Final Exam :)))

STORY CHALLENGE 1- PHOTOGRAPH WHERE YOU LIVE:

                                                     QUACK'S

 Hyde Park is neighborhood is where I grew up in, and I have many spots that remind me of my childhood in the area. The first place is Quack's, a quaint bakery located on 43rd Street. My mom, brother and I would venture down to this bakery almost every day to get our favorite, the salty oat cookie. I chose this picture specifically because it captured some delicious treats, along with the line, which could get long on slow summer days. I also like this picture because of the nice natural lighting that gives it a nostalgic touch. I also like the movement shown in the background. This picture takes me back to the old days, and it makes me smile. This photo was taken on my phone.  

                                     JULIO'S
Julio's is a Mexican restaurant in Hyde Park. This was one of my families favorite places to eat for dinner. We would all bike down together from Avenue A and grab a chicken. This is still one of my favorite places, although I don't go down there as often as I used too. I chose this photo because it got my delicious latte in it, and also captures the serene environment of the outside seating. I liked the lighting of this photo, taken in the afternoon sun. It really does capture the feeling of toasting under the sun, enjoying good food and a cool drink. I also liked how I composed it, getting my mom's leg in the photo really makes me feel like I'm there. This photo was also taken on my phone.

                 FRESH PLUS
Fresh Plus is one of my favorite places in Hyde Park. My family and I would often walk up there to buy little bits and bobs that we needed last minute. I would also go up by myself and get ice cream or a popsicle. The grocery store is very neighborhood friendly, which makes it extra special. I like this photo because of the angle it's taken from. I was able to capture the whole mural, and part of the sky. The bright blue sky and happy painting bring me back to the days where I was always happy, and always felt free. I like the blue tone this photo has because it really gives it a warm and fun feeling. Hyde Park is very special to me and I was happy to share these photos that bring me back to my childhood days spent wandering around the neighborhood. Photo taken on my iPhone.

SKILL CHALLENGE 4- SHOW EMOTION IN BLACK AND WHITE


            CALMNESS AND SERENITY
This photo was taken of Jacqueline Mclellan in the midst of her relaxing in a waterfall in my pool. I liked this photo because it really shows Jacqueline totally relaxed and calm. The waterfall is like getting a massage, and I feel like that is really shown in this picture. I liked how motion was shown with the water, and I also like how natural the photo is. None of these photos were planned, which is what really makes the emotion pop. I like this photo in black and white because otherwise the bright blue of the water or the tropical colors of her swimsuit would have taken away from the emotion. The composition of this photo is also nice, the above view gives it a nice angle that portrays the emotions more. This photo was taken on my phone.

SURPRISE
This photo was taken immediately after Jacqueline had jumped into the pool. It was a very hot day outside, so the cool water really surprised her. I really like this picture. I think the lighting is really portrayed nicely in black and white. The water looks really nice, while not taking away from the main attraction, which is Jacqueline. This photo also turned out nicely because it was taken in the moment, so the emotion is real and raw and nothing is faked. Also, the photo has a nice composition using the 1/3rd rule, Jacqueline doesn't take up the whole frame, and it isn't necessary that she does. This photo is able to portray surprise without any of the vibrant colors taking away from or influencing the picture. Photo taken on my phone.

                                                              JOY
This photo was taken of Jacqueline Mclellen mid-laugh, which is why I really liked it, it shows true, raw emotion. The photo looks better in black and white because it brings all the spotlight to her face instead of the distracting light coming from the background. I also liked this photo because of how close-up it is on her face. You can really see all the details, and the composition just turned out nicely. This photo really didn't need any light, the emotion being shown is very
apparent, joy. Photo taken on my phone.

STORY CHALLENGE 4- TELL A STORY IN 3 PICTURES 

                                        BEGINNING: THE ROCKY ARRIVAL

This story starts off with a complication. As everybody began arriving at Ainsley Burris' 6th birthday party, there was a bit of a struggle. Many activities had been laid out so that the kids could play, but nobody was playing together. Each activity was worked on individually. Although all the kids were having fun, they just weren't exactly clicking with each other. They all colored, painted, and glittered by themselves. At a party like this it's almost impossible not to have fun, so all the kids were happy, they just weren't quite as happy as they could have been if they were working together. Pictured above is Sloane C. is coloring in her dolphin print, which turned out colorful and unique! I liked this photo because although Sloane takes up most of the frame, I still captured a few other girls playing with pipe cleaners in the background. Photo taken on my phone.

