Publication Assignment 1: The Lock Down

After Mr. Susman's 5th period english class was moved out of the portables, Finn Corbett shows off his Jar Jar Binks mask that he brought for Halloween with his friend Townes Hobratsk posing in the background. Both students and teachers dressed up. Costumes included Donald Trump, skeletons, and fallen angels.

Parents wait in a line from the front office to sign their children out. At about noon, the administrators let the kids leave with an excused absence.

The electricity went out in the morning during the worst of the storm. In many of the classrooms, the only light they had were the emergency ones. But in Lael Weatherby's choir class, "All four emergency lights went out." As if the day wasn't scary enough!

Barn Photoshoot 1

My first good barn photoshoot. As many of you know, I love horses. I have one- his name is Arthur. So does my best friend, whose horse is named Mo. We were at the barn when the smoke cloud from the Bastrop fires passed over us. I created a gorgeous natural filter on the photos. The lighting was absolutely gorgeous!

 Arthur shining in the setting sun.

 Arthur staring wide-eyed at me. He's so cute! I'm a little biased though <3

 Tula on Mo

 An adorable picture of the pair

The light rays are stunning and the expressions on their faces are interesting... 

 Both with their eyes closed. This was a candid shot- I din't tell either of them to shut their eyes.

Photo Challenge 3

Slow Shutter Speed:

1/4th

My friend and I were at the barn when the smoke cloud from the Bastrop fires passed over us. That is what made the natural 'filter' in the two horse pictures. This first picture has a slow shutter speed so you can tell that the horse is moving.

Fast Shutter Speed:
1/60th
The horse is the same pace as the one above, but the shutter speed is faster, so it is in focus.

Large aperture:

f/5.6

My friends hair is in focus, but the background is totally blurred.

Small Aperture:
f/11
Both the birds close to the camera and the farther ones, as well as the sea in the back ground are in focus.

Barbara Davidson

http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2011-Feature-Photography

 I choose Barbara Davidson, who won the Pulitzer prize in 2011. She works for the Los Angeles Times as a staff photographer. For the Pulitzer prize, she documented innocent people that were caught in the city's deadly gang violence. Her article is here: http://graphics.latimes.com/victims-gang-violence/ 

The photos are much more moving in black and white, and they are just amazing in general. They are simple, yet astounding. They tell a story, which is what good photojournalism is suppose to show. They show both the happiness and the destruction of people's lives, and the affect it had on them and others.

The first photo is of a night vigil/ceremony at Wilson High School for 16 year old Melody Ross, who was shot leaving a homecoming football game. I love that you can see the overwhelming support for Ross, and how many people care. The composition of the photo is also beautiful. The people are slightly recognizable, but the candles put a little bit of contrast in there, but not too much.

In the second photo, the shadows of two waving children are in the shot. On the concrete, blood from a shooting stains the ground. The children are 4 year old Josue Hercules and his sister Katherine. Josue was shot while playing with his sister. He survived, but barely.I love the contrast between the shadows and bloodstains and the concrete. The fact that Davidson only showed the shadows of the children gives it a touch. The photo resonates with me.

Lastly, a wreath honoring Dannie Farber Jr. gets a prominent seat at his classmates' graduation. The photo shows how they memorialized him, and how even there could still be happiness after the shootings.

Read and Respond 7: Aperture and Shutter Priority Modes

http://digital-photography-school.com/aperture-and-shutter-priority-modes/


1. How do you set your camera in Aperture-Priority Mode? When the camera is in Aperture-Priority Mode what setting(s) does the photographer control? What setting(s) does the camera control for you? When should you use this setting?

2. How do you set the camera in Shutter-Priority Mode? When the camera is in Shutter-Priority Mode what setting(s) does the photographer control? What setting(s) does the camera control for you? When should you use this setting?

3. What's the best way to learn about Aperture-Priority Mode and Shutter-Priority Mode?


1. You can put your camera into Aperture-Priority mode by setting the camera's dial to 'A' or 'AV'. In Aperture-Priority mode, the photographer controls the camera's aperture. The camera controls the shutter speed for you. You should use this setting when you want control of the aperture or depth of field of your pictures.

2. You can put your camera into Shutter-Priority mode by setting the camera's dial to 'S' or 'TV'. In Shutter-Priority mode, the photographer controls the shutter speed and the camera controls the aperture. You use this setting when you want to control the shutter speed.

3. The best way to learn about the Aperture- and Shutter-Priority modes is to experiment by shooting the same subject in different settings.

View and Respond 6: Shutter Speed

Your VIEW and RESPOND assignment is to write down three or four or more useful tips or facts that Sartore presents on the subject of shutter speed. And then write a hefty paragraph (at least five sentences) in which you share what you've learned.

1. In still photography, the difference between 1/50th and 1/500th is huge.
2. The only way to learn is to try different shutter speeds.
3. Longer the lens, faster the shutter speed.
4. The faster the subject and the closer it is to the camera, the faster your shutter speed must be.
5. When shooting panned action: Position yourself perpendicular to your subject's path, and pre-focus on where your subject will be when it passes in front of you
6. Continuous high motor drive
7. Ghosting: mix ambient light and slow shutter speed with flash
8. Dragging the shutter- choosing to use slow shutter speed.

The most interesting thing that I took from the lecture was the ghosting. I have never heard of it, and it sounds really neat. I also always go for a faster shutter speed, because I didn't realize that slowing it down could also work too. I also didn't know that you need to use a faster shutter speed for a subject that is closer to the camera and faster. I have tried to do panned action before, but it didn't work. Now that I now how to do it in more detail, I will try it again.

Lunchtime

My best friends and I were playing with the camera at lunch today... We got some pretty cool shots.

The ones I took:

I like the details. (Model: Lael W.)

Pictures Lael took:

 Her true self. (Model: Tula R. and Ashley A.)

 Epitome of lazy. (Model: Ashley A.)

Really great action shot. (Model: Ashley A.) 

We are fabulous. (Models: Ashley A. and Tula R.)

The true face of rage. Don't worry, she was posing. (Model: Tula R.)

Pictures that Tula took:

 We are crazy. But I love the focus on this. (Models: Ashley A. and Lael W.)

Freeze frame of fabulousness. (Model: Ashley A.)

This was a lot of fun, so you will probably see more in the future. :)