Could’ve, Would’ve, Should’ve Said

“How sweet it is to be loved by you…” — the bride and groom’s First Dance — April 9, 2016

I had the opportunity to be the Maid of Honor in my best friend, Josey Lane’s, wedding this past weekend. We decided for me to not give a speech/toast, but there are so many things I want to say to the now Mr. and Mrs. Kern. SO here is what I would’ve said…

My, oh my — Mrs. Josey Lane,

As Mac, Collin’s brother and Best Man, said, “I feel like in every good speech there is a story.” I want to share with you all the trip to Florida Keys I took with Josey a couple years back, with her and some of her family. Specifically, the story of our fishing trip.

It was our last day on vacation, before we took the long 20+ hour drive back to Kentucky, and we set out to go fishing. No one on board had taken the medicine to prevent seasickness, and the waves were REALLY rough. You couldn’t even walk two steps without falling.

I was the first to get seasick, with my blueberry avocado smoothie covering the bathroom. Josey sadly followed in my footsteps this day and was the next to get sick. Everyone on board became ill at one point on the trip, but Josey and I had it the worst.

At one point, we were holding onto the edge of the boat, just puking right next to each other. Although it was rather gross, Josey was by my side the entire time, even when she didn’t need to be. That sums up our friendship pretty well.

Josey is the kind of friend who cares deeply for you and shows it continuously. Honestly, sometimes I’ve been scared of losing her because our paths have gone in such different directions, but I know that will never happen. Josey shared a quote with me that has stuck in my brain… “The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.”

You have been my best friend since the day we met on the school bus in middle school. I’m so happy our paths crossed that day when you were going to your grandparent’s house; our Juju and Pop.

There are countless other memories I have with you… Chasing after the ice cream truck, chasing after our dreams, and chasing after boys – HA – but that last one has ended for one of us, you. You, my dearest Josey, have found the most beautiful love with Collin.

While this relationship took off faster than most relationships in today’s society, I believe it to be one love story that will last. From the first times I met Collin, I could see him putting in the effort to know your family and friends. It wasn’t simply an act to gain your approval, but a genuine act that showed how much he cared to be a part of your whole life.

That’s how I know you all can make it through the long roller coaster of life together. Both of you demonstrate kindness and your love shared is contagious.

Thank you each for being you, never lose the feelings shared today.

xox,

Erica

 

The Dubois County Herald: July

Hey there!

So last week Dave Weatherwax helped me go through some images and decide what to put on this post, mostly from my time here in July. Dave being Dave helped me in more ways than simply selecting photos; he asked what the purpose of this post was supposed to be.

At the time, I really was not sure what I wanted to say. But now, I realize I want to share with you part of what this experience has been for me (so far).

Honestly, at first I was really intimidated coming here. I am pretty self conscious but I knew this is basically all I was working towards these past two years in school because interning at the Herald was something I have always wanted to do. The thing is… I never realized what it would actually be like (I never realized how much of a change it would be for me).

First off, I’ve learned it’s not the end of the world to have feelings. This is a rather strange thing, but definitely a challenge I have been facing. For example, a couple posts ago I wrote about Blythe Ann Hockensmith and her parents, Chuck and Betty Ann Bosstick. Betty Ann sadly passed, but she was by the side of her loved ones at the time.

After I learned about that news, I was an absolute wreck on the inside trying to hold everything together on the outside. I did not think it was “right” for me to have my own feelings of sadness about this loss, because I was the journalist in this situation. But journalists are human, too. We can enjoy seeing victories with our subjects and dread the hard times. It’s okay to have fun with your work and it’s okay to have a connection with your subject that makes you feel their pain and feel their gain. Simply because you have those feelings does not make you a part of the story and does not make you influence it in any unethical kind of way. At least, that’s just my opinion right now. I’m still learning.

