Social Ad Proposal

I would like to focus my advertisement around a social issue that has existed for many years, but had most recently been brought to prominent attention. The issue of police brutality has existed for almost as long as the institution of police itself, and while many different demographics of the population are targeted by this abuse of power and privilege, it is fairly well known that African-Americans are far more disproportionately prejudiced against by the police and this prejudice has more often than not culminated in harmful and/or deadly situations that have been declared unfair and unjust by much of the population. Cases from a few years ago, like that of the contested death of Trayvon Martin, are even more prevalent today with the most recent deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. These two young black men were murdered brutally and without cause, although grand juries (composed almost entirely of white jury members) have chosen to not even bring charges against the white police officers responsible for their deaths.

Although I personally have not been nor do I know anyone who has been affected by this issue, I still care deeply about it, because it terrifies to me to know that I live in a country where young black men and women can be murdered without cause and not have their murderers delivered to full justice. I cannot live in a world where the deaths of those of another race are considered legal, because their murderer was white and a position of power.

People should be concerned about this issue for the same reason I am. Whether you are of African, Asian or Hispanic descent or if you are white, then you should fear for a world where the deaths of citizens are brushed under the rug in order to keep in place a corrupt institution. Police are supposed to protect people, but lately they have not been serving their purpose.

I want to create an advertisement that not only brings this issue to awareness in the general populace but also that evokes emotion, whether it be sympathy, sadness, anger, etc. that makes people want to move to take a stand. Tens of thousands of people are marching to end racial injustice in America and police brutality but the media is attempting to cover it up or give them a bad name. I want to make people realize how disgusting that is and join the cause.

Photojournalism Article

CV's Dancing Machine

Captains, Emma Brown (12) and Emily Hall (12) discuss their routine
 with coach Linda Richards (not shown in picture).

If you enter Eagle View Middle School's cafeteria on almost any given day of the week, you will most likely find a silent and empty room with lonely chairs stacked against the walls. However, on December 3, 2014, the sounds of girl's laughing and music playing echoed throughout the building. The Cumberland Valley Dance Team utilized the room for one of their practices due to another Cumberland Valley club taking up the high school cafeteria, a space usually reserved for the dance team. 

The Cumberland Valley Dance Team is a "team" in name only, as it is technically classified as a school club. However, existing since the 1970's makes the dance team far older than many of the other school organizations also classified as clubs, and their plethora of awards are nothing to scoff at. But how do they get so good? Once their talented team of girls has been selected, it all comes down to practice, practice, practice. With a season that lasts all year long and entails at least three competitions and numerous performances at community and school sport events, such as football and basketball games, practicing is vital to their success. 

A typical practice features stretching, practicing their routines (pom, hip-hop and variety mix- a combination of jazz, pom, and hip-hop) and lots of friendly camaraderie! Coach Linda Richards of 10 years watches as the girls practice their dances and work hard to help them improve. 

Practicing their hip-hop routine, the girls strike a Beyonce-inspired move.

Team captains, and the only two seniors, Emma Brown and Emily Hall talked about their experiences with the team and what it's like to be captain. "I like being part of a team of 13...14 other girls [that] I can rely on..." shared Brown on her favorite part of being on the dance team. Captaining responsibilities include motivating the team, leading stretches, sending out text reminders, and being there for the other girls. 

With great skill, Kate Minnich (10) shows off the moves
that got her a spot on the team.

Junior Lydia Maliackel describes her relationship with her teammates as extremely close: "They see me at my worst". The general consensus of her fellow dancers agrees with this statement. The girls see each other as sisters and love the fact that they get to dance with each other.

In the Eagle View Middle School cafeteria,
Rebecca Maher (10) braids Kate Minnich's (10) hair.

There's a lot of fresh talent on the team this year, but a number of returning dancers, who were on the team last year when they took first place at Eastern Dance Nationals remain and Coach Richards hopes to make a repeat performance at Hershey High School Nationals in 2015. With their passion, skill, and love for the sport, Cumberland Valley's Dance Team has danced their way into many's hearts.

