Photo Story

As many people know marijuana became legal for recreational use since October 1st, 2015. There are rules and regulations to who, what, and how much you can buy. People who are 21 or older are legally allowed to buy marijuana form dispensaries. Some dispensaries are only for medical sales but most now have permits to sell recreational. There is different forms and ways that people smoke. There are also different reasons why people smoke.

**All of the people that are featured in these pictures are 21+**

Josh Hernandez is using his torch to heat up the nail on his dab rig in preparation to smoke. Dabs is a form of marijuana that has become more popular in recent years but has been around for while. 

Davin Silverman is taking pulls from his bong at his home on November 12th. He is smoking what some people call are "dirty bowls". It is when you mix marijuana with tobacco and smoke it like normal marijuana.

People who smoke sometimes name their utensils that they use to smoke different funny names. Josh Hernandez named his piece Cookie Monster because there is a piece inside of it that looks like a cookie. It also has an attachment that looks like Cookie Monster's head. 

You can see the little bit of smoke that is being exhaled from Davin Silverman's mouth as he has just taken a drag from his bong. 

Donovan Acuna (left) is smoking with Josh Hernandez at his home on November 19th. They both usually smoke to help them relax after a long day at work. Both of them also enjoying smoking with other people and enjoying the company of friends. 

Week 10

Your Best Photojournalism: The best photo I feel that I took this term was the picture of Rylee Henderer, the rodeo queen with her horse. The reason I like this photo is because the lighting worked great and it wasn't forced it was all natural and the horse actually cooperated. In most of the other pictures is had it's head down or just not working. The one thing I don't like about the photo is her hand on the right side is kind of funky and to me it stands out. It reflects what I learned because I took the lighting into account because she does have a big hat that could cast a shadow on her face. I also got a little closer to the subject than I have in other shoots which made the pictures turn out a little better. I also tried different angles in the shoot, it doesn't really show in this picture but this was the shoot that I got really low, took pictures from behind, and from the front.

The one thing I feel that has changed the most form when I started this class to now is that I just take a bunch of pictures instead of just a couple. I also feel like I get in there more instead of just standing off to the side and hoping to get some good pictures. The example I feel like I did this on was when I went to Finders Keepers in Lincoln City and took pictures of the glass blowing. I started taking pictures of people doing it and got as close as I could.

My Goals: These were my goals that I wrote about the first week of class.

"My goals for this class are being more social. I feel bad interrupting people to ask them information to put as a caption for my photos. My second goal would be just working on my photography skills. I would like to get more artsy photos or even just appealing photos instead of the normal straight on shot. My third and final goal would be just widening my knowledge of photojournalism as a whole and appreciating the field more."

I feel that I have met my goals that I wanted to achieve but maybe not to the fullest extent. For the first goal I feel that I did get a little more social and asked people for names. The reason I feel that I didn't do that great on it is because I still am a little shy and don't want to interrupt people. The example I used in the previous topic about Finders Keepers in my best example for this goal.

The second goal was to take more artsy photos which this class isn't really about so I didn't meet this goal but the bigger goal that I wanted that dealt with this was photography skills. For that I feel like I did meet this because I would look for better lighting in pictures and try to get high or low angles and I did this when I was doing the "free" shoot where I took pictures of Josh Hernandez and skateboarding.

The final goal was to widen my knowledge of photojournalism which obviously I did by just taking this class. I feel like the book helped especially when we looked at ethics. It really showed what photojournalist have to deal with.

Week 9

Turning Pro: I don't have a next step in my photojournalism career. I feel that I will continue to take pictures because I enjoy it but I know I am not great at it. The pictures that I will take will probably be of my family or close friends. I always have my phone on me which has a camera so if I need/wanted I could take pictures whenever. My dad also takes pictures on the side for Hise Studios so I could help him if he ever needs help but that will be the extent of my photo taking career.

I have taken away some skills from this class such as not being afraid to get in there and take pictures. I also learned that most people don't mind their picture being taken. The other thing I have taken away from this class is that if the area the picture is taken in is too dark you can only lighten it so much. Lighting is important for pictures to turn out good.

Photographer of the Week: The photographer that stood out to me that people presented about was Stephen Wilkes. The reason he stood out to me was because his pictures seem to pull you in. The time lapse pictures were cool but the ones of Ellis Island. I like these pictures because it makes me want to go explore the area and they have this sort of mysterious feel to them. You also get this look at history but you get this modern look at it.

The way I could use his techniques in my work is go find other abandon buildings and take pictures of them. I could do the time lapse of day and night but I don't have the patience to do that or the equipment to do it.  It is also hard to use his techniques too because he does a lot of editing and I am not that familiar with editing pictures except for what we did in class here so my pictures wouldn't turn out as bright and vivid as his did.

