EPJ Final Project

I also worked with Brandy Atwood for my final project in EPJ. In this project, Brandy talks about her homeschooling beliefs and there is another audio slideshow in which she talks about how her life has changed from two years ago.

Here is a link to the project: http://web.missouri.edu/~lkm5xc/finalproject/Brandyfinalproject.html

Enjoy!

Capstone 30-Day Project: Choosing to be Single

For my 30-day project, I worked with Brandy Atwood, a thirty-three-year-old single mother of four children under the age of 12. The children's fathers don't play a large role in their lives, and Brandy feels that it's important for her to stay single and raise her children on her own. This family holds a special place in my heart as I have worked with them previously for a photo project and developed a close relationship with them. I'm so thankful to have had the chance to work with them again, and I hope everyone enjoys the project.



Click here to watch the project bigger on Vimeo.

EPJ Final Project Update

Things with my final project have been going okay. I conducted an interview with Brandy, which went really well. I also photographed her during her job as a bus driver but that was really difficult. I wasn't allowed to photograph any of the kids on the bus--just Brandy and her kids and I had to get off at the first stop when the first child got on (district policy). Not very much time to make any pictures! I'm planning on going back at least one more time to try again though. I'm also bummed because I was planning on getting some pictures of Brandy taking Trevor and Nikki, her two youngest, to their dads house for the weekend but that ended up falling through. I plan on spending most of this week working on the project.

Capstone 2nd 30-Day WiP: Images and Work Report

Since our last works in progress, I have only had the chance to photograph Brandy and her family one additional time. I was supposed to meet with her and photograph on Friday but she had an issue that came up so we had to cancel. I was also supposed to do an audio interview with her Sunday night but when it came time to use the equipment that I checked out from the locker, I realized that the headphone jack was broken so I had to push the interview back to Monday night.

I've also had another setback: I am not allowed to photograph any of the children on Brandy's bus routes nor am I even allowed to ride with her during her routes. So, the only pictures I will be able to take of Brandy doing her job would be when she and her kids get on the bus. Not much to work with there...

On a positive note, I think I have a better focus for the story. I'm thinking in terms of a headline that reads: "Surviving the Chaos" or "Losing Solitude." The more time I spend with Brandy and her family, the clearer it has become that her life is extremely hectic and she rarely ever gets time to herself. Most of my photos document how stressful her life is, trying to raise four young children all by herself. They also show that it is pretty rare that Brandy is seen without at least one of her children around. I'm eager to show some more images to the class and see what everyone thinks about this new possible focus.

Here are some of my selects for this works in progress:

EPJ Final Project Update

So I have been totally forgetting to post updates on how my final project is going! Things are going pretty well, I have photographed Brandy and her family a few times now and am looking to set up an audio interview as well as photograph her during her job as a bus driver really soon. I'm thinking my theme for the story is going to change though, for I think the story is about the children's education and the family's religious practices. I want to know the reasoning behind Brandy's choice to homeschool three of her children but send one to a public school. The family is also very religious, as they attend church every Sunday and their homeschooling is based off a religious curriculum. I think my first step is to conduct an audio interview to get a better idea of where my story is heading.

More updates to come soon!

EPJ Multimedia Critique 2

For our critique of a multimedia presentation on a photographer’s web site, I chose to look at Erin Schwartz’ “Of House and Home.” The content of the project was definitely appropriate for multimedia and I think the project should have been done this way, for I don’t think it would be as strong of a story without the audio. For me, the audio really made this story work.

The interactivity of the project is also well done, with the project not automatically playing on the page and viewers having control over playing/pausing the project, as well as adjusting the volume and whether or not they would like to view it in full screen mode. The navigation is clear and easy to understand.

The design is just okay—a little too plain and simple for me. I don't like the fonts used in the project but the layout, color scheme, and overall presentation fits with the overall site it’s part of.

The technical quality of the site is good, as the images are clear and the audio is understandable. If I could change something about the project it would be to put the slide with the title and brief description of the project as the very first part, the first thing viewers see. For this particular project, I’m not a big fan of first seeing a picture, hearing some audio, and then seeing the black slide. Other than that, I am really impressed with Erin’s work and the way she presented it.

Here is a link to the project: http://www.erincarly.com/epj/stories/ofhouseandhome.html

EPJ Multimedia Critique 1

I looked at the multimedia presentation, “Choosing to Stay, Fighting to Rebuild” by the New York Times for this critique. I definitely think the content of the project is appropriate for multimedia, for I don’t think it would have been as strong just presented as still images. I think the audio was a necessary component to the story, as it allowed viewers to hear the people tell their stories about how they were affected by the earthquake in Haiti. I liked how the creators used a combination of the people speaking in their native language as well as the voices of translators so the viewers could understand what was being said. I also thought that the use of natural sound was very effective in the story and used appropriately.

