This summer I worked for a publishing company based out of Westbrook, Maine called Current Publishing. I primarily wrote for one of the company’s weekly papers, The Lakes Region Weekly.
During my time at the paper I covered lots of small town news like elections, school board meetings and festivals. One Saturday morning in late July I was assigned to cover a protest. Activists lined one of the main Maine roads (slight pun intended) holding signs and passing out informational cards alerting people about the potential risk of reversing an oil pipeline that runs from Canada to Maine. The pipeline goes by Sebago Lake, which is the primary source of drinking water for a huge population in the state.
After I talked to protesters and snapped some pictures by land, the demonstrators headed to a local beach on Sebago Lake to protest by water. I happen to live on Sebago Lake in the summer, so I decided I could get some unique photos if I captured them from the water looking in rather than from the beach.
With my dad at the wheel and my camera in hand, we hopped on our boat and headed to the area the protest was supposed to occur. What was advertised, as a large flotilla with boats and canoes turned out to be more like a bunch of people floating around in inner tubes.
Since the activity was not as big as expected, my dad could not get close enough in the boat for me to get adequate photos. I quickly formed plan B and instructed my father to get as close to the shore as he could and drop the anchor. The shoreline was still far away, but the water was only up to my shoulders. So with my camera held over my head in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag, I made my amphibious assault to shore and swam/walked up to the beach.
I’m sure people were perplexed by the reporter emerging from the water, taking some photos and making her way back into the waves.
This assignment was definitely one of my most unique reporting experiences to date. Check out my story here.
Follow me on Twitter @MeaganNichols1
During my time at the paper I covered lots of small town news like elections, school board meetings and festivals. One Saturday morning in late July I was assigned to cover a protest. Activists lined one of the main Maine roads (slight pun intended) holding signs and passing out informational cards alerting people about the potential risk of reversing an oil pipeline that runs from Canada to Maine. The pipeline goes by Sebago Lake, which is the primary source of drinking water for a huge population in the state.
After I talked to protesters and snapped some pictures by land, the demonstrators headed to a local beach on Sebago Lake to protest by water. I happen to live on Sebago Lake in the summer, so I decided I could get some unique photos if I captured them from the water looking in rather than from the beach.
With my dad at the wheel and my camera in hand, we hopped on our boat and headed to the area the protest was supposed to occur. What was advertised, as a large flotilla with boats and canoes turned out to be more like a bunch of people floating around in inner tubes.
Since the activity was not as big as expected, my dad could not get close enough in the boat for me to get adequate photos. I quickly formed plan B and instructed my father to get as close to the shore as he could and drop the anchor. The shoreline was still far away, but the water was only up to my shoulders. So with my camera held over my head in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag, I made my amphibious assault to shore and swam/walked up to the beach.
I’m sure people were perplexed by the reporter emerging from the water, taking some photos and making her way back into the waves.
This assignment was definitely one of my most unique reporting experiences to date. Check out my story here.
Follow me on Twitter @MeaganNichols1