Al Drago

Photojournalist, student, DJ.

Profile

Al Drago
Photojournalism Student at Elon University
Newspapers | Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area, US

Summary

I'm Al Drago, a freshman studying Photojournalism at Elon University in North Carolina. I work as a staff photographer for The Pendulum, Elon's weekly student newspaper.

I'm also a freelance photographer based out of Durham currently working for the Independent Weekly, shooting mostly sports for their sports blog, Triangle Offense. I cover local ACC football and basketball, minor league baseball, and some NHL hockey.
Specialties: AP style, Adobe (Photoshop, Bridge, InDesign), Microsoft Office, Social Media, Photo Mechanic, SoundSlides, Final Cut Pro, remote photo transmission.

Experience

  • Dec 2011 - Present
    Staff Photographer / The Pendulum
  • Aug 2010 - Present
    Contributing Sports Photographer / Independent Weekly
    Freelance Sports Photographer currently covering local ACC football and basketball, as well as minor league baseball and NHL hockey for the "Triangle Offense" sports blog.
  • Feb 2006 - Oct 2011
    Media Director, DJ / Dynamic DJ Entertainment
    -Provided mobile DJ entertainment for dances at 10+ schools, as well as sweet 16s, parties, and special events in the NC Triangle area.
    -Helped found, develop, and bring company to profitability in under 1 year maintaining staff of 4.
    - Helped Launch a marketing campaign that catapulted the company to the top of Google search results, raised brand awareness on Facebook, and tripled new leads.
  • Apr 2011 - Sept 2011
    TV Crew / Durham Bulls Baseball Club
  • Jul 2010 - Aug 2010
    Photo Editor, Jamboree Today, 2010 National Scout Jamboree / Boy Scouts of America
    -Selected photos for publication and archive of the daily newspaper, Jamboree Today, at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree at Ft. AP Hill, Va. with a circulation of 50,000 copies.
    - Worked as a liaison between the reporters/editors and the photo team. Managed daily photo requests from writers and helped assign them to the photo team of 10 working photojournalists.
    -Assisted with selection and printing of the Photo of the Day, working with two specialists from Canon CPS.
  • Jun 2009 - Aug 2010
    Counselor, Raven Knob Scout Reservation / Boy Scouts of America
    Worked at Raven Knob Scout Reservation in Mt. Airy, NC., a weekly summer camp with 600-1,100 campers during summer 2009, 2010.
    -Instructed daily merit badge classes in Emergency Preparedness, Safety, and First Aid.
    -Assistant Administration Receptionist, took calls, filed paperwork, addressed questions.

Education

  • 2011 - 2015
    Elon University
    B.A. in Journalism-Print & Online News, emphasis in Photojournalism
    Activities: Member of Elon chapter of National Press Photographers Association.
  • 2007 - 2011
    Cardinal Gibbons High School
    Activities: Editor-in-Chief of student newspaper, The Crusader

Additional Information

Websites:
Personal Website
Honors:
North Carolina Scholastic Media Association: -Sports Photograph, 2nd Place, 2011 -Feature Photograph, Honorable Mention, 2011 -News Photograph, Honorable Mention, 2011 Eagle Scout, 2010 North Carolina Scholastic Media Institute: -Top Advanced Photography award in the Photojournalism category, 2010 -Advanced Newspaper Design, 2nd Place, 2009 Volunteer Center of Durham: -Hard Corps Award for Community Service, 2008 -Mayor’s Award for Community Service, 2007, 2008
My LinkedIn

Posts

My Photoblog
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