                                       MIDDLE: THE MINGLE 

Eventually, the kids started to warm up to each other. All it really takes is one question to break the ice. For a kindergartener, making friends isn't hard, and you could sure see that at this party. All the kids began to really get along. Pictured above, Cadalyn B. teaches her friend Ava how to play a song on the ukelele. They helped each other tune it and then burst out into song. Other kids were able to bond over matching pajamas and a love in pancakes. The party was now vibrant with the noise of happy kids, music, and the buzz of excitement for the cake. Everybody was able to get along. There were many activities which kept the crazy kids busy. I liked this photo because it really shows the friendliness between these two young girls, and it really does show them working together nicely to get something done. I also like how you can see more than just the girls, you can also see the mess of markers the party has left. Photo taken on my phone. 

                       THE END: CAKE HEALS ALL WOUNDS
As I once said, cake heals all. At the end of a very tiring party, all the kids gather around to get cake (in this case the cake was rice krispy treats). Although the party took a rocky start, getting the cake out put a smile on everybody's faces, and helped bring all the kids together. I chose to use this picture as the ending because I liked how you can tell who the birthday girl is due to her lit up face and huge smile. I also liked the composition, you can tell everybody is focused on the birthday girl as they should be. The motion portrayed in the photo shows the energy level and excitement in the kids. This photo brought the whole story together, how else could you end a party than to get the cake out? Photo taken on my phone.

Publication #2, 6th 6 weeks

         BROBALL OR BROFALL

The Juniors, Freshman, and Sophomores smack the ball down hard during the Broball game after school on May 11th. The game resulted in a win from the seniors, yet it never got boring. The gym was full of tension and excitement as the teams competed, neither side letting up. Freshman Julia Crofut, who helped teach the teams to play adds " It was kind of hard to teach the boys, because they were a little crazy, but it was very enjoyable and I got good practice out of it." The game was a major success, filled with Jim- Jim's and smiles

TALK IT OUT
Junior Margeaux Brown helps referee the Broball game after school on May 11th after school, in this photo she is leaning over to ask a question about a tough call. Brown comments "It was fun to help out during this game because it was heated and full of some crazy comebacks."The game was a tournament of underclassmen VS seniors, and it resulted in a senior victory. The game attracted many students due to the Jim-Jim's and the fierce competition.


 JIM-JIMS FOR JACQUELINE
Freshman Jacqueline Mclellan enjoys a cold Jim-Jim's as she watches Broball after school on May 11th. This game was between the seniors VS all the other classes. The tournament resulted in a win from the seniors. The game was exciting, fast past, and a really fun way to spice up a regular wednesday. The game was hosted by the volleyball players, who really pumped up the gym before the game. Maddy Stein, who helped referee the game comments "It was a good chance for us to get more practice on the other side of the court, and it was also super fun!"

Read and Respond: What is Bokeh

(4) Include three images that demonstrate bokeh exceptionally well.



1) Bokeh is the name for a specific photography effect in which you have a soft out of focus background. You achieve this by using a fast lens and a wide aperture. 
2) Photographers love bokeh because you can add softness to an otherwise poorly lit photo. The photos that use bokeh are pleasing to the eye, they have creamy and light backgrounds. 
3) - A fast lens is needed, at least f/2.8.
   - A wide lens.
   -A decreased the distance between the camera and your subject to create a more shallow depth-of-field.
   - Highlights present in your background. 
  - Shoot in manual mode in order to be able to set your own aperture and shutter speed.

4) 

Happy Photo Challenge

READING

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN

FOOD 

MY DOG

FLOWERS, NATURE 

*All photos taken on my iPhone* 

Read and Respond: Jump Start your Photography

(1) List your favorite 10 of these suggested ways to get inspired in your photography.
(2) Provide details about how you would go about doing each activity. Imagine that you set out to try each one out and describe what you might do in order to apply the experience to your own photography.

-Go through you CD covers.
I would simply go on my Spotify and look at the cover of CDs on my playlist
-Listen to your favorite music.
Blast some music from the speakers in my room to really get my juices flowing.
 -Read an art magazine.
I would go to Anthropologie because they have the best magazines. I would pick out a few of my favorites and flip through them to get inspired.
-Shoot a gorgeous model. 
I would text one of my pretty friends and set up a backdrop or just walk around and try cool scenery to shoot in.
- See an art show.
There are always art shows going on around town, so I could just go to one that sounds interesting to me to get some cool ideas for my photos.
- Shoot your family.
I would take candid pictures of my family in their daily life to try and get some cool shots of them. I would hopefully be able to get some ideas for other photos off of this. 
- Take on a photo assignment or challenge.
I could do one of the assignments I liked from the class chosen ones to try and test out a few of them. 
- Shoot your favorite food.
Take pictures of my food when I am at a restaurant that serves pretty and unique food. 
- Take a self portrait.
Set a timer on my phone and take simple pictures of myself to try and get some shots or inspiration. 
- Use a prop in an interesting way.
I would get something ordinary, like a flower, and use it in a unique way as too make the pictures outcome a little different, and to get some cool ideas for other photos.

