Broadcast-baby boy

Prince William and Kate left the hospital with their newborn son today.

It was the public’s first glimpse at their son…the heir to the British throne.

Since his birth on Monday, the still unnamed baby has sparked headlines around the world.

Milton’s mother said that Kate and the baby are doing really well and are thrilled to be parents.

   

Nicole Jones,Broadcast Writing

The world got its first glimpse of the royal baby Tuesday evening after Prince William and Kate left St. Mary’s Hospital in London. Still unnamed, the baby was carried out by the couple for his first ride to the Kensington Palace. Among the visitors to see the newborn included Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. The royal baby was born Monday at 4:24 p.m. weighing 8lbs. and 6oz.

Dani Thompson

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a royal baby riding home to Kensington Palace.

Prince William and Catherine showed off their bundle of joy on Tuesday as an eager and excited crowd of well-wishers gathered to see the new Prince.

The new parents spent time in the hospital with their son, who is third in line for the throne after father William and grandfather Charles.

It has been a long wait but we will have to wait a bit longer---for a name.

Mike Kettelberger - Broadcast Writing Exercise

The newest member of the British Royal Family made his first public appearance Tuesday evening as he left the hospital with his parents, Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

The still unnamed baby boy was born at 4:24 p.m. Monday, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces.

Both sets of grandparents made trips to visit their new grandson and shared their joy over the birth.

 There was a shared sense of joy among countless Brits and other royal baby watchers all around the world.

After departing the hospital, the new parents made their way to Kensington Palace where they will remain with other family members.

Prince 'Baby Boy' of Cambridge

Britain's newest heir to the throne has finally arrived.

The unnamed baby boy was born to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, at 4:24 p.m. Monday.

The royal couple made their first appearance as a new family Tuesday evening as they left St. Mary's Hospital in an SUV headed for Kensington Palace.

In statements made to the press, the Queen and the rest of the family could not be more thrilled by the arrival of England's new prince.

The infant prince is now the third in line to Queen Elizabeth's throne, behind Prince Charles and his father, Prince William.

Royal Baby

Britain has a new heir.

The Royal Baby arrived yesterday amidst fanfare all across the globe.

Prince William and wife Catherine announced the 8 pound 6 ounce baby boy to the world this afternoon after leaving a London hospital.

The yet-to-be-named baby is now third in line for the British throne behind his grandfather Charles and father William.

Both mother and baby are doing well.

royal baby

We now know what the royal baby looks like -- he looks like, well, a baby boy. He left the hospital today with his mum and dad -- prince william and catherine dutchess of cambridge. No name yet for the baby. When he is named, he'll be called His Royal Highness Prince -- whoever -- of Cambridge. He'll be third in line for the British throne, behind Queen Elizabeth's son Prince Charles and his son, Prince William.

Lyle Kendrick, Final Project, Enchanted Forest

The Enchanted Forest from Lyle Kendrick on Vimeo.


I realized I hadn't put this in the blog today.

My final project definitely left me with a new appreciation for how projects are put together. After putting all of this together, I understand why we went over every element on such a micro level. From the sequences to the audio work, they all serve as ingredients and without one, the story loses some of its life.

Moving forward, on another video project I anticipate using a more active story that has more action. I learned that while my interests are centered on history, it's important to have a story with action so that the story can evolve from being an audio slideshow to a fluid work.

I look forward to the remainder of this program and hope it will serve the same kind of hands-on role that Slice did.

Mike Kettelberger - Final Project - Durke Phillips Storytelling

A Slice of Storytelling with Durke Phillips from Mike Kettelberger on Vimeo.

One, very important, lesson that I learned from this project is to have not only a plan B, but a plan C, in place and ready to go before you start filming plan A. I encountered several issues with the original subject of my project, which ultimately led to me not being able to film with him. That sent me into a frantic search to find a new subject and finish my project on time.

In the end, I am quite happy with the product I was able to put forward. There are obviously more shots that I would have like to had, but even in the real world you do not always have the chance to film everything you want. Not unless you have a unlimited time and financial budget.