Below is my favorite of Stephen Wilkes Ellis Island, called Corridor 9.

http://www.stephenwilkes.com/fine-art/ellis-island/526fcc84-422c-410a-b990-30740aa613db

Week 8

Technology/Innovation: 
The technology that changed photojournalism if the flash I think. It has changed greatly over time but has been helpful. The reason I say it is helpful is because back in the day when flash first was around the lighting in general wasn't good so having flash helped capture pictures. Not only could it help capture pictures but it also help get pictures in different settings and places. You didn't have to be outside on a sunny day to get a good picture. Also people don't just go out during the day they also go out at night and with the flash you could take pictures of these events. Another reason flash evolution is good is because it isn't a safety hazard to the photographers. In the book it gives examples of things that have happened to people who use to use flash pans. It talks about people catching on fire to actually loosing a hand. The next step after flash pans was flashbulbs which took away the hazardous part but it then left us with the problem of having to change the bulb after every shot which could cause the photographer to miss the "perfect" photo. With any technology it gets better over time and the flash was the same way. It turned to kind of what we have now with an electronic flash but at the time they first came out they were huge and weighted a ton but the grew smaller and ended up being able to synchronize with the shutter.

The photographer that stands out the most to me from the reading would be Jimmy Hare. He was really the first one to even become a photojournalist. He went all over to capture news worthy events and even put his life in danger at certain times. He basically showed future photographers what it meant to be a photojournalist/photographer. Even years later in his career people still talked about how his work was so good. I feel that it helped him that he was a little ahead of the game. He was working with lighter weight equipment which made it easier for him to get the pictures he wanted. Not only did he pave the way for future photographers but he also captured exciting moments in history such as the Spanish-American War, World War I, and the Wright brothers flying. Below is a picture of Jimmy Hare and an example of his work. The example is a picture of the Spanish-American War. Both pictures came out of the book for this class Photojournalism The Profesionals' Approach 6th Edition.

Photo Story: 
For my photo story I chose to do the topic of weed. As for how I am going to shoot this I have gotten a hold of people that I know that smoke but who are 21 years of age or older so I don't get in any sort of trouble and they don't either. For the other parts of it I will take pictures of them when it is works for them because they are volunteering their time for my benefit. I will take the pictures in the area that they normally smoke in which will most likely be their home.
For the actual pictures I am having trouble with overall shots because most people smoke by themselves so my overall might just be them. I am trying to get a hold of a dispensary and talking to them about possibly taking pictures in their store but I know they have certain regulations so I am waiting to hear back from them on that. My medium shots are going to be the person smoking or getting ready to smoke. Close-up shots are the easiest I feel because I can get just their hands with marijuana or their utensils they use to smoke. I can also get a close up of their face too.

Week 8 Photos Sports:

Elena Castilla (sophomore) in the middle of a calypso during The Shining Star's dance team practice at their early morning Veteran's day practice. She has been part of the Philomath High School's dance team for two years now and is part of the varsity team. 

Hollyn Eves (sophomore), Rhiannon Gudge (junior), Giorgia Mazzuchin (junior), and Natasha Leman (freshman) practicing their kick-line during their pom routine during practice on Veteran's day. Giorgia Mazzuchin is also a foreign exchange student from Italy who is loving being part of the team and doesn't want to think about leaving yet. 

The Philomath Shining Stars are practicing their pom routine in their gym in preparation for their upcoming competition at West Albany. The whole team dances in the pom routine. They also will be doing their contemporary routine at West Albany too but only the varsity girls will be dancing that. 

Week 7

Shooting Sports: In the book it talks about knowing the sport and looking up stats to find which players are good or about to break records. Andy touched on this in class when he said it would of been good to know about rugby before he took pictures of it but didn't go into detail. In the book it says many photographers stay on top of the news of sports and mimic some of the qualities of a sports fan while trying to avoid becoming one.

Along that same line you should become good at anticipating when and what is going to happen. This will become easier when you have seen a couple games and/or you have knowledge of the game.

With both of these tips the photos will be good because you will get shots that people want to see. You may have a great picture of an average player but people don't really want that. They want to see the star of the team in a great photo. By having the knowledge of the sport and predicting/anticipate what is going you will be able to what the star player and get that great shot that people want.

With these tips I can get better pictures of the sport I am going to shoot. I do have the knowledge of the sport because I use to do it when I was in high school. I also talked to the assistant coach on which dancers are the more advanced. Because I know the sport, I know what moves lead up to jumps, leaps, or turns and I can anticipate what will happen next in the dance.

Action/Sports Photos:
The sport that I have chosen is high school dance team. The team will be The Philomath Shining Stars. I am going to be taking pictures of them during their practices at the high school in the gym. For the different type of shots I was thinking of getting the whole team. The medium could be a couple of the girls during the dance or a picture of the coach Lori. For the close up I can do a picture of one girl doing a jump, leap, or turn.

Week 7 Photos: My Hometown

The Philomath Shining Stars dance team practice at their high school to prepare for their competition on November 19th at West Albany High school. At the competition they will be doing a pom routine and the varsity will be doing a contemporary dance. At their last competition they got 2nd place which was up in Gladstone. 

