Shadow Photo : Alex Solis

Photo by: Alex Solis

Group of vultures? at Landa Park.

silhouette assignment

On Sunday, my friend Ashley was helping wrap fabric around my client Tina in prep for a maternity shoot in my studio. She was standing against the largest window, which has white organza curtains, so it made a pretty silhouette.

Next week's topic

Two persons reading under the shade of a tree
Due next Wednesday before class.

Must be two persons.

Shadow of the tree must be shown. 

Subject need to be in the shade.

Both subjects must be reading.

So, after my little siblings got home from school they were avoiding homework by seeing who could jump the highest and create the best jump in the process. I decided that I was going to take pictures of them because they were being really cute and it turns out they would be the perfect shadow pictures and so decided to focus on that, rather than their cute faces. =] (I think the shadow with them holding hands looks like a scene from Peter Pan... haha)

All a Girl Needs

I decided to take a picture of my favorite pair of heels ! =] I get super excited when i shop for, pick a pair, or just look at my shoes it has become quite the obsession/addiction. There is a small window that lets in the perfect morning light so i loved capturing the shadow it cast. I tried a few different angles so i will show you my three favorite. I shot on Manual so that i could have control over the exposure and contrast of the photo. I love how the sunlight hits the top of the shoes showing the design and highlighting the pattern.

Hope you enjoy!

<3 Cassie

Shadow and silhouette

Shadow of a Door Handle

You need to watch, not just see. Things and scenes will become more interesting to you. Most of the time, we are just so busy that we don't use our mind and heart to see things. Boy! You missed a lot in life that you have come across.

Dr. Lo

Shadows

I liked the different perspective here. It's my own shadow!

Katie Sheridan

Katie's Shadow

Blurry Dancer

ISO 1600 f13 at 1/30

This week's posting topic

This week's posting topic: Shadow and Silhouette

Use your photo technique to take photos of shadows or silhouette. It has to be a found situation. The shadow or silhouette should be the main focus of your subject. You can do some cropping to emphasize you point.

Deadline: 9/28 before class

Enjoy the shooting.

Dr. Lo

Stop Action : Alex Solis

Stop Action

Squirrel gone nuts!
Where'd she go? She's faster than a speeding bullet!

slow shutter speed

ISO 1600 f 5.6 at 1/6

Photo taken during my evening bike ride :)

Stop Action

Stop Action Photos by Cassie Gonzales

Where is your right in taking photographs

If you ever wonder where you can take photographs and where the right come from, this is a good article to begin with.

American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/know-your-rights-photographers

I will not quiz you on this next week. But everyone need to read it because questions about this will come up in mid-term or final exam.

Dr. Lo

The world of slow shutter speed

This weeks blog posting topic: 

The world of slow shutter speed: comparing blurry and still subjects

 

A bird is jumping off the ground.

Do you know that pigeons can move their body without moving their heads?

 

 One way to make your legs look skinner.

You have to have moving and non moving objects in your photo. That means, you can not have everything blurry or everything frozen in the photo.

Deadline: next Wed. before class.

Free conference at Texas State University

News photo folks,

The Texas Community College Journalism Association is having a conference on Oct. 14 (Friday) at Texas State University at San Marcos. Our journalism program is organizing a student delegate to attend the conference, most of the students going are the current Ranger staff. There will be working journalists presenting their works and share their experiences. We will also plan on meeting the faculty of journalism department at Texas State U.

As of this moment, we have one space left for news photo 1 students to attend. It is first come, first serve base. But you need to let me know Wed. morning at the latest. We will take off early Friday morning with our program chair Ms. Odom and leave after dinner at around 8:30 p.m. Transportation is provided. Students planning to attend TSU are encouraged to attend this trip.

I won't be accompanying with you on this activity.

EL

Put your tools in action

Okay, this is a real life experience and it happened to be a good example of what we've learned today.

Tell me you understand why I did it the way I did it and that you will do the same thing if situation arise.

While Katie is passing out The Ranger at the campus this early morning, most of the time the sun was under the horizon or blocked by the buildings. At the last minute, Katie walked away from the J-school toward the gym. and the sun happens to rise high enough to shine it's first light on her through some of the gap between buildings and trees.

My camera metering was in the middle position when I took this photo. Right after my first shot, I noticed that there might be a problem with my exposure because the surroundings are not as brightly shined as Katie.

