Exciting stuff happening in the world of photography.
I have experience with film photography: film cameras, developing the film, developing the prints, etc. However, my digital photography skills are not up to par. I used a digital when I took photos for the newspaper and I used it a little bit after I took my film class, but usually it stayed on auto.
Well, Tuesday night I went to my first class at Wolf Camera. It was "Intro to Digital" and I probably already knew half of what our teacher (Rob) talked about. But what I didn't know was well worth sitting through the class. I now know what most of the buttons on the camera mean!
When I was leaving for work Wednesday, I found a package on my doorstep and another in my mailbox. The package on the doorstep contained Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Studio Photography by Kirk Tuck, which is supposed to be the raw beginners guide to lighting. The package in the mailbox contained my ML-L3 remote, which will allow me to take pictures without pressing the shutter button on my camera.
I'm hoping the book will help me as I delve into strobism, and I know the remote will be helpful when I start my 365 project on flickr.
I posted a Bench Monday and a Pretty Pink Tuesday picture this week. I also made some edits to a picture in Photoshop based on suggestions made by flickrites in the Photography Critique group.
Saturday is my next big photography day! I'll be at that wedding as a lighting assistant!! =D
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Bench Monday!
It's Monday, which means it's time for a Bench Monday photo!
Last week was my first attempt at a Bench Monday and it was thrown together last minute. I wasn't really happy with it (except that I got both of the puppies in it!). See the image here.
So all week I thought about what I wanted to do today and decided that I would pull the librarian bit. I dressed up in a pencil skirt and some funky shoes, stood on a stool and reached for a book. I took around 20 shots - killing my knees in the process of stepping up and down on the stool and kneeling to look at the viewfinder on my camera.
And it came out awesome! See the image here.
A little planning goes a long way. ;)
Last week was my first attempt at a Bench Monday and it was thrown together last minute. I wasn't really happy with it (except that I got both of the puppies in it!). See the image here.
So all week I thought about what I wanted to do today and decided that I would pull the librarian bit. I dressed up in a pencil skirt and some funky shoes, stood on a stool and reached for a book. I took around 20 shots - killing my knees in the process of stepping up and down on the stool and kneeling to look at the viewfinder on my camera.
And it came out awesome! See the image here.
A little planning goes a long way. ;)
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Photography
This blog is going to change its course a bit. I will still occasionally be blogging about my political views, but I'm more interested in turning this into a record of my journey into the world of digital photography.
I will be taking continuing education courses in photography at UTA starting June 30. I am also taking digital photography classes at Wolf Camera starting this Tuesday.
Just bought my first nice digital camera. It is a Nikon D90 and it's beautiful.
I've also purchased a pro account on flickr and have started posting my photos there. Click here to see them.
May 30, I will be assisting Brandon Trull of Perry Aslyn Photography at a wedding. I will be working as a lighting assistant, and am super excited for this learning opportunity.
And last but not least, I've joined an online meet up group of local strobist photographers. A strobist photograph is one where the photographer uses off-camera lighting, and I think they're awesome. For more info, go to this site.
I will be taking continuing education courses in photography at UTA starting June 30. I am also taking digital photography classes at Wolf Camera starting this Tuesday.
Just bought my first nice digital camera. It is a Nikon D90 and it's beautiful.
I've also purchased a pro account on flickr and have started posting my photos there. Click here to see them.
May 30, I will be assisting Brandon Trull of Perry Aslyn Photography at a wedding. I will be working as a lighting assistant, and am super excited for this learning opportunity.
And last but not least, I've joined an online meet up group of local strobist photographers. A strobist photograph is one where the photographer uses off-camera lighting, and I think they're awesome. For more info, go to this site.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The government is not my mother
The state Legislature is attempting to regulate how Texans live their private lives.
It is looking at smoking, sex and drinking.
More restrictions are being proposed for the first two and less for the third.
In the case of smoking, lawmakers are considering a statewide ban.
Their argument is that it is a public health issue and needs to be banned for the good of all Texans. They are also trying to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco from 18 to 19.
If they want to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco, then they’d better raise the minimum age to serve in the military also. The minimum age to enlist is 18 years old, and if you’re old enough to be sent off to fight for your country, then you’re old enough to buy cigarettes.
As for the argument that Texans need to have the government stick its nose in our personal lives and tell us not to smoke, I thought that was what my mother was for.
Now, onto sex.
The House has already approved a new tax on sexually oriented businesses that charge admission like strip clubs, adult movie theaters and adult video clubs. The tax would force these businesses to pay 10 percent on entry fee gross receipts, replacing the $5 per person “pole tax” approved in 2007. An Austin court has ruled the $5 charge violates a constitutionally protected right of expression.
