Photo Illustration

Photo Illustration Practice

HDR Photo Shoot

HDR Photography

1. We will need to set the AEB or change the settings between photos.
2. Tripods and cameras with an AEB function.
3. For a book cover or movie poster. Maybe to enter in a contest.
4. We will see a more high-definition picture with more shadows and contrast than we would see in just one picture.

Merger Photo Shoot

Graffiti and Found Objects

The Big Day

A man is rushing to go stop a wedding, and he just barely makes it. The bride can be seen looking out the window, and at first I thought she was looking for the man (who I assumed to be the groom). We then see, however, he is not the groom. We don't know these people's stories, but it's obvious he is trying to stop the wedding.

Who: Cher- the bride, Ethan- the groom, Will- the man who's trying to stop the wedding, Father Jeffery- the priest, and the wedding guests
What- Will is trying to stop Cher and Ethan from getting married.
Where- In the Christhill Church in Mantle, Canada.
When- The wedding service started at around 2 pm on Saturday, April the 25th.
Why- We don't know really
How- Will drove from his hometown of Toronto to stop the wedding of Cher and Ethan.

Will is rushing to get to the wedding of Cher and Ethan. The weather is rainy and gloomy as he goes from his home town of Toronto, Canada to the small town of Mantle. The 50 minute drive goes over various terrains, but Will is determined to get to Mantle before Cher and Ethan have the chance to say their vows.
Meanwhile, Cher is preparing for her big day. At one point she looks out the window expectingly, but it's not clear what, or who, she's looking for.
Right when Father Jeffery asks if anyone didn't approve of this union, Will shows up. Ethan looks at him, then at Cher who turns to look at Will.


Last saturday was the marriage of Cher Wilson and Ethan Garcia at the Christhill Church in Mantle, Canada.

Will Stiles was rushing to get to the wedding from his hometown of Toronto, Canada.

"I thought I was going to miss it," said Stiles. "I would've never forgiven myself if that happened."

The drive from Toronto to Mantle is a long one, but Stiles knew he could do it.

"There were times where I thought I wasn't going to make it," said Stiles. "But I stayed positive and ended up making it just in time."

Inside the church, Wilson was preparing for her big day.

"It was all very exciting," Wilson said. "Everything was going really well."

Wilson had known Garcia for many years, but they had been dating for only three.

"I don't know why I didn't realize how amazing Cher was sooner," Garcia said. "But when I did realize, I just knew I had to ask her to marry me."

Right when Father Jeffery was asking if anyone didn't approve of this union, Stiles entered the church.

"Cher looked so beautiful standing there," Stiles said. "I knew at that moment I made the right decision in coming to the wedding."

Stile's own wedding will be held this coming weekend, also at the Christhill Church, at 12 pm on Saturday.

iMovie Final Exam Preview

  In these two websites, I learned the basics of iMovie. It seems to be fairly simple; just a lot of clicking and dragging. Of course, if I want to do more advanced stuff with my final product, I'd have to learn more complicated stuff.

  I learned how to start a new project in iMovie, trim clips, split clips into different parts, import files into iMovie, select a theme, add music, and add special effects. All of this will really help me make a good picture show. Before this, I didn't know anything about iMovie because I don't have a mac or even an iPhone. Everything I learned today was new, but one thing that was really interesting to me was how you can put two clips on top of each other.

  The main thing I'm concerned about with this project is getting an interesting topic. I'm also a little worried about the video part of the final; I'm not exactly sure what to do with this part either. I think the picture part of the final should be easy as long as I find a good subject. The first subject I thought of was the All Time Low concert I was going to tomorrow, but I don't think they allow professional cameras inside the theater. As of this moment, I'm not sure what I'm going to take pictures of. Hopefully I find something soon so I can begin the project soon.

Baltimore Riots

If I was a journalist while the riots were going on, I'd be very afraid. I would still keep trying to get pictures, however, because this is a very important event and it would be my job as a photographer to show the world what's happening. I would try to get lots of pictures of emotion, especially among the protesters. The picture I chose is a great example of what I believe is a great picture for this riot. You can see the smoke in the background and the act of defiance made by the man on the bike. Of course, I would have to capture the violence as well. That would be harder to get pictures of because of all the danger it asks of you to get right in the middle of all the chaos and violence.

