Tuesday, December 8, 2009

JRN 420 Additional Portrait

I had planned to shoot a studio portrait, but I ended up shooting one on location.
I have always loved horses, but I have come to realize that animals are picky about who they like and listen to- and Dani's horse, Lite, is no exception. Although a show horse and well trained...he only takes orders from her.
I tried to capture a sense of the bond they share.

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Rebecca Crawford, Portrait, F 5, Shutter 1/200, ISO 1100.
Dani Crawford has been riding horses since she was 10, and now that she is married and pursuing her new marketing career, she finds that riding is even more relaxing. Her stallion, Lite, has a mind of his own but follows Dani's directions and has come to form a special bond with her.

I shot this white a strobe fired into an umbrella to the left and a strobe bounced off a reflector slightly right on low power.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

JRN 420 Fashion: For Final Portfolio

FARM GIRLS CAN ROCK LITTLE BLACK DRESSES.

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Rebecca Crawford, Fashion Portfolio Image, F 3.5, Shutter 1/25, and ISO 100.
Arabian horseback rider, Danielle Jones, of Custer, and Morgan rider, Leslie Paxton of Ludington show that farm girls can have a classy look and sexy style. Jones and Paxton say that just because they can haul hay and get dirty that doesn't mean that they can't be fashionable outside of the stables.

I shot this with a strobe bounced into a large silver lined umbrella off to the right up above the tractor and a gold large reflector to the left, just a bit in front of both models to help fill shadows.

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Sunday, November 29, 2009

JRN 420 In- Class Bounce Flash

Spending the class experimenting with bounce flash was fun and I learned a bunch of things. First of all, you can bounce off of just about anything: ceiling, walls, posters, tile, and...the inside of an elevator. I learned that the subject should not be able to see the flash of the strobe, otherwise it ends in flat light. Bounce flash works best where it is needed: i.e. use bounce flash where there is not a ton of ambient or natural light. Bouncing off of colored objects will act as a gel for your strobe. Also, be sure your strobe is on the correct ISO, that it is at a wide aperture, and that it is zoomed in all the way.

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Monday, November 16, 2009

JRN 420 Editorial Illustration

I realized that coming up with good ideas wasn't the problem, it was seeing how to visualize it and make it so everyone else could understand what the message was.
I shot both at home and in the studio; studio as always with the technical problem of the hot shoe adapter no being in room or either cabinet, and the rim light refusing to work 68% of the time. Hahha, bad luck.

I am not sure which I like better. I think the first one.

NO TIME BUT COFFEE TIME.

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Rebecca Crawford, Editorial Illustration, F 9, Shutter 1/200, ISO 100.
NO TIME LEFT BUT COFFEE TIME.
With long hours and crazy schedules, people feel like there is no time between morning and midnight. It is almost like the days just flow one into the other and we have too many things on our lap to handle. To stretch the day out and sleep for less, people drink excessive amounts of coffee around the clock, leaving no time left but coffee time.

This illustration was shot with an umbrella front left of the subject and a white reflector left of his left arm, into which a strobe was bounced to aid soft fill light. In Photoshop, the clock's numbers were erased, smudged, and the number 12 was added and blended in to give the feel that the clock measures tiny days not hours.

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Rebecca Crawford, Photo Illustration, F 25, Shutter 1/200, ISO 1600.
NO TIME LEFT BUT COFFE TIME.
With faced paced lives it come sometimes feel like there isn't any time in a day. Coffee and caffeine are used in excess to stretch out the hours, but when you crash, all you've done is had coffee time.
This illustration was created with a main light to right, a rim to the back, and a fill back left. The clock's numbers were Photoshopped out and the the faint image of a coffee cup was placed on the clock.


Lighting
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Monday, November 2, 2009

JRN 420 Fashion Assignment

Going into this project I wasn't the most excited about shooting fashion, since... I have no sense of what is fashionable. It was amusing to be photography people in dressy, flashy clothes while I was in my usual flats n sweatshirt. Once I started shooting I had a lot of fun!