Golf itself, I think, I a good subject for a video piece because it has a lot of motion and good sound effects.

Overall, I was happy that I was able to edit together a video clip of a decent length, using my own footage that I was proud to call mine. Looking back over the videos we made earlier in the semester, my filming and editing skills have come along well, in my opinion, and I am looking forward to continuing to improve upon them.

Tamieka Briscoe, Final Project, Life After Active Duty

SGT. Nathan McClain is at a crossroads about whether to pursue his dream of degree completion or to take a job due to financial worries after completing 15 years of active duty military service in June 2013. Reflection: I definitely learned a lot from this project. In the area of shooting, I learned to be conscious of my surroundings. In terms of shooting outside, it is best to have a microphone. I really practiced with getting my subject in focus, and it worked well the in the last shoot. My subject caught strep throat so I was unable to re-shoot footage as I anticipated, so he sent me some still photos and I was able to incorporate them into the project. This taught me to prepare and plan for the inevitable. Overall, I am happy with my progress. I am not a natural when it comes to shooting and editing, but I am determined to learn. I am so glad that I was able to take this course to learn skills that I intend to use as I create professional documentary films.

Amanda Salvucci, Final Project, Community Quidditch

Community Quidditch from Amanda Salvucci on Vimeo.

After shooting a second interview and additional footage yesterday afternoon and putting it all together in the same night, my video finally feels as if it's come together. I think adding two more voices definitely helped break the video up.

One of the problems that I still had was explaining Quidditch, because none of the three people I interviewed had a clear explanation of it, or really associated it with Harry Potter. I ended up adding a graphic to explain that, which I think really helped.

One of the things that I'm happy about is trying some different angles with the shots. There really wasn't much I could do for getting close because I wasn't allowed on the field, but I took a few dramatic low angle shots that ended up coming out really nice. 

Dani Thompson, Final Project, Pearlstone Center Farm

The new old-fashioned way: Jewish faming and sustainability from Danielle Thompson on Vimeo.

One goal I have set for my year at UMD is to leave with a portfolio of work that I would be proud to show to a potential employer.

Although I am sure I will look back on this video in one year and cringe at things I don't even notice now...I am proud that I was able to put together this video after only three weeks of video experience.

My favorite parts of this video are the sequences and the moments I was able to capture.

As I went though the raw footage, I made a sequence called "moments" and I basically framed the interview with Josh so that each of these moments could be included in the finished product. The high-five between Naomi and J-Chat, Abby's smile when she kisses a bundle of kale and laughs, Connor searching for cucumbers in a bucket and laughing...the list goes on.

As for sequencing, I made sure to talk with people and continually change the focus of my shot. Many of the apprentices were comfortable with this since I maintained a conversation and encouraged them to continue their work while I interviewed them.

There are still things I can work on in the future...making sure there is no pronounced audio in the background of my interview, finding an interview spot which does not backlight the subject, and being bore cautious when taking the camera off of the tripod.

Overall, I am happy with the way this video came out and I am looking forward to building my video and editing skills even farther.

Lindsay Simpson, Out of Class Assignment, Poynter NewsU

I watched a NewsU webinar for my out of class assignment, Using History to Write Sports. Alex Wolff taught the class and focused on finding interesting news pieces from something that happened a long time ago. He mentioned that a lot of editors like to use anniversaries to find stories. He also cited the importance of still photos to digging up these stories. He showed a couple of still photos to the class and talked about writing articles about those photos. He mentioned that when he was talking with the primary sources, he would show them a picture of themselves at that particular event (or just of the event itself) to evoke their memories and emotion.

I liked watching this webinar, I think Wolff had a lot of very good things to say about finding interesting articles out of things that have already happened. Most importantly, I am glad I had this assignment because now I know what kinds of resources are available on the Poynter website. This is a tool that I will absolutely take advantage of going forward. It is pretty cool to watch a class taught by someone whose work I have read many years.

Since my out of class activity wasn't very interactive and I didn't have an opportunity to photograph things, I decided to take a screenshot of me watching Alex Wolff!

