Katie's Blog

One of the most intense scenes that you’ll find in Lynsey Addarios It’s What I Do is in chapter 9, The Most Dangerous Place on Earth. In this scene Lynsey and her pregnant colleage are photographing in Korengal Valley with Captain Kearey and some US soldiers. This place is known as the most dangerous place on earth due to the warzones and the fact that there is little to zero cover if you were to be shot at, it’s simply a desert. Well, this place lived up to its name in this chapter. “As a photographer in a war zone, I didn’t have a weapon. I needed to get as close as I could to the action in order to get the photographs, but I also needed to stay alive.”(pg 185) Lynsey reminds us that she is completely unarmed while being in these war zones. After a couple days of trekking through Korengal Valley during Operation Rock Avalanche, Lynsey and the soldiers with her began to be shot at from various places. The most powerful part of this event to me is when Sergeant Tanner Stichter is co...

Helpful Tips For Wild Animal Attacks Cougars are nocturnal and are more likely to be seen at dawn or dusk than during the day photosource: nwtrek.org A Cougar is Stalking You! What do you do? Prepare! Look like the opposite of prey; do not squat, do not turn your back, and do not run Make yourself appear larger using jacket or sticks Assert yourself by speaking loudly to the cat Maintain eye contact while backing away slowly Protect! If attacked fight with everything; your legs, your arms, sticks, or rocks Do not play dead Try to remain standing while also protecting your neck at all times Black bears come in a variety of colors from light brown to black photosource: Katie Littlefield - @cocoapower A Black Bear approaches your campsite! What do you do? Prepare! Don't leave food out; lock food up and store away from campsite because bears can smell food up to 6 miles away and will memorize that location permanently Carry bear ...

It’s what I do by Lynsey Addario is a very captivating novel about balancing a career with your everyday life. Addario's career is working as a freelance war photographer with the New York Times. In this book she mentions her struggles as a photojournalist when it comes to the dangers she faces in foreign countries and with getting her work published after having to face those dangers. One chapter that really resonated with me is chapter 9 titled "The Most Dangerous Place on Earth". In this chapter she returns home after being shot at in Korengal Valley. One of the more frustrating parts of this career is that sometimes those amazing shots she’d risk her life for would not get published. My favorite image of hers from this chapter is the photo of Khalid. A young boy whose face is splattered with blood from shrapnel caused by a bomb dropped by the US Military. Khalid also has such piercing bloodshot eyes that convey such a strong emotion of sadness and grief. I think it w...

If you find yourself on your way on the scenic drive of Highway 34 to the coast, you may have passed through the small town known as Alsea, Oregon. In this town you can find the Mercantile which also owns this gas station that has been around for over 60 years. Stop and grab some gas; and while you’re at it pick up some snacks for your beach trip at the Mercantile. Gracie Hildebrand has lived in Alsea, Oregon for 10 years and is currently studying nursing at LBCC. Elk season opened November 16th and Gracie has been out almost every morning at an attempt to tag one. She’s been hunting for since she was 9 years old and isn’t slowing down anytime soon! At the High School in Alsea, Oregon, you can hear the band playing groovy blues in late afternoon.  From left to right is Travis Chilcote playing bass, Dillon Elbers on the drums, and Lewis Bourne on the guitar. The instructor, Mrs. Ellis, splits up the class based on your level towards the end of...

Cyclists in Corvallis Spend Evenings Playing a Unique Sport Polo is a sport I’m sure we’ve all at least heard of, but what about bike polo? Hardcourt bike polo is a recently popular sport around the world. It was invented in Seattle in ‘98 by messengers who had free time in between deliveries. It’s played three on three and everyone has a bike and a mallet. The goal is to use your mallet to hit the ball into the opposing team's goal. The ball is made of a heavy plastic to keep it on the ground easier. You can play using a normal bike, but in tournaments the bike frame is smaller and the wheels are stronger to protect against the ball. Often times you’ll see people put a cover on their wheels as well to prevent the ball from getting caught in the wheel. Bike polo is unique in many ways, one way is that there is no girl or boy teams. They mix men, women, and all identifications into this game. The rules to bike polo are what makes this game tricky. You can’t put your feet on the gr...

Portland Oregon based rock and roll band The Macks performed Thursday October 31st at Interzone’s annual Halloween cover show. The Macks were dressed as the English rock band T. Rex and covered their most popular songs. Other bands that were featured included Flexing as Joy Division, Sadgasm as Good Charlotte, Shaene as The Cars, and The Shifts as Smashing Pumpkins. Lead guitarist Ben Windheim continues to impress brother and bandmate Joe Windheim on the drums. Windheim broke a string during the first song of their set and had to switch guitars to keep going strong. The first guitar couldn’t handle his shreds! Frontman of The Macks Sam Fulwiler brings the energy to each of their live performances and never fails to get the crowd jumping to their music. The Macks are set to debut their new album “YUP” on November 6th on Spotify. Bailey Sauls brings the groove with his bass to this live show at the Interzone on Halloween.

Lynsey Addario is an amazing photojournalist who has many lessons to teach. After talking to my classmate who assures me that Lynsey is doing a great job at describing what it’s like overseas in these various war zones, I feel even more connected to her story.  I most admire how many sacrifices Lynsey is willing to make for her career as a photojournalist. Lynsey had a long distance boyfriend in Mexico and struggled to keep that relationship going strong while balancing work. The relationship ultimately came to an end. That’s just one of the many sacrifices Lynsey has had to make for her career. If I felt so passionately about my career in the same way Lynsey does, I think I’d be willing to make the same sacrifices. My favorite quote from our most recent readings is on page 139. She’s just arrived at a desert camp of starving refugees in Darfar. They weren’t in a famine, but were instead so immensely drained from the desert they all had to travel before arriving at the refugee cam...

Julian Sanchez owns a bike shop on 1619 Main street in Philomath Oregon. Julian is a fun easy going guy who will tell you the best trails around to ride on. If your bike needs to be repaired or if you're looking to start biking as a hobby, he's the guy to go to. He always adjusts the bikes specific to each person to ensure that you are doing the least amount of work while riding your bike. In his free time he likes to ride his motorcycle around new areas and take photos of landscapes. He actually went to school for photography for a while, but he wouldn't trade his shop for anything.