Portfolio Analysis

Runner ups:

Alyssa Schukar
Eating disorder
It's not personal, not emotional enough, not enough strong singles
The picture of the girl who fell down off the hurdles and the picture of the man sweeping the street.
She had some good photos, but some weren't personal enough. Also, some could've been cropped better.

Travis Haughton
Disorder (?)
Cropping cuts off things that need would add to the picture, angles could be better, could be looser.
Emotion is good, nice action shots.
They needed to get better angles. I didn't like some of the subjects they chose as well.

Nick Adams
PhotoJ (?)
Pictures don't tell a story, framed badly, too tight
Good action, graphically okay
Need better angles and to capture a story.


Winner: 

Dustin Snipes
He gets up close, good emotion, creative
They get in the middle of the action and seem to be very creative. They could try to make some of their photos less chaotic.

Contest Recap:

They looked at the stories, and the emotion they gave. The judges also looked at the composition of the photos and if they used photo rules to make the pictures entertaining to the eye.

2005 Judging Contest:

One judge pointed out that the picture of the man playing badminton was a good example of unusual angles. I agree with this, the picture does have an unusual angle as well as a very simplistic background. Both of these things, as well as the color scheme, make this picture a good one.

I did not agree with the judges' ranking of the picture stories. The first picture story, to me, didn't really tell a story and the pictures didn't do much for me. I preferred the 3rd place picture story. All of the pictures could stand on their own, but there could've been more of a story.

Nut Graf

A nut graf is basically the story in "a nutshell". It helps the reader know what the story is about, telling them why they should care. Once you get to the nut graf, you can choose whether or not to keep reading; if you stop you'd still know what the story is essentially about.

The hard part about writing the nut graf isn't just capturing the essence of the story, it's encouraging readers to keep reading. Many professionals struggle with this in their writing, but a good nut graf is essential to their story. It helps readers see why the story is important and serves as a transition from the intro into the rest of the story.

Student of the Month Story

  Jack Ruel was recently awarded the Student of the Month award. This award was just recently instituted at Bowie high school, and Ruel is one of the first to ever achieve this title. A lot of work goes into achieving this award, according to Ruel. "Yes, it was a great accomplishment...But there are others that deserve it also," he stated. "It was an award I didn't even know about until it was given to me."
  "There's lots of homework... About two hours every night," Ruel says. The student who wins this award is chosen by the teachers, each teacher nominating one of their students who they think would be a good candidate for the award. The teachers then meet and discuss the student's grades and vote on which student they believe is Student of the Month material.
  "Teachers are nicer... They were very proud and thought I deserved it," Ruel said. The teacher who nominated Ruel for the Student of the Month award was his math teacher, Ms. Minor. She said that Ruel was one of her best students and she believed he was an excellent choice for the award.
   It's not all academics for Jack Ruel, however. Ruel is on the Bowie boy's lacrosse team, but he still manages to maintain his all pre-AP classes' work. He hopes to one day be a doctor and get into medical school as well; this motivates him to work hard in school.
"Always look to the future, like how it's allowing you to go to a college," Ruel said.

Inverted Pyramid

Student of the Month- Jack Ruel

How do you feel about becoming student of the month?
 A great accomplishment
Were you trying to become student of the month?
 No, it was an award I didn't even know about until it was given to me.
Do you feel like you deserve this title?
 Yes, but there are others that do also.
Was it a lot of hard work?
 Yes.
What classes do you take?
 All Pre-AP
What's your favorite class?
 Math.
Is it hard to maintain your grades?
Yes, there's lots of homework.
How many hours of homework do you usually have?
 About two every night. 
Do you do any extra-curricular activities?
 I play lacrosse.
How do you study?
 On my own in a quiet room.
What do you struggle with in school?
 English.
What are your plans after you graduate high school?
 Go to college and med. school.
What do you want to do when you're older?
 Doctor.
Do you have any role models?
 My parents.
How did your family and teachers react to the news?
 They were very proud and thought I deserved it.
Was all your hard work worth it?
 Yes, it was a great accomplishment. 
What do you do to keep yourself from becoming demotivated?
 Always look to the future, like how it's allowing me to go to college.
How important is this award to you?
 Very important.
What exactly does student of the month mean?
 It means all of your hard work pays off.
Have you received any special treatment since receiving this award?
 Yes, teachers are nicer. 

