Thursday, April 30, 2015

The Big Day

A man is racing to get to the church on time. A woman, surrounded by women in matching dresses looks down at her ring then gazes out the window expectantly. The man driving stops behind a slow truck, then changes lanes to race around him. When the man reaches his destination, he sprints to the doors and into the church. But he's too late. 

Who - Bride, Groom, Bridesmaids, Father, Priest

  "I'm so late i'm so late i'm so late.." James muttered, sweating behind the wheel. Elaina stood surrounded by her best friends, gushing with joy. "I can't believe how beautiful you look, darling," her father said, sitting in the upholstered chair in the corner. Elaina grinned, looked down at her engagement ring, then gazed between the curtains at the misty view outside the church. The priest whispered in the doorway. 
  Speeding to his destination, James takes his eyes off the dark, wet road to glance at his watch. "Almost there, I'll be fine," he reassures himself. Elaina's father quietly checks the time, still waiting in the chair in the corner. 
"Oh come ON," James yells when he spots the slow moving van getting bigger in his windshield as he comes around a bend in the road. He slows to a stop, only to pass the van as quickly as he had come up on it. 
Keeping a smile on his face, her father takes Elaina's hands and kisses her cheek. She checks the window once more before her bridesmaids help her carry her train down the stairs.
Stopped once more for a seemingly never-ending train, James yells to no one and anyone, "The universe is against me!"
When the train finally clears the tracks and the barrier lifts from the car's front bumper, James continues his race against time to the church. Not bothering to put his car in park, the man stumbles up the stairs and through the arched wooden doors at the front of the chapel. But it's too late. Elaina stands in her cream dress and veil facing the man who gave her the rock on her left hand. When she sees James, she quickly glances away, guilty of something unknown to the rest of the audience. But the groom catches their glance and looks between the two lovers, unaware of the lie he has been told by the love of his life. 

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

iMovie Final


1. Summarize what you read and watched about (2-3 paragraphs, 4-5 sentences) 
2. Tell me one thing that you already knew about iMovie that the website explained. 
3. Tell me one thing that you learned new today that you didn't know before. 
4. What are you concerned about with this final project?
5. What are you confident you can complete early and have ready to use?
6. If I asked you today, what do you think you will do for your video?

News Values

1. Timeliness - the newness of facts
2. Proximity - the nearness of a given event to your place of publication
3. Prominence - the "newsworthiness" of an individual, organization or place
4. Impact - the effect or consequence of an event on the audience
5. Conflict - the meeting of two or more opposing forces. these forces can be physical , emotional or philosophical
6. Human Interest - the drama that surrounds people involved in emotional struggle
7. Novelty - the attraction people have to unusual things and events

Story 1 - Conflict

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/29/world/asia/nepal-katmandu-earthquake-relief.html?ref=world&_r=0

"Frustration Grows in Nepal as Earthquake Relief Trickles In"

Survivors of the earthquake in Nepal are still fighting to survive with what little they have. Though the government is said to be providing tents, food and aid to the people in Katmandu, the survivors argue that they are not being aided by the government as much as they need in this trying time.

Story 2 - Impact

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/world/asia/google-and-facebook-help-nepal-earthquake-survivors-and-contacts-connect.html?ref=world

"Google and Facebook Help Nepal Earthquake Survivors and Contacts Connect"

After the devastating events in Nepal, people began using social media for contacting loved ones that were possibly in danger. Technology businesses, seeing the need for ways to contact people that might be out of reach, brought apps and ways of finding people forward for public use.

Story 3 - Prominence

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/28/baltimore-state-of-emergency/26496241/

"Baltimore Deals with Devastation, Hard Questions"

After devastating attacks on their own city on Monday night, citizens of Baltimore come together to clean up their city. The riots sprouted from protesting citizens after Freddie Gray's funeral, and quickly turned violent.

Story 4 - Proximity

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/29/report-california-drought-could-worsen-air-pollution/26615205/

"California Drought Could Worsen Air Pollution"

A report released by the American Lung Association says that drought conditions in California could be the cause of state-wide air pollution. This along with other contributing factors, will add to the poor air quality in the state.