Thankfully, the work environment here is fantastic and everyone is very welcoming and quick to help you if you have any questions. At first, I really did not know what to ask about some things and that would leave me feeling overwhelmed in certain situations, but continuing to work and meeting with Dave to discuss my work has helped tremendously. We discuss not only how I could shoot things more visually, but also how I can cover different assignments in different mindsets to create a better outcome — outcomes that tell a specific story.

Not-so-thankfully, I am my own worst enemy. It’s a huge struggle sometimes. I can blame myself for the uncontrollable situations, feel guilty and like a disappointment if I make any error. No one makes me feel that way except myself. BUT… I am learning somehow to ease up and be, not okay with making mistakes, but accept the fact that it will happen and not be the end of the world.

I am very thankful for being here and very thankful that I feel like I am starting to get adjusted and that certain things are finally starting to click in my head. I am learning and it is a journey.

Here, at last, are some images from my journey this past month:

Captions:

  1. Kendall King of St. Meinrad, 8, blew bubbles with her soap-covered hands during the Birdseye Branch Library’s “Super Bubbles” activity Thursday at Birdseye Park. The activity was part of the library’s superhero-themed summer reading program. “I think that (the bubbles) are poppy and really fun,” King said.
  1. The hare balloon was flown over Jasper by Tom Steinbock of Crestwood, Ky., during the Strassenfest hot air balloon race Friday night. The hare balloon leaves the starting point first and after landing places an ‘X’ for a target. The other pilots compete to see who can land the closest to the target.
  1. Water was dumped on Tanner Beckman of Dubois, 13, left, Chase Verkamp of St. Anthony, 11, middle, and Will Werner of Ferdinand, 10, during the shaving cream fight Thursday at the Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds in Bretzville.
  1. Ryles Gogel of St. Henry, 7, ate Oreo ice cream Tuesday at the Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds in Bretzville.Ryles Gogel of St. Henry, 7, ate Oreo ice cream Tuesday at the Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds in Bretzville.
  1. Honorary dance team member, Braylon Beach of Jasper, 4, led the Wop dance at the street dance party Saturday night for the Strassenfest. “He goes to every practice,” Beach’s grandmother, Jill Wigand, said.
  1. Corbyn Schnell of Celestine, 11, calmed her Katahdin sheep named Ginger on Wednesday at the Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds in Bretzville. This was Schnell’s first year showing sheep.
  1. Stacy Merkley of Cannelton held the hand of her niece April Johnson of Cannelton, 6, while she reached for a stick in the water of the flooded parking lot next to the beach at Patoka Lake on Saturday.
  1. Braelyn Onyett of Winslow, 5, far right, sat in the lap of her mom, Mandie Couts, Thursday before the Little Miss Firecracker pageant during the annual Otwell Ruritan Club 4th of July Celebration. Onyett won first runner up.
  1. Grace Sickbert of Huntingburg, 13, bonded with her goat before the showmanship class of the goat show Wednesday at the Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds in Bretzville.
  1. Dance team member Kylie Krempp of Jasper, 14, front left, was one of the girls leading others during the street dance party on Saturday night at the Strassenfest. Krempp was surrounded by Brittney Hopf of Jasper, left, Kristen Krempp of Nashville, Tennessee, center right, and Dakota Begle of Ferdinand, who showed off how to wobble.

The Dubois County Herald: Weeks 1-2

Everything about being in Jasper, Indiana seems like a new experience for me, but it has already been such a positive time. I am learning what I need to be paying more attention to when I am shooting, how to manage my time, and the mindset I need to have throughout this journey. I hope to improve on being more visual with the pictures I take. Also, I have been assigned two Saturday features, but I would like to find another story (or stories!) that I can pitch and work on while I am here.

Anyways, here are some pictures from the first couple of weeks!

Nicole Epple of St. Anthony, 17, sat on the floor during the 2015 Dubois County 4-H Fair Queen Contest on Sunday in the gym at Jasper High School.