Overall, the interactivity of the project is pretty good, except for the fact that it starts playing automatically when viewers first view it on the page. The user has control over when they want to pause the project and if they wan to view it full screen. The navigation is somewhat unclear though, for viewers have to press the back button in order to get back to the gallery featuring other multimedia projects. The design of the project is simple and laid out in a way that is pleasing to users. The layout, color scheme and overall presentation fit very well with the theme of the project. I think the creators chose to go with a design theme of simplicity so the project could speak for itself and viewers wouldn’t be distracted by other elements when watching it.

The project is also high in technical quality, with clear images and audio that is easy for viewers to understand. One thing I would change about the project though, is how long the images stay on the screen for. I think right now they aren’t up there long enough, there were times when things felt a little rushed and I wanted to look at some of the pictures longer. It also would have been nice to have seen the creators use text in the lower thirds of photos that briefly stated who was speaking throughout the project. Instead, the creators put a slide at the end where they listed the voices and translators in the project but it was unclear who was speaking when.

Here is a link to the project: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/12/world/americas/13FORTNATIONAL_SS/index.html

Capstone Job Profile

For my capstone job profile project, I followed Brian Peck, a sixth grade teacher and clown. Peck teaches science, reading, and language arts at Jefferson Intermediate School in St. Louis, Mo. and has been clowning since 1983.

Clowning is a job that has always fascinated me, and I'm really glad I had the opportunity to do my project on it.

You can also check out the project here: http://vimeo.com/23021073

EPJ Final Project Update

For my EPJ final project, I am going to continue working with a former subject of mine, Brandy. She is a 31-year-old single mother of four children under the age of 10, and I want to show how her life has changed since last working with her. I haven't made much progress on the project yet, as I have been focusing on finishing my web site but I plan on talking to Brandy early next week about the project and hopefully I will gain access!

EPJ Web Site Critique #2: Jessica Hollis Photography

For this assignment, I chose to look at the portfolio Web site of photographer Jessica Hollis. Overall, I think the site is effective in terms of content but has some problems with its interactivity and design. The content of the site is appropriate and understandable, and it seems current. However, I think the site could improve its interactivity. I was able to navigate around the site easily and although the links are quite small they are relatively easy to find. I did, however, find several pages that were dead-ends, with no way back except by using the back button on the browser.

I was mostly disappointed with the design of the site. I think it’s well organized, but I don’t think the layout is very user-friendly. I don’t like how in the “Gallery” section of her portfolio (basically where she categorizes all of her work) the images start scrolling through automatically. The viewer has to press pause, look at the image for however long they want, and then press play again. The pictures on the home page also flash way too quickly and are distracting from other elements on the page. The viewer also has no control over this, as there is no pause button to stop the continuous scrolling. I also don’t like where her logo is on the page, for only part of it overlays her larger images and the other part remains transparent. Also, when the logo appears over some the photos that have a lighter background, it then makes it difficult for the viewer to read the whole logo. This was really distracting to me as it took away from the photos, and I found it really annoying. Certain graphics were also distracting, such as the small graphic on the lower left side that indicates the levels of the music playing. I kept seeing the levels spike out of the corner my eye and it really bugged me. Instead I think maybe she could create a little sound icon or a pause button where viewers could control whether or not they wanted to hear the music at all. There is also a small button on the bottom left corner that I was curious about and when I clicked it, the page went into full-screen mode. It would be nice for the viewer to be able to scroll over the icon and see the work “full-screen” in order to know what they are doing before clicking on it. The colors of the site were useful, however, and contributed to what I think the photographer was trying to say about her work.

Jessica's site can be found here: http://www.jessicahollisphotography.com/site/#/home/

Reading Reaction #3

The chapters, “False Starts,” “Plot Treatment,” and “How Do You Know When You’re Done?” from Anne Lamott’s book have been my favorite so far. I could really relate everything she was saying about the writing process with photography. She talks about how in her writing she may think she knows who a certain character is and what the story is all about but then she later comes to realize she had it all wrong. This reminds me a lot of photography, in that many times we go into a situation thinking we know what the story is going to be but after we spend more time on it and make more pictures, we may realize that the story is not what we originally thought it was going to be. And we have to adapt and be willing to go with the flow, with the real story that is before you.

