Wednesday, February 25, 2015

CE #5.1

1. Abbreviation of "independence referendum," in reference to the referendum on Scottish independence, held in Scotland on Sept. 18, 2014, in which voters were asked to answer yes or no to the question: Should Scotland be an independent country? F. indyref

2. Dance to popular music in a provocative manner involving thrusting hip and a low, squatting stance. N. Twerk

3. Digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank. 

C. Bit coin

4. Form of meat produced synthetically from biological tissue. J. schmeat

5. Informal actions performed via the internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement, e.g. signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social media website.
M. slacktivisim

6. Person whose job is to serve customers in a cannabis dispensary or shop. D. budtender

7. Relating to or involving technologies that allow a smart card, mobile phone, etc. to contact wirelessly to an electronic reader, typically to make a payment. E. contactless

8. Small furry mammal found in the mountain forests in Columbia and Ecuador; the smalls member of the raccoon family. 
I. olinguito

9. The practice of visiting a shop or shops to examine product before buying it online at a lower price. L. showrooming

10. To watch multiple episodes of a television program in rapid succession, typically by means of DVD's or digital streaming. B. binge-watch

11. Trend in which ordinary, unfashionable clothing is worn as a fashion statement. 
H. normcore

12. Used as a term of endearment for one's romantic partner. A. 
bae

Friday, February 20, 2015

Other high school newspapers

What is your favorite newspaper front page? Why? 
The Torch because it had a good headline and a great design.Which paper immediately grabbed your interest? Why?
Beak 'N' Eye  because their cover is yellow and the letters are red so your eyes just go to it.What is your favorite headline from that newspaper? Why are you interested in it? 
@Twitter takes over because Twitter is a big social network and the headline is really interesting and I want to know more. How many stories are on the front page of your favorite? 
2 big stories, 2 small little news squares. What do you notice that all newspaper front pages have in common? Look at design, size of photos, size of story text, etc.
They all have a big headline to go off of. They had like 2-3 headlines on the front cover.What are things that vary (or are different) on the front pages of different newspapers? Look at design, size of photos, size of headlines, etc. 
Some only have a design and a preview of what is gonna be inside but the stories are not on the front cover. A couple have one big photo as the cover or even an art picture on the front. Others have actual stories on the front like a city newspaper. Were these similar to what you saw last class when you looked at daily newspapers from around the world?
No a bunch of them are very different than what I saw in the daily newspapers. 

Broadsheet:
  • Verve
  • The Growl
  • The Newsstreak
Tabloid
  • Raven Report
  • The Rider
  • The Lance
NewsMagazine
  • The Express
  • The Mustang
  • The Outlet
Definitions

Headlines- the title written in large letters over a story in a newspaper

Subheadlines- : an additional headline or title that comes immediately after the main headline or title.

Lines- The writing in an article.

Boxes- It is a part of the layout.

Photos- a picture produced by photography.

Teaser- more of the story is continued on another page.

Flag- The printed title of the newspaper on one page.

Folios- the story that follows up the theme.

Captions- statement under a photo.

Stories- articles in the newspaper.

Bylines- the name of the writer.

Jumps- A continued part of a story from one page to another.

Story dividers- page break in the story.

Screens- different sections of the story that express a different value.

Infographics- Visual representations

Masthead/staff box- The author of a story puts their name here.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Front Pages of the World


(I did this on Thursday February 19th so the front pages are different)


What is your favorite newspaper front page? Why? 
I really liked the Waco Tribune-Herald because it looks very well put together and they have great photos and headlines that give you a really good start to the article.What is your favorite headline from that newspaper? Why are you interested in it? 
"Pushing for second chances" That sounds like a really good headline and I really wanted to know who wanted that second chance and it just sounds really intriguing.How many stories are on the front page of your favorite? 
There are 4 stories.What do you notice that all newspaper front pages have in common? Look at design, size of photos, size of story text, etc.
They all have one big big picture and headline for their big front page story. They fit a story on the right or left of the photo which is a column story. They have 4 stories for the front page.What are things that vary (or are different) on the front pages of different newspapers? Look at design, size of photos, size of headlines, etc. 
Some have multiple big picture while others have one big one and a couple small photos. A couple of them have two headlines to stories that are about the same size and one leads to another page on the paper.

