Architecture: Austin Preview

This Portrays good lighting, thee patterns on the shade above casts shadows that are appealing to the eye.

this was taken right before it decided to downpour. I looked up and I saw a good chance. this classifies as a framing picture, due to the fact it blends in nicely with its surroundings, although it doesn't portray the story behind the building. I suppose it could also classify as patterns, but its not taking up the whole photo.













this was the best I could come up with on Geometry. putting aside the bush on the side of the photo, the buildings in the background have different shapes, and all stick out like sore thumbs.
















This one obviously classifies as closeness. I got close to an abandoned building and saw that it was rather far into its decay. I also think that this classifies as a pattern, because of the resemblance of colors and the frequency in the size and shape.














This by far my favorite, I walked further down the path from where I took the geometry photo and captured this. this categorizes as a lighting photo. the bright lights from the buildings cast a distorted image on the calm water giving a nice image. this could also classify as a surroundings image, because I used the water to portray a distorted image, and also I waited until nighttime in order to get the effect I wanted.

Architecture II: preview

this is a good example of patterns. the angle in the shot is just enough to see the ceiling and the walls and their similarity and their patterns. the photographer also uses the angle to his advantage to lead to the main focus of the image.














this is a good example of shapes. the shapes give enough of a pattern to catch the eye of the viewer. the pattern contours well with the building in the foreground, which helps to create depth.











the key in this picture is the light. the lighting in the foreground may be terrible, but the gradient going from dark to light helps bring out the qualities in the photo.












A good example of details. how often do you walk upon a street light and notice the things that are on it? the photographer does a good job of creating depth of a simple foreground and background, while at the same time took advantage of the natural light emitted from the lamp.




this is a good example of a surrounding framing the photographer uses the darkness to his advantage, thus creating simplicity while at the same time framing the subject.

Action Shoot Follow up

panning

























still shot












black and white

Outrage in America: Arizona Bill causes fury in the U.S

As we all may have heard by now, the American people are in an uproar about the new bill passed in the state of Arizona. Many people from around the country have marched, protested, and even gone as far as to boycott goods and services to and from the state. Now, we all know that immigration has been an ongoing issue in this country. But many Americans ask, How far is too far?

When I first started drafting this story, I took a look at the extreme Irony at the situation. Whether you want to believe it or not, this country was founded on Immigrants. Our founding fore fathers immigrated here from, England, Spain, and France. We then declared that we are a separate country from all the rest listed with the Declaration of Independence signed in 1776. Now getting to the Irony, we, as immigrants, drove out the Native Americans so that we could live as the "new" American people. And now, here we are again, but we are on the other side, denying those who wish to seek sovereignty in this nation.

Now lets take a look at some of the "undesirable reasons" that people come here for. first off, if you are in America, and the unfortunate event that you might get in an accident, Hospitals MUST treat you. The employees CANNOT check your citizenship status, your immigration papers, or anything of the sort. Its considered "Illegal". Then there is the Millions of Tax Dollars that go into the government. Any single individual can apply for government financial aid whether legal or not. and most of the time, a family is brought, thus causing more money to go into that family and individuals. All in all, this is the typical complaint of an American citizen.

Now lets compare the current situation. Sure some of the protesters around the nation either were at some point, or now are considered "foreign nationals" in this country, but the other half or more of the majority, are "true" American people. Now the question stands among the people: "How far is too far?". And in this sad case of Irony, the American people love to point fingers at others, straying the blame away from themselves. Here are the Facts; Americans complained about immigration, and since it cannot be federally put into law, it must go down to the state level, and in this case, Arizona. Now that elected officials have actually done something about the "Problem", People want to point the finger at the Arizona people, projecting there critical remarks off on them and calling themselves "innocent" and "against the racism" by boycotting a state that offers no more than a few tours of the Grand Canyon.

I had the pleasure earlier this week to interview a Guardsman at a local Starbucks on this topic. He explained to me that Oddly enough, he worked on Operation Lone-star on the local Texas borders serving as an MP (Military Police). He explained to me that he was glad that someone is taking a stand and (Quote) "there is only so much that we can do". As hard as Soldiers and Police may try, they cannot stop every immigrant from illegally crossing the Border. and Thus, the States Power comes into Play.