Hyon-Young Kim, Final Project, Spotlight on SamulNori

Spotlight on Samulnori from Hyon-Young Kim on Vimeo.

It's hard to believe that we learned how to shoot video only a couple of weeks ago--looking at all of the videos we created, I'm amazed at how far we've all come since the start of the summer session.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed doing the final project. It was fulfilling to go through the process of brainstorming, choosing an idea, scheduling when to shoot video, and making the edits on our own. I'm glad to say that I learned a lot about not only traditional Korean percussion music, but also applying things we learned in class to an actual project.

I came away from this project with throbbing eardrums but more importantly, with indispensable lessons regarding how to shoot video in a well composed manner. There are many elements that I recognize are flawed, including lack of lighting and incorrect focus in some areas. I am most definitely far from being a skilled cameraperson and editor, but after completing this project, I am tentatively making steps towards becoming a better one. Despite the several instances of the camera overheating, I was mostly able to obtain the desired footage and create this video. Sebastian was extremely accommodating, demonstrating each of the four instruments for me with energy. His passion for Samul Nori manifested through his facial expressions and movement--you could easily tell how he was intensely absorbed in the rhythm and dynamism of the music. The obvious animation and energy culminated in a captivating performance.

Since the music was so loud, I had some difficulty adjusting the audio levels to match with the interview audio. I used the audio from the DSLR instead of the Tascam audio recorder because it had much better quality and lower audio volume. Throughout the editing process, I tried to lower down the volume of the instruments so that Sebastian's voice would emerge in the foreground, but the sheer volume of the playing was challenging--quite understandable, considering that people could hear the music down the street.

One thing I was worried about was the variety of visual elements. Since I only had footage of the interview and the demonstration of the four instruments, I was concerned that the video might take on a monotone atmosphere. I tried to include a demonstration of each of the four instruments, and I think that the arresting rhythm helped to give the video some variety. I was excited to be able to use video that I shot back in April when I visited Korea and saw a Samul Nori performance firsthand--though the quality is poor (shot with a standard digital camera), I think that it shows the elements of dance and costume that form a crucial part of Samul Nori and are missing from the video.

This project and this class helped me to overcome my fear of the camera--though I was admittedly somewhat glad to part from the equipment that I had to lug around, I was also sad to see it go. Since I am not specializing in broadcast journalism, I look forward to shooting video outside of the classroom and improving my video editing skills on my own.

Lindsay Simpson :: Final Video, Out of the Darkness

Out of the Darkness from Lindsay Simpson on Vimeo.

Working on this video was by far the most fun I had all semester.  It was really cool to be able to finally put all of the pieces together from the various skills we have learned and see a final product that actually looked like a real story piece!  I think my biggest challenge was that I did not find enough variety of my B roll so I was left with mostly swimming shots.  Next time, I need to make sure I really pay attention to my surroundings because I could have gotten some really cool B roll out of the pool.  The GoPro definitely made my video as it adds a really cool, really unique element.  I can't wait to see how much better my video is going to be in another 6 weeks!

Nicole Jones, Final Project, A Gentle Touch

A Gentle Touch from Nicole Jones on Vimeo.

I really like how my final project turned out. I never dreamed that I would be on a farm shooting something, but I am really glad I chose this topic. I learned so much from Katie and the students and overall it was a humbling experience. Editing this piece was very tedious, but worth it in the end. I never realized that shooting a sport would be as difficult as it was, so that is one thing I would really like to work on is keeping up with fast movements. I look forward to improving my editing and shooting skills more.

Ethan Barton, Final Project, Producing Music with Sweetfoot Studios

Producing Music with Sweetfoot Studios from Ethan Barton on Vimeo.


I really loved doing this assignment. Both of these guys are really cool, and incredibly musicians. It was awesome sitting in on them, listening to them create the final product of their song. Shea even asked to use the video for his studio's website!

Editing was kinda tough, but really kind of enjoyable. What I've found over this course is that shooting really isn't my forte, but I feel very comfortable with editing. I'm really proud of the final product!

Dani Thompson, Outside Assignment, Annapolis 4th of July Celebration

It is almost too easy to get photos that tell a story about the 4th of July. Almost.

