Project: Heartbeat of America

America has a love affair with automobiles. Lansing students focus on the auto industry.

Lansing Community College. This is where the journey begins. Twenty-five schools in less than three months. That's what Colin Finlay and Julieanne Kost will face as they embark on an adventure that began on September 5th in Lansing, Michigan.

The first day began with Julieanne presenting Adobe's new Photoshop Lightroom software to the faculty at a reception on campus. This was followed by a 2-hour lecture presentation by Colin Finlay who shared his images and views of photography with the student body, faculty members and the local community. Images from Sudan, Rwanda, and Haiti were mixed with a colorful blend of ad campaigns for Ocean Pacific and Eastman Kodak. A dialogue with the audience kept everyone there well into the evening.

The second day started around 4:00 A.M. for several students participating in the assignment workshop led by Colin. Some had to drive for over an hour to meet the bus that would take the group of 12 to General Motors' new, $1.5 billion manufacturing plant in Lansing Delta Township. This was the chance of a lifetime to experience firsthand at an inside look of one of the most important industries in American history.

All arrived at 8:00 A.M. and as the sun cut though the early morning fog; we could see the magnitude of GM's new structure. The students were met by Kim Carpenter, Regional Communications Manager for GM and our "tour guide" for the day. Kim was absolutely terrific and gave the students as much latitude as possible so everyone could capture the images they came to create.

There was an unspoken division of labor among the students�some went for portraits, others for detail shots of the advanced technology and a few focused on a combination of the two. This portfolio represents a body of work that speaks for them - collectively and individually.

While sparks were flying from grinding metal, the sounds of laughter told us the students were enjoying the day. They were pushing the limits of their creativity -- all to capture those few precious images that would tell the story to those not fortunate enough to witness it themselves.

Despite all the technology and automation you'd expect from a $1.5 billion investment the images the students found most appealing - and revealing - were the images of the employees who actually build the cars. The employee interaction with modern technology is what captured their interest and intrigued them most - and is reflected in many of the images in their final portfolio.

While one group was shooting away at GM, Julieanne Kost gave open seminars on Lightroom to the students back on campus. As usual, Julianne made it educational and fun.

The students returned to the lab and it was time to download the images, go through the painful editing process, and submit only a fraction from the day's shoot. Julieanne supported the students as they all worked together as a team, helping each other with the editing process and creating a collective portfolio they all feel represents the assignment.

We hope you enjoy the images and we'll be writing more from our next stop - Tyler Texas - the Rose Capitol of America.