How is this not like the pole tax the Legislature passed before?
This new tax could raise as much as $8 million a year in revenue for the state. It’s a way for the government to dissuade people from going to those establishments and make money off of those who still choose to do so.
The state can’t have it both ways. If it’s going to allow these businesses to run, then it needs to let them, not burden them with extra taxes that will inevitably hurt their industry.
In the case of alcohol, the Legislature is actually considering loosening restrictions. Lawmakers have proposed to lift the blue law ban that prohibits the sale of distilled liquor on Sundays.
Why is the government regulating all of this in the first place?
Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, believes it’s the responsibility of the state to regulate for the good of the public.
“Policy should be about encouraging good behavior,” Burnam said. “Regulation is an easy, shorthand way that behavior the general public disapproves of can be addressed.”
The last time I checked, my smoking, drinking and sex habits were my own personal business.
Citizens’ personal lives should not be privy to government regulation. Period.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Administration rams ban through
The TCC Board of Trustees just voted yes to a ban on smoking on all campuses.
If the college wants to ban smoking, fine. It has the right to dictate policies on its own campuses. However, the way the policy passed was nefarious.
A five-day online poll was set up for students, faculty and staff to vote whether they supported the proposed smoking ban. There were no notices posted about the proposal or the online poll on any of the campuses.
Dr. Bill Lace, executive assistant to the chancellor, presented figures indicating 60 percent of TCC students and faculty voted yes to the smoking ban. After presenting that number, he clarified that the 60 percent was out of the number of students and faculty that responded to the poll, not 60 percent of the combined students and faculty.
The actual number of people who voted in the poll was 2,691. Out of that, 1,278 respondents were students. That’s only 3 percent of the student population.
Maybe more students would have participated in the decision process if they had been aware of the poll. Unfortunately for them, administrators felt that posting an announcement in CampusCruiser was sufficient notice.
At the board meeting, Lace admitted that Campus-Cruiser was perhaps not the best avenue to get the word out on the poll since many students don’t use it.
Without a direct message from the school, even students who do check their CampusCruiser accounts might not have known about the proposed smoking ban.
Faculty members were kept well-informed of the poll. They received notice to vote via their e-mail accounts. Why would faculty receive an e-mail notification but not students? Perhaps the administration felt more confident faculty would vote the way it wanted.
Also, administrators said the announcement was posted on CampusCruiser from Thursday to Monday, but that Saturday CampusCruiser was down because some of the servers were moved from NE Campus to the Trinity River Campus. This was a scheduled move discussed at the February board meeting with an e-mail notification sent to remind faculty.
Administrators had this information in front of them. They should have been aware that students would not have access to CampusCruiser and, therefore, have one less opportunity to see the announcement.
At the meeting, all the campus presidents supported the ban.
SE President Judith Carrier told the board her campus was practically smoke-free already with only one designated smoking section. She said students and faculty seldom use the designated area. However, after the meeting, a Star-Telegram reporter found students using the smoking area.
The smoking ban goes into effect May 27.
The ban itself is not the issue — the ham-handed way the administration rammed the ban through the Board of Trustees is the issue.
Bad communication, irresponsible information and overzealous administrators got the smoking ban passed, not the support of students.
Published in The Collegian on April 29, 2009.
If the college wants to ban smoking, fine. It has the right to dictate policies on its own campuses. However, the way the policy passed was nefarious.
A five-day online poll was set up for students, faculty and staff to vote whether they supported the proposed smoking ban. There were no notices posted about the proposal or the online poll on any of the campuses.
Dr. Bill Lace, executive assistant to the chancellor, presented figures indicating 60 percent of TCC students and faculty voted yes to the smoking ban. After presenting that number, he clarified that the 60 percent was out of the number of students and faculty that responded to the poll, not 60 percent of the combined students and faculty.
The actual number of people who voted in the poll was 2,691. Out of that, 1,278 respondents were students. That’s only 3 percent of the student population.
Maybe more students would have participated in the decision process if they had been aware of the poll. Unfortunately for them, administrators felt that posting an announcement in CampusCruiser was sufficient notice.
At the board meeting, Lace admitted that Campus-Cruiser was perhaps not the best avenue to get the word out on the poll since many students don’t use it.
Without a direct message from the school, even students who do check their CampusCruiser accounts might not have known about the proposed smoking ban.
Faculty members were kept well-informed of the poll. They received notice to vote via their e-mail accounts. Why would faculty receive an e-mail notification but not students? Perhaps the administration felt more confident faculty would vote the way it wanted.
