A Detailed Account of a Photography Summer Internship Picture Perfect: A Detailed Account of a Photography Summer Internship By Vanessa Carlson

Keystone, SD Population of about 300, but booms during the summer. Located 2.5 miles away from Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills, South Dakota. History, dining, recreation and shopping.

Downtown Keystone

Downtown during Sturgis

Hills Hospitality Management Includes a museum, hotels and gas stations. Borglum Historical Center Travelodge Super 8 Rushmore View Inn Keystone Boardwalk Inn and Suites Keystone C-Store with Laundromat Seasonal employer Work with international students.

Borglum Historical Center A museum about Gutzon Borglum, the man who carved Mt. Rushmore. Includes a self guided audio tour, short film, galleries and gift shop. Features previous works, his life story and process of carving the mountain. Also serves as a visitor center.

Photography The internship consisted of taking photos of tour groups at Mt. Rushmore, editing and printing the photos and delivering them. Had to position tour groups at the monument. Took multiple photos to ensure at least one quality photo Worked with people all over the country. Used digital camera, DarkRoom to edit and print photos, and Photoshop Essentials to lasso faces in photos, if needed.

Photography Continued… Trained co-workers on photo process. Assisted with process improvement. Learned more about photo editing through trial and error as well as from other experienced in photography.

Writing and Graphics Edited/rewrote brochure text and provided feedback on design. Photographed hotels for brochures. Proposed written descriptions for employer’s hotels for Chamber of Commerce website. Advertised locations by drawing in customer with eloquent descriptions, then provided the informative information. Researched and compiled visitor guide for 1927 Lodge.

Museum Front Desk Learned much about the history of Mt. Rushmore, the museum and the Black Hills area. Aided tourists with directions and what to do in the Black Hills. Cashier for tours which included a self guided audio tour of Borglum’s other works, a movie and two galleries. Answered questions about the museum, Borglum and/or Mt. Rushmore.

Museum Gift Shop Cashier for Borglum and South Dakota souvenirs as well as a large selection of Black Hills gold. Learned much about the history and how to care for Black Hills gold. Stocked merchandise as well as checked it in. Retail is a form of advertisement. Be polite and welcome customers, inform them of special offers and advertise the merchandise, especially Black Hills gold.

How DSU Prepared Me Photoshop class gave me the basics to edit photos. InDesign taught me about text for screen and print, color and placement in design. Various English courses provided me with the knowledge and skills to compose many different types of text. Technology basis gave me the knowledge about how to properly care for desktop and laptop computers in the museum office.

Career learning experience I learned how the tourism business operates. Learned much about the Black Hills. Acceptance and rejection in the writing and advertising world. How to handle awkward situations professionally. Learned more about photography and how to help customers in that field.

What I learned about myself… If I put my mind to something, I can accomplish just about anything. I’m more independent than I thought I was. Maneuvering in an unfamiliar area/city. Car maintenance. Professionalism in my area of work I can handle difficult situations calmly I enjoy writing and working with photography in order to show others the beauty and fun of different places.