While I photographed the Annapolis 4th of July parade, there were flags everywhere, smiling faces, and red white and blue worn by nearly everyone in attendance.

The difficulty came with:
1.) The crowds - lots of people are there to watch the parade, which gets in the way of a perfect shot
2.) The movement of parade - you only get a snap or two to get the shot you are after
3.) The fact that there is a LOT going on - I was so on-edge thinking I was going to miss something!

Below is a slideshow with some of my favorite photos, set to a lovely soundcloud tune.

Annapolis Celebrates the 4th of July from Danielle Thompson on Vimeo.

The slideshow is set to music I was able to source on sound cloud. If music on SoundCloud if it has a creative commons license, all you need to do to use it is make sure you give the attribution as requested individually by the musician/author.

Check out more here:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Here are a few of the individual stills and how I achieved the shot/why I like them.

When this group of dancers came down the parade path, I was super snap happy. I knew the beautiful colors of their outfits and lively dancing would make for a great shot...if I could get one. I like how crisp the color in this photo is and I like how the dancer in the foreground is leaping into the frame. The intensity of the woman with the whistle also adds to the photo, especially since she looks like she is staring right at me!

Another moment I was fond of. The man in the photos face actually came out very dark, but I was able to select the area of his face and lighten it up a bit so that you can see his eyes a bit better. 

Some of the most fun I had taking photos yesterday was during the fireworks. I read online about what settings work best, and after playing around with the camera, an ISO of 100 and a 3-6 second shutter speed did the trick. 

I did not have a tripod with me since I had turned it in the day before, but I made a tripod out of sticks and a rope of ivy : ) Check it out!

Justine McDaniel, Final Project, Jasmine

The Business of Love from Justine McDaniel on Vimeo.

This project was a journey. Before I did it, I was really worried about being able to get the shots I needed, especially since I was traveling three hours to do it and it would have been really hard for me to reshoot if I'd needed to. I felt like there were so many things to remember to do when shooting and I didn't have enough confidence in my ability to compose and film the shots. But I ended up exceeding my own expectations, and I am really happy with how the video came out.

There were various challenges to contend with on the day of, mainly that my tripod broke and it was raining. I managed to mount the camera on the tripod and I just had to hold it the entire time or else it would fall down. This made a few of the shots shaky, but for the most part it didn't affect filming in the end.

I was able to go across the entire grounds and through the house to take shots, and I had a great time composing all those shots. My favorite thing about this project is all the pretty shots I got outside, like the ones of the bees and the lilies. I was really proud of that because I had been so worried about getting shots. It turned out to be wonderful that it rained because that meant there was a lot of action going on moving the wedding from outdoors to under a tent, and I felt good about my filming of that, as well.

Ironically, the interview, which was the part I wasn't worried about at all, was the most challenging part for me. A lot of my footage from it came out blurry and I had to reshoot some soundbites of Ashton the next day. Don was pretty shy and reticent, so I had to really draw him out. The dumb dog technique worked wonderfully with him!

In all, I wish I had some better soundbites-- the woman I was originally going to interview was sick, but I know I would have gotten many gems if I'd talked to her. If we had had more time, I might have tried to go back and talk with her, but she was in the middle of chemotherapy so that wasn't an option. I also would have liked to return to shoot another wedding where I could have been allowed to film closer. However, I am proud of this video. The editing process was grueling, and I reworked the bites and the order of the audio probably ten times. I'm satisfied with the audio I ended up with, and I think it flows well. The shots of the wedding and the action shots really made the video, and I was so glad to have them, because it was a pretty quiet, static place and it could have made for a boring video if I hadn't captured some action. I feel like I learned so much shooting this and I am way more confident about my video skills. I still can't believe that we went from the cupcakes video to this in just three weeks. Even though it was stressful at first, this was a great project to do.

Woody Wilder, Final Project, Foolish Life

Making Sense Of A Foolish Life from Woody Wilder on Vimeo.
I'll preface by saying I'm quite happy with how far I've come in shooting, editing and the likes. It's remarkable how much I learned in such a short amount of time. With that said though, there is definitely room for improvement.