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Rebecca Crawford, Fashion, F 4.5, Shutter 1/160, ISO 100.
Brooke Blanchard, 23, of Petoskey shows off her favorite style for Fall before going for a walk with her poodle. Blanchard believes that style is not only about what looks good, but what is also comfortable and allows her to be on the move.

For this shot I used a dome diffuser on a strobe set just right of the model, close to her, a little above eye level with an umbrella for the main light, and a strobe fired above eye level from the left side to fill in shadows.

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Rebecca Crawford, Fashion, F 22, Shutter 1/200, ISO 1600.
Kristen Williams, 21, and Mike Stefonik, 25, show off their sexy relaxed style. Both Williams and Stefonik are involved in theater and are use to having to feel confident in whatever they wear. Unlike Williams, Stefonik usually is shirtless with animal print under garments of some sort.

For this shot I had the dome diffuser firing full power into an umbrella set behind them to the right and a strobe as a fill light aimed at them from a few few away in front of them on the left. My camera for some reason I still don't know changes back to Iso 1600, even though it says its manually set at 100

I also liked this one but couldn't really decide it is was fashion.


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Lighting Setups
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Studio Practice JRN 420 Models

Today we had a group of models come into the studio so we could practice and learn how to do the setup and how to make our models feel at ease. I am an extremely shy person, but its strange that when I'm behind a camera I am at ease and excited to see what will happen. This is what I do- I love working with people and making a photo that will make them smile and have them walk away from the shoot going "wow, I'd like to do that again. I had fun." My model's name was Alicia (I hope the spelling is right), and though my camera decided to have a few issues, I got a few shots to work out. In these, I am just trying to get her to relax and have fun- the last one I needed to fix my focus.
All shot at ISO 100, F 11, Shutter 200.


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Monday, October 19, 2009

JRN 420 Location Lighting Assignment

This project was extremely difficult, and the most problematic so far. I learned, like I heard most people in the class say, that we all need to own the lights we use. I am taking this to heart. I do not own a strobe or any lights. When I went to the Dept. early Friday morning, there were no pockets wizards, no strobes, and no reflectors. Andi was nice enough to let me use the SB-800 she was going to check out, so I had one strobe. I waited around the dept and checked back but there still wasn't anything to check out. I borrowed a lighting kit from a friend that had a few strobe flashes, stands, and an umbrella. I worked with it and think overall I made it work.
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Rebecca Crawford, Location Lighting, F 4, Shutter 1/25, ISO 1600.
Dustin Kunkel, 23, takes a break from reorganizing old memorabilia and staring at dust covered panels and outlets to go for a ride. Kunkel, who is a construction worker, checked out the renovations above Coffee Talks 505 in Clare, and finished up his morning observations with some coffee and a cruise in the sunshine.

For this shot I used a light fired from a stand behind the railing at the top of the stairs to the top right, without a snoot or diffuser. I had the light back about 5 feet to let the shadows be a little more harsh from the bike. To light the face I stood above the stairs on the right of the subject and used my left hand to hold the strobe off to the right at 1/16 power.

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Rebecca Crawford, Location Lighting, F 5, Shutter 1/50, ISO 1600.
Samantha Taylor, 21, shows off one of her new character looks, just outside of the Broadway Theater in Mount Pleasant. Taylor, who is an acting student at Central Michigan University, is preparing for her upcoming roles on campus by mentally and physically becoming the women she portrays.

For this shot I used a light fired just above eye level on a stand located to the left, with an umbrella to spread the light. To fill the face I used a strobe a few feet from the subject to fill in the shadows on the right and light up the background just a bit.

Setup 1
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Setup 2
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Location Lighting Practice JRN 420

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I had a lot of fun with this, and I hope the shoot for class will be as much fun :)
Here are few shots from location lighting practice.
The first was with
Lens (mm): 78
ISO: 1600
Aperture: 9
Shutter: 1/160
And a strobed umbrella above camera right.