Another Man I interviewed was a Student of the Local Akins High School. He explained to me that he feels that our nation, and especially the southern states would be more secure and have more opportunities than that of an open border. (Quote) "I cannot get a job this summer. Ive gone from Game-stop, to even Taco-bell looking for a low pay summer job that I can get at least some sort of money from. All of them have either turned me down, or didn't called me back, and I have a strong feeling its because a lot of illegal aliens have applied for lower wages than myself.". There is a degree of truth to the situation, and unfortunately, it affects many more people than the student level. And yet, America wants to complain about having closed borders.

Ive also gathered from other individuals that Ive interviewed, that they also feel the same way. one woman, of German Nationality, explained to me that they had a much stricter foreign policy than those of America. She said that if you were to be pulled over for a speeding ticket and suspected of being a foreign national, the police officer is allowed to check your nationality, passport, and immigration status. Not only would you pay the speeding ticket, you would be fined furthermore, and then deported. As compared to the U.S., which none of these things are legal.

So why is it that we, a modern country far ahead of many others, cannot agree with a simple bill to help secure our borders? Why must we always contradict ourselves and point the finger at everyone else? these answers may never be known.

So I challenge the American people to answer these questions. What is more important to you? Allowing our borders to be open? or to boycott a state for acting on the complaints that you throw from your couch and computer chairs. Having Tobacco chew this day, or secure your children's future jobs for tomorrow? If you look at the facts, and truely believe in what this country is for, you will find the answers for yourselves.

Americans need to make up there mind. Personally speaking, I strongly believe that this is the next step to a stronger, more secure country. Arizona has answered the people, and now they want to ridicule as far as being "Fascist" and "Nazi's". This is an unfair criticism that just goes to show who we are and what we represent.

"Objects at Large"

I took this one about a week ago while visiting the rocky beaches of Corpus Christi

"Graffiti in the Hood"

So I was walking along an old Target building when I found this

Student of the Month: Abidon

1. What is your favorite TV show?

I would have to say family guy

2. What is your favorite color & number?
"maybe red, or black. it depends. and my favorite number would have to be 6

3. What do you like to do in your spare time/extra time?
I play music, and listen to it. depends on what I want to do.

4. What store at the mall do you like to shop at?

South park mostly, Sometimes Ill go to the West gate

5. What college is your dream college you would like to go to?
Well, I would Like to go to UT, but Im planning on going to ACC

6. What is your favorite food?
Probably Pizza

7. Where would be the first place you would drive to when you get a driver’s license?
somewhere I can be by myself and relish it

8. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you do with the money?
put it somewhere so I dont Lose it

9. If you had a chance to go to Disneyland with one person, who would that person be and why?
most likely my girlfriend

10. How have you contributed to improvement at your school and community?

um, I haven't particularly

11. What current issues have most the impact on students and schools today and why?

Drugs. makes people not care about school. just when they get out of it. all they want to do is go home and get high.

12. What in your opinion are the top 3 priorities for improvement of schools and education?

getting rid of people who dont care, getting rid of the drug problem, and possibly lowering the population

13. Who are your role models? Who impresses you most in how they live their lives and why?

I dont know if I have any role models, but when I was a kid I always looked up to my dad.
14. If you could change anything at your school today to make a positive difference for most students, what would it be and why?

better teaching staff. not all the teachers have the best attitude in the world either.
15. So getting into some more serious questions, how do you think you earned the student of the month?
being me. I worked for it, therefore I think I earned it.
16. was their any outside influence for you to get this?
none, just my own pressure
17. did you know that you were nominated?
I did not, it was rather sudden
18. did you do this for personal gain or thrill?
kinda both, there wasn't any clear reason for me to do it, so i did anyway.
19. do you intend to win this award again anytime else?
no, I'm graduating this year.
20. ok, last question. is this a serious accomplishment for you, or did you do this without even trying.
it was a semi accomplishment. I tried to make myself stand out. thats all I needed to do apparently.

News Leads Part 2

Lead: A collecters Wet Dream: Untouched Action Comics 1 Up for grabs

Who?
Who is involved? Stephen Fishler and many of other comic book finnatics.
Who does/did the situation affect? bidders and interest in the comic
Who said so? Stephen Fishler

What?
What is happening? A man named Stephen Fishler is putting his untouched version of Action Comics Copy 1 up for sale
What did happen? Just recently, no Date posted, but on a Thursday a couple weeks ago.
What are the consequences? anywhere between 400-750 thousand dollars.
What is different about this? there were only 100 copies of that comic ever made. And "super Heroes never existed before super man."
What are the choices? the choice to sell the extremely valuable comic or not

When?
When did or will this happen? in the future at a public auction
When was this discovered? just recently when it was announced he would put it up for auction

Where?
Where did or will this happen? none specified

Why?
Why did this happen or will it happen? he left this in his mothers basement, then found it again in 1966, and hoped that it would increase in value so that he could make some money.

