Alcoholic turned Bike Racer

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html#steven_marmo

This story definitely is a good example of the principles of what photojournalism would be. It hits on the who, the what, the where and so on and while it skirts around the 'newsworthiness' aspect of things, it definitely connects with human interest. As for the style, it was very subtly done, but jarringly so. As the narrator tells his story, you see the blue-collar environment he surrounds himself in, not seeing his face that is always cast in shadows. As he progresses in his story, the audience begins to see a new man emerging, and the style shows that as the photos begin to almost lead the story themselves, becoming slightly brighter and brighter and more humanized as the man changes. Finally, when the audience and the narrator realizes that he has begun to finally overcome his alcohol and fighting problems, the picture finally reveals his full eyes, showing his full face for the first, and only, time. This part in particular was very striking in that just showing his eyes helped to elevate the overall story without the aid of the spoken or written word; it was just the picture itself.
The images presented help to set and move the story very well. At the beginning, when the narrator talks about the euphoria of fighting, the pictures are imposing, showing intimidating tattoos and a rugged construction worker. However, as he talks about coming out of fighting, the pictures show less of his tattoos, but more of what has changed him, namely his bike riding that he had become involved with after he lost his car. What this does is create a type of feeling in the audience that can’t be done with just a word on a page – the pictures themselves have transformed the man. Also, during one particular section that he begins riding his bike, he says ‘…and I kept riding and riding and riding…’ and the pictures both have quick movement in the shots and quick movement in the slideshow, creating a nice sense for the reader of not only speed, but a change in momentum and, in turn, this man’s lifestyle. The whole things is very intuitive – it follows not only the progression of his story but does so in a way that tells stories by itself. For example, in every picture in which he says things in a regretful fashion, the pictures reflect that.