Master class: Telling stories, camera in hand

MIDDLETOWN — International freelance photojournalist Kael Alford will discuss her photographic practice at a master class, "Stories of Others, Stories of Ourselves," at Orange County Community College in Middletown.

Now based in the United States, Alford has covered major events during the last 15 years in the Balkans, Iraq, and the Middle East, as well as the BP oil spill and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The program will include the type of education, training, and equipment necessary for those interested in the field of visual journalism that may take one to different cultures, countries abroad and sometimes war zones. She will also describe how a changing media landscape affects the relationships between production, distribution, and audiences for photojournalism.

She will describe her own transition from daily news to more long-term documentary projects and ask workshop participants to consider how one's own personal journey can inform and shape a life of image making. The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

Alford grew up in Middletown and has a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri. Besides lecturing and freelance work, she is an adjunct instructor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.