Story 5 - Timeliness

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/world/asia/trying-to-locate-the-living-nepal-rescuers-find-only-frustration.html?ref=world&_r=0

"Trying to Locate the Living, Nepal Rescuers Find Only Frustration"

In Bhaktapur, Nepal, a team of the United States' most talented search-and-rescuers along with sniffer dogs trained to find live bodies work to find any remaining survivors in the rubble of the fallen city.
Along with many other international teams, the US search-and-rescuers are set on doing everything possible to find and save anyone who is left.

Story 6 - Novelty

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/world/europe/french-school-teenagers-skirt-illegal-display-religion.html?ref=world

"French School Deems Teenager's Skirt an Illegal Display of Religion"



Baltimore Riots

As a photographer in Baltimore, I would be very worried about my safety obviously. It would be very hard to get a really good picture that tells a story without possibly putting myself and others in danger in the process. And depending on the kinds of pictures I would be focusing on, it would be easy to outrage either group of people (police officers if they thought i was trying to capture the rioter's story and the other way around if the people rioting thought I was focused just on the police officers). 

Friday, April 24, 2015

Portfolio Analysis



Portfolios

a.     Name of Photographer: Travis Haughton
b.     General focus of portfolio: Journalism
c.      List 3 problems that the judges noted: Some pictures needed captions, the angle for some pictures were wrong, the angle is too tight for a lot of them; get a wider frame
d.     List 2 things the judges like: The angle of the basketball picture was good but too small, different levels going on in the picture
e.     What is your overall impression of the photographer: I think he has a different way of taking pictures that is nice, but he needs some more practice in lighting and the angles at which he takes his pictures.

f.      Name of Photographer: Josh Birnbaum
g.     General focus of portfolio: Sports
h.     List 3 problems that the judges noted: Get better angles & better timing, wait for the moment or edit the moment, pace your pictures throughout your portfolio
i.       List 2 things the judges like: The content makes the picture amusing, the photographer gets in with the action
j.       What is your overall impression of the photographer: I think he has some really great ideas and some amazing detail shots throughout his portfolio, but he could work on his technique and the way he works with the subjects.

k.     Name of Photographer: Justin Mott
l.       General focus of portfolio: Sports
m.   List 3 problems that the judges noted: Expand past some of the same things you have taken pictures of, where’s the subject ? , make point of picture more obvious
n.     List 2 things the judges like: The color and light and angle are all very good, definitely waited for the right moment.
o.     What is your over all impression of the photographer: The pictures were amazing. I loved this photographer, but there were a few terrible pictures that did not belong in the portfolio.  The story at the end made me want to fall asleep.


Winning Portfolio (Dustin Snipes/Sports)

a.     What did judges note as strengths : color & composition, streamline of swimmers makes content interesting, photographer gets into the subjects of the picture, POV of the pictures are very good, chaos of the picture somehow looks good, blur of the picture adds to the detail of the subject, even with a little set up, the creativity is very good, photographer really got up close and personal with the subjects to make sure they got a really good pictures.

b.     What do you see as strengths: This photographer is very good. He knows what he’s doing with composition, angle and editing along with the initial lighting of the photos. I loved his portfolio, and he had to have had a lot of creativity and a lot of vision to get this quality of pictures.


Contest recap vid

Describe process for choosing winner:
Decides who has the worst pictures, narrows down and takes out all of the portfolios with weak compositions, “reward diversity”, look at editing of pictures as well as composition of each, decide winner.


PART 2


I agree with the judges on the Action Category picture of the runners. The photographer should have cropped it.


I disagree with their judgment of the football shot in the No Pro / No College category. They thought that the ball got lost in the running players and that the photographer should have cropped the picture more to make the focus on the ball and the hands of the players, but I think that the ball brings the focus to the top of the picture by itself without having to crop out half of some of the players’ bodies. I think the composition was good.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Student of the Month Interview // My First Interview

