Today my class was visited by Mary Knox Merrill, a former videographer and photographer for the Christian Science Monitor and now works as the director of multimedia at my alma matter, Northeastern.

Merrill was a revelation to listen to, and she showed us some of her video work for the Christian Science Monitor, including this riveting work on rape as a weapon in the congo.

Merrill’s job for the monitor is the kind of work I dream of doing, getting on a plane every two weeks to shoot something for a magazine. She gave the class some tips on photography and videography, which I will use on my upcoming video, as part of my food truck series, on Kickass Cupcakes.

Some of Merrill’s tips included:

• Perseverance is key
• Figure out where your place is and be persistent
• Details make a piece
• Interview plenty of people
• Shoot a variety of images, from tight to medium to wide, from every angle, and don’t be afraid to direct the subject
• Always check the lighting
• Most important: Always shoot plenty of B-roll (extra overview shots)

So thanks Mary Knox! The information was wonderful and I will be using your tips on my blog very soon!

-L