As a special routine considered good luck before competitions and performances,
the girls of the CV Dance Team do a unique chant and huddle. 

After practice ends, Megan DeMario (9) removes her dance shoes
and laces up her boots, ready to head home.

Image Gallery

Photojournalism Shoot

Social Issue Ad Campaign Examples

I like this ad because of the way it tells a story with only one picture. It is speaking out against child labor, which is a very important cause to me and I think it really summarized the ethics of the issue. By putting a price tag on the child, it is showing that children who work laborious jobs for very little to no money are having a price tag put on them. The ad is arguing that no child should have to provide hard labor to be considered worth something and that they are certainly worth more than the cost of a new shirt or pants. 

This ad is really interesting to me because I like both the way the photos are taken and the concept behind the images. The effect of the makeup on the animals is a dark kind of comical, almost humorous but mostly sad. The setting of the dark cages and the painted on smiles on sad and abused animals hits home the idea that "Animals Are Not Clowns". 

I love this ad because women's rights is a very important issue for me. I like the effectiveness of placing the perpetuated ideas of what women shouldn't do or be over the woman's mouth, silencing her and forcing her to remain confined within these ideals. The photography is simple yet effective, focusing on only the woman's face and having a blunt, to the point message.

PennLive

Cumberland Valley's Mady Clahane lives up to lofty expectations, wins third straight District 3-AAA title

 by Andy Sandrik

link

The article summarized the events of the 2014 District 3-AAA girl's cross country race. It had several quotes from the race's winner and some other competitors. It included facts like girl's names, grades, times, and overall team scores. 

I liked the quotes the author used in the article and I liked how the pictures all showed key moments in the race: the joy, the exhilaration, the heart break. Some of my favorite pictures were of the girls right after finishing the race because the emotions on their faces were very clear. 

Student Yearbook Guide

Reporting

1.     Good Reporters

a.     Look and listen for their readers.

b.     Know everyone at an activity is a potential source.

c.     Know some sources offer better insights than other.

d.     Gather information with the five W’s and H.

2.     Research

a.     Helps reporters understand their stories.

b.     Previously published material can help build a story.

c.     Primary sources provide background and material for a story.

3.     Interviews

a.     The better the questions, the better the answers.

b.     Active listening produces the best results.

c.     Good notes contain direct quotes and facts.

Writing          

1.     Notes

a.     A writer uses questions to help focus the story.

b.     If the notes seem incomplete, there is more reporting to do.

c.     Organizing notes helps with decisions about content.

2.     Stories

a.     Put information in a human context.

                                               i.     Lead – Opening sentence or paragraph introducing the story, setting the tone and angle, piquing the reader’s interest.

                                             ii.     Quotes – Word-for-word statements from sources showing a reaction to, explanation for, or an interpretation of the event. Add voices and human interest to a story.

                                            iii.     Transitions – Details that give context to quotes and make them more meaningful. Inform readers and help them understand the quote. Transition paragraphs prepare readers for the next quote.

                                            iv.     Conclusion – Final sentence or paragraph that ties the end of a story back to its lead; giving a sense of completeness. End with a strong quote or point, not an editorial comment.

b.     Quick reads offer an alternative to features.

3.     Good Writing

a.     Depends on an angle and substance.

b.     Seems tightly written and lively.

c.     Uses narrative elements.

d.     Seems fresh and original.

Read the article by Mallory Summers & see all the components working together

Writing effective headlines requires creativity, effort, and attention to details

What can you take from this page to help in writing creative headlines?

1.     A solid understanding of content.

2.     Word play and brainstorming.

3.     Guidelines lead to quality and consistency.

Describe the 3-step process to writing dynamic headlines

1.     List 10 to 15 key words that describe and relate to the story topic.

2.     From that list of words, brainstorm rhyming words with strong storytelling merit.

3.     Using these key words craft words and phrases that creatively capture the story.

Captions                        

1.     Content

a.     Should do more than state the obvious.

b.     Answer reader’s questions about a photo.

c.     Requires reporting.

d.     Direct quotes from individuals in the photo add depth.