Lone Star Dispatch Issue #4

Front Page: Cancer diagnosis doesn't stop Gomez
Roberto Gomez, a theatre teacher was diagnosed with cancer. He went into surgery to remove a tumor found in the left lobe below the heart, the doctors realized they could not operate. He was given a wonderful surprise of all the people that are a part of the Facebook account because of all the support.

  • Theatre tech teacher, Roberto Gomez
  • He has been diagnosed with cancer and made a Facebook account for support. 
  • He went for surgery November 7th.
  • Austin, TX and at Bowie High School
  • Since he was diagnosed with cancer they wanted a way to let everyone know how he is doing. 
  • They do it through Facebook.
Lauren Gomez and Rachel Gomez were quoted in the story.
"It's amazing because this old man, my dad, finally discovered Facebook and he went on and within days he had hundreds of friends. People were flying in from all over the country; friends, ex-students, and co-workers,"
Yes the lead statement would make me want to continue.
Quote

Student Life: You love em', hate em', but date em'
High school students talk about their relationships with their boyfriend/girlfriend. It talks of how relationships can affect you in many ways, emotional and physical. People can get really hurt emotionally by others and also physically in relationships with friends and family and also with grades.


  • Students in relationships
  • The importance of communication and balance in relationships
  • Bowie High School
  • When a relationship starts
  • Relationships are really good but can cause problems to friends, family, and yourself.
  • By neglecting others or not communicating well with them or your partner.
Anna Ambrosino, Ethan Long, and Alejandro Garcia were quoted in the story.
"High school relationships can be really good because you're with someone that makes you happy and you always have that one person by your side."
Yes it was really intriguing.
Quote

News: Varsity cheer wins first at state
The varsity cheer team competed in the United Cheer Association, which was their very first time competing in it. They took first place even though it was their first year competing. The team had to choreograph a 2 and a half minute routine in front of a panel of judges. The routine they do for competition is usually harder than the routines they do at football games.


  • Varsity cheer team
  • They won first place at the competition
  • United Cheer Association in South Texas
  • January 25th, 2015
  • They had the best score for their routine than any of the other teams. 
  • The coach choreographed a tough 2 and a half minute routine full of many jump sequences and stunts
Brandon Hertel, Rylee Barrios, and Ervin Knight were quoted in the story.
"We had been working so hard for the past five to six months and when they announced our team as first everyone was ecstatic."
Yes the lead made me wanna read more about the competition.
Quote

Sports: Three bulldog baseball players sign to continue their baseball careers.
Three students signed with colleges to continue the sport that they love. There was a ceremony for the signings for college. There is also the playoffs coming up which they only have a 50/50 shot at making it to the playoffs. 

  • Kyle Gray, Chris Logan, Joe Davis, and the baseball team.
  • They got to sign with colleges for baseball.
  • Bowie High School
  • January 23rd, 2015.
  • They are really good at baseball so they were chosen by colleges to sign to play on their team.
  • There are scouts that scout them out and then they were given a mock signing to celebrate for the whole team.
Chris Logan, Kyle Gray, Joe Davis, Matt Milliner, and Coach Samuel Degelia were quoted in the story.
"It's a good feeling that all my hard work paid off and it was exciting to sign to Blinn College because it's a good college to get me to the pros."
Yes the lead was really exciting and I wanted to continue reading.
Quote

Entertainment: Evita takes the stage
Evita was the school musical Bowie put on this year. There were 2 casts with 3 girls as Evita per cast to play out the three main stages of her life. There are lots of dance numbers and an orchestra playing the music for the musical also.