"A present" View and Respond

 Are there particular moments  that stand out to you as particularly powerful or effective? What image elicits the most emotion from you?  What theme or message (s) do you take from the movie? How do the filmmakers convey that message visually and/or verbally?

1. This story starts with a boy sitting on the couch playing video games. The boys mother comes in and gives him a present to open. The present is a 3-legged dog. At first the boy is happy, and then he sees the missing leg and throws the dog on the ground. The dog struggles to get up, and then he goes back to the boy holding a ball. The dog continues trying to get the boy to play with him, and eventually the boy relents and gets up. At this moment we see that the boy also only has 1 leg. The boy and the dog become a team and the short ends.

2. This short was powerful it made me sob. When the dog is first presented to the boy, it was powerful when the boy throws the dog to the ground. It shows the problem with people adopting a puppy because it is cute, and then getting tired of it and throwing it out on the street. When the boy stands up and only has 1 leg, that was truly powerful. You are able to see that the boy and the dog will form a strong bond because of their similarities.

3. When the boy threw the dog on the ground because he had one missing leg, I started to cry. Some other moments that evoked emotion in me were when the dog was playing with himself and flopping on the ground because it was so cute, and when the boy stands up and both the boy and the dog only have one leg. 

4. The theme is the idea that sometimes people don't want to relate to people who are like them. The boy rejects the dog because he is missing a leg and so is the boy, and sometimes it can be hard to acknowledge that we are different when we are.

5.  The filmmakers conveyed this message by making the kid and the dog very cute. It makes you have more sympathy, and evokes more emotion. They also did this by not including very much talking, to really focus on what was going on visually. 

Mini Research Proj: Mirrorless Camera

MIRRORLESS CAMERAS

Mirrorless cameras are interchangeable lens cameras that don't have the mirror and optical viewfinder that a DSLR has. Most mirrorless cameras are built to have the same sensors as DSLRs. Beisdes the  fact that the viewfinder is through-the-lense, the only differnence between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras is that DSLRs have a seperate autofocus, and mirrorless cameras have a main sensor just for focus. There is not a large difference between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, they are pretty similar. 

PROS
1. Smaller
2. Lighter
3.  Easy to focus and clear auto focus
4. Good for traveling

CONS
1. Less room for some functions
2. Battery doesn't last as long as a DSLR.
3. Sometimes innaccurate in limited lighting
4. They don't have a viewfinder



MY OPINION.

I personally think you should purchase mirrorless cameras for next year. I believe this because they are good for traveling, and we have to do a lot of that during this class. You own a few good DSLR cameras, so kids could still get the chance to use these, yet they could also explore the possibilities of mirrorless cameras. They would have better focus, and really there are not many differences so I think we should get mirrorless for a little change in pace. 

Publication #1, 6th 6 weeks

                               CAVALIER CAPTAIN  

New senior captain Brittne Miller dances to the song Cavalier by James Vincent McMorrow. This was her first dance as captain, and she showed that she really deserves that position. The dance blew the crowd at the Blue Brigade Spring Show away. The show was on Friday and Saturday April 22 and 23. Freshman Karel Tinkler comments "I am excited to have Brittne as a captain because she's a very inspiration captain that will be a great leader and she will add to the Blue Brigade team spirit." The team is lucky to have Brittne, but the senior captain this year will be missed.

                  COME-BACK KID
Senior Josephine Smith tore her ACL during the first soccer game of the season and wasn't able to participate in the soccer season or the Blue Brigade competition season. Although Jo wasn't able to dance much during the Blue Brigade Spring Show, she did get to perform her senior solo, yet she had some help from friends, and she still had to sit during the dance. It's been a tough season, but during this show Jo could show how much strength she has. Josephine comments "It hasn't been easy, but I'm thankful for all my supportive friends on Blue Brigade, they have made it easier." The show was on April 22 and 23 at 7 in the Mac.