School Uniforms

Possible Sources:
School board member
Student
Principal

Questions:
What do you think of this new policy?
Why do you think that?
Do you think this will help improve schools?
Why do you think this new policy was made?
Have you ever been dress coded?
Do you believe that factors into this policy?
When will students have to begin wearing uniforms?
What are the uniforms?
Are there any specific colors you can't wear?
Will uniforms be supplied or will students need to purchase them?
Do you think there will be any future changes?
How are the students reacting so far?
Why/why aren't they happy with the uniforms?
Were the parents and students asked what they thought about this new policy?
Why/why not?
Will the staff also have a uniform?
If so, what will their uniform be?
Do you think students will try to fight this policy?
What will be the consequences of being out of uniform?
Do you have any additional thoughts on the new uniforms?

Architecture Shoot

Light

Angles and Shapes

Detail

Patterns

Surroundings

Architecture Preview 2- The Eden Project

Light
This picture matches the prompt for light because of the dramatic
lighting pouring in through the windows. The light shines
on the fog which also adds to the allure of this picture. 

Detail
This picture shows a lot of detail, making it perfect for the prompt.
You can see reflections on the windows, and the shapes of the
actual windows which makes this picture very detailed.

Surroundings
The prompt this picture fits is surroundings. You can see the structure
past the garden and the child appears to be running towards it.

Patterns
It wasn't too hard to find a patterns picture for a place like the Eden
Project. The walls of the building are hexagons, making it easy to spot patterns.
Instead of picking just any picture of the walls, I chose this one because of the
hexagons at the top of the picture that make a shape. 

Angles and Shapes
There is a lot of interesting angles and shapes in this building, and
this picture really shows that. It looks like something out of a
science fiction novel, and that's what made me choose this
picture. I like the different shape of the building, how instead of just making it
a dome they made it more intricate. 

iPhone Photos

1. My favorite picture was the one of the person standing on a rock in a pond. The way the photographer captured the picture really makes it feel dreamy and surreal which is really what I like about it.
2. Most of these pictures seem like they could've been taken with a phone, but some seem like you would need an actual camera to capture what they have.
3. I think the apps contributed a lot to the quality of these pictures. There's no way a phone camera could capture such high quality images.
4. Centering a large object in panorama makes an image very dramatic. Taking a picture from an unusual angle can make a picture more interesting.

Sensory Overload

I don't completely agree with this statement. I believe people define their environment by the actual buildings and not by the things we buy. Of course, sometimes we do think of the objects, but it depends on the person and place.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the photographs. They were visually pleasing and interesting to look at. As a photographer, it made me wish I could go somewhere as interesting as that to take pictures. If one of my parents worked at this place when I was a kid, I would always want to go to work with them and look around at all the colorful displays. It would be really fun to be a child of someone who worked at Commodity City.
My favorite photo was the one of the fake flower stand. It's really vibrant, and the way the flowers sort of frame the woman is really nice. I also like how the flowers cover the walls of the stand and take up most of the space in the stand.

Architecture Preview

Eden Project, UK

1. The architect of the Eden Project was Nicolas Grimshaw.
2. Construction was finished in May, 2000.
3. Located in Cornwall, England.
4. The Eden Project is a visitor attraction.
5. There is no information concerning how much building costs were.
6. A reason was not given as to why this was constructed, but the Eden Project was originally thought of in 1996, with construction beginning in 1998.
7. I picked this building not really because of the architecture of the domes, but because of the landscaping done to the gardens. I love plants, and this seems like a place I would love to visit someday. The dome architecture is interesting, but what's inside them and around is much more interesting to me.

Turning Torso, Sweden

1. Turning Torso was designed by Santiago Calatrava.

2. Construction finished on the 27th of August, 2005.

3. Malmo, Sweden

4. Contains apartments and offices.

5. No information about how much construction cost.

6. Turning Torso was constructed to create a recognizable skyline for Malmo, Sweden and was intended to replace the Kockums Crane.

