Adieu, Tidewater!

Back in the early 80s, my first job was delivering The Virginian-Pilot newspaper. I was 12-years-old, knee high to a grasshopper, and eager to earn money to fund the purchase of a complete skateboard.

Each day, without fail, I filled the basket of my beach cruiser and raced through my route with finesse. I knew exactly how to bundle my papers, how to stock them into my baskets and bags with the greatest efficiency. I had the art of newspaper delivery down to a science.

With the precision of a surgeon, I learned how to swiftly handle the paper and toss it without ripping any of the coveted A1 section fronts that elegantly displayed images from some of the most talented photojournalists in the nation. At the time, I had no idea that years later my images would be displayed on this very same section front.

Intermittently throughout the last decade as a staff photographer at The Pilot, I've had the opportunity and honor to share the aforementioned section front with some of the same photojournalists whose work graced the pages I used to deliver. How times have changed.

Today, those fronts are still valuable real estate and the photographs that adorn them remain community gems. However, the paperboy is now an iconic relic of the past. The journalist furiously slinging paper and ink to make the evening deadline is sure to follow as the rate to disseminate today's news is pressed to mach speeds.

Fortunately, somewhere out there in the unknown aether, a young innovative mind is tinkering with the future. Unbeknownst to all, this individual, or these people, or this movement, will develop a sustainable business model for journalism. When that day arrives, I will be the first one to voluntarily hop back on my bike and deliver the first edition. Or, more likely, I'll be the first one to navigate the comfort of my keyboard and pay to have the news delivered to my phone instantaneously.

That said, like many of our readers in Tidewater, each morning I begin my day with the paper and breakfast. It's been my ritual for longer than I can remember. 

Tomorrow, I will pick The Pilot off of my driveway for the last time. Tomorrow, I will work my final day as a photojournalist for my boyhood community. Tomorrow, I will bid farewell to my Pilot family.

The edit of photographs below are a selection of some of the images and experiences you all have allowed me to be a part of and share with our neighbors. Thank you, Tidewater; it's been an honor.

On that note, I'm grateful to announce that I'll be taking on a new role as the Photographic Resources Supervisor at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. I will be shooting, editing, managing and handling the visual branding/marketing of the college's photography efforts.

If you're ever in Ohio, look me up.

Adieu, Tidewater!

*Click on any image to view larger or begin slideshow. 

Rich-Joseph Facun Photography :: my (Favorite) Best of 2014

Here we go again. Another year down, another notch in the belt. 

It's been an unusual year with a lot of ups and downs in the field of journalism, visual storytelling and newspapers. I assume we're all very familiar with the doom and gloom so I'll skip the sob story and move right on into something ideally more positive, I hope. 

Over the last 365 days I've been at play. I've played so much it hardly felt like work. The following body of images are a representation of my playtime, and thus, my portfolio for 2014. Fortunately, it also represents my personal favorites, which is not always the case in these edits. 

Throughout the year, as we all worked to redefine how our stories are delivered to the masses, I also aimed to push the envelope in terms of how I approached my storytelling. Some of these variables grappled with new gear and technologies, while others explored and expanded on new subject matter. 

What I've found is that a large percentage of this work shares the story of both my community and myself. My single images convey my affinity for the "Old Dominion" where I've lived off and on since grade school--(in fact, my first job was delivering The Virginian-Pilot when I was 12-years-old). 

Earlier in the year I worked on an essay for our staff photo column at The VP entitled "Hoy, Pinoy." This series of images, introduced through a profile of my father, celebrated the Filipino community here in Hampton Roads. Another project I completed was "Cosplay." This series directly relates to my ongoing interest in the individual’s search for a personal identity. 

I also revisited my old stomping grounds at the Virginia Beach "Oceanfront" where religion, race, and a working-class tourism industry converge on the shore of a distinctly southeastern American city. I spent many summers skateboarding along these streets and in my early twenties lived in multiple bungalows a couple blocks back from the beach. It was a great time for a kid in his twenties. Today, the area is in a state of change and many of my old residences have been replaced by more polished, upscale structures. 

I close out my portfolio with the "American Summer," a personal view of an old-fashioned family road trip through this diverse country. There's nothing like hours upon hours spent in a car with your wife and kids. Try it sometime. You might be surprised by the growth you find in both yourself and your relationship with your loved ones. Reconnecting with my beloved southwestern desert...discovering a newfound love of soaring mountains and plump pine trees...introducing the land to my kids, who lived a good chunk of their lives halfway around the world, watching them laugh and splash in a Sedona swimming hole, red rocks and wild bats overhead...These are revelations new and old that are only uncovered by putting rubber to asphalt every once in awhile.

All that said, I don't know how people will feel about the subject matter being so personal but it is, at best, honest. 

Peace be with you and Happy New Year!

*Click on any image to view larger or begin slideshow.