 I guess I'll start with the positive takeaways from my video. Absolutely loved the character and being able to develop a friendship with him was awesome. Huge part as to why I love journalism, but I digress. I was really happy with the quality of my B-roll, but in the same breath I wish I had gotten more. I'm starting to get really comfortable with Premier now which is great going forward. I was able to get creative, like the light saber opening. I love being able to get creative and I try, sometimes to a fault, use as much original, quirky things like that in my pieces.

 The more I watch it though, the more I see where I have areas to improve. I think my focus could have been a little sharper. Looking at it now, perhaps it's just me, but it seems as if I was all over the place in terms story progression--light saber, cerebral palsy, Capitol Hill, Bible, Star Wars, death bed, light saber. I think it worked, but probably would have been more appropriate as a longer piece. As we've discussed, I had some framing issues in my interview shots. Like I said earlier, I could have used more B-roll. I think that was my strongest area in this project, but there is a fair bit of him on the screen which brings to light the bad framing.

 Overall, I'm pleased with it. I know there's room to improve, but I'm eager to start this next semester.

Tamieka Briscoe, Outside of Class Assignment, Newseum Visit

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Newseum on June 15, 2013. In addition to having the opportunity to sit in on an interview with Betsy Fischer Martin, Executive Producer of Meet the Press, I was also able to see exhibits that made me reflect on the difficulties in the field of Journalism. The exhibits included powerful images of some of the most historic headlines in history. Here are a few of my favorite photos that I took during the trip. After the interview, I had an opportunity to introduce myself to Betsy Fischer Martin and thank her for sharing the information about opportunities for women in journalism. This was one of the first photos that I took. It reminded me of how many resources are used by news stations to get to the site of the story and provide live reporting. This was one of several quotes, etched in the walls throughout the Newseum. They were powerful reminders of why a journalist's job is so important. The JFK exhibit was definitely one of the most emotional exhibits. While photos were prohibited within the exhibit, I will never forget how solemn the mood was as viewers had the opportunity to read about the life and death of President Kennedy. The most memorable exhibit for me was the Sept. 11th exhibit. I captured some of the headlines that all Americans remember, I also made sure the American flag was in the photo as it represents a bond all Americans felt due to the shock and horror of the events. I was deeply moved by a video presentation of how journalists felt about covering 9/11. Famous reporters admitted that they were crying during those interviews. It reminded me of the humanity in the profession of Journalism, despite having to separate self from events. This was an amazing opportunity, I am so thankful to have been able to visit the Newseum, it makes me so proud to be entering a very important field.

Amanda Salvucci, Outside assignment

I went with the class to the Newseum to see the presentation about "Meet the Press." We got there early and decided to poke around the museum for a couple of hours before the presentation and saw a large majority of the exhibits. The helicopter, above, was one of the first things that we saw coming in the door, as it was suspended in the middle of the lobby. 

Out of all the exhibits that we saw, my favorite one was definitely the one on 9/11 (shown above and below). One of the things that was pretty interesting was that they had all the front page of all the newspapers from throughout the world, and almost all of them had coverage on 9/11. There was also a really compelling story about a photographer who died while covering the fall of the towers.

After seeing most of the exhibits, it was time for us to see the presentation featuring the producer from "Meet the Press." It was a great presentation, and it was also something that was really cool to see as we've had to watch "Meet the Press" for our other journalism class this semester. It was interesting to hear about all that goes into making a segment, and getting to know all the behind the scenes work. 

Lyle Kendrick, Outside of Class Assignment, Newseum

The Newseum is a special place and I think that's because it captures a quote that is featured in the building: Journalism is the first rough draft of history. While the museum is impressive because of how it captures the evolution of journalism, it is equally impressive in how it captures the evolution of the United States. 