  • Starlight Theatre Company
  • The Starlight Theatre Company performs the musical "Evita".
  • January
  • Bowie High School
  • They put on a musical every year for everyone to come and see
  • They have 4 directors to help block and run the musical and put it all together.
Kalyn Holloway, Lily Howard, Morgan Martel, Chloe Byars, Paige Bradbury, and Maddy Sparkes were quoted in the story.
"While most of Argentina loved and worshiped her, this story also shows some fate not so glorious moments of her life as well."
Yes it sounded really exciting.
Statement

Commentary: Gas prices hiding the reality
There have recently been lower gas prices but there is a reason to that. Fracking is booming in the US but the effects are pretty scary. Frakcing contaminates ground water, pollutes air, and can wreck landscapes. Another reason iso that large vehicle sales are on the rise as the gas lessens. The cheap prices can endanger the oil companies also.

  • Car drivers, oil companies, and car companies
  • The gas prices are low at the moment.
  • January
  • In the US.
  • The oil companies have lowered them.
  • They are tracking and this is less money than how they get oil usually.
Edward Chow was quoted in the story.
"The problem is that countries get accustomed to a certain level of income and then spend."
It was interesting because they hook you about the chance of hidden reasons behind the low prices.
Quote

In-Depth: Hands free cell phone policy enacted
Austin put a hands free cell phone policy recently. They put this into action because multi-tasking or texting is one of the most dangerous things on the road. They distract the driver giving a higher risk at getting in an accident because your eyes are not on the road.

  • Drivers
  • There is a new policy to restrict texting/callling while driving.
  • January
  • Austin
  • There have been a bunch of accidents caused by texting and calling so they put a stop to it.
  • They set in a policy with a fine that can be as high as $5oo if you are caught with a phone in your hand while you are driving.
Marielle Lopez, Lauren Guilette, and Stacy Statcher were quoted in the story.
"It promises to be a successful way to prevent a lot of texting related accidents. I personally haven't know anyone who was involved in texting related accidents but I've read some of the studies on them and agree that is is important to prevent these accidents."
Yes this really hooked me on because this policy is very serious.
Quote.

1. What is your favorite photo in the entire paper?
My favorite photo was the photo from the photo essay of Shane with his pig and him feeding it up close.
1A. Why is this your favorite?
They are really good quality photos and you can see all the elements that he does and the angles for the shots are really well done.
1B. What rules of photo composition are evident?
Viewpoint is really evident through the photo.
2. What is your least favorite photo in the entire paper?
Probably the "Dark scene" photo in the whole production of Evita article. 2A. Why is this your least favorite?
Probably because it is not a very good photo and it focuses in on DJ but it doesn't go well with the photo that they chose and it just isn't really appealing.
3. If you were a photographer on staff, which event/photo assignment would you have liked to do for this issue? You will need to look through the entire paper and see the topics covered and decide which one you think would have been fun.
I really think the musical would really be fun to take pictures of because there are so many elements to it. You take pictures during the musical, before and even after sometimes and you can get some really good shots. 
4. Overall, how would you rate the photography in this issue? What were the strong points and weak points.
I would rate the photography a 4 out of 5 for this issue. There were some strong photos for the farm show pictures and there were some great ones for Evita and science fair! There were a few photos that aren't very appealing and not very clear so that was probably the weak point.

CE #4.4

1. How much more money could it cost Travis County drivers to register their car next year?
$20 more dollars.
2. How much does a cubic foot of snow weigh? How much does a cubic foot of ice weigh? Why is this important?
It weighs about 8 pounds. This is important because the more that piles on, the heavier it gets which can ruin a home or building if it builds up enough.
3. What is the political cartoon by Dana Summers on page A11 trying to say, in your opinion?
The political cartoon is saying if we go to war with ICIS than they will easily kill us and it won't be a fair fight because they will just completely murder us and hurt our troops.
4. What are some of the objects that Maureen Gilman added to her garden to give it more of a "family" feel?
Sugar vat, wagon wheel, anvil, and blades of a windmill.
5.  What was the primary mode of advertising for music clubs in Austin's past AND which of the 8 pictured was your favorite? Page D1 (Austin 360) "Homegrown"
Artist posters hung everywhere were the primary mode of advertising for music clubs. My favorite was the Gilbert Shelton one that is multi-color with the cool wording!
Short Answer:

What do you think about same-sex marriage? Should it be legal? Should a man be able to marry another man, or a woman to marry another woman? WHY or WHY NOT?

