Scott Eisen helps tell tornadoes’ tale
Synopsis
As devastating tornadoes rampaged through the South in late April, Scott Eisen (’13) did not sit back and idly watch the TV reports. He and a friend grabbed their cameras and headed down to Georgia and Tennessee to document the devastation first hand.
Q&A with Scott Eisen
What motivated you to just pick up and go shoot in Georgia and Tennessee?
I was meeting with a photographer a few years ago, and he was talking about how the stories that need to be covered are the ones that no one is covering. And those are usually the most important. [Television news] was covering what was happening in Alabama, but not in Georgia or Tennessee. One friend and I had just enough money, and there was one hotel room left, so we just kind of went for it.
What did the experience teach you?
It taught me that you need to worry more about the story than anything else. Don’t be focused on the money that you’re going to spend to go. Don’t be worried about not having the best equipment. Go and take care of the story, and worry about everything else later.
How have your experiences at COM shaped you as a photographer/journalist?
I have learned from professors that I need to seek the truth. I need to get the story and show it to the world. Even the stories that nobody wants to find. I have also been shaped by other students because each of them thinks and works differently. This allows each of us to bounce ideas and thoughts off each other.
