Mountain Workshops

I felt really inspired by this project. I had never seen audio and photography used together. I think it lets you focus on the important aspects of a story, pulling the meaning out of a story more efficiently than other mediums do. You can see the tears in someones eyes and the creases in their favorite photos and these images have a chance to dwell in your mind, allowing you to create deeper associations between your own personal experiences and the experiences of the people in the story. The audio increases the impact of the story because it ties the photos together to emphasize the meaning and storyline. The audio added emotion and realism. This happened especially for me when I heard the old man (top left corner) talk about his wife being killed and his voice cracked like he was going to cry. It seems the more senses you target when conveying a story the deeper it resonates in the reader.
I particularly liked how these people were not famous, rich or particularly exceptional people, they just told simple stories that many of us can relate too. Often stories seem so exceptional and dramatic that people skim over them, not able to absorb their consequences because they cannot relate to them. It's refreshing to hear a simple story, profiling the little things in life we often take for granted.
I think this technique of using audio and photography together is more artistic than other mediums because the journalists have more choice in what images and soundbites they use and where.