Lamott also talks about her long and frustrating writing process with her second novel. She is initially very confident that this is the story she wants to tell and that she’s got it right. When her editor tells her that the book leaves the reader hungry for more, she is really upset and finds herself vehemently defending her work. I’ve had something similar happen to me with my final project in Fundamentals, when we submitted our first edit of our story for critique. I really thought I had told the story the best way I could and didn’t leave out any missing pieces. I was confident in my selection of the photos but David said I was missing some key parts and kept pushing me to go back and get them. I defended the photos I had selected and the story I had chosen to tell—I didn’t see how I could make it any better. But boy was I wrong! I went back multiple times and as soon as I got those shots, I knew he was right. The project has turned out to be one of my best to date and I’m really thankful that David helped me see what my story was missing.

Lastly, Lamott talks about how you know you’re done with your projects. She says, “…Finally something inside you just says it’s time to get on to the next thing. Of course, there will always be more you could do, but you have to remind yourself that perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.” I could not agree more with this, and perfectionism is one of the biggest things I struggle with when critiquing my work. I’m always saying, “Well I should have done this” and “I should have done that” but sometimes you just have to be satisfied with what you were able to get and move on!

Capstone One-Day Story Final Edit

Dan Cora prepares for his overnight shift with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department on February 13, 2011. Cora said he enjoys working the shift because "It's more exciting at night, there's more things to do."

Katie Cora, front, checks out her up-do created by Heather Wingbermuehle at Salono Milano on February 12, 2011. Cora is a member of the St. Louis Police Wives' Association, a group composed of wives, mothers, and widows of active and retired St. Louis police officers. Cora came to the salon to get her hair done for the group's annual Valentine's Dance that she attended with her husband Dan, who is a police officer.

Dan Cora gets ready in his bedroom for the Valentine's Dance sponsored by the St. Louis Police Wives' Association on February 12, 2011. Cora is an officer with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and has been active for two years.

People dance at the St. Louis Police Wives' Association Valentine's Dance held at the Christy Banquet Center on February 12, 2011. The event was open to the general public and approximately 250 people attended.

Dan and Katie Cora pose for a portrait during the St. Louis Police Wives' Association Valentine's Dance on February 12, 2011. The couple met in the military and have been married for a little over two years now. They have a seven-year-old daughter, Madison, and are expecting their second child in June.

Katie Cora watches as her husband, Dan gets ready to leave for his overnight shift on February 13, 2011. "It's hard because every time that he walks out the door it might be the last time I see him," Katie said.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way my project turned out. I really enjoyed getting to know Katie and Dan as well as their friends, and I think I captured some great moments. I learned that I need to work on using a variety of lenses/angles for my next project though!

POYi Reaction

I recently attended the “General News Picture Story” category of the POYi competition. I was generally frustrated and unimpressed with the stories submitted for the category. A majority of the stories noticeable lacked variety, with several pictures that looked very repetitive. It was clear that the judges nixed these stories almost instantaneously—they were looking for a variety of angles and lens choice. Another thing I noticed was that several stories looked more like sequences than actual stories. There were a lot of pictures that pretty much showed step-by-step what was happening—they seemed to be missing the point of what a picture story is.

Another thing that bothered me with the submissions is that they were overwhelmingly based on some kind of conflict or crisis. There were very few stories that seemed to have positive and uplifting messages. I feel like this totally feeds into the stereotype that the news today is all negative, and photographers are just capitalizing off of people’s pain and suffering. I think if some of the photographers had submitted positive stories in the competition, that they would have really stood out to the judges as being unique; something that haven’t seen lately.

One thing I noticed was that the judges really didn’t look at each submission for very long, despite how long some of the stories were. You had to grab their attention quickly and make a strong impression. And when the judges were looking at the stories in the first couple of rounds, the thumbnails of the pictures were so small and I found it hard to tell what was going on in some of the frames. After narrowing down their selection to about 20 stories, some of the judges made the comment that once they saw each individual picture larger, they didn’t care for the story as much as they thought they did or that they liked it even more now that they could see it better.

The biggest dilemma I noticed for the judges was what to do when there are a few really strong images in the story but there are also several images that don’t work. When they were going back through the submissions they previously eliminated, they talked about maybe bringing a few back in but eventually they decided that while they liked a couple of the pictures, there wasn’t enough to keep the whole story in. “I like three or four pictures in here but I don’t think the others hold it together,” said one judge. It made me realize how important each image is in telling the story effectively. Each picture needs to be a vital piece to the story and should say something new. Of the eventual first place winner, “Haiti Earthquake,” one of the judges said, “These pictures take me to a different place, they tell me a different story in each picture whereas so many of the other Haiti stories we’ve seen seem repetitive.”