The second was with
Lens (mm): 55
ISO: 1600
Aperture: 9
Shutter: 1/125
And a strobed umbrella slightly camera right, about a few inches above where I was sitting.

The third was with
Lens (mm): 112
ISO: 1600
Aperture: 9
Shutter: 1/160
This was taken under a tree by Wightman with a strobed umbrella just a bit to the left of Martha, fired at 1/8 power.
I need to watch my ISO which my camera tries to adjust automatically between shots.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

JRN 420 Still Life Assignment 3

This was my first time ever shooting still life, and I found that once I started shooting I had a ton of ideas. It was difficult to sort through and find just two photos, but here are the ones I liked the best. I went with the theme that "Lessons Can Always Be Learned From The Past."

Crawford Still Life #1

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Rebecca Crawford, Still Life, F 13, Shutter 1/13, ISO 100.
As photography ventures more into the digital realm, memories and lessons learned with film are still worth holding onto. Even though film cameras might start to collect dust, what they've taught us will remain clear.

For this shot I used the smaller softbox set off to the left side, slightly behind the camera and gloves, pointing down towards them. The softbox was turned so that it would be horizontal and there was a fill light coming just a little bit from the side on the right. This was shot both on the studio light table and on a piece of white matting board to reduce the glare. This one was on the matt so the glare was not as bad. I also shot this on the white backdrop but it didn't turn out like I'd hoped. I also used 1/8 power on an SB-800 strobe pointing up towards the ceiling.

Crawford Still Life #2

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Rebecca Crawford, Still Life, F 6.3, Shutter 1/25, ISO 100.
Time is often a major stressor in life, and there is constant worry that the next moment will pass us by. When looking too far forward, we can sometimes overlook that the key to life's lessons is in the past.

For this shot I used a big softbox set vertically off to the left and placed the clock gears on their side. The gears were set on black velvet curtain laid over a box and were set to the right side of the box, where they were backlit with a rim light. The rim light was set up on the right hand side of the box, pointed just slightly behind the gears. I knelt down next the right side of the box and zoomed in on the key, using a SB-800 bounced off the ceiling to try and light up the darker sides of the gears.

Lighting set up photo. For 1st photo, changed to white board and took away black backdrop-

Sunday, September 20, 2009

JRN 420 Painting with Light Assignment # 2

Dreams and Reality

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Rebecca Crawford, Painting with Light, F 5.6, Shutter 73, ISO 100.

Dreams provide us with visions of ourselves in roles and places we never imagined. Sometimes the choices are similar to situations we are as facing in reality. The key is discovering if our dreams give us clues or helpful hints to what we should do, or if they are just bizarre thoughts.

To create this photo balloons were strung from the beam in the studio on both sides of the frame. I knelt first on the right of the frame and a strobe was fired. Then I switched positions to the other side, and another strobe went off. The balloons were hit with a little bit of light from a flash light with a little bit of blue tone. The background is a police flasher, moved around as fast as possible.

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Rebecca Crawford, Painting with Light, F 5.6, Shutter 84, ISO 100.

Fear grabs hold over everyone. Awake or dreaming, the things we push away come back to haunt us. Although the situation may seem impossible to get out of, many times the answer is to face it and fight back no matter how afraid we may be.

On this photo a muted strobe was fired to freeze me and a blue filtered flashlight was swirled around me from top to bottom, around legs and back up. Then a red filter was put on the flashlight add starting from bottom went up again.

This assignment was a lot of fun, hard, but I learned a lot. Mainly keep out ambient light, it is difficult to stay in a position for too long, have something heavy enough to hold the shutter button down, and keep trying until it comes out right.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

JRN 420 Portrait 1

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A saxophone player from the age of 10, Dustin Kunkel always was the "band kid". He played throughout high school, tried to learn piano, but found it wasn't for him. Around his 18th birthday his best friend bought a guitar which sparked Kunkel's interest. Now at the age of 23, he practices on his Washburn electric four times a day for up to one hour sessions. He says he likes music because "it is a universal language that everyone knows."
Kunkel can be very outgoing, crazy, and even a bit dramatic at times. He does almost anything to get people to laugh or smile, especially while playing. It seems he is always happy. When he is away from playing shows and is by himself or a few people, he is nervous and shy. Having a crowd seems to make him feel comfortable.