Katie is brighter than most of the background. To the right is an enlargement showing the exposure on Katie's body.

Immediately, I made some exposure adjustment. Do you know what I did to capture my next shot when Katie approaching a student to give him the Ranger? See the photo below:

  

Is there a difference on the brightness of Katie's face and body between the above two photos? Why would that happen?

If you understand what I did, you had learned something today in class. If not, you'd better ask me or your classmates or read the materials in your book.

Dr. Lo

Shutter speed and f-stop use and effect

Hi news photo folks,

Thanks to Jennifer for posting the 2 photos of our good time on the blog. I hope this help recall your memory of how shutter speed and f-stop work.

For a better educational purpose, I created a simple web page using the photos we took today to explain how we use the shutter speed and f-stop. Please go to our class website and look for "Shutter speed and f-stop use and effect" link.

Our class website is
http://www.alamo.edu/sac/j-p/facultypages/Lo/2011fall_1316/1316_home_2011.html

It is pivotal to understand this concept for you to carry on the journey of learning photojournalism. 

Dr. Lo

f-stop and shutter assignment

f 22 at 1/50

Remember, exposure can be the same as long as the f-stop/shutter speed combination is comparable. If you move from f 5.6 at 1/125 to f 8, you'd use 1/60 to slow the shutter speed down by a full stop to let in enough light, since you made the aperture smaller.

f-stop controls depth of field and shutter speed controls motion blur

For action, shutter speed should be at a minimum of 250th of a second, most likely faster, depending on the speed of the subject.

f 8 at 1/400

Ranger distribution

The Ranger's first issue is coming out Monday morning at 7 a.m. You are invited to come to help out the distribution if you can make it.

We will be waiting at the other side of Loftin Student Center facing Dewey Street.

Put on your Ranger T-shirt every Monday!!

Dr. Lo

This week's reading

If you had not read "Exposure" from the "Life Guide" book yet, I need to tell you that new reading materials from this book is coming.  Starting this week, you need to read "Component of Light" (p.28-33) and "Right or Wrong Exposure" and "The Camera's Brian" (p. 34-41). You need to read them because it is related to the materials we will be discussing this week.

Of course, I am also expecting you to read "Truth" Ch.5 which will be quizzed next week.

We will have quiz on all the readings before mid-term. It is better read them early than wait until the day before mid-term.

Bring camera to class.

Dr. Lo

Things that mean a lot to me.

For me, I enjoy working at my art desk. It's a quiet little area where I can work on my art time to time while my favorite music fills the room creating a this personal secluded space that made it feel like it's just me, my music, and my imagination. I use this space to not only work on my drawings, but also work on many side projects I like to do when I'm not busy with school work. Like disassembling old clocks an taking the clockwork gears in order to make unique clothes for my Steampunk project. but besides that, this place to me is my personal escape where I am free to think of new ideas.

The next picture is my "Manga" collection. A manga is a Japanese comic book or graphic novel. See I've been collecting them since 2004, and originally with the idea of "Hey! These look pretty cool, and you have to read them right to left instead of left to right" This was a interesting concept since in Japan books are usually published so the reader would read right to left. I start off with 'Full Metal Panic! vol. 1" and since then I now have 132 Japanese graphic novels. My latest purchase was "Inukami! vol. 5" This is has been a collection that has grown with me over the years, and I still like to add on as much as I can whenever I get the chance.

And finally my Anime miniature figurines. Yeah I admit I'm a nerd for anime (Japanese cartoons) as well as manga. This is just a small part of my collection. I usually go to anime conventions in Texas once or twice a year to buy Japanese imports and models for my collection. I've been collecting since I was middle school.

Overall even though these may just be materialistic they possess a personal value to me. I can remember where I bought each book, and watch convention I bought which model, but I enjoy collecting as a hobby and a way of expressing myself just as I do with my art.

I am a nerdy cartoon and comic book collector and proud of it.

My favorite thing to do is travel and find abstract and awesome things!

Always carry a camera

After a long day at the newsroom, Jacob and I were walking to Dewey Street to wait for his mom. I slowly pedaled on my bike as we talked and laughed about how time flies and how excited we were about the activity of Ranger reporters and photographers.

