New summer & new projects

It's officially summer and tomorrow I begin my part time job doing graphic design for USC Housing. I hope I learn a lot and accomplish a lot. And also get some funds to put towards buying a better camera (and a nicer lens and a flash). I'll start with the camera though.
I had a neat idea to take little weekend photo excursions over the summer to stave off the boredom and find inspiration. I started my project off with a trip to Riverbanks Zoo. Next time I hope to be able to visit Summerville and the upcoming Highland Games in Greenville.

Final Project

I think I'm going to try and get a few more intimate shot of my uncle's family at home to emphasize some of the aspects of his interview in which he talked about how the farming lifestyle is a good one to raise a family in.
One question I have is whether or not I should get a direct environmental portrait of my uncle and/or he and his wife. It was difficult to get pictures of him working because he's a bit camera shy so I'd at least like to have a picture of him when he's prepared for it.

Flash!

I've been learning animation in Flash recently in J529 and it's been a TON of fun! This is the logo I animated and I'm pretty proud of it.

My First Portfolio

I recently applied for a part time graphic design position and had to create an effective online portfolio to send to my potential employers. I stumbled across a new feature on DeviantArt's website that allows just that. There's a limit on the amount of images, but you can create multiple photo galleries that display your work in a sophisticated and professional manner. The interface is really easy to use and looks great on many platforms (iPad, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari).
If you'd like to view my portfolio, you can follow this link to check it out.

Family Photos

My family claims they aren't very photogenic. This often poses a problem for me because I love to take pictures, especially of my family. I disagree with their claims though. I think I have a very beautiful family and I really enjoy photographing them more than anything. I was inspired to share my favorite family photos because I think it's some of the better work I've done.

St. Patrick's Day Parade (click fullscreen to view)

Lovable Olive

My dog Olive is the most difficult living being to photograph. I tried every distraction in the book to get her to sit still for just a second, but I ended up having to have my boyfriend hold her to pose. The work of William Wegman is really fantastic when it comes to dogs. I'd really like to learn some of his tips and tricks for getting dogs to be cooperative models. Very few photographers use dogs as subjects and I can see why.
I used my on-camera flash with a lightscoop to get this lighting. The lightscoop is a really nifty tool that diffuses your on camera flash by bouncing it against a reflective service and up on to the ceiling or onto a wall. It's very handy for parties and indoor photos where the light might need a little help.

Arnold Newman

When thinking about environmental portraits and looking for inspiration, I recalled a book a former photography teacher showed me on the work of Arnold Newman. We were discussing portraiture in my first film photography class and my teacher John Barnhardt, a local filmmaker in Charleston, was showing us some of the photographers that inspired him. I instantly loved the work of Newman. His environmental portraits reminded me a lot of the work I was attempting and gave me inspiration to take my portraiture to that level. I really love the photo he took of Otto Frank, Anne Frank's father. With such a difficult subject to photograph, he took a very sensitive and delicate route. I imagine there must have been a significant amount of trust between the photographer and subject to make that photo happen.

Studio Quality Product Photography for $12

I love creative and resourceful solutions to getting the best looking pictures I can. This link that I found on Reddit's photography forums shows how to create a really great looking light box style shot with under $12 of supplies... and using natural light!
Check it out!
Hopefully, I'll be able to try this out when I get a table. I've been interested in trying some lightbox type techniques for a while now. The hardest thing is deciding what to photograph.

Shit Photojournalists Like

"Things White People Like" has once again spun-off a new niche of sarcastic observations with a Tumblr I discovered today. It's called (pardon my French), Shit Photojournalists Like. Some of the things photojournalists like include gaffer's tape and cargo pants.

J537 Post 2- My Favorite Photo I've Taken

I took this picture during my summer photojournalism internship at the Post and Courier. There was a huge family celebration for Mt. Pleasant's Port Community Day at the Waterfront Memorial Park underneath the Ravenel Bridge. A local band was playing on the main lawn, there was food, face painting and a jump castle for the little ones. I took a lot of pictures of kids enjoying themselves and ladies walking their dogs. This little guy stuck out in the crowd to me. He's being led by his dad across the lawn to enjoy some music, there are some dark, heavy clouds looming behind the bridge, and he's looking back at something interesting. I have no idea what caught the little guy's eye, but the curious look on his face always draws me in. I really like the lighting on the boys face and the contrast between the dark sky and the cables on the bridge.

J537 Post 1- Biography

My whole life I've been quiet. It's not that I don't have anything to say, it's just that I never know just how to put into words what I think and feel. Even on the odd chance that I can accurately say what I mean to say, I'm spoken over or too soft spoken. However, growing up as a shy and quiet kid in Charleston, SC has made me the photographer that I am today. I'm a great observer of situations and a very resourceful person as well.
This past summer, I completed a photography internship at the Post and Courier in Charleston, SC. I was very excited to intern at such a well established paper that my family had grown up reading. This experience really solidified that my choice to pursue photojournalism was the right thing for me. The paper was one photographer understaffed, so after my first week of riding along with the staff photographers, I was pretty much on my own for solo assignments. It was a great learning experience to get out in the field and get sweaty, dirty, lost, seasick, and rained on again and again. I learned a lot from the staff at the paper- from shooting, workflow and editing tips, to the value of keeping everything in the trunk of your car that you might possibly need. The work was hard, but it was very fulfilling to be able to see my photos on the front page of a real newspaper and to know that I was capable of doing the job that I hope to pursue after college.
I use a Canon Rebel XSi. This is my first SLR and it's been a pretty reliable camera to learn to shoot manually on. My dream camera though is the Canon 5D, which I was lucky enough to use a few times during my summer internship. I've mostly used Photoshop to edit my pictures, but I've recently been working with Gimp (a free photo editing software very similar to Photoshop that was designed originally for Linux).
Where will I be after this year? It's really up in the air. It's a sobering fact to think that this time next year I'll be on a mad hunt for a real world job. I'd love to work for a daily paper similar to the Post and Courier doing photography and videography.