I don't have a problem at all about same-sex marriage. I think it should be legal. A man should be able to marry another man and a woman should be able to marry another woman. I feel like it shouldn't matter what gender you are, if you truly love someone and you want to commit to them through marriage, the gender you both are shouldn't matter. This is so offensive that two people that are in love and want to prove that with a marriage together, can't because of their gender and they are in love with someone of the same sex. You don't see people rejecting marriages because they have a gap in age, so why should the gender matter? Gender doesn't define us, it shouldn't define that we can only marry someone of the other sex no objections. That is severely wrong and that needs to be stopped.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Africa & Theme Parks

1. On your blog post your reactions to what you read and what you saw. How about 3-4 sentences.
I am astounded by how he wants to take pictures of the animals. He describes his reasoning of how he portraits them in a really insightful way. His photos are completely unique and the way he captures the animal so naturally. It makes you feel like you are right there standing near that animal. 

This is my favorite because it is so dynamic and different. The photo just is so relaxing and the lion is not posed or anything you get to see the lion just naturally where he is.

4. What rules of photography are evident in the photos you selected, be sure to explain the rule to me?
Viewpoint because he gets down to the lion's level, and simplicity because there is not anything pulling away from the lion and the background doesn't distract.

5. What kind of camera and lens does he use and why is this important?
He uses a Pentax 67II with two fixed lenses.
6. What is his reason for taking these photos?
To keep a memory of the beautiful nature and wildlife in Africa. 
7. What is his hope by taking these type of photos?
To let the world see these animals as he sees them, and how they are similar to us.
8. Find something he has to say about Africa, and post the quote on your blog.

"The photos are my elegy to these beautiful creatures, to this wrenchingly beautiful world that is steadily, tragically vanishing before our eyes."

1. Tell me which amusement park featured in the two articles that you would like to visit and take your camera along and what about that park made you want to go there. Write at least a paragraph.
I would want to go to Nara Dreamland in Japan. I first want to go there because I love Disney World and I wanna see how they tried to mimic it. They have some really cool things to shoot. I think the pastel colors would look really good to photograph with. The streets are so cute and it would be really fun to take pictures and just walk around there.
2. Post one photo from that park. You may use the photos from the link, or you can google an entirely new photo. I would prefer to see a photo of the park in disrepair and not a photo of it when it was still operating.










3. Think of at least FIVE other unusual places you think would be of interest to photographers. List them.
Abandoned houses, 

Antarctica
shut down concentration camp in Germany. because that would be something revolutionary and really make people think.
Jamaica
old playground

4. Use google or another search engine to research ONE of your five places and see if anyone has already started documenting that place. If you find that someone has already started - post at least one photo of their work.
















5. Write a paragraph about why you think that it would be fun to document that location. Tell me what interests you about that place and what kind of photos you could expect to take there.
I would love to photograph places there because it is really interesting to me. Also you could tell a story of what happened there just by taking one photo or even a series of photos. The abandoned houses are also very natural and not fake, posed pictures like photos can be. I could expect to take unique, inspired pictures that tell the story of the house. 
6. Tell me what it would take for you to go and take photos at your location. What would you need as far as equipment goes, travel plans, expenses you might encounter and what laws you would have to take into consideration to take photos at your spot.

I would need a good lens to really capture the details of the houses. This particular one is in New York so it wouldn't be too hard to travel there but I would need to see if I can just go on the property or if I need a warrant to enter the house because of trespassing laws. If I was to do a series of abandoned houses I would need a good amount of money to get all the places I want to go.

