Photo Talk #3 - The Anne Arundel County Genealogical Society.

This blog started a few years ago when I was preparing to give my first photography talk to a large group of people, the Digital Photography Club of Annapolis, and I was nervous. The day came, I gave my talk, and it went great, from what I was told. It was a little stream of consciousness, but still entertaining.

Then the following year, I was asked to speak to a local Boy Scout Troop. Again, I was a little nervous and not as prepared as I should have been. I even forgot the power cord to my digital projector. Nothing like 20 kids crowded around a 15-inch laptop, but again, it went well.

This brings me to this year and another group who asked me to speak to them about photography. Tina Simmons from the Anne Arundel County Genealogical Society emailed me last year and asked if I could give a talk to the club about using photography in their work researching genealogy. Sure, I love telling people what they are doing wrong and how they should be taking pictures - just ask some of my co-workers - but does it relate to genealogy?

I told her that I would do it if she wants me to and that I would get back to her soon with one of the dates she said she could use me. Then in typical Paul W. Gillespie style I forgot about it. That is until the week before the event, when she emailed me just to check in.

So now I was a little nervous and scrambling to think of what I was going to say. I decided that I would just wing it again and show the presentation that I used the last two times. I show 20 of my portfolio images and talk about the stories behind the images, taking questions when they come up. This gets a good reaction and many laughs since some of the stories are pretty colorful and funny. I then show about 20 images from a recent Army Navy Football Game and finish with a photo story about flying in a helicopter with the Maryland State Police Aviation Command (Medevac). I finish by answering any photography questions they may have.

It is funny about how nervous I get before the event, but once I get going it is hard to get me to shut up. The time seems to fly when I am talking about myself and how great I am, and the next thing you know we are running late and they have to pull me off with the big hook.

As a photojournalist, I get to do a lot of really cool things and I am glad that people seem to like to hear about it. It is a real ego trip to have a room full of 40 people, all there to hear you speak, looking at you like you have all the answers. I guess I can do this photojournalism/photographer thing well. After all, people keep asking me to speak.

Here is a link to the genealogy society’s website: http://www.aagensoc.org/