Also, administrators said the announcement was posted on CampusCruiser from Thursday to Monday, but that Saturday CampusCruiser was down because some of the servers were moved from NE Campus to the Trinity River Campus. This was a scheduled move discussed at the February board meeting with an e-mail notification sent to remind faculty.
Administrators had this information in front of them. They should have been aware that students would not have access to CampusCruiser and, therefore, have one less opportunity to see the announcement.
At the meeting, all the campus presidents supported the ban.
SE President Judith Carrier told the board her campus was practically smoke-free already with only one designated smoking section. She said students and faculty seldom use the designated area. However, after the meeting, a Star-Telegram reporter found students using the smoking area.
The smoking ban goes into effect May 27.
The ban itself is not the issue — the ham-handed way the administration rammed the ban through the Board of Trustees is the issue.
Bad communication, irresponsible information and overzealous administrators got the smoking ban passed, not the support of students.
Published in The Collegian on April 29, 2009.
Judge content, not the cover
Don’t judge a book by its cover is an adage more people need to take to heart.
Everyday people judge and dismiss other people they don’t think are worthy of their time or attention.
Sometimes we do it because some people aren’t as good-looking as others. Other times we judge people by what they wear. Even beautiful people are judged because of how they look.
Perhaps if we stopped presuming to know people based on appearances, we’d discover something really special.
That girl that walks around in the paint-spattered apron is actually the next Georgia O’Keeffe.
The guy with the hair halfway to his behind who’s always banging on the desk behind you is the next Ringo Starr.
What about that gorgeous blonde you always see at the mall? She’s not wasting her parent’s money like you assumed. She’s looking for inspiration to create her own clothing line.
We miss out on so much when we make assumptions about people and blow them off.
One of the things I love about being a journalist is learning people’s stories — what they do in their free time, why they chose their major and what they want out of life.
Some may argue that people are people. We’re all driven by the same basic wants and needs — food, shelter and clothing. But society has so many different kinds of people who come from an infinite number of backgrounds.
It’s exciting to compare other people’s decisions and their reasoning behind those decisions to your own.
Another reason not to make snap judgments about people is they might just be having a bad day. Everyone has them, but would you want to have your entire worth decided on the day you couldn’t get hot water, your hair dryer pooped out and you don’t have anything to wear because you forgot to move your laundry to the dryer? Didn’t think so.
Really, this particular adage and the golden rule go hand-in-hand. Just treat others as you want to be treated.Stop for a second and think about the hundreds of people you pass everyday. Those people have their own lives with dreams, disappointments and triumphs just like you. Aren’t you the least bit curious about what’s going on in their heads?
Take the first step.
Go out and talk to somebody you wouldn’t normally talk to.
Too big a step?
Quit avoiding eye contact with people in the hallway and smile at somebody you normally wouldn’t. It might just make their day.
Published in The Collegian April 29, 2009.
Everyday people judge and dismiss other people they don’t think are worthy of their time or attention.
Sometimes we do it because some people aren’t as good-looking as others. Other times we judge people by what they wear. Even beautiful people are judged because of how they look.
Perhaps if we stopped presuming to know people based on appearances, we’d discover something really special.
That girl that walks around in the paint-spattered apron is actually the next Georgia O’Keeffe.
The guy with the hair halfway to his behind who’s always banging on the desk behind you is the next Ringo Starr.
What about that gorgeous blonde you always see at the mall? She’s not wasting her parent’s money like you assumed. She’s looking for inspiration to create her own clothing line.
We miss out on so much when we make assumptions about people and blow them off.
One of the things I love about being a journalist is learning people’s stories — what they do in their free time, why they chose their major and what they want out of life.
Some may argue that people are people. We’re all driven by the same basic wants and needs — food, shelter and clothing. But society has so many different kinds of people who come from an infinite number of backgrounds.
It’s exciting to compare other people’s decisions and their reasoning behind those decisions to your own.
Another reason not to make snap judgments about people is they might just be having a bad day. Everyone has them, but would you want to have your entire worth decided on the day you couldn’t get hot water, your hair dryer pooped out and you don’t have anything to wear because you forgot to move your laundry to the dryer? Didn’t think so.
Really, this particular adage and the golden rule go hand-in-hand. Just treat others as you want to be treated.Stop for a second and think about the hundreds of people you pass everyday. Those people have their own lives with dreams, disappointments and triumphs just like you. Aren’t you the least bit curious about what’s going on in their heads?
Take the first step.
Go out and talk to somebody you wouldn’t normally talk to.
Too big a step?
Quit avoiding eye contact with people in the hallway and smile at somebody you normally wouldn’t. It might just make their day.
Published in The Collegian April 29, 2009.
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