Bo Johnson of Bristow, 6, stood in the middle of men working during the Schnellville Sesquicentennial wheat threshing on Sunday at the field outside of the Schnellville Community Club. This event occurs every 25 years.

Bellarmine student and Bombers player Brady Pfaadt demonstrated how to run across the kid sized pool filled with the children's oobleck both slowly and quickly. When Pfaadt went slowly he began to sink into the substance, but when Pfaadt went quickly his feet were clean. This took place at the five-week program called STEAM! for ages 8 and older that will make science, technology, engineering, art and math fun. The oobleck activity consisted of mixing one and a half cups of cornstarch with one cup of water together. It taught the kids about the properties of oobleck because when you play with the substance slowly it is liquid, but if you play with it quickly it can turn into a solid form, similar to quicksand. They put this in a pool so kids could run across the substance like Pfaadt demonstrated.

Rachael Waninger of Ferdinand held her one-year-old son, Barrett Waninger on her shoulders at Thursday night's Bombers' game against the Owensboro Oilers at League Stadium in Huntingburg. The Bombers won 11-1.

Captions:

1. Nicole Epple of St. Anthony, 17, sat on the floor during the 2015 Dubois County 4-H Fair Queen Contest on Sunday in the gym at Jasper High School.

2. Bo Johnson of Bristow, 6, stood in the middle of men working during the Schnellville Sesquicentennial wheat threshing on Sunday at the field outside of the Schnellville Community Club. This event occurs every 25 years.

3. Bellarmine student and Bombers player Brady Pfaadt demonstrated how to run across the kid sized pool filled with the children’s oobleck both slowly and quickly. When Pfaadt went slowly he began to sink into the substance, but when Pfaadt went quickly his feet were clean. This took place at the five-week program called STEAM! for ages 8 and older that will make science, technology, engineering, art and math fun. The oobleck activity consisted of mixing one and a half cups of cornstarch with one cup of water together. It taught the kids about the properties of oobleck because when you play with the substance slowly it is liquid, but if you play with it quickly it can turn into a solid form, similar to quicksand. They put this in a pool so kids could run across the substance like Pfaadt demonstrated.

4. Rachael Waninger of Ferdinand held her one-year-old son, Barrett Waninger on her shoulders at Thursday night’s Bombers’ game against the Owensboro Oilers at League Stadium in Huntingburg. The Bombers won 11-1.

Picture Stories (Late Post)

Picture Stories was definitely one heck of a class. It taught me a lot about time management, priorities and of course, telling stories. I am still learning and improving in all of those aspects for sure. Thankfully, during this class I had fantastic people pushing me to grow. Those people would include Dave Weatherwax, as my mentor, as well as numerous teachers and students in the photo program at WKU.

We had six assignments in this class, 5 picture stories and 1 portrait series; we had two weeks for each assignment. Before the semester even started, I was so eager that I decided to start on my first story.

This story was on Courtney Elbert and Sam Elbert’s relationship. I struggled here a lot with finding the focus. I knew their relationship represented a mother’s love and I wanted that to be the story I told. I did not know how to focus on a relationship versus one person, but by my deadline of two weeks into the semester, this is how it unfolded: http://www.ericalafser.com/untitled-gallery

Each of my stories taught me something, and even though I am not going to mention all of them, I will share a few of my favorite moments from the time I spent with Blythe Ann Hockensmith. I’m not done with this one yet, I plan on following her and her family farther in the journey of life.

Blythe has four generations living in her home that consists of her parents, her and her husband, her daughter and her son-in-law, and their daughter. Honestly, Blythe has quite a challenge on her hands daily. Her parents Chuck and Betty Ann Bosstick are in their 90’s and her mom has Alzheimer’s; she is their main caregiver on a day to day basis. That is the reason why I want to share the first photo, to express the struggles that she faces. _1_BLOG06Lafser_E_Blythe_20150331_0004 The next photo shows a perk of having the four generations in her home, from age 2 to 90. This is Chuck Bosstick, 90, holding his great granddaughter Kamdyn, 2. “This is what I love doing, holding this little one,” said Chuck Bosstick. _2_BLOG07Lafser_E_Blythe_20150402_0006 Last but not least, the reason why Blythe Ann Hockensmith does what she can to keep her parents together and happy by being at home. They love each other. When I took this picture, it was in the middle of a portrait session, but Chuck and his wife Betty Ann Bosstick were looking into one another’s eyes. Chuck Bosstick would say, “I love you forever and ever…” then Betty Ann Bosstick would interrupt by shouting, “and ever!” _3_BLOG05Lafser_E_Bosstick_20150331_0033 He lays in bed with her everyday and while he holds her hand. “I tell her I love her everyday, if not more, and I mean it,” said Chuck Bosstick. “It’s been a great life and it’s not over yet… She’s my life. Without her, I don’t want to live. But as long as she’s alive, I want to be alive with her.”

Swimming Through the Ages

This past semester my photo class was lighting. I decided to use a theme of swimmers for my final because I find it interesting how many different types and ages of swimmers there are. Through this experience, I learned how to use small system strobes better and how to adapt to different situations when things don’t go exactly as planned.

Mountain Workshops 2014 (late post)

At the workshops in 2013, I was able to be a labbie assistant. Through observing, I learned a lot. This year I was a participant and learned a lot more than I thought I was going to. I learned technical camera and storytelling skills, as well as my capabilities. I was able to work and learn constantly from those around me and it was truly an amazing experience.

Here’s one of my favorite frames from the week. It may not be a great picture, but it inspired the name for the story and captured Alvina’s loving spirit. Though she has a lot to handle, she always appreciates the small moments in life. Alvina and her daughter, Aidyn, dance to “Days Go By” by Keith Urban in the kitchen while Alvina is in the middle of making pancakes for Aidyn.

You can view my story here.

Back at WKU

Being back at Western feels amazing. This past weekend I was able to photograph tailgating for WKU’s first football game of the season. Here are some of my favorites…

Jackson Braun, 6, of Bowling Green Kentucky has a sword fight with his grandfather before the WKU vs. Bowling Green football game on August 29th, 2014.
Western Kentucky University Sophomores, Caitlin Lee (19), Paige Ward (18) and Lauren U’Sellis (19) are all from Louisville Kentucky. They wear red and white to represent their school, WKU, prior to the first football game.
Western Kentucky University students, Brooke Masden (19), Courtney Baker (20) and Holly Yates (18) are all from Kentucky.
Western Kentucky University sophomore Brittany Harper (19) and junior AJ Ecton (20) walk across South Lawn, a popular tailgating area on campus, before WKU’s first football game.

 

Fort Knox Summer

During the middle of my summer here at Fort Knox, I’ve covered four different regiments – a combination of LDAC and LTC. Being here I’ve learned I want to tell stories with my photography and I look forward to doing more of that in my times to come. For now, I am still covering events as I am supposed to, but my goal is to complete a multimedia piece on a cadet by the time I leave here in two weeks.

Brigadier General (P) Peggy Combs walks to the front of the stage at LDAC 7th and 8th Regiments’ Commissioning ceremony for the 2nd Lieutenants to say their oaths. Photo By: Erica Lafser
Cadet Jackson of Hampton University walks off the field after reciting the Cadet Creed during LDAC 7th and 8th Regiments’ graduation ceremony. Photo By: Erica Lafser
LDAC Regiment 7 Cadets take turns rappelling and belaying during the Rappel Training. Photo By: Erica Lafser
LDAC 7th Regiment Cadet Donald Merchant of University of Texas at San Antonio belays as another Cadet rappels from the tower. Photo By: Erica Lafser
LTC Regiment 1 Cadets say their last goodbyes after their graduation ceremony. Photo By: Erica Lafser