Monday, February 2, 2015

CE 4.3

1. Who won the Super Bowl, what was the score and who won the MVP of the game?
Patriots, 28-24, Tom Brady was the MVP.

My favorite commercial was the puppy and the horse commercial for Budweiser because it is so cute and has a happy feeling to it that really makes you happy.
2. Where can you go in Texas to see bison in their natural habitat?
Caprock Canyons State Park just outside of Lubbock.
3. Why are profits drastically falling for major oil companies? Page B5 "Big Oil facing..."
Oil prices decreased drastically.
4. In the Photo Extra section - tell me which photo in this 4 page section is your favorite and why? Also tell me what rules of photography you see evident in the photo.
I liked the 'Daring a Dash in Australia photo because it is so different and innovative. They took it from a different point of view and is different than normal photos. Viewpoint is very evident because they took the shot from below so the sky is the background of her figure as she runs and Rule of Thirds so there is space for her to "run" and she's not running off the page.
5. Why do Texans not really need a groundhog in Pennsylvania to tell them what the weather will be like the next six weeks?
We are essentially our own country and we use an armadillo to forecast our weather.
Short Answer:
Read the Water Cooler on page A11

What do you think about this? Do you think anyone should be able to wear a handgun around their waist as they go about their daily business. Make sure you tell me WHY you think this.

I don't think that people should be able to wear a handgun around their waist. That is not safe for them or others around them. People can steal it from them in the open and you basically are telling everyone around you that you have a gun and that scares citizens because they don't know you, even if you are the nicest person in the world. That is not a good idea for everyday life. Especially with all the crime these days, I think it could put more people at risk and also there is a higher risk for shootings. People are unpredictable and if they get really upset and have a handgun right there on their belt, you don't know what they might do. That is a dangerous situation and it is better to avoid it by not letting this happen.

3 Pillars of Photography

Aperture
^F2.8
^F16

1. What part of the body should we closely relate aperture?
The eye.
2. Finish this sentence - the smaller the Aperture number/F-stop, the higher the Aperture isolation.
3. In your own words tell me how aperture impacts Depth of Field?

When you decrease the number for aperture, the isolation between the foreground and background is more discreet, meaning the background is out of focus more than when the aperture number is higher. When the number is higher, there is less isolation between the foreground and background which puts the background in more focus to the foreground.

Shutter Speed
^High Shutter Speed
^Low Shutter Speed
At the beginning while the sun was still up and the courtyard had reasonable good light

a.) a booth in the middle of the yard near the Tree fast speed
b.) a food booth outside under one of the big red awnings fast speed
c.) the Stars performance inside the gym fast speed
d.) students dancing near the center of the courtyard fast speed
e.) people streaming in from the front doors slow speed
f.) the basketball booth where students are shooting basketballs at a hoop fast speed

Towards the end when there is no sun and has gotten dark enough that you can't see from one end of the courtyard to the other.
a.) a booth in the middle of the yard near the Tree slow speed
b.) a food booth outside under one of the big red awnings slow speed
c.) the Stars performance inside the gym fast speed
d.) students dancing near the center of the courtyard fast speed
e.) people streaming in from the front doors slow speed
f.) the basketball booth where students are shooting basketballs at a hoop fast speed

Three settings:

  • Auto: you can have the aperture and shutter speed set for you or Auto Priority where you set the aperture but the shutter speed is still on auto set.
  • Manual: you can set the camera to "shutter priority" mode which is when you set the shutter speed and the aperture is set for you by the camera.
  • Manual: Set it on "Manual" mode where you manually set the aperture and the shutter speed.

ISO
^ISO 200
^ISO 3200

1. What are the advantages of shoot at a higher ISO at a sporting event like basketball or a night football game?
You get more light and your photo becomes brighter.
2. What suggestions did the author make about using a low ISO?
This is what you should use regularly, always when there is a good supply of light or it will look ghostly.
3. What suggestions did the author make about using a high ISO?
Use when there is not a good supply of light when it is dark and dim and for freeze motion.

List the aperture settings available on this camera.
2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22
List the shutter speed settings available on this camera.
1 sec, 1/60 sec & 1/4000 sec
List the ISO settings available on this camera
100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, 25600