7. The architecture of this building is very modern and different. It stands out against the older buildings in Malmo as really the only modern building in sight. If I was ever in Sweden, I would definitely have to go visit this building. 

Kansas City Public Library, USA

1. No information about the architect of the library.

2. The building was founded in 1873, making it the oldest public library system in metropolitan Kansas City.

3. Kansas City, Missouri

4. The building is used as a public library.

5. There is no information about the cost of construction.

6. Kansas City Public Library was built as a public library for the citizens of Kansas City.

7. What really caught my attention with this building was the "bookshelf" on the side of the library. I think it's so cool how they incorporated famous novels and included them into the architecture of the building. I love reading, so this library seems perfect for me. I would really like to visit this building one day.

Burj Al Arab, Dubai

1.  The architect for this building was Tom Wright.

2. Construction was completed in 1999.

3. The Burj Al Arab is located in Dubai.

4. The building is a five-star hotel.

5. The cost of construction was 650 million USD.

6. Built to be a hotel.

7. The architecture is very modern and is meant to resemble a sail, which I think they executed very well. I love the design of the building, as well as the location that was chosen for it. The interior of the hotel is also modern and elegant, and it's definitely somewhere I want to go in my lifetime.

La Pedrera, Spain

1. La Pedrera was designed by Antoni Gaudi.

2. The construction for this building was completed sometime in 1910.

3. Located in Barcelona, Spain.

4. Open to visitors.

5. Information on construction cost couldn't be found.

6. Built as a home for Roser Segimon and Pere Mila.

7. The really amazing thing about this building is that it was built in the early 1900's. It seems like such a modern building; you wouldn't expect this to have been designed in the 20th century. The interior is just as interesting as the outside of the building, if not more. La Padrera seems like a great place to visit someday as well.

Action Photos

Action Preview

I think this is part of a winning sports portfolio because the action was captured perfect.The water was dumped on the coach at the right time; you can see the action but the coach hasn't reacted yet. The shutter speed is probably really high so that the photographer could capture the action. This is a key moment, and this was probably planned between the football players. The photographer might've been on it, but it's unlikely. Angle is used in the picture, as well as rule of thirds.

Newspaper Practice #2

News Values

Impact- Obama aide warns mall shoppers to be vigilant
This article will impact the people living around the mall. They will need to be on alert just incase someone is planning to attack the mall.
Timeliness- Amid a Slump, a Crackdown for Venezuela
This article was made just yesterday. Since it was reported just yesterday, this article is new.
Prominence- Hillary Clinton and Inevitability: This Time Is Different
Since Hillary Clinton is planning to run for president again, she is newsworthy. The article will discuss Clinton's running again.
Human Interest- Fighting Is Long Over, but Western Sahara Still Lacks Peace
This article talks about people in an emotional struggle. The fighting is over, but the people in Sahara still struggle.
Conflict- Battle to Retake Iraqi City Looms as Test of Obama's ISIS Strategy
This is a physical conflict between the U.S and ISIS. The article is an example of a conflict news article.
Proximity- Off to a Huge Start
This article is about Anderson high school which is close to where we are. The event is in close proximity to where we live.
Novelty- Lineups for SXSW parties coming together
SXSW is a big even here in Austin. This is a novelty article because people like events and unusual things.

My Yearbook Spread

Other High School Newspapers

The newspaper that really caught my eye was the newspaper for Lafayette high school (http://issuu.com/lhsimage.com/docs/nov._8__2013). The format for the newspaper is really nice, simple and all together easy to read. There's not a lot going on, but it still manages to capture the viewers attention. The picture on the cover is also very attractive; simple and bright like the format of the newspaper. On this newspaper, there actually aren't any stories introduced. I find this odd, and a mistake for the editors of the newspaper.
The newspaper that interested me most was the newspaper for Carmel high school (http://issuu.com/hilite/docs/4.25.13_issue). The headline and picture really caught my attention because it's something that is interesting to me. The picture also serves to make me want to read the main article. The only headline on the newspaper is "[Fe]male", which intrigues me mainly because the of the format the word, "female" is in.
A lot of these newspapers have the usual newspaper format; a title, a main headline, some pictures, a main story, a few other headlines and some sub headlines. Some other newspapers don't have this format, however, and instead have more of the magazine-type format; one big picture covering the whole front page. Some of these look similar to the professional newspapers we looked at the other day, but others are very different.