Journalistic works as evidence of history is a different avenue from the traditional museums because the intention of journalists is to tell something as it is rather than historians who tell something as it was. The history in a museum like the Newseum is active and fluid which makes every artifact that m

This picture of the ARPANET, one of the precursors to the modern Internet, gave me a much better sense of how the Internet wasn't a thing invented but evolved. I'm reading "Guns, Germs, and Steel" right now and one of the arguments Jared Diamond makes is that there has never been any inventor in the world who made something out of thin air. All of the great, world changing inventions came as a part of a whole process and this image captures that. 

Nothing screams bastion of American legislative power quite like a row of red and white flags with that Maple leaf wedged in the middle.  

In the John F. Kennedy exhibit, there is a section for museum visitors to write where they were when JFK was shot.  It's fascinating what an event can mean to a nation across the age spectrum. In one corner, you have a teacher being told the president is dead and in the other corner you have a child who has only a vague idea who Kennedy was.

Sometimes an old newspaper can tell a tale larger than itself. Die Burger was once pretty much a mouthpiece of the Nationalist Party that drove the engines of apartheid. The picture also features Thabo Mbeki, who would later be the president of South Africa and worsen the AIDS crisis by denying the link between HIV and AIDS. What a newspaper can tell evolves just as history and nations do. 

The picture of the sticky notes detailing where museum visitors were when Kennedy died made me immediately think of 9/11. Unless an indisputable Roswell, New Mexico, or a World War III breaks out soon, I expect the images of 9/11 to be the most historically significant for a long time to come. Seeing all of the newspapers hung side by side in the museum is a powerful reminder of how important newspapers are. 

I love the quote "Journalism is the first rough draft of history" being behind the MLK Jr. cell door.  

If I could go back in a time machine and experience Walter Cronkite news live, I would gladly do it. It's a huge testament to his professionalism that the slightest inflection of emotion goes down as a memorable display of feeling. The museum is a history of journalism and Cronkite is certainly one of the titans of the industry's history.

You're a good man, Chuck.

This was one of the hardest moments in the museum: not touching.  

Tricky Dicky's  crookedness is such a blemish on American history but at the same time,  between Watergate coverage and the Frost/Nixon tapes that followed, he gave journalists so much to work with. If characters help create a compelling story, then Richard Nixon is a damn-near Dickensian creation of the universe.  

"ATTACK ON AMERICA" by The Charlotte Observer will forever be a part of my visual memory. The design of a paper, the images, the font will always be engrained in my mind. Journalists subtly led the country through helping Americans make sense of the carnage. That's one of the most noble roles journalists can play. 

The famous documents section was excellent. Military leaders and politicians couldn't have been as effective without the written word. 

Amirah Al Idrus, Out of class assignment, Newseum

I liked the Newseum because journalists are usually behind the scenes, bringing the news to the audience. At the Newseum, the journalists ARE the news.

Press freedom display at the Newseum in Washington, June 15, 2013

My favorite part was the section on press freedom. Countries are colored red, yellow, or green on a map to indicate how free the press is. Malaysia is red.

Freedom of the press, one of the five freedoms in the First Amendment, the Newseum inWashington, June 15, 2013

More freedom, the Newseum, Washington, June 15, 2013

Because of where I grew up, I value freedom. The exhibit has an interactive display that will explain each country's freedom of press rating. While 'physical harassment and intimidation' are rare in Malaysia, there are laws that limit freedom of the press. These laws mean that journalists can be sentenced to prison time, often without trial.

The evolution of journalism, the Newseum, Washington, June 15, 2013

 The most distressing display was the 9/11. I remember reading the front of the Malaysia Star on Sept. 12, 2001. I found that same front page in the Newseum. It was interesting and difficult to watch the video part of the exhibit. I experienced 9/11 very differently on the other side of the world. It was a world-changing event, but it still was far removed from my life. Seeing it told by reporters, firefighters and survivors made me feel more connected to it. This reminded me of what we learned in class about how the audience will always remember what they felt and not the facts you tell them.

Front pages of newspapers about 9/11, the Newseum, Washington, June 15, 2013

Part of the mangled antenna that used to top the North Tower of the World Trade Center, the Newseum, Washington, June 15, 2013

Megan Brockett, Final Project, Dr. Mudd

Clearing the Mudd from Megan Brockett on Vimeo.