Without warning, a hear a metal plink.While straddling my bike, I put my feet down and look around the corner to see this on my front basket:

A memorable seven minutes pass of me, slowly dismounting, carefully opening my camera bag, then taking photos from different angles before the pair flew away.

We were laughing up a storm, but this humorous event reminded me: always carry a camera. You never know when something important, whimsical or downright funny may happen.

Things that mean a lot to me

THINGS THAT MEAN A LOT TO ME

By: Cassie Gonzales

I know this sounds silly but this past weekend i made time to read more from the life guide text book and i just to happened to catch my FAVORITE drink in the whole world next to the book at just the right angle =] I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE vitamin water, the creator
of it should be the king of the world! Okay maybe no the world, but i almost ALWAYS drink vitamin water i have at least one or two a day, it is my life source.

Another thing that means a lot to me is this painting done for me by a dear friend who didn't quite understand my passion/ obsession for all things Betty Boop, but when he saw my reaction to the painting he understood, it is hanging on my wall so that it's the first thing i see when i wake up.

These next two photos were done on one of my morning walks through San Pedro Park, and the really lush green one is of my favorite spot here in San Antonio it's over by the pioneer mill by the Blue Star Brewery down town.

And i have to save the best for last, I wouldn't be able to breathe without my Photography Business that i worked so hard to build for myself. I may not be world known or anything but i LOVE my business and i love every person that it has allowed me to meet. if you click on the logo it will take you to my website and you can always check me out on facebook if you want to become an official Decodee, just like the page!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/DecodePhotography/103499379710860

Things that mean a lot to me

This is my baby kitty Abilene Rose, if you can see in the corner there is my computer.... Wherever I am, she is... She loves to help me with my homework and is currently laying on my arm while I type this blog.

Quiz tips

This is an example of possible questions I will ask you in the quiz on coming Wed. Almost all of them are multiple choices which means that you need to pick the right answer. I am listing 5 questions here but the quiz will have 10 questions.

The author of this book is ...

Dorothea Lange’s approach to documentary photography is based on which three considerations?  

When describing documentary photography as a tool to force social change, the author cited a group of photographers who took photos during the Great Depression. Which organization did these photographers worked for?

The author described still photographs as “frozen moments in time,” and “to preserve forever a finite fraction of the infinite time of the universe.” What historical photo he referred to as an example?
 
To many documentary photographers, realism has become synonymous with the “ash can school of photography.”  What kind of photos is the phrase referring to?  

Can't help to show you

 Both photos: ISO 1600, f2.8, 1/2500s. Focal length: 200mm

Do you have any photos that you took this past several days that interested you or may interest us? Put it up on this blog so that we can all share.

I can't help to show you this hummingbird photos I took during Monday morning. I sat at the dinning table facing the backyard porch and waited while I was drinking my morning tea. Within an hour, two hummingbirds came to our feeder to feed for more than 10 times. I shot about a hundred photos with the fastest shutter speed I can use but with acceptable ISO.

These two photos turned out to be my favorite. Of course, I have a very high unsuccessful rate. Only about 50% of the photos were sharp. Not as good as your Ranger assignments percentage-wise!

Dr. Lo

Things mean a lot to me

These photo display panel means a lot to me. It is an important collection of my life and my family starting from I was a child to the time my kids grown up. It rests at the corner of my living room and I see it everyday; which reminds me of the appreciation to my life. (Dr. Lo)

My treasures

A little about me: I am a journalism and photography double major. I plan on graduating and going to Texas State for multimedia journalism and fine art photography.

I am passionate about working on The Ranger. Our job is to inform the public and be a watchdog. I also enjoy portrait and artistic photography, ceramics, calligraphy, woodworking, painting and weaving. I am an avid cyclist, a member of ASMP, American Society of Media Professionals, and a member of the SCA, a medieval reenactment group.

I love my kids, they are my most valuable treasures.

Taylor in burgundy and McKayla in white.
If you haven't seen them yet this semester, you will.

My life revolves around these two. I adore my kids. I love their personalities and how they interact with their surroundings. I like how McKayla has become such a supportive and protective big sister.

My passion is in photography. McKayla is always a patient model when I want to create a photoshoot flyer or take photos of her in different locations to test lighting. She is also a great actress and handles directions very well.

 
Good luck this semester, everyone! I am always around the newsroom, so don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for advice. Ingrid and I have been in your shoes, so just stick with it and you will succeed. :)
-Jen