Broadsheet newspapers:
http://issuu.com/blueandgoldtoday/docs/issue_1_0f5d235c9bd6d4
http://issuu.com/shsverve/docs/verve_vol_xv_iss_2_nov_2014
http://issuu.com/cking925/docs/december_growl_fd9b305aebb02d

Tabloids:
http://issuu.com/cghsnc/docs/the_crusader_senior_issue_may_2013
http://issuu.com/the_lance/docs/lance_issue_3
http://issuu.com/prospectornow/docs/online_issue_5_427d9452b5f8cb

NewsMagazines:
http://issuu.com/alisonlong/docs/issue3
http://issuu.com/crazemagazine/docs/around_the_world_final
http://issuu.com/hilite/docs/4.25.13_issue

Newspaper terms:
Headline- a title written in large print that gives an idea of what the story is about.
Subheadline- a title of a subdivision in a newspaper article.
Lines- a line that accompanies a news article and provides information such as author name.
Boxes- the solid frames outside a print story.
Photos- the pictures for an article.
Teaser- hinting at but not revealing the story.
Flag- the name of the newspaper.
Folios- the number of each page with the date and name of the newspaper.
Captions- Short pieces of text used to describe what's happening  in pictures and name the photographer and subjects.
Stories- a report or account of an event or matter.
Bylines- The writer's name printer at either the beginning or end of a story.
Jumps- A story that is continued on another page in the newspaper.
Story dividers- Text boxes that divide stories
Screens- A finely ruled plate used to reproduce halftones.
Infographics- A visual image used to represent information.
Masthead/staff box- The name of the newspaper in a distinct text at the top  of the paper.

Front Pages of the World

My favorite front page is the one for the Austin American Statesmen. I like how it has pictures as well as text and they seem to balance each other out. I also like how in the top of the paper, it has pictures and the titles of articles inside the paper. My favorite headline on the front page is the one for the main article: "Refusals of Vaccines Triple in Texas Since '07". I'm interested in it because it's a big issue right now in the US, so I would really like to read more about it. I would also like to hear the writer's opinion on the issue.
There are 16 previews of stories on the front page. Some, like the main article, are rather long previews while others are just the headlines of minor articles. I noticed most of the newspapers share this trait. Some newspapers however, have very little pictures and lots of text. This seems to be more common in newspapers from different countries.

King Pica Spread

Yearbook Introduction

25 Things Every Yearbook Should Have:
1. The pictures should capture the school spirit
2. The formatting should be nice, organized, and not distracting from the actual context of the page
3. Something that represents the school should be on the cover
4. The year the yearbook is for should be on the cover
5. The school name should be on the cover
 6. The student body should be well represented
 7. Electives and extra curricular activities should be represented
 8. Sports should have their own pages
 9. There should be pictures of the campus
10. Titles of the spreads should be creative
11. Students that won awards should be mentioned
12.  Table of contents should be included
13. Student life outside of school
14. Big school events that happened that year
15. Student council spread
16. Arts spread
17. Opening word from the principal
18. Closing word from the principal
19. Index
20. Yearbook staff spread
21. Pictures showing the town where the school is
22.  Senior quotes
23. Faculty section
24. Current world events spread
25. Seniors spread

Questions:

1. What is the title of your book?
Volume XII 20 Odyssey 09
2. What school is it from?
Redlands East Valley High
3. What thematic elements do you see in your book?
Lots of pictures of the student body and creative titles for spreads.
4. How many sections are in your book?
14
5. What is your favorite spread?
Either "Where you at" or "Hagar Awards"
6. Is there an index in your book?
No.
7. Are there photos of groups of people, like clubs and organizations?
Yes.
8. Is there a table of contents?
Yes.
9. How many people go to the school whose book you have?
About 3,667 people.
10. What state is your book from?
Redlands, California.

