Photojournalism

With photography being one of my main focuses on The Muse both during my sophomore and junior year it is one of the ones I have become most confident in. I have learned about the importance of color, framing, editing, and more. Photography can be very difficult as it is not something where a photo can just be taken and it will look good. As someone who shoots photos in manual it took me a lot of time to understand the exposure triangle and how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are all interconnected. I now love taking photos at events and capturing unique angles that people may not see otherwise.

I have also had the opportunity to learn more about studio photography and now teaching our staff how to photograph in the studio. I had to learn how to position lights in order to get a well lit photo, how to roll down the different backgrounds, and the various other procedures of the studio. As Photo Editor my junior year, I held training after school that would give my photo staffers the opportunity to practice. Some where geared at learning about how to take photos while others were more hands on where we went around campus taking photos then came together to edit them. Hands on training were the most helpful as I offered them feedback and I made it an open space where they could ask me for advice or questions.

Since photography can be so challenging I wanted to ensure that my photo staffers felt comfortable to go out on their own and take photos. I constantly created presentations that I would present at our trainings for the photographers and during class to the entire staff. Now as Editor-in-Chief, I work very closely with our Photo Editor and still participate in many of the trainings and photo opportunities. I also continue to create presentations since they have become second nature, but instead much more of a variety ranging from writing to ethics.

Caption: Speech and Debate team members hold hands as they wait for awards to be called during the first tournament of the school year, which was held at Wellington High School Sept. 24. For communications junior Bailee Simmers, having her classmates around her was a "blissful" feeling when she was called for third place in Congressional Debate. "I felt like all the hard work I put into writing my speeches and ... in my chamber paid off so I was super proud of myself," Simmers said.

Reflection: This photo was taken during a debate tournament and I feel like it truly captures the exciting, yet anxious nature of tournaments. The subjects in this image were all waiting to find out if they placed. I focused on Simmers (the girl to the right) since it was her chamber about to be called. All her friends were trying to support her. I focused the hands to really emphasize the teamwork aspect of the activity and how all the competitors were supporting each other. In the front of the image, there is another set of hands holding, which are blurred out, proving how this is something common at tournaments.

Caption: Band senior Jesse Cheek hits the high note in "Merry Christmas Baby" by Otis Redding. Members from the entire music department collaborated to put on the Prism performance Dec. 6 at the Kravis Center, featuring a large selection of holiday and winter songs.

Reflection: This musician had a lot of passion in his work and I aimed to capture his concentration. I focused on him and had an f/stop of about 5 to have him and focus, the trombone in medium focus, and the microphone entirely blurred out. I think this helps with what the eye goes to first as it goes to the sharpest object then to the action he is doing. I think this image also has high contrast with the boldness of the Santa hat and bronze instrument.

Caption: Theatre senior Mary Keith cheers for the senior class team competing in the mummy wrap game during the Fall Festival. The Fall Festival took place Oct. 31 during lunch where all the classes competed against each other through various games and activities.

Reflection: Amidst the large crowd, I really wanted to zoom in on this one girl and capture her excited expression. I utilized a low f/stop to focus on her and blur out anyone around her. I like how she is very crisp and although she is the first thing the eye goes to, I like how the people behind her are excited as well.

Caption: Going for the layup, dance senior Jack Goodman tries to block out social studies teacher Jeffrey Stohr. The teacher versus student basketball game ended in a win for the students and is an annual event that takes place on class clique day during Spirit Week.

Reflection: This image has a lot going on which is why I aimed to take a wide shot. You can see the student going for the shot against the teacher, the teachers going for the rebound, and all the expressions around. Although nearly getting hit by a basketball, I sat right behind the hoop to photograph all the action. In sports it is very important to have a fast shutter speed, so I used a shutter speed of 640 to ensure that the motion would be frozen.

Caption: Playing the piano while performing her original song “Butterflies,” Julia Chisholm urges the audience to “feel the words” even if they didn’t know them. Chisholm was an opener for the Save Our Musicians Foundation’s “An Evening with Luke Bryan” concert partnered with the School of the Arts Foundation (SOAFI).