Meghan Henry
QUESTIONS

1. How does it feel to be awarded Student of the Month?
I expected to be awarded for all my hard work, so I was not surprised at all.
2. Do you know how you were chosen?
I know that there was a vote but other than that I'm not sure.
3. Were there other people that were in the running for this award?
Yes, but I didn't know any of them. 
4. How much work did it take to achieve this award?
Several years of preparation have made me ready for accepting this award!
5. Has this always been a goal of yours?
Yes of course!
6. Who helped you the most along the way?
I helped myself the most. I was the one who did all the studying and work.
7. Did you have any inspiration or people you looked up to while working towards this award?
Albert Einstein was my biggest inspiration along the way. 
8. Do you have any favorite teachers?
Mr. E is my favorite teacher because he's really cool. 
9. Did any of your teachers help you specifically in any way while working toward the Student of the
Month award?
My history teacher Mr. Lyon helped me work on my worst subjects and taught me some really helpful study methods. 
10. How long did you work for this award?
4 hours a day for the past three years (homework, studying, tutoring etc)
11. What was your favorite part about working towards this goal?
Having no friends to worry about was very helpful and i really enjoyed the alone time. 
12. What were some of your struggles along the way?
Having no friends gave me a lot of free time which meant I would spend hours upon hours in my room studying just because I was bored. 
13. Did any specific person in your family help you achieve this award?
No, they aren't helpful. 
14. Did someone in your family inspire you to work for this award?
My family is made up entirely of idiots, so no, I had to do this on my own. 
15. Did any of your friends help you along the path to this award?
Along the way, most of my friends left because they couldn't compete with my intelligence.
16. Who was the most supportive person in your life that helped you while working for this achievement?
All of my teachers were very helpful and really believed in me through it all.
17. Is there another goal that you hope to achieve in your time at Bowie? (what is it)
I hope to get out of here as soon as possible and get into a good college. 
18. Is there anything that prepared you for this achievement?
Having a lot of free time allowed me to study and prepare for important tests. 
19. What could you tell other students trying to achieve the same goal?
Don't try. You'll never live up to my achievements. 
20. What are a few tips that helped you the most along the way?
Highschool friends are useless, parties are not important, and your books are your best friend!

Enes Costur

Assignment #1

School Uniforms

1. Principal of Bowie, AISD board member, Student at Bowie or other AISD school

Questions

1. Did the school board have the idea of district-wide school uniforms?
2. Is there any specific reason for the new idea for school uniforms?
3. Does every person on the board get a vote in these decisions?
4. If a student from an AISD school did not like the new decision to have uniforms, what could they do about it?
5. Will teachers have a new dress code as well as the students?
6. Could a petition change the school board's decision?
7. Who is in charge of getting the uniforms?
8. Does the district have a designer specifically for these?
9. Will they need to get one if you don't have one already?
10. Does each school get a say in what the uniforms are?
11. Will each school have different uniforms?
12. Will AISD school's dress codes be changed with the addition of uniforms?
13. How do you think students will react to this new rule?
14. Will students get a vote on what their new uniforms will be?
15. When will this new rule be enforced?
16. Will incoming seniors be excused from wearing uniforms?
17. Do you think seniors would be okay with having a new rule enforced in their last year of high school?
18. Along with school uniforms, are there any other rules that the board wants to change district-wide?
19. What is your opinion on the new uniforms?
20. Do you think the board will keep the uniforms for many years?

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Action Shoot


I could not crop this picture the way you asked us to, because it did not include all of the subject.





Architecture Shoot

Details

Angles & Shapes


Light

Patterns

Surroundings

Monday, April 6, 2015

Warm up - iPhone Photos

My favorite picture was the B&W picture taken of the boy splashing in the water.
I think it's possible that some of them could have been taken with a phone.
I think apps are definitely a big influence on iPhone photography, and which ones you use matters.
Tips:
The angle of the phone definitely affects the picture taken, and getting the right lighting might be hard with a phone but it's very important. 

Warm-Up Sensory Overload

I definitely agree with the photographer's statement at the end of the story, and i believe that it is becoming more and more true every year.
If I were to visit this area sometime in the future, I would definitely want to visit. I think it would be a cool place to take pictures, and no picture would be the same.
I think the title of the article is very fitting. If i were a worker or a child spending my days in this place, I would feel very overwhelmed by everything around me. I think i would get bored of my booth very easily.
Surrounded by a forest of fake flowers and plants, a worker sat on her phone. There were flowers of every color filling the space of the booth, leaving only a small walkway through the center to the owner.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Sports Photography Q&A

Slide 1- Throwing the water cooler full of ice-cold water onto the coach at the end of a win is a way of celebration. It is usually unexpected but has become of a part of tradition. 