The newest version of the high school in Philomath has now been open completely for 4 years. While construction was still going some of the school was open but they were also using the primary school to host classes as well. This year they have a new Principal Brian Flannery, Vice Principal Mike Bussard, and Athletic Director Aaron Schermerhorn. 

Noah Lochner posses with his patrol car right before his graveyard shift on Friday night. He has been with the Philomath Police Department for a little over 2 years now and is enjoying every bit of it. Before he was at the police department he was working in a bike shop in Corvallis. 

My Photographer of the Week

James Nachtwey was born in Massachusetts in the year 1948. He grew up there and went to Dartmouth College where he studied Art History and Political Science. He decided to become a photographer after seeing images from the Vietnam War and American Civil Rights.  His first job as a photojournalist was in New Mexico as

a photographer for a newspaper. After that he moved to New York and began working as a freelance magazine photographer. His first overseas job was in Northern Ireland in 1981 during the IRA hunger strike. After that his career kind of took off. He decided he was going to devote himself to documenting war, conflict, and critical issues. He has gone all over the world; some of the places he has been are South Africa, Rwanda, Russia, Israel, and Afghanistan. James now works for Time Magazine for about 32 years. From 1980-1985 he was associated with Black star and a member of Magnum for 15 years. Natchwey became a founding member of VII in 2001. James Natchwey has also done some solo exhibits in New York, Paris, Rome, and other places around the world. Not only has he worked for some great companies but he has also received many awards such as Common Wealth Award, Martin Luther King Award, Robert Capa Gold Medal (5 times), the World Press Photo Award (2 times), Magazine Photographer of the Year (7 times), and many others.

While working in Iraq, James was in a Humvee when insurgents attacked and a grenade was thrown in the vehicle. He was hurt but was able to recover from it. James captured pictures during the tsunami in Southeast Asian. Another thing that James captured was the attack on the Trade Center on 9/11. There has also been a documentary called War Photographer that was directed by Christian Frei which focuses on Natchwey’s work and life. It got awarded an Academy Award. Along with all of those he has also done a TED talk on their wish that could change the world. One of the most recent things that has happened to James Nachtwey was that he was grazed by a bullet on his leg in Thailand while photographing a political protest. James Nachtwey has not only captured many great photos but he has also brought light to many different struggles that world is or has faced.
http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/contributors/n/photographer-james-nachtwey/ 
https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Nachtwey
http://www.famousphotographers.net/james-nachtwey

Week 6

My Hometown: 
I am going to photograph Philomath Oregon because even though I grew up in Corvallis most of my teenage years were spent in Philomath and my Parents currently live there. I feel like I have more ties to Philomath than any other place. Not only did I graduate from Philomath but I also still work there and now probably 80% of the people that live there.

I was planning on taking pictures of the high school for my landmark because the high school has been in the news lately in a bad way and I would like to bring a good light to it and have people realize that it is actually a good school to go to. For my activity I was thinking of taking a picture of the dance team at Philomath High school because this is their second year doing a different style of dance than they normally do so it is a challenge not only for the girls but the coaches as well. Another option I thought about for the activity was the Holiday Craft Fair that is happening the weekend of November 5th. I thought about taking pictures of people who were setting up and selling their stuff or I could also take pictures of the people who are there to buy stuff. It is the craft fair that happens every year and is kind of a tradition. For the portrait subject I am not 100% sure about who I am going to take a picture of but I might do the new principal and vice principal of the high school because this is their first year there. Another option might be the mayor of Philomath, Rocky Salon.

I think the hardest out of those three to take a picture of is the portrait because for one I am not sure who I want to take a picture of and second I feel like it is harder for me to take pictures of people. Not really sure why it is harder for me but it is.

Photo Editing: 
Cropping: With cropping it really depends on the picture. One picture you might have to crop a bunch of stuff out but with another you may not have to. Overall you want to cut out all the extra (fat is what the book calls it), cropping too much will make the picture grainy, crop ruthlessly, preserve the mood, and cropping can change the message of the picture.

Captions: Some picture do not need words to help describe what is going on in them but most of the time they do and when they do a well written caption is needed. When writing the caption you have to be careful because words can influence the meaning of the picture. In the caption the opening words must capture the reader's attention. Also in the caption there should be what, who, when, where, why and how about the picture. The caption should also be declarative sentences and short with as few words as possible.

Week 6 Photos: Photographer's Choice

Twenty-five year old Josh Hernandez is a local residence of Albany, Oregon who has been skateboard for many years. He doesn't get to skate as much as he use to because of work and being adult takes over his life. He mostly skates in Albany or Corvallis but he loves to skate down in Eugene or Junction City when he gets the chance. Another reason he doesn't skate as much is because now that he is older he falls apart easier. He actually has a rod through his shin from when he was about twenty; he broke his leg completely in half and had to have screws and the rod put in. 

Josh Hernandez, 25