Overall, going to the judging of this category was definitely a learning experience for me and I took a lot away from it. I hope I can go to more judging next week!

EPJ Web Site Critique #1: MediaStorm

For this assignment, I chose to look at MediaStorm’s Web site. I think the site is very effective in terms of content, interactivity and design. The content of the site seems appropriate and is understandable. It seems pretty current for the most part, with suggestions like “Become a fan on Facebook” and “Follow us on Twitter” in addition to user tweets and facebook activity posted towards the bottom of the homepage. There are also current blog posts and press articles, as well as a calendar with upcoming events. The one section that seems to be a little bit behind is the projects. There are a few recent ones but a majority are from previous years and some even go back to 2006. It would be nice to see some more current projects and maybe have a separate archive page where users can view older ones if they want to.

Overall, the site is really easy to navigate around, and it seems pretty user-friendly. There a TON of links throughout the site but for the most part they are clear and easy to find. However, the way the three main tabs “publication,” “clients,” and “training” are set up kind of bothers me because you have to click on each of them first to see their subheads. Personally, I like it when you can just put your mouse over the tab without clicking and then a small list appears with options to click on. That way before I click on the tab, I know if I’m looking in the right place for something. Dead ends also pretty frequent throughout the site, with many pages set up so the user has no other way to go back other than using the back button on the browser. However, I really like how the site embeds their projects so the user can start and stop the file on the same page. We talked in class about how important it is that the files don’t start playing automatically, for this frustrates users and often results in them leaving the site.

I think the design of the site is what I like best about it; it is so well organized with its clear and user-friendly layout. The colors and graphics are clean and simple, definitely not overwhelming. Overall the site looks very professional, and I’m highly impressed with its content, interactivity and design.

Reading Reaction #2

My latest readings for my capstone class included two chapters in Anne Lamott's book, "Bird by Bird," as well as a reading from David Hurn and Bill Jay titled "Selecting a Subject." While I didn't enjoy the "School Lunches" and "Polaroids" chapters from Lamott's book as much as the others, I still think they had important points to consider. In "School Lunches," Lamott stresses the importance of not thinking so much and just writing. "Now, who knows if any of this is usable material? There's no way to tell until you've got it all down..." she says. I think this concept can apply to photography as well. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed when I'm out shooting and I can't help but think where do I even start? But Lamott reminds us to just shoot--the pictures might not end up being usable but you don't know until you try.

I could really relate to Lamott's "Polaroid" chapter. In talking about Polaroids, she says, "You couldn't have had any way of knowing what this piece of work would look like when you first started. You just know that there was something about these people that compelled you, and you stayed with that something long enough for it to show you what it was about." This reminds me of my final project in Fundamentals on a single mother raising four young children. I had no idea that the project would turn out the way it did. Just like Lamott said, I just knew there was something about this family that compelled me, and I stayed with them long enough for the true story to emerge. That project turned out to be one of my favorite photographic pieces and one that I will never forget.

Lamott also talked about her Special Olympics story and her frustration with how slow the event was, in particular the track-and-field event. She talks about feeling really anxious for the last runner to finish, totally missing the whole point of the event. Then when the man approaches her to show her a Polaroid, it all becomes clear to her. She sees how much this event means to its participants and she knows she has her story. This reminds me of a Veterans Day event I had to shoot for the Missourian, and it was pretty much just a series of speeches from various people. Needless to say I was anxious for it to be over! However, as I was walking out a woman approached me and asked me if I was with the newspaper. She told me that there was a group of women upstairs that was donating hundreds of handmade quilts to veterans and that it might be worth checking out. Once I got up there, I realized that this was the real story. You could see how excited the veterans were to get their quilts and equally how happy the women were to see the joy it brought.

I really enjoyed the reading from Hurn and Jay. I think the two made some great points about photography and their discussion was really interesting. I agree with Jay when he says, "...In order to photograph with any degree of continuous passion, you must have a fascination for the subject, otherwise you cannot sustain an interest in the act of creation for a long enough period of time in which to make any insightful or original statement about it." I know that when I'm not interested or excited about a certain subject I'm photographing, that translates over to my photos sometimes. But when I really care about my subject matter and am passionate about it, I think it shows and ultimately I make better pictures.