5 websites

Killer Time-lapse

This video showed an amazing time-lapse of Rio de Janerio, Brazil. It showed many parts of the city, and it was really interesting to see time going by so fast.
The person who took the video was Joe Capra, an American photographer. I found an interview he did after he went to Iceland and made another time-lapse video (http://international-photographer.com/photographers-interviews/joe-capra.htm) that's also awesome. I will defiantly keep up with his work.

Spiral Staircases

This website showed pictures of old spiral stair cases in abandoned buildings. The photos were taken by Christian Richter with a Canon 5D. He lightly edited them in Photoshop as well. My favorite picture was this one:

I picked this picture because of the angle and lighting the stairs are in. It seems like the stairs go on forever, and it's just such a cool picture. I also really like the texture of the carpet on the stairs. It really makes the picture come to life.
I see depth in this picture, leading lines, and the use of viewpoint.

Projector

This was a video of a forest that was illuminated by a projector. They added cool effects to make it seem like some things were bioluminescent. The people who took this video were Tarek Mawad and Friedrich van Schoor. They spent six weeks in the forest using a powerful projected to illuminate the forest.

I learned that you can take pictures and videos like this without the use of photoshop.


The Oldest Living Things in the World

This gallery showed some of the world's oldest living things. From trees to brain coral, all of these things have stood the test of time.

I choose this picture because I love the way the trees are tilted and how they stand out against the dry grass. Some rules of photography in this picture are depth, leading lines, and symmetry. The photographer of all these pictures is Rachel Sussman.

2014

After reading the book, I was really anticipating the movie.
It's probably one of my favorite books/movies of the year. I've been getting into
murder mysteries this year, so this was a great choice for me.

The most important news of 2014 was Ferguson. I just can't believe
something as violent as this is going on. It's horrible to think that
this is happening, and I believe we as a nation should do something
about it before more lives are taken from us.

I think Robin Williams was the most important person of
2014. His death really affected me because he was such a big part
of my childhood. Practically all my favorite movies growing up
featured him in them. When I heard that he had died, I was devastated. Robin Williams
deserves to be the person of 2014.

Cooking movies have always been interesting to me. I don't know why, but I just love them.
The story in this movie was good, and the food looked amazing. It was really intriguing and left me hungry afterwards.

I didn't really keep up with much of the top pop hits, so I'm very unfamiliar with the new hits of those artists. One of my favorite songs of 2014 was probably Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon. Another song I really liked was Would You Still Be There by Of Mice and Men. 

Last year, I mostly listened to older songs (older meaning late 90's to mid 2000's), so these songs weren't my absolute favorites.

This picture was taken on NewYears in Brazil. The colors in
this photo really caught my eye and I just love the festive look it has.

This photo is very interesting to look at.
The cherry blossom petals covering the river
makes this picture look even more magical.

This picture is also very interesting to see.
The way the earth has taken over the
man-made construction is just so powerful to me.
It's also just amazing to see what happens
when the earth has the opportunity
to take over something man-made.

Peer Review: Prompt Shoot and Magazine Cover

Peer Review: http://maggiesphotojournalismblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/prompt-shoot-3.html?showComment=1421247510972#c8738656318606190811
My favorite picture was pause. I love the filter, and it's a really creative take on the prompt. My least favorite image is connected. The picture seems to be tilted, and the lighting and angle could make this a much better picture. Overall, I think they followed the prompts very well and they were creative with the prompts. I think that they could improve on their lighting and the angle that the pictures are taken in. The prompt they portrayed the best was pause; it follows the prompt, but still manages to be creative with it. They could've portrayed connected better if they had chosen a better subject.

Magazine Cover:
The name of the magazine I looked at was Bookworm by Catherine ( http://catherinesphotojournalismblog.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-01-09T10:17:00-08:00&max-results=7 ). I really liked the pose the subject is in and how the text is arranged. She could've improved on making the font bigger, as it was kinda hard to read.
The thing that really caught my attention was the subjects pose. The color scheme is really great in the photo also, so that also caught my eye. There is a barcode on the magazine, but I think it could've been placed better. It made it more magazine like, but to me, it looks like the back of a magazine because of where she placed the barcode.
I know this picture is a self-portrait since I know her, but even if I didn't I would still be able to tell that this was a self-portrait.

Prompt Shoot #3

Pose

Connected

Pause

The end