I had a few issues in the studio, but for the first time using all the lights and setting up, I think it went ok. To shoot I used a Nikon D80, rim light, main, side, and small back light. Lens ranged from 50mm to 200, and shot at about F16, 200 shutter and ISO .

Friday, September 4, 2009

FIRST STUDIO PHOTOS







Always preferring to be outdoors than in, I have never shot much more than a snapshot inside...and I have never shot in a studio. I had not set up a soft box, used a strobe, known what a pocket wizard was, or a white lightening. Needless to say, up until mid-last year/ this semester, I was feeling a little behind.
But though I love the outdoors I am not one to shoot landscape. Instead I love working with people, being crazy, and just having a good time.
The photo above is my first attempt... on the the Nikon D80 with an 85mm and F16...white balance set on auto...wasn't working so hot....little blown out.
The second photo was same, except I set the F stop to 22. The last few takes are my favorites. I learned that it is important to keep the rim ligt from bouncing back into the camera, as it will mess up your exposure or leave you with some glare. Keeping distance from the subject is important, or you will cut of body parts, or have to jump back to catch the action and will miss the moment. So stay back, use the zoom and that why you are prepared for what they do. Keep the subject close to the light, but keep in mind reflective objects they may be wearing. Like the chain and the glasses above. Keep relaxed. Remember to not "chimp" and stare at your LCD, once you have a good idea roll with it. Otherwise you waste time and your subject looses interest too. Keep your ISO at about 200 (because those lights are indeed plenty bright). And action and reaction and 98% always better than a straight pose for showing character. It is more than what I know or can see, but there has to be show emotion or moment to tell everyone else who they are. Lastly, stop freaking out, breathe, and just have fun. Learn as you go. The first time might not be the best but everyone learns and gets better.
PS.-- I noticed that despite trying to get these in order they start off at the very top with last frame, then scroll down to first take. :)

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Journalism 423 Final Project (Leaving Life for the NAVY)

With a slew of setbacks, I had to change my final project idea, and ventured in the direction of a young man leaving his wife and 10 month old son for the NAVY. Having almost joined this past June, I want to continue follow this story when he leaves for boot camp and comes home on leave----


CHAPTER 1

Leaving Life For The Navy from rebecca crawford on Vimeo.




CHAPTER 2

Leaving Life For The Navy (Part 2- Preparation For Change) from Rebecca Crawford on Vimeo.




CHAPTER 3

Leaving Life For The Navy (Part 3- Sacrifices) from Rebecca Crawford on Vimeo.




Leaving Life for the Navy”