Slide 2- The shutter speed has to be faster to get the right moment; the unexacting face of the coach and the water hitting him

Slide 3- This is a key moment in the game. It was definitely planned. 

Slide 4- The angle of the picture and the right moment that it was taken had to be a technique. 

My Newspaper Page


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Other High school Newspapers

1. My favorite newspaper front page was 'The Outlet'. I liked this because the quotes from what was inside the newspaper were made a part of the picture on the front page.
2. 'The Oracle' newspaper automatically caught my attention because of the picture and the text and font they used to make the cover more interesting.
3. The headline, "Gone But Never Forgotten" caught my attention along with the picture right under it. It was about a student that died earlier that year. I thought it was an interesting topic to have in a school newspaper.
4. Only one story was on the front.
5. Not many front pages only had one picture, most of them were text
6. The size of headlines, number of pictures and amount of text all varied
7. Some of them were similar to what we looked at

Headlines: a heading at the top of an article or page in a newspaper or magazine
Subheadlines: a heading given to a subsection of a piece of writing
Photos: a photograph
Teaser: a short item, a headline, or photo with caption referring to or promoting a news article or feature on inside pages
Folios: a sheet of paper folded once to make two leaves
Captions: a title or brief explanation appended to an article, illustration, cartoon or poster
Stories: an account of imaginary or real people and events tad for entertainment
Bylines: a line in a newspaper naming the writer of an article
Infographics: a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent info or data
Masthead/staff box: the title of a newspaper or magazine at the head of the front or editorial page

Thursday, February 12, 2015

The Lone Star Dispatch // Issue 4

Front Page

After going in for an operation to remove a tumor from his liver on November 7th, Roberto Gomez's doctors realized that the tumor was inoperable. For two months following the unsuccessful surgery, Gomez remained in the hospital to recover. After returning home, friends, family and co-workers along with students (past and present) all worked to help him and the Gomez family through this hard time.

Who: Theatre teacher, Roberto Gomez
What: Gomez was diagnosed with liver cancer
When: He went in for surgery on November 7th
Where: Bowie HS, Austin, TX
Why: After his unsuccessful surgery, Gomez's friends came from all
over to support him and his family.
How: Fundraisers, community organizations, friends, ex-students
and family all came to support the Gomez's after the surgery and recovery.
Who was quoted: Gomez's wife, Rachel Gomez, and their
daughter Lauren Gomez, were both quoted.

Strongest quote: "It's amazing because this old man, my dad, finally discovered Facebook and he went on and within days he had hundreds of friends. People were flying in from all over the country; friends, ex-students, and co-workers,"Lauren said.

Was the lead sentence appealing: Yes, a very interesting start to the piece
Conclusion:  The conclusion was a statement



Student Life

Along with school responsibilities, social lives and outside of school activities, some young men make time to think about their future by participating in the Eagle Scout Project. Many boys start Boy Scouts from a young age, but very few follow through and finish strong with the huge responsibility at the end of the road; a time consuming service project for their community. The few who do finish, see that the project means more than an extra bullet point on their resume. It is an experience that gave them life-experience, and new friends.

Who: Eagle Scout Award recipients at Bowie (students: Scouller and Schiller) 
What: The commitment and struggles of being both a boy scout working 
on their Eagle and a student
When: This year
Where: Boone Elementary School & Gorzycki Middle School
Why: Boys love the challenge, and some find new friends just by having 
the Eagle Scout Project in common
How: Most projects take months of brainstorming and planning
before they actually begin working
Who was quotedFour Eagle Scout Award recipients at Bowie

Strongest quote"I loved the friends I made and what I learned. I carry it with me to this day." -Jim Rouen

Was the lead sentence appealing: It was appealing to all high school students


News

On January 25, 2015, the Bowie varsity cheer team competed in the United Cheer Association (UCA) South Texas Open Championships. Despite their little experience, (this was their first year in this competition) they came in first place. As their last competition of the season, this is what the team had been preparing for since day one of practice.

