photo essay revised proposal

After completing the photo essay assignment, I felt that I was really able to capture the different stages of taking a vacation. From arriving at the airport, checking boarding passes, checking luggage, checking flight times, waiting waiting and more waiting, and then I was able to capture why it’s all worth it to go through all of that stress. It’s worth it to get to the white sand beaches, to see the different architecture in bright and exciting new textures and colors. To see the different vegetation, different animals, and to soak in a new culture and new surroundings. To try new food and spend time with people that you might be too busy to see everyday back home. I think I was able to capture all of that and I really enjoyed playing with color in these photographs. As someone who used to always prefer black and white to color photographs, I think this class and these last 2 assignments has helped me have a greater appreciation for what color can do in the way a photograph tells a story. I used my captions to tell the story of Americans and how little they actually do take a break from the routine of life and work to take a vacation. I learned that America is one of the only places that insists a full office ensures a more efficient office, but that in reality, if they gave people time off for vacations, they would actually be MORE efficient. I then transitioned from the facts of why people need a vacation to talking about my vacation destination, Marco Island. I thought that it might be interesting to talk a little about the scenery, the weather, things to do, etc. Overall, as hard as it was to “work” while I was on vacation, I think I successfully delivered a photo essay that can tell a story through the pictures without the captions.

photo essay

Americans' vacations are seriously shrinking. The average American only takes 3-4 days of vacation, with one in seven Americans taking no vacation at all.

Give yourself plenty of time to check in, check all luggage, make it through security and find your gate. Though new technology has allowed us to print our boarding passes from home, some still prefer the old fashioned waiting game.

One of the worst parts of traveling is getting there. Preparing for possibly delays by bringing a book or an ipod can alleviate unneccessary stress.

Americans need to come to terms with the importance of vacationing. Vacations are a time for recharging our internal batteries. However, sometimes a vacation can be more stressful than the stress one routinely deals with at home.

Not everything goes smoothly. Flights get cancelled due to inclement weather, luggage gets lost, and most likely someone has left the toothpaste on the bathroom counter back home.

It's a sad thing when we start competing to see who works more than the next guy. In essence we're competing to see who has less of a life. It's been shown that Americans work more than anyone else in the world and have been known to put work above family.

Today's new technology allows us to print everything we need from home, making renting a car as easy as handing over a credit card and a slip of paper.

Take the time to appreciate where you are, the new surroundings, and the people you get to share it with.

The main problem is that we are not allowing ourselves proper time to fix the burnout we suffer from. We never peel ourselves away from our cell phones or email long enough to give our minds and bodies a break.

With miles of white sand beaches, Marco Island is the perfect place to spend a day in the sun or looking for shells. This truly is the place to do everything or nothing at all.

Marco Island is located in Southwest Florida on the Paradise Coast. Marco Island has direct access to great fishing grounds and harbors.

Nothing stresses a family on vacation more than going over budget. Make the vacation affordable and enjoyable. There are many different lodging options besides the expensive all-inclusive resort and you usually get a better taste of the city's culture.

With the average temperatures in the 90's during the end of June and high humidity levels daily, it's important to stay hydrated and cool.

Southern climates feature different kinds of vegetation. Though they might not provide much shade from the sun, they are beautiful.

When the weather doesn't cooperate and the clouds roll in, spend some time shopping! Southern Florida knows the success of the outdoor mall in this climate.

The architecture in Southern Florida is colorful and full of detail and life much like the culture.

There is so much to see and enjoy if you can leave the worries of life back home in the pile of things you left out of the suitcase.

my earliest memory

i found this an extremely interesting topic to write about. when i started thinking about my earliest memory, it became very clear to me that i am not certain whether or not it is actually something i remember or if it is something that i have come to "remember" through family photographs, making me feel like i remember that time or that event. the truly earliest memory that i do remember is when i was in kindergarten and my mom came in for the half day of class and instructed the craft day. we decorated pine cones with glitter and paint, attached ribbons on the back and put jingle bells on the bottoms and made christmas ornaments. i don't know why this is my first memory, it wasn't even a incredibly significant event, but i do remember how cool i thought it was that my mom was "teaching" school to my friends and i. i think it is very hard to distinguish a real memory from something like a photograph that reminds you of something that you have done. i think thats why we take photographs in the first place. so that as we grow up, we don't forget all of the cool things that we have encountered, accomplished, the places we've been, the things we've seen, etc. the photograph is a powerful tool in how we remember things.

photo essay proposal

for this project, i would like to do "a day in the life" focusing on vacation. since i will be leaving for marco island on saturday, i thought i could shoot the entire process...packing, arriving at the airport, checking bags, waiting for the flight, flying, arriving at destination, etc. i thought that this might be an interesting way to document the craziness of actually taking a vacation and why some people feel they need a vacation after they come back home from one.

portrait fun!

i have to admit, i was so excited to see a portrait project, until i saw the part about photographing complete strangers. i was very skeptical to snap pictures of people i knew nothing about. for this project, i took a day and went down to bradford beach with my roommate to conquer this assignment. i knew i wanted to photograph julie outside because she is a total natural beauty and loves the outdoors, so what better environment to capture her true essence in then outside by the beach with a beautiful backdrop? after i was finished photographing julie, we moved on in hopes of getting some good pictures of strangers. i ended up running into a group of young girls by the bubbler and got some pictures of this girl with unruly super blonde hair and very fair skin, but she had these incredibly striking bright blue eyes. i chose to photograph her near a reddish brick building to enhance her blue eyes and think this environment complimented her features very well. since this assignment was all about making subjects feel comfortable, i simply told her to talk to her friends and not feel like she had to pose or even look at me necessarily. i ended up getting some really cool expressions and looks and i think in the end result, you would never have known that we didn't know each other! so far, i think this has been my favorite assignment, but i'll let you judge the photographs!

document project-a study of shoes

for my document project, i chose to focus on shoes, the different types, materials, the new, the old and beaten-up, etc. shoes can tell someone a lot about the person that wears them. if i had had more time for this project, i would have liked to experiment a bit more and perhaps try going to a place (like a mall) and photographing people and the different shoes they were all wearing, maybe more like action shots, but unfortunately did not have the time to do that. i feel shoes can still tell a story even when they aren't being worn. i think shoes are a fun subject for the document project because they are always changing. styles of shoes are in constant change, and sometimes, to our parent's horror, styles come back again, but i find the changing fashions fascinating and something worth documenting.

lighting

My favorite time of day would have to be the transition from late afternoon to evening (sunset). I just love the incredible kaleidoscope of color that a sunset projects onto all of its surroundings with vibrant warm pinks, purples and oranges reflecting off of all vulnerable surfaces. I enjoy the warm tones and feel that this time has a special aura that can only truly be appreciated in person and later recalled through photographs. It's the time of day where most families are reunited after a long day of work or classes where one is able to just breathe.

I feel that the element that I enjoy the most from Szarkowski's article would be how the photographer chooses the frame. For me, I feel it is what sets an ordinary picture apart from great pictures, as the entire mood can change based on where a picture begins and where it ends. I am always attempting to crop a picture just right, careful not to leave the frame full of wasted space. I am always experimenting with alternative angles and views in the hopes of finding that one perfect frame that captures the essence of what I was photographing.

my lighting photos