Reflection: Even though I was far away from this performer, I zoomed in as tight as I could on the lens to capture her emotion. In this image the red pops out against the contrast of the blue and pink in the background. Since this image was taken at a concert, there were multiple lights that were distracting. I had to edit the photo carefully so that it would not look strange and the singer would not looked washed out.

Caption: Discussing the review writing prompt with her teammates, Hagerty High School junior Grace Hilton tries to finish an article relating to MBA’s new “City Edition” jerseys. This is Hilton’s second time attending the FSPA convention, and although she is aware of its hectic nature, she is calmer due to her past experiences. “Even coming to FSPA is going to be a lot,” Hilton said. “I know I’m gonna be staying up. I know a million people here will be saying ‘Can I interview you?’ That’s just the environment, and I enjoy it.”

Reflection: I had to take this image under limited time since it was one of the on-the-spot contests for the FSPA state convention. I had to capture an image that related to chaos. I used a very slow shutter speed to focus the center of the image and ensure that Hilton's expression was crisp while the movement of those around her was also clear. By elongating the time the shutter was open, I could capture all the photographers and others around her and all the objects thrown on the ground as well.

Caption: Theatre juniors Lillian Jones, Mahogany Prichard, and Nailah Smith sing and dance to "Dreamgirls" during BSU's "Black on Broadway" showcase. “Ever since freshman year, l've always wanted to perform "Dreamgirls' at Dreyfoos, but there wasn’t really an opportunity until the showcase theme was Black on Broadway, so I asked my friends (Prichard and Smith), and they were down, ”Jones said.

Reflection: The colors (pink and red) in this image compliment each other well. I had an aperture that would ensure the three girls were all in focus. Since they were singing and dancing during the performance, I also had to have a faster shutter speed. This image came out very crisp and each girl's expression was evident.

Caption: Pointing at the crowd during “Knocking Boots” American Idol Judge and platinum-selling country artist Luke Bryan performs at the Save Our Musicians Foundation’s “An Evening with Luke Bryan” concert partnered with the School of the Arts Foundation (SOAFI). Students, teachers, and their families had the opportunity to attend concert fundraising for Bak Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos Nov. 18 at Tiki 52. “I would consider myself one of the biggest country (music) fans at Dreyfoos. I’m actually not even going to meet the man (Luke Bryan), and I am freaking out,” digital media senior Cynthia Mondragon said before the concert.

Reflection: This was an amazing experience and I was nervous and excited to take photos of Luke Bryan. Nervous because this was such a big event for such a famous artist and excited because it was a novelty experience. To get this image, I got as close as I possibly could physically and then with my lens. I had a lower aperture, which I think worked for this image because his face and expression are in focus but his arm is not. This allows the viewer to first focus on his face and then look at how he is pointing to the audience. I also think the lighting was very interesting as it hits ones side of his face more than the other.

Caption: Dance senior Alyssa Dicembrino performs a développé devant in "A New Dawn," a ballet piece choreographed by Ms. Lescaille. "Essentially, once we are in 'show mode' the dance department is nonstop until curtain," Ms. Lescaille said. "During performance week, we rehearse and tech all day and stay after school until 8:15 p.m."

Reflection: Dance is a very fast paced activity, so I had a high shutter speed to capture the motion and the flow of the skirt. The flow of the skirts in this piece really added more dimension to the image. Dance is one of my favorite things to photograph because of how naturally visually appealing it is. I wanted to capture the ballet esque movements like the pointed foot and lifted arms. I also liked the pink tint the stage lights gave off, which complemented the dancer's leotard and skirt.

Caption: Theatre freshman Samuel Schneider prepares to throw a discus. "I started learning from coach Vening and (vocal senior) Dariel (Peguero) and practiced on my own to perfect my technique," Schneider said.

Reflection: In this image I had to have a faster shutter speed to capture the action of Schneider swinging the discus. I also has an aperture that would allow me to focus the foreground and action, but blur out the background. When I edited the image, I aimed to make the subject pop against the blue of the sky and green of the grass. I wanted to not only focus on the intensity in the subject's face, but overall capture a more uncommon sport.