Who: Bowie varsity cheer team
What: United Cheer Association (UCA) South Texas Open Championships
When: January 25, 2015
Where: UCA South Texas Open Championships
Why: Varsity won first in their first year in this competition
How: They spent 5-6 months preparing for this competition
Who was quoted: Sophmore, Brandon Hertel; Senior, Rylee Barrios; Coach Knight

Strongest quote: "As one of the better cheer teams in Texas, 
when we go into a competition we're usually trying to compete with ourselves." - Coach Knight

Was the lead sentence appealing: I think they could have done a 
better job with the lead sentence. 


Sports


With 3 seniors signed into colleges, the Bowie baseball team is already excited for their upcoming season. Coaches and players alike have a love for baseball that is evident in this story. Though the team's chances to make it to playoffs is 50/50, the family-like environment of the team keeps them excited and optimistic for the upcoming season.

Who: Bowie baseball team, seniors Chris Logan, Kyle Gray, & Joe Davis
What: 3 seniors signed to colleges earlier this year to continue their careers in baseball
When: Upcoming baseball season
Where: Bowie HS, Ranger College, Blinn College, & the University of Houston
Why: Even with the excitement of signings, the upcoming baseball season is looming ahead
How: Even with a 50/50 shot at making playoffs, the team is optimistic
Who was quoted: Senior Chris Logan, Senior Joe Davis, Senior Logan Gray, Sophomore Matt Milliner, Coach Samuel Degelia, & Manager Sara Hughes

Strongest quote: "It feels pretty good to sign. As a kid i didn't think about signing, but its a blessing." - Senior Joe Davis

Was the lead sentence appealing: If you are friends with any of the seniors that signed, or are interested in baseball, yes the sentence was appealing. The writer could have added something more to make the reader more interested.


Entertainment

The Starlight Theatre Company put on 'Evita' for their musical. With six different actors playing the same role on stage, along with stressful rehearsals, dance numbers, and songs to learn, each person had a big role to play in this show.

Who: Starlight Theatre Company
What: The company put on the show 'Evita'
When: January
Where: Bowie HS, Starlight Theatre Company
Why: Even with stressful, hours-long rehearsals, songs, and choreography to learn, the show went splendidly
How: Theatre arts teacher & director Kalyn Holloway put it all together
Who was quoted: Director Kalyn Holloway, Senior Lily Howard, Senior Morgan Martel, Junior Paige Bradbury, Sophomore Chloe Byars, & freshman maddy Sparkes

Strongest quote: "Rehearsals have been really fun, it has been such a great experience. When everyone cooperated they were so much fun and everyone could just enjoy it." -Sparkes

Was the lead sentence appealing: Very much so!

Commentary

Living in Austin is seen as a privilege to many, and with so many artistic, unique people living in our city, it is bound to overflow onto our streets, buildings and businesses. But people that don't understand Austin's special view of graffiti, see the spray paint-art around our city as vandalization more than true artistic ability shown in public.

Who: Austinites
What: Graffiti all around our city
When: Very recently
Where: All around Austin
Why: Austinites are influenced constantly by the art and unique people around them
How: Even when people wanted to take down the famous graffiti covering the walls 
of some well-known downtown areas, people of Austin rose up to to protect their city and what they believed in; freedom to express themselves
Who was quoted: N/A

Strongest quote: N/A

Was the lead sentence appealing: Yes

In-Depth
Who:
What:
When
Where:
Why:
How:
Who was quoted:
Strongest quote:
Was the lead sentence appealing:                                          


Wednesday, February 4, 2015

10 Photography Resolutions for the New Year (5 Websites)

face
I love this picture because of how it was taken and how beautiful it looks.
The snow that comes between the subject and the camera breaks up the photo and makes it a much cooler picture to look at. I love the way the model is dressed and her expression makes the picture more interesting.
(Even though i think if it had been more candid it could have been a lot better.)

I saw a lot of really cool pictures that i assume were taken by the author of the blog. I also read about the 10 things a photographer should do with their time. 