I found Hurn and Jay's basic principles of subject selection to be especially helpful and it really got me thinking about what interests me. The essential point they make is that the subject matter you choose must spark your enthusiasm and curiosity for a considerable amount of time, be visual, and be continuously accessible. I hope I can follow these principles when choosing my subject matter for the projects in this class.

What surprised me in the reading is when Hurn says, "...Just wandering around looking for pictures, hoping that something will pop up and announce itself, does not work." I don't agree with this at all, for I have seen many photographers produce great images and stories from just wandering around and looking for something. We learned from Ryan in class the other day that this does work, as evidenced by his long-term project that he did in which he found his subjects by just driving around town.

Overall, I learned from Hurn and Jay how important it is to select a subject that you have an interest in and knowledge of. I definitely agree with Hurn in that "Who a photographer is becomes revealed through what he/she photographs."

One-Day Story Editing Exercise

Reading Reaction

I really enjoyed our latest readings for my capstone class, "The Picture Story and Photographic Essay." I really felt like I could connect to what the authors were saying, and they helped put a lot of things into perspective for me.

The Gross and Shapiro reading reminded me about the importance of "seeing things freshly and creatively." I learned that looking at things from a new eye level as well as using various lenses and focal lengths are ways I can improve my photography. I know that sometimes I get attached to one particular way of seeing things, and I want to avoid that.

The LensWork piece, "10,000 Hours" really made me think about the effort and time that's put into photography. The author talks about Malcom Gladwell's "10,000 hour rule" in which he says that in order to be really good at something, you have to put in 10,000 hours working at it. I'm not sure why he chose the number 10,000 but I definitely agree with the concept, and I can see this applying to the craft of photography. The author of the audio piece said the average worker who puts in 40 hours a week at his/her job puts in about 2,000 hours a year into his/her job. This would mean at the minimum, it will take you five years to be really good at something and in this case, photography. I actually thought this number seemed kind of low; I would expect it to take longer than that for people to truly succeed at a craft like photography. Nonetheless, I agree with the author in that your success at a skill is determined by how much time and effort you put into it. I'm not sure how long it will take me to achieve my 10,000 hours working in photography but I know that all of my time spent will be worth it in the end.

The chapters we read in Anne Lamott's book, "Bird by Bird," really interested me, and I actually had a hard time putting the book down. I love the way she writes, and I felt like I could relate to a lot of what she was saying. I was initially skeptical of how the book could relate to photography since it's about writing but there were so many similarities between the two. Rita wasn't kidding when she said you could pretty much always replace the word "writing" with "photography" and it would still apply. For example, Lamott talks a lot about not worrying so much over your first drafts and who is going to see them. "Try to get the words and memories down as they occur to you. Don't worry if what you write is no good, because no one is going to see it," she says. I think this is really important to remember with photography as well. I remember stressing out so much in Advanced Techniques because we had to submit our whole take when we shot an assignment. I hated that because sometimes I would be so embarrassed by some of the shots I took. But the important thing to remember is that you're not always going to get the perfect shot on the first shot. You have to start somewhere and even if your first 100 shots completely suck, so what? It takes time and practice; it's a process and a learning experience.

I love when Lamott says, "We may notice amazing details during the course of a day but we rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention. An author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift." That exact statement can be held true for photographers and that is one of my absolute favorite things about photography--the ability to make people stop and pay attention.

One of the most important things I took away from Lamott's book is to stop letting my perfectionism get in the way of my photography. I often get frustrated when I feel like my pictures aren't perfect. I'm always thinking "I should have done this" and "I should have done that." But like I said before, I need to come to terms with the fact that my photos aren't always going to be perfect. There's always more to learn and like the famous quote, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

Picture Story

While looking for good picture stories, I stumbled upon a project that The New York Times produced called "One in 8 Million." The series followed 54 people throughout New York and told their individual stories. I was shocked to learn that just one photographer shot all of these stories--what an incredible experience that must have been.

I watched several of the stories but I kept coming back to one in particular called, "May Wong Lee: The Adoptive Mother." I think this is a really great picture story and well-put together piece. The photographer did a good job of capturing a variety of images, shooting from multiple angles and distances. I love the moments she captured as well as the relationships and bonds between the family. I think the audio and pictures went well together and told the story effectively. I had a little trouble understanding a few of the things the woman said but overall the audio was pretty good. What I liked most about this story was the ending. To me, it was very powerful and summed up the story perfectly.

Here is the link to the story:

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html?ref=multimedia#/may_wong_lee