“You can’t really be patriotic until you’ve done something for your country,” Carl Copenhaver, 23 of Ludington says, about why he has decided to join the military even with the current war. Copenhaver says that plenty of people say that they support the U.S a hundred percent, but he feels that actions speak louder than words. Married just last year to his soul mate, Jackie, with whom he has a ten-month-old son, Copenhaver decided to sign a six-year contract with the NAVY and will leave for boot camp this October.
Fueled by the drive to be patriotic and gain a new experience in life, Copenhaver acknowledges that financial security for his family is also a deciding factor with the way the economy and job marketing have been. He takes comfort in the fact that the U.S government isn’t just going to lay off their personnel after they sign a contract with them. Having worked an assortment of various jobs, and having been laid-off since winter, Copenhaver is looking for something he can rely on, and to have a job that he can have fun at and enjoy doing.
Support of his decision to join was slow to come from some, but for the most part, Copenhaver’s family and friends are behind him every step. Two of his best friends are currently in the Marines, his father and mother were both in the NAVY, and his stepfather was in the Army. Jackie, realizing that joining was something that her husband was serious about and wanted to do, has put her effort and love into being there for him and helping him prepare. “Everybody was just kind of like, whatever you need, just let us know,” Copenhaver says.
Having scored unusually high, with a 95, on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), Copenhaver has a good chance of getting into the program for which he signed up for. Without any studying, or preparation, he scored a 92 on the pre-ASVAB given to him by his recruiter, and is now focusing on the physical requirements to enable him to successfully make it through boot camp, and pass the PST (physical strength test) for NAVY diver. “It’s a lot of them breaking you down. That’s all boot camp is. When they say jump, you say how high. Any hesitation can cost people’s lives.”
Every day Copenhaver works out at the gym in his apartment complex, or outdoors. To pass the PST for diver he must be able to swim 500 yards non-stop, do 50 sit-ups, 42 pushups, 6 pull-ups, and then run 1.5 miles, all within a timed period. To make it more fun and spend as much time with friends before he leaves, he just tries to play basketball, go disc golfing, and rollerblade whenever he can.
“The hardest part for me is going to be him not being able to see Brendan grow up everyday. Everyday he does a new noise, or moves more, just advancing everyday,” Jackie says. “I am nervous. Part of me just selfishly doesn’t want him to get into the dive program just so he’ll get home sooner.” For Jackie, as well as her husband, it is a mix of emotions. She is proud and supportive of him, but knows its going to hard to watch him go and to worry about the possibility of him going overseas with the war going on. To not be totally alone and to save money to use to enjoy little things together before he leaves, Copenhaver, Jackie, and their son have decided to move in with Jackie’s parents.
“Whenever I’m away…it’s going to be nothing. I’m going to have nothing. All the comforts I’m use to and have, I won’t,” Copenhaver says. He feels the burden and worry of going away for so long, and knows he will miss his wife, son, and friends, but he feels the NAVY will be a good change and will benefit his life and his family’s.

Monday, April 20, 2009

JRN 423 Video Story 2 (In Love With Freedom)


Untitled from Rebecca Crawford on Vimeo.


For Journalism 423, this is my second video, focusing on the subculture and obsession of motorcycle riding.


"In Love With Freedom"

For Bryan Sanders, 24, riding motorcycles has been a family tradition, beginning with his uncle, moving on to his father and mother, and is now something not only he but his wife enjoy. After looking for a motorcycle for a few years, Sander’s mother sold him her month old Yamaha vStar 650, the very day he and his wife had been out looking for a bike. “I’ve always wanted one. The thing I like about being on a motorcycle in one word is just freedom,” Sanders says. He tries to go out for a ride whenever the weather is nice, and often rides his Yamaha to work. Although he enjoys riding, he admits that long rides, such as a 6-hour trip he and his wife went on to attend his cousin’s wedding, are not something he’d like to do all the time. This is especially true now that his wife is near the end of her pregnancy. Sanders fears her going into labor while he is out riding and can not hear his cell phone. “I just enjoy riding. I could care less about what people think,” Sanders says of the stereotypes that people have about bikers. Biking is just something he loves doing, not something he does to gain attention. He looks forward to when his wife can be on the bike with him again, and taking his son riding when he is old enough to go.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

JRN 423 Video Story 1 (Battling Bulimia)


Untitled from rebecca crawford on Vimeo.


For the first video for Journalism 423 I wanted to focus on an illness or struggle. I wanted to show how it affected someone's life, and how they confronted and stood up to the issue.