How?
How did it or will it happen? a public auction to be sold.
How much does it cost? anywhere between 100 thousand to almost a million dollars.
How many people does this affect? anyone who decides to bid on object
How do you feel about this? I think its good that someone has found value in a childhood item. personally, I might've waited just a tad bit longer to relish the comic, but you know what I'm personally happy that someone has something of monetary value to themselves.

News Leads Part 1

Lead: Rosenburg couple executed over stolen nuclear secrets, Both Sons left to foster

Who?
Who is involved? The Rosenburg couple, along with their two sons.
Who does/did the situation affect? Russia, America and the advancement of nuclear technology
Who said so? The Americans and Russians

What?
What is happening? The Rosenburgs were accused of espionage, therefore executed for securing and transfering nuclear technology.
What did happen? they were executed and the arms race for nuclear tech went underway.
What are the consequences? The advancement in technology we have today.
What is different about this? Jewish American people were convicted of espionage and were the only ones ever executed for such conviction.
What are the choices? to steal or to not.

When?
When did or will this happen? this happened in the 1950's during the beginning of the cold war
When was this discovered? almost immediately after it happened.

Where?
Where did or will this happen? Sing Sing prison in Os sining, N.Y.

Why?
Why did this happen or will it happen? it was a trial system, they were convicted and condemned.

How?
How did it or will it happen? like all other court processings
How much does it cost? it cost the U.S. the ability to threaten all opposing countries with the nuclear arms
How many people does this affect? Millions of citizens of their respectful countries.
How do you feel about this? this is an unusual case, I had a firm belief that the Russians themselves were the ones that developed the technology themselves for the A bomb. I did not think that American citizens were the ones who gave up the information.

Student of the month

1. What is your favorite TV show?

2. What is your favorite color & number?

3. What do you like to do in your spare time/extra time?

4. What store at the mall do you like to shop at?

5. What college is your dream college you would like to go to?

6. What is your favorite food?

7. Where would be the first place you would drive to when you get a driver’s license?

8. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you do with the money?

9. If you had a chance to go to Disneyland with one person, who would that person be and why?


10. How have you contributed to improvement at your school and community?

11. What current issues have most the impact on students and schools today and why?

12. What in your opinion are the top 3 priorities for improvement of schools and education?

13. Who are your role models? Who impresses you most in how they live their lives and why?

14. If you could change anything at your school today to make a positive difference for most students, what would it be and why?

15. So getting into some more serious questions, how do you think you earned the student of the month?

16. was their any outside influence for you to get this?

17. did you know that you were nominated?

18. did you do this for personal gain or thrill?

19. do you intend to win this award again anytime else?

20. ok, last question. is this a serious accomplishment for you, or did you do this without even trying.

School Uniforms

Three different sources:

The superintendent, the principal, and a teacher. this gives different perspectives on different levels of the food chain.


1. What specifically made you, or whoever did, make the decision of school uniforms?


2. when did this decision occur?


3. Who was the one who fronted the decision itself?


4. can you explain to me what you think uniforms will accomplish?


5. Can you give me detail as to what the uniform will consist of.


6. will there be different types of uniforms such as class A of Class B?


7. I only assume that they will consist of school colors.


8. have you made a guideline as proper attire for this uniform?


9. have decisions been made yet as to what violators will face if the policy is broken?


10. will any individual have a special case in which they do not have to follow the dress code?


11. do you think you will have any kind of problem via religion wise?


12. what kind of problems do you project may or may not occur during this transition period to the new dress code?

13. would you consider it to be a violation if someone does not wear the universal uniform, but instead wears something else that is appropriate such as a shirt and tie?

14. will hats and sunglasses be allowed on a persons body at any point?


15. would you also consider it a violation if someone wears athletic clothing, but it clearly labels "Akins" across the shirt and/or shorts?

16. lets discuss the hair. what if any regulations and rules have been made upon hair on a persons head?

17. are there specific shoes that one may or may not wear with their uniform?