2.     Describe the 3-step process to writing captions

a.     Gather the information to explain the photograph.

b.     Create a verbal/visual connection by brainstorming a list of attention getting impact words that come to mind when looking at the photograph.

c.     Write the caption.

Photography

We will be discussing this section in class

Photojournalism Proposal

For my photojournalism assignment, I am going to be attending a Cumberland Valley Dance Team practice after school one day. This dance team is one of the highest ranked high school teams nationally and my friend is one of the lucky people who was selected to be on it. I'm very excited to see these girls hard at work with their coaches and just interacting with each other! :)

Final Portraiture Shots

I picked one of my best friends Sammie as my model for this project. She actually volunteered and was very enthusiastic and willing throughout the entire photo shoot! We spent three hours together, driving to both Hampden Park and the high school. Sammie is one of the most kind, funny, and free-spirited individuals I know and I thought a park would be the best place to truly showcase her unique personality. We also took pictures in the Cumberland Valley High School football stadium because that is where track and field meets occur and Sammie is one of the fastest girls on the team at the 400 meter race along with being talented in many other events! I told Sammie to bring three different outfits- one dressier outfit, one casual outfit, and her cross-country uniform, which doubles as her track and field uniform. Sammie and I had a lot of fun wandering around the park, coming up with creative and hilarious poses for her to attempt. For my first portrait photo shoot ever, I would say it was a complete success!

Out of 150 shots that I took, I narrowed it down to about 50 decent shots. From there, I found my favorite seven and proceeded to edit them in fun and flattering ways. Overall, I think my final product turned out very satisfactory- showing a true representation of my model's personality and a nice mix of different photographs and editing styles. Sammie said she really loved both the individual photographs and the completed expression panel and she was glad that she had agreed to the shoot! 

I would definitely recommend to anyone else attempting this assignment to pick a model that wants to  have their pictures taken and is completely willing to do a variety of poses for the photographer. Also, really have fun! Don't restrain yourself to typical and boring portrait shots- do something new and interesting and exciting! 

The most challenging aspect of this assignment for me was designing a nice expression panel and coming up with unique actions for Photoshop, because I'm not a very creative person and I often prefer doing things more classically. I think I did a fairly good job of representing my model's personality in the photographs and expression panel. I ended up liking this assignment much more than I thought I would, and I'm glad that I did it!

Actions and Expression Panel

Artistic

Black and White

Color

Portraiture Shooting Assignment

Portraiture Unit

Senior Portrait Article

• Traditional Yearbook Portraits -----> Portraits That Show More Depth
• Lighting Effects! Unusual Angles! Post-Production Editing!
• More Demand For Edgy And Editorial Shots From Teens
• Moving Out Of The Studio And Towards Non-Studio Locations

Portrait Examples

CarisaK |  Smile | I like how she is posed horizontally and occupying the middle third of the image

CarisaK | Smile | I like the open background and how she is only a very small portion of the image

CarisaK | Smile | I like the paleness of her white shirt against the green background

CarisaK | Serious | I like the bokeh in the background with warm colors against her cooler colors

Jen Baltgalvis | Smile | The baby's bright red sweater really stands out against the white background

Jen Baltgalvis | Unique Perspective | I like how the girl's legs are framing her face and the fact that she is upside down is funny!

Jen Baltgalvis | Smile | I like the addition of the pet in the picture and I like how the flower in her hair matches the cats eyes

Conte | Serious | I like the artistic editing of the picture and I like how they all look very serious even though they 're surrounded by candy

Conte | Candid | I like the ocean as the background and I like the curve of the surf behind them

Teal | Candid | I like the solid color background and the way the white balloons stand out against it

Elaine Gates Recap

It was very illuminating to have portraiture photographer, Elaine Gates, come talk to us about how to take good portraits. I learned many interesting and important tips for when I pursue my own portrait project. It is very important to take advantage of the lighting you have, whether outdoors or inside. Shade can be good but it's always important to have some bright lighting somewhere in your picture. You should try to emphasize your subject's best and favorite features of their body. When taking pictures always shoot down from a higher angle, rather than shooting up from a lower angle, as it makes the subject look much better. I will make sure to employ all of these tips and tactics when doing my portraiture assignment.