If you asked me three weeks ago if I would have been able to do something like this, I would have seriously doubted it. This project made me realize how far I've come in terms of my multimedia storytelling skills, and how much farther I have left to go.

My topic forced me to get creative, especially in collecting B-roll, and it pushed me to think, and look at things, like a photojournalist. Since there wasn't a lot of obvious action that I would be able to capture, I had to look for more subtle actions, like the waving flags in front of the house or the light moving behind the toy soldiers. The topic also challenged me in terms of editing and piecing together a complex story. I ended up liking both of these challenges more than I thought I would. 

I took a lot of technical lessons away from this project, like how to use the world as your tripod (I resorted to this for the tight shot of the flowers with the house in the background, and the tight shot of Mary turning the pages). It also taught me the types of questions to ask when interviewing people about long, complex stories, and in this case, finding what makes them so passionate about something that happened more than a century ago. 

Ethan Barton, Outside Assignment, The Great Food Truck Race

            On June 21, Mike Kettelberger and I hunted down three food trucks that were driving around Annapolis for Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race.”  It was definitely both a fun and educational experience.  Because of the secret nature of the show, we had to track down the trucks via Twitter, texts, and word of mouth, all while trying to get some great photos.

            Kettelberger and I arrived in Annapolis at about 12:30.  As he drove, I used my iPhone to look up information on the event.  What I found was minimal.  We discovered that the show is secret in nature, down to the location of the food trucks, and what time they would start serving.

            Upon arriving, we went in search of the food truck Aloha Plate.  That truck was our only lead, knowing only vaguely knowing it’s downtown location.  Once we reached the spot where it was supposed to have been, we saw no food truck.  Fortunately, I spotted a man wearing an “Aloha Plate” shirt.

            The man, Bruce, turned out to be a friend of the truck’s staff and was trying to assist them in securing a parking location and recruiting customers.  We learned that the earliest time the truck would be serving food was 1:30.

            With no other leads, Kettelberger and I decided to kill time by sitting outside of a restaurant.  However, within 15 minutes, I received a text from a friend in Annapolis with information on where the trucks would be and at what times, as well as their Twitter handles.  Tikka Tikka Taco would be by the harbor at 1.  We quickly switched from sit-and-relax mode to hustle-mode.

            We speed-walked over to the location, and found a long line of people leading up to Tikka Tikka Taco, waiting to purchase $15 tacos.  I envisioned a great photo opportunity of the vendor handing food to a customer.  So I whipped out my camera, focused, and waited… and waited… and waited.  After about ten minutes, I was finally able to snap some shots.

            It was then that Kettelberger discovered some puppies.  Via Twitter, we knew that Aloha Plate and the third truck, Philly’s Finest Sambonis, would not be arriving for another hour and a half or more, so we decided to interview some people both waiting in line and eating.  However, we also ran into some adorable puppies in an unrelated event, and had to spend some time with them.

            We slowly strolled over to Ram’s Head On Stage, where Philly’s Finest Sambonis was supposed to be at 2 or 2:30.  We snapped some pictures, talked to some of the customers already lined up, but saw no food truck.  Finally, there was a tweet saying that the truck had changed both times and locations, but with no update as to where or when.

            We again had time to kill before Aloha Plate would arrive by an intersection, so Kettelberger and I stopped into another restaurant, constantly checking Twitter the entire time, seeing no updates.  When time came to go see Aloha Plate, we paid our tabs and strolled off.

            There were only a few people lined up at the location, including our prior contact, Bruce, who was more than willing to talk to us about the experience of working with Aloha Plate and Food Network.

            After waiting for over an hour, the truck finally arrived.  As I didn’t have any cash, Kettelberger invested in the $15 chicken sandwich.

            Overall, the trip was definitely an experience.  It was a lot of fun trying to track down the food trucks and talking to people who sought them out for consumption reasons.  The major thing I learned was patience.  There was a lot of waiting around, and not just for the right camera moment.  The other thing I really got comfortable doing was approaching complete strangers, asking them questions, and taking their picture.  I keep questioning whether or not I’ll actually watch the show when it comes out.