      LAST DANCE
The entire Blue Brigade team dances to their very last song all together. The dance was a very emotional time for the seniors, since they will never be back on the stage in the Mac. The team danced to Last Dance in a way to celebrate the great season and to also send the seniors away on a happy note. Freshman Ellie Stites adds "All of us started crying; although we only knew them for a year, it felt like we knew them forever and it's sad to see them go." The final Spring Show for the seniors took place on April 22 and 23 at 7 in the Mac theater. 
 

Design Your Own Photo Challenge Ballot

I vote for the following photo challenges: 10, I'm voting for this because it sounds really fun to lace our personal life and to take pictures that make us happy.

 11, I vote for this because I could take good pictures because I know the things that make me happy so well and they would make me feel good. I put four votes towards this. 

16, This photo challenge seems like something that would be really fun to do towards the end of the year, something that we could all get really into and everybody would have a good time,

 17, This challenge sounds fun to do, we could get really good and interesting pictures during a week, and I think I would really get into it.

18, I voted for this challenge because it seems hard to find items that have something in common, but it also seems fun to relate some items and photos.

19, This photo challenge seems fun because I have so many favorite places in my house.

Portfolio Review- Photojournalism

   I wanted to start this review off on a positive note, with the things I really liked about the portfolio. My favorite thing is how it portrays McCallum. The pictures in this portfolio are so specific and show how much of a community the students of McCallum are. The pictures are all about one of the fine arts we have here, which is such a big part of the school. Pictured is the dance program, singing, and photography. The pictures are all individually amazing, which also really showcases the talent at out high school. The portfolio overall looks very professional and shows Mac in a perfect sense, and I really appreciated that.
  On the other hand, there were a few things I didn't like about this portfolio. I didn't really get an overall theme, though I did get a sense of high school I just couldn't connect to the theme as much. Individually these photos added to the portfolio, but I couldn't understand how the photos really flowed together. I just couldn't connect the photos to a certain story, and didn't really get how they flowed together.
   Although I did have some criticism for these photos, overall I really loved the portfolio. I loved that feeling I got from them, that high school, young spirit vibe. I also like how they not only portrayed students but also what the believed in or stood for. These photos got a good message across, and I really did like this portfolio,

Portfolio Review- Sports

To begin reviewing this portfolio, I'm going to cover the parts that I like most about it. My favorite thing is the overall theme of friendship and teammates, and overall team. The portfolio gives you a good sense of what it feels like to be on a team and the bonds you can make on a team, which is a good message and leaves any viewer feeling happy and positive on the inside. Although most pictures in this portfolio are of an individual, the photos make you think about how every individual matters and how a team can really come together to be the best. The portfolio gives you a good sense of McCallum accomplishment and it made me feel proud of my school. 

    To move onto a less positive note, there were a few things I didn't like about this portfolio. I felt a certain disconnection between the photos in the portfolio. I didn't grasp exactly how all the photos really flowed together, although I did see an overall theme. I saw a little lead up of individual photos to team photos but just didn't see a lot of connection in the assortment. 

   All the photos are great individually and overall I was able to connect and relate to the portfolio, so I believe it did showcase what McCallum is about and overall that is the most important thing. 

Photo Challenge 9

 LIGHT

These windows show the light creating highlights on the ground of the Mac. All the windows in the theater let lots of bright light through and it portrays the light theme perfectly. No camera settings, took photos on my phone.

 DETAILS
This is a plaque that shows great detail in the Mac, the plaque dedicates the building to the people who helped build it, and the teachers. All photos taken on my phone.



PATTERNS
These lights on the ceiling shows a pattern. The pattern is panel, circle, panel. The pattern adds a nice touch of interest to the normally standard ceiling, it also gives the building a modern touch and makes it feel more put together. Photo taken on my phone.



ANGLES
The floor and ramp create a small angle in this picture. It was quite hard to find an angle in our school, but this was satisfactory for me, it's not a 90 degree angle, and it created some diversity in the courtyard. Photo taken on my iPhone.

SURROUNDINGS
The surroundings of our school really just make it look more like a school. We have standard fields, a road, and some sidewalks: I tried to focus on these flowers to pick out the prettiest part of the school. These flowers add to the more put-together, modern, clean cut look of the Mac. Photo taken on my phone

Read and Respond: Photo Ethics

I believe you should post this photo. Simply cropping out half an arm is not a serious issue. The saying no harm no foul can apply to this photo. Cropping the arm out of the photo does not change the overall message out all. The arm added nothing to the picture, it just took away from the spotlight, the players. I believe it's ethically justified to post the photo without the arm.