HDR

ISO: 100 Aperture: 29 Shutter Speed: 1/13

This picture is the track on which cross country courses both start and end. This sign is positioned right at the entrance to the woods and I thought the angle of the camera with the tilted sign against the curved track looked really interesting. This image has asymmetrical balance. 

ISO: 100 Aperture: 32 Shutter Speed: 1/15

I took this picture of the inside of the gravel track that I work out on frequently. I used the poles of the football goal post to frame the school. I think the colors of the sky look really pretty and the grass looks cool.

ISO: 100 Aperture: 22 Shutter Speed: 1/2

This picture has leading lines in the row of trees that lead one's eye to the background of the image. I think the colors in this picture are interesting because they range from really bright and vibrant to duskier, darker tones. 

ISO: 100 Aperture: 29 Shutter Speed: 4

This is the entrance to the woods that I run through during my cross-country races. The trees lining either side of the dirt path create the effect of symmetrical balance. I like how the sun filtering through the tree branches looks really bright and yellow and brightens the green leaves. 

ISO: 100 Aperture: 32 Shutter Speed: 1/2

I took this picture from a different point of view than the other photographs. I made my camera go up really high on my tripod and then tilted it down dramatically to emphasize the slope of the hill even more. 

 ISO: 100 Aperture: 32 Shutter Speed: 1/6

 This is a picture of the corn field that we run around both for our cross-country races and for many of our workouts. I thought it was a cool image both because of the repetition of the corn stalks and because the brightness of the sky's colors and the grunginess of the field contrast interestingly. It shows repetition through the corn stalks in the background.

Sketchbook Cover

HDR Shooting Assignment

CV Practice Shots

ISO: 400
Aperture: 22
Shutter Speed: 1/2, 2, 8
I selected one of the many trophy cases in the Eagle Lobby because they represent many of CV's greatest student accomplishments.

ISO: 400
Aperture: 22
Shutter Speed: 1/5, 1, 8
The cafeteria is a place where almost every student spends a portion of their school day at and it is a place where I get to eat food and hang out with my friends.

ISO: 100
Aperture: 22
Shutter Speed: 1/5, 1/20, 1/80
Not only do I think this little garden is one of the prettiest places on campus, but I run by here almost every day with my teammates on our warm-up, so it is a very familiar place for me.

Personal List

• Home Cross Country Course - I run on this course every day with many of my closest friends and even though I kind of have a hate/love relationship with it, at the end of the day it is a place that is very important to me
• Neighborhood Pool- My family, friends, and I spend many days during the summer lounging at the local pool and some of my greatest memories occurred there
• My Bedroom- My bedroom is my safe haven where I can escape the world and just read. :)

HDR Notes

• High-dynamic-range photographs are generally achieved by capturing multiple standard photographs, often using exposure bracketing, and then merging them into an HDR image
• HDR is short for High Dynamic Range
• Always use a tripod
• Three shot bracket--one over-exposed, one under-exposed, and one properly exposed
• When combined, the photograph contains all the highlighting and shadow from each individual photo

HDR Examples

1. I like how the HDR aspect of this photograph enhances both the color and the detail of the smallest things in the image, such as the ripples in the water and the markings on the rocks.



I love how the shadows in the photograph really stand out in stark contrast to the pure white of the snow, without detracting from its smooth bright whiteness.



The foreground of this picture is really interesting because it differs greatly from the rest of the photograph in both color scheme and texture, but the HDR photography allows one to fully appreciate both the fore- and background of the image.



This picture really uses HDR editing capabilities to their full potential by increasing the sheer luminosity of the brilliant sunlight filtering through the stalks, creating the impression that it is something unreal or out of a dream.



I really think this picture is intriguing because the neon lights are made so much brighter and more vivid while the rest of the buildings remain fairly clear and detailed.




The HDR in this photograph lends it an otherworldly look by making the sky a deeper blue and giving the ground more texture and a certain ethereal glow.