Battling Bulimia

Brigid, 31, of Ludington has been struggling with Bulimia for the past 14 years, and admits that she has overcome many obstacles but is yet to wins some battles. Having grown up with overly busy parents, a shy personality, and Bipolar Depression, Brigid started to develop an eating disorder in junior high. “It was never a physical thing, it was much deeper than that,” Brigid says, combating the stereotype that people with Bulimia binge and purge solely because of appearance issues. While in treatment for Bipolar Depression, Brigid’s nurses suspected that she had problems with Bulimia, but Brigid denied it and was released. Two years later, during a time in her life where she consumed less than 600 calories per day, she passed out hitting her head on the bathroom tub. It was then it became clear to her that she needed help. “No one knew. My family didn’t and I just kept it secret. It allowed me to keep going,” Brigid says. After finding out that Brigid was fighting with Bulimia, many people in her family blamed themselves, especially her mother. She found it difficult to tell friends and roommates, but became friends with many of those in treatment with her, with whom she could confide in. Now, lucky to have narrowly avoided the worst of health complications from Bulimia, Brigid speaks to a counselor, make meals plans, tries to avoid the scale, and is excited to attend graduate school in Pennsylvania in the fall. Although she realizes that she is a long way from her view of being “cured,” she is just trying to take things slow. “You have some good days and you have some bad days. It’s just better to focus on one at a time,” Brigid says.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

JRN 423 Final Video Proposal Treatment (Pretty Addictive)

Pretty Addictive

For the final months of Journalism 423, I plan to make a segmented video focusing both on subculture and drug addiction. The video will be about ten minutes long, splitting into three chapters. The focus is on a twenty year old man named Clifton, who’s currently in-between modeling contracts. He has no plans of attending college and has never held a long-term job. After being homeless the past few months, he has just moved back into the basement of his mother and stepfather’s house. Since a young age Clifton has struggled with alcoholism, and on frequent occasions drinks a bottle a day. He also battles bipolar depression and has tried more than once to end his life through overdose and cutting. To escape from his faltering self-image and to feel at ease around peers, Clifton experiments with marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy. He has not modeled for a company in over a year and is on the outs with his manager. His attempts at normal job have ended after only a few months from lack of motivation. He has not yet begun looking for a new job or a new manager to get his career back on track.

I plan to approach the story from a documentary standpoint. For the most part I plan to be detached form the subject and to film solely as a silent observer; the film will be broken up with occasional snippets of Clifton commenting about his life, like a self-biography. The story is to simply focus on the struggles of a teen model now approaching adulthood, without a career and no plans for the future, and who has turned to drugs for escape. The first segment of the video will show Clifton in his current state, with just an overview of how things are. For the beginning I want to introduce Clifton talking about his life so far, with shots of his basement residence, and comments from his parents on how they feel about his modeling and lack of aspirations. Shots of his piles of clothes, his unwashed appearance, the marijuana, and him lying around in bed; all to show the viewer an overall jist of the environment he is in. After establishing the atmosphere I want to cut to his outings with friends, and capture the times he actually leaves the house. I plan to film the parties and the persona he adapts to fit in with the crowd; the main focus being on the excess that he takes it to with the drinking and drug use. The first segment will end with shots of his condition after a few nights of partying, his parent’s reaction after he returns, and an interview with how he perceives his life and where he plans to take it.

The second segment will focus not on his current state, but on what he use to do and his attempts to find a new job. This part of the video story will flashback with a glance at his modeling portfolio, and work he use to do. To show this I want to use shots of him glancing through his old portfolio and commenting on where he use to be. I want to establish how he got started as a model and the amount of work he use to do, compared to now. I hope to film a meeting between his manager and him about his old work and what he needs to do to reinvent himself. This segment will close with comparison flashbacks between his old appearance and his current. I’d also like to explore the problems that has come along with modeling and the reason why he came to use drugs. The main issue will be underlying problems with self-confidence and possibly a look into how these views have come to affect his drug use, current employment, and relationships. It will start with a series of shots and interviews about what he use to do, flash to meeting with his manger about how things are, then shift to how he became addicted, and end with problems with relationships that drugs have caused. I plan to film arguments with his mother and stepfather who is also a police officer, his manager, friends, and string of on-off girlfriends. Through this I hope to show the contrast from how smooth things were to the destructive chaos they’ve become.

