film and video at UMass and has worked in the journalism field for more than 25 years, has seen firsthand how photography has changed as it transitioned into the digital era.
He remembers developing film in The Recorder’s darkroom and processing black-and-white prints. Now, while color images are produced with digital cameras and computers, the end result is pretty much the same, he noted.
“Photography, as opposed to words, is different because what you see is what you get. It’s very subjective and personal,” Franz said. “A picture of a house burning down can have an immediate emotional impact; whereas, with words you have to read it.”
Matt Burkhartt, another photojournalist at The Recorder, says some images make more of an impression, and an impact, than others — especially if there’s a strong backstory.
Burkhartt studied photography at Rochester Institute of Technology and began working in the newspaper business last year.
“I like to think the images I’m taking are telling a story,” Burkhartt said. “They have a message to them. What makes myself, and every other professional photographer a professional, is that they have the skill set, the knowledge and the visual literacy to be able to walk into a scene and make an image that’s contributing to a narrative they’re trying to convey.”
One image Burkhartt said illustrates this concept well is a photograph of Frontier Regional School’s Brianna Thurber celebrating after winning a volleyball set against Mount Greylock during the MIAA Western Mass. Division III semi-final game, Nov. 9.
Her excitement is tangible, conveyed clearly through the image. Beside Thurber, teammates Selayna Bathurst and Hailey Orloski also celebrate.
“I remember she jumped up in mid-air and just let out this jubilant scream. At the time, I knew it was a solid image, but they went on to win the Western Mass. final,” Burkhartt said. “When I look at this particular image, I remember all the things I felt covering their success, and being there to try to help tell their story about all the hard work they put into eventually winning the Western Mass. final.”
“Photographs are an integral part of telling a story, visually. And it takes the right photograph to do that,” Burkhartt added.
Over the next week, The Recorder will publish 24 of this year’s most iconic images that document life in Franklin County.
Look for the photographs in the newspaper’s local section, or follow daily updates online at www.recorder.com.
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo