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University of Montana

March 21, 2008

Photo by Eric Connolly

UM Photojournalism graduate student Kristine Paulsen maintains a Web site to display her photographs and demonstrate her comfort with Internet tools.

Shooters shine
on the Web

By  Bess Davis
J-School Web reporter

Kristine Paulsen can do it all. She can storyboard, shoot stills, video and gather audio. She can put all those elements together using Soundslides and Flash to make coherent slideshows. To top it all off, she can put those slideshows on the Web for potential employers to see.

Paulsen, a second-year graduate student in the photojournalism program at the University of Montana, has had her own photography Web site since 2005.

“I was trying to get into the photography realm and I thought that would be helpful,” she said.

The need for photographers to develop multimedia portfolios and display online technical savvy is increasing. Some students are betting that Web sites will entice potential employers to look beyond their resume to see more of their work online.

Paulsen used a free program, Yahoo Site Builder, to construct and publish her Web site. She just recently bought Dreamweaver, a Web site management tool, and said she is looking forward to redesigning her page with the new program in mind.

Paulsen puts the address for her Web site, http://www.kristinepaulsenphotography.com, on all her correspondence, including her resume, cover letter and as a signature in all her e-mails.

Her Web site is not the only way Paulsen showcases her work portfolio. She also sends a CD containing examples of her work with each internship and job applications she submits, but she wants potential employers to know she has a Web presence.

It is important to Paulsen that her site stay current and she keep it fresh, adding new materials and new technological features regularly.

Paulsen recently taught herself enough Flash to create an introduction to her site. Flash captures attention and shows an extra technological effort in the design, she said.

Last semester, Paulsen produced a multimedia project about the specialty dog store, Go Fetch! The audio slideshow is on the store’s Web site and links back to Paulsen’s site.
Because people can look at her site any time and show her work to friends or contacts, Paulsen has a more hands-off approach to pushing her portfolio.

“I don’t have to think about it. It’s working for me,” she said.

Hugh Carey, a junior in the photojournalism program, also has his own Web presence with www.hughphoto.com.

He originally started the site a year and a half ago so people could see his portfolio.
Carey’s site has a variety of sections to showcase his different photography skills, including landscapes, sports and photojournalism.

Now Carey is turning his focus to showcasing his multimedia. “I’m just trying to find a way to upload Soundslides and Quicktime to the Web site,” he said.

Carey sends the address for his site out with all his internship applications, but without tracking his hits, can’t be sure if any papers have checked the site.

While doing the foot work of sending out print applications and CDs is still a standard of job and internship hunting, Web sites like Paulsen’s and Carey’s give students another way to reach out to potential employers and emphasize their new journalism skills.

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