18. will the uniform/dress code be universal such as Peredes, or gender appropriate?

19. will minor accessories be allowed on a persons such as necklaces, bracelets, rings, ETC.

20. will this in any way change the districts electronic policy?

Legalizing Pot: a good way out of debt

Who?
Who is involved? California and all of Pro Marijuana supporters
Who does/did the situation affect? California State Laws
Who said so? State Legislature

What?
What is happening? California officials are attempting to pull themselves out of debt, thus taking into consideration the possiblities of Marijuana.
What did happen? nothing has happened except for rallies and protests
What are the consequences? negative and positive if you look at it from both ends
What is different about this? the first state to want to legalize the industry of "getting high"
What are the choices? to pass the bill or not

When?
When did or will this happen? no specific dates were added, but the vote will probably take place in next years state legislature
When was this discovered? it has been up in the air for the past year or two

Where?
Where did or will this happen? California

Why?
Why did this happen or will it happen? because of a debt crisis

How?
How did it or will it happen? a majority vote demanded that this should become a topic of interest
How much does it cost? not so much cost, but how much they gain
How many people does this affect? over 20 million California Citizens
How do you feel about this? California making even more tourist money so the people there can live even better than what we are now. im not pleased, but whatever

Academy Awards: "Thank me for nominating myself"

Who?
Who is involved? Many Stars, Actors/Actresses, and Directors
Who does/did the situation affect? People that recieved the awards
Who said so? in all actuality, most of the time its themselves

What?
What is happening? the academy awards. this is where rich people get together and nominate themselves or people who haven't received one yet
What did happen? the same as usual, best picture, best director, best actor/actress
What are the consequences? people receive a pointless shiny statue of fake gold holding "all that is important"
What is different about this? well, best director went to a female for the first time, and sandra bullock received her first award
What are the choices? NONE

When?
When did or will this happen? March 7th
When was this discovered? March 7th

Where?
Where did or will this happen? Kodak Theatre Hollywood

Why?
Why did this happen or will it happen? it happens every year

How?
How did it or will it happen? people were nominated to certain catagories to win an award
How much does it cost? Quite a bit
How many people does this affect? millions of people, specifically the people of the U.S.
How do you feel about this? people making millions of dollars every year doing a job that they love doing. how would you feel about that?

49ers New Quarterback

What?
What is happening? the 49ers signed a 2 year contract with veteran quarterback, David Carr
What did happen? He signed the contract and there is debate amongst peers as to if it was a good idea or not
What are the consequences? none so far
What is different about this? nothing in particular, other than speculation of a team member who smacks down his signing
What are the choices? to sign or not to

When?
When did or will this happen? early march, and takes effect for 2 straight NFL seasons
When was this discovered? 3/7/10

Where?
Where did or will this happen? not sure

Why?
Why did this happen or will it happen? because NFL players move teams from time to time to get the playing time they need or want

How?
How did it or will it happen? signing of a paper
How much does it cost? however much the conract was worth
How many people does this affect? David Carr
How do you feel about this? um, people making millions playing sports i dont care about. not something of interest to me.

Royal Airforce hero: casualty evacuation

Who?
Who is involved? Flight Lt. Ian Fortune
Who does/did the situation affect? Himself mostly, and others that he evacuated
Who said so? its the military they say what they want

What?
What is happening? the man is commended for his effective duties as a soldier
What did happen? he was shot in the head, but still managed to evacuate casualties
What are the consequences? good, probably awarded for his efforts
What is different about this? nothing
What are the choices? none

When?
When did or will this happen? weeks before it was released to the press
When was this discovered? just recently

Where?
Where did or will this happen? Afghanistan war zone

Why?
Why did this happen or will it happen? its a military operation

How?
How did it or will it happen? he was shot in the head and continued doing what he was supposed to do
How much does it cost? um, alot?
How many people does this affect? 20-25 people, he rescued a fully loaded chinook
How do you feel about this? sounds like the guy was doing his job. if your not dead or incapacitated, your supposed to do that if your a soldier.

Happy Akins Building: Irony of Words

Happy




















Building





















Akins

The tops of 2009: Amercan Veiw

Top picture of 2009: July Lunar eclipse: we all know that a lunar eclipse happens very rarely, and that they are a well known fact among everyone in the world. this was taken about 20 seconds from a total lunar eclipse in China.






