With his camera, the July Journalist of the Month helps paint a story of the life for deployed troops in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane is deployed with the Provincial Reconstruction Team Laghman and stood out as the top... read more
With his camera, the July Journalist of the Month helps paint a story of the life for deployed troops in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane is deployed with the Provincial Reconstruction Team Laghman and stood out as the top journalist because of the variety of photos he submitted, including his portraits of troops, and his technical skill. <br /><br />
"Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane is deployed as the public affairs NCOIC for the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team in eastern Afghanistan. His creativity and uncanny ability to make the mundane look unique and old look fresh through his eye-catching photography have made the Laghman PRT's PA shop a star early on in our deployment," said Air Force Capt. Tony Vincelli, public affairs officer.
Some of his photos were sent to multiple international, national and local media because of their quality and the way they captured the life of troops in Afghanistan. His photos often stand out because of their color and use of depth of field. One of his photos, "Personal security stays vigilant [Image 13 of 24]," was among the top downloaded photos for July. <br /><br />
His photos "Following the light [Image 5 of 8]" and "Providing overwatch [Image 5 of 24]" show how he uses lighting to give his photos a more dramatic effect.
The stand-alone portraits of service members in "Personal security stays vigilant [Image 14 of 24]" help bring the focus back to the individual service member. <br /><br />
Crane shows the casual side of deployment with the gallery, "A friendly game of basketball" and adds a personal touch to his images with a picture of the inside of his helmet where he keeps a photo of his family while out on patrol.
Although the pre-deployment photos he submitted were not timely, they are still good examples of Crane's skill. Had the photos lacked a caption, it would have been difficult to determine whether they were photos from Camp Atterbury or Afghanistan. <br /><br />
"His knowledge of social networking and how to build a loyal following of fans on various sites (including DVIDS) makes him an excellent choice for journalist of the month," added Vincelli. "In one week in July alone, the Army Knowledge Online home page featured three of his photographs." <br /><br />
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