In the final segment I want to focus on his efforts to improve his life; the actions he is taking now, and his goals and plans for the future. I want to show his working out, speaking with mangers, delivering applications to local employers, and his efforts to start up his career again. Shots will include snippets from his workout routine, his meal preparation, and his interaction with potential employers. The very end will also have brief interviews with his parents as to whether or not they think he has made progress, and Clifton’s take on how things are going. Depending on what happens at then end of a few months, the story will end with either Clifton posing or walking for a fashion show, or staying stagnant in his parent’s basement and turning again to excessive drug use with his friends.

I decided to try to film this specific person and topic because many college age adults can relate to the pressures of everyday jobs, trying to focus on a career path, and the temptation of drugs and alcohol. Before making the decision to attend Central Michigan University, I was in nearly the same scene of life. I had few plans for the future, a complete lack of confidence, problems with relationships, and the crowd I associated with did not focus on reality. The people I knew wanted to be actors, poets, and artists; they took heavy amounts of drugs and modeled their lives after the past. Clifton’s story connects with me on a personal level because he seems to be living in the same mindset; he is stuck on his past career and is trying to ride out his wave of fame without realizing that he needs to open his eyes to his future. I’d like the film to give the audience the overall message of not to live through the past achievements, but to keep pushing for new ones. I’d especially like people who are my age to see that drugs can drag down the beautiful and talented. Falling into unrealistic career paths and using drugs doesn’t help you achieve creativity and fame, they only keep you stationary.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

JRN 423 Second Soundslide (Learning To Fly)




For Journalism 423, this is the second soundslide I put together, focusing on high school sports.


“Learning To Fly”

Ludington High School gymnast, Ariel Tucker, 14, has been training at Flipstar since she was six years old. Her interest began after watching her older cousins perform their routines at the gym. She thought it looked like fun and wanted to try lessons out for herself. Although she admits practices are exhausting, lasting around 12 hours each week, Tucker says that she also finds time for school, family and friends, and cheerleading and track. Tucker is currently training to become a level 9 competitor, and hopes her team will again be able to go to state. As for her goals, Tucker hopes to perform well at the next meet, and wants to take her future career choice as a gymnast as far her ability and motivation will let her go.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

423 Soundslide 1 (Joy Ride)



For Journalism 423, this is the first soundslide I did, with the decision to do it on Winter Sports.


“Joy Ride”

Friends since junior high school, Brian Sanders and Shawn Deweerd, 22, have managed to maintain their friendship throughout the struggles of college, moving, and Sanders’ marriage. At least once a week, Sanders and Deweerd travel to one of the surrounding ski areas of Crystal, Boyne, or Caberfae Peaks. The drive is a little over an hour and a half, but the time passes quickly catching up with each other’s lives and listening to classic rock playing over the radio. Travel is becoming more detailed and planned out, and both admit that their have been winters they have only been able to head to the resorts a handful of times. This winter has been the most difficult so far. Deweerd is going through the delayed entry program to enlist in the NAVY and Sanders just recently started a new construction job after being laid off a week before. Sanders and his wife are also preparing for their first child who will be born sometime in early June. Growing up Sanders had tried skiing but also just found a better connection with snowboarding, that and the fact that snowboards could be bought at Wal-Mart but skis could not. Deweerd started off the opposite, having bought the pair of skis he still uses today from an older cousin. Although Sanders and Deweerd acknowledge the traditional rivalry between skiers and snowboarders, the rivalry is a small one; both recognize each other’s talent and just enjoy hitting the slopes with a good friend.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

All Night

















I haven't sleept in about three days, and it will be another all nighter. 423 soundslide will be only the second one I have ever done, and the issue of having a 2003 Gateway Xp isn't making it any easier.
Louisiana Night was my first trial shoot for CM-Life and I am praying to God that I can at least be proud of what I can do compared to some of the brilliant people there (ie, Jessica Scott, Neil Blake, Jake May, John,...etc).
Didn't have a strobe, so this was winged. The first photo was bad, but I liked the couple- even though she was in a wheel chair, her husband wanted to dance and they had a great time.
I am looking forward to this next year--