Top movie of 2009: Inglorious Basterds: Quentin Tarantino is a natural and joyous filmmaker who feeds off his own tory story that fearlessly rewrites history. It finally comes down to a conflict between a fatuous Nazi monster and a fearless French Jewish heroine, with Brad Pitt as a knife wielding American commando leader. You have to hand him this: it's one World War Two movie where we don't know the ending. Waltz won best actor at Cannes 2009, has swept the critic's awards, is a shoo-in as best supporting actor.

Top favorite song of 2009 (not mine): Poparazzi: It's a love ditty for the celebrity-obsessed, and it defines the rapidly expanding career of one Lady Gaga. She assured us it was OK to 'Just Dance' and continually reinvented her 'Poker Face, but really all she does is sell the same sound over and over again to the obsessed wannabe's.

Top piece of news this year: the H1N1 Virus. many thought it was going to be a zombie outbreak. it was ridiculous. not only did it hardly kill anyone, but it did not affect the whole world as an epidemic. it was a shock to people everywhere that something actually evolved into something different, and what happens when different happens? people start to freak out. its human nature. The Swine flu was what everyone talked about, posted on myspace, facebook, twitter ect. it was THE center of gossip for the nation.

Starting to look: Portrait Preview

this has to be my favorite self portrait out of the contest winners. the sepia look really took my eye not only to the guy in the chair, but also helped me absorb the surroundings. then my favorite professional photo had to have been Arnold Newman's photo of President Reagan in his office smiling. again the colors really brought my attention that complimented his spirit. What I think that makes a good photo. many things make up the photo but 2 major things really stand out to me when I look at a photo. 1 is the subject. nothing too fancy, and nothing too boring that you don't even bother. the other is the color scheme. colors may include lighting, or the background around you. this needs to be able to compliment the main subject of the photo and act as a leader to help it stand out.

Portrait Shoot Overveiw

Portraits in my opinion are harder than self portraits, but can be more rewarding if done correctly. What I plan on doing: A. Find a good candidate. not all people are what you call photogenic, I plan on finding someone that is not afraid of the camera. B. Find a good background for the shot. What I plan on having is someone against the wall. this is a relatively simple background that will not draw any focus away from the main point of the photo. Finally, C. the theme. what I always enjoy is making it look like its not obvious. I will intend on having someone look in some other direction while they are against the wall. this makes the photo interesting, and more unique giving it depth.

some good techniques that I will be looking at are

1. Alter Your Perspective

Most portraits are taken with the camera at (or around) the eye level of the subject. While this is good common sense – completely changing the angle that you shoot from can give your portrait a real WOW factor.

4. Experiment with Lighting

Using techniques like slow sync flash can create an impressive wow factor.

15. Hold Your Camera on an Angle

Horizontal and Vertical framings are not the only options when it comes to shooting portraits. While getting your image straight can be important in when shooting in these formats holding your camera on a more diagonal angle can also inject a little fun into your images.

First Assignment: 2010

This photo is interesting just from the lighting prospective. he used a light concept that goes along with leading lines. when you have just enough light on the main focus of things it draws the eye to where you want it to be. the lighting and contrast seemed to be edited slightly to get the effect that he wanted, but overall turned out to be a good photo.













this photo was very simplistic. simple background that framed the main subject. I cannot tell exactly how or where the photographer took this photo because of the lack of details. just looking at it, it seems rather off base from where it should be. its too black and the subjects seem to be in a basketball room of some sort, but still I cannot be positively sure.







This photo used rule of thirds as a primary. leading lines as a secondary. the photographer seemed to used the natural light that was emitted from the light in front of the goats face, only because the light is florescent, and not luminescent coming from the photographers direction.







well to start off, I didn't really have any good memories from my vacation, so ill just go with favorite from what I actually did do. So about 4 days of being sick and two of them in the hospital. fortunately my Christmas was enjoyable, and possible my favorite day was Christmas eve, when we opened our presents.

Again, I had planned on going on a road trip with my brother to Houston but was derailed due to a ravaging stomach virus that had us both hospitalized for a day. after that I had spent most of my time sitting around doing nothing by myself, because my parents were at work most of the time.

Hmm. Things that I will remember in 9 years. unfortunately 2009 has not been my best year that I can commend myself on. at the end of last year I slacked just a little because I was too comfortable with things that I associated with on a regular basis. and the first semester of this year turned out carry on from the last. other than that I cant think of anything that was so important that Ill remember it as a major event.