Great Portraits (5 websites)

http://blog.phowd.com/2014/09/7-tips-shooting-great-portrait-photographs/


On this website, I saw a lot of amazing portraits. Not only were some of them very out-of-the-box, and interesting to look at, some of them were very edited. It was really cool to be able to see the before AND after pictures of the models and how shadows alone can change how someone looks in a picture. I learned that the way you edit a picture can completely change the way the subject looks, and the way the photographer positions the subject can give them picture more depth and make it more interesting to look at. 



King Pica Spread


Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Spiral Staircases (5 websites)




I looked at the spiral staircase website very briefly, not only because there were few pictures to look at, but because the staircases all looked very similar. Except for these three. It says in the link, "Spiral Staircases" but these three really stood out to me. They are all so different and unique from one another but they are all classified as the same thing. I don't see a whole lot of simplicity in these pictures because most of them are old and have peeling paint on the walls/stairs. But i do see balance throughout all three. They all follow the same pattern all the way through the picture; either a spiral shape, a rounded rectangle shape, or a sharp-edged square shape. All of these pictures were taken by Christian Richter. 

c16b03a3c9faeeedd0131f445693256b
old abandoned  staircase
old abandoned staircase from down

Killer Time Lapse (5 websites)


I looked at a couple really cool time lapses of Rio de Janeiro and Australia's Gold Coast. They would be beautiful places to visit and the time lapses were really cool and well done. Both videos went from sunrise to sunset and showed people on the coast surfing and playing in the water. They showed traffic which was really cool to watch at a faster pace than usual. They also showed the forested parts of the areas and what tourists do too. I think both time lapses were made by Vimeo. 
the videos didn't really teach me anything, they were just really amazing. 

Gold Coast, Australia

Monday, January 12, 2015

The Oldest Living Things In The World (5 Websites)


http://www.rachelsussman.com/oltw/

I looked at some really cool pictures of some really amazing places with some of the oldest living things on earth. Almost all of the pictures were of plants/trees. one was a simple soil sample, while others were huge living trees in the US and Africa.

I learned that things like moss and small shrubberies to huge trees can live for thousands and thousands of years.

The site was full of very well-taken and well-positioned pictures of beautiful places all over the world with even more beautiful, ancient plants.
I chose this picture because of its natural, serene beauty.

It has incredible simplicity that draws your eye straight to the focus of the picture, the 9,550 year old tree





Prompt Shoot-2nd Semester



"eight"

"the end"

"connected"

"pause"




Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Bests of 2014


Song: Style - Taylor Swift
I could listen to Taylor's new album over and over again. But i really loved this song about how this couple "never goes out of style".



Movie: Into The Woods
I absolutely LOVED this movie. They had a bunch of really popular actors and actresses in it to make it very interesting to watch. The fact that some of those people could sing was really surprising, but it made it so fun to watch! The twist of all the fairytales that we were told as kids gave it an interesting twist on many movies that had already been made.

News Story: Celebrity Deaths- Robin Williams
"From 'Mork' to Oscar, A Look At Robin Williams' Career"
This story was really heart-wrenching for many who enjoyed Robin Williams. The day I found out that one of my favorite actors had died, i watched videos of his early comedy acts. 
I grew up with Robin Williams in many of my favorite movies; Aladdin, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Hook, Jumanji, and all of the Night at the Museum movies. Even movies like Flubber and Bicentennial Man were amazing because he was in them. He will be truly missed as an actor, comedian and role model.



Carrie Underwood TIME 100
Most Influential person of 2014: Carrie Underwood
I not only love Carrie Underwood's music and style, I love the message she gives off and what she believes in. As a top country artist, she has quite a bit of influence on people. She is strong-willed and smart and just amazing. She is a role model for so many young girls, including me. 
                      



Favorite photos of 2014

Turkish-Syrian Border
I loved the way this photo was taken. The barren land all around the abandoned crib
brought the message of the photo back to something we understand.
The people who were forced to leave this crib had to choose their life or their belongings.
The fire that was lit in the middle of Sha'af (Gaza city)
 is the only comfort they have left in the midst of what their homes used to be.
I love that even when they were surrounded by memories and what is left of their homes,
they can find comfort in each other even it is close to none.  
Taken in Ferguson, MO,
this protestor is willing to take horrible pain for what he believes in.
For Michael Brown and his death, many protesters would do the same.
I love what this photo shows of what people will do for what they think is right.