Blog 23: Senior Project Reflection

I am most proud of my activity. I thought it was lame and nobody would like it since I was nervous during the entire presentation. But after the block was over one of my students took me aside and says they really appreciated how I was trying to pass my passion for photography on to them, and how they themselves were proud of the picture they took. I wanted them to take a picture of what iPoly means to them, and things that represent iPoly. He took a picture of the old paint splattered benches and really took it home with a speech he made when he presented it intent of the class.

I would give myself an AP. I was nervous and forgot my interesting tid bit and fun facts, so it was just an overview of information and it was not that entertaining.

Overall senior project, I would give myself an AP. I do not complete everything to a stellar capacity, but I really try and I love my project.

The thing that worked for me most was quite honestly, my passion for photography and the people that supported me and helped.

If I had a time machine, I would not have signed up for calculus. It took valuable time away from my project that I needed because I get home at seven every night and on calculus days, eight.

The senior project is my final farewell to iPoly. I will use my new found ability to work effectively under pressure on life. But it is basically something I have learned at my entire time at iPoly. Even at your lowest point, always try to push yourself above the lowest bar.

Blog 21: Exit Interview

My essential question is, what is the most important element to go into a memorable digital photograph? I would like to point out that art is subjective and everyone has their own preferences as to what we see fit and what passes as quality while other methods are seen viewed as outdated. In my research, my best answer is leaning in favor towards the uses of color. Color is often times associated with feelings and biases. In our culture, red is a warning, danger, and excitement. In others, it is the symbol of life. In my book PAINT Room to Room by CHIC Simple, is is mentioned that in our culture, white is pure and clean. It follows up by stating that white is often a symbol for mourning in many Asian cultures. This perceived association of emotion linked to color will persuade my audience to connect to what I intended in the image. Most of the time vivid and flashy colors remain in people's memories longer than a dull colored image would.

In the beginning, I searched through books, some of which are works of CHIC Simple and Exposure Magazine, and odd articles I would find on the internet. This was to gain footing in the vast expanse of knowledge that comes with researching an art form. Once I understood where I was going with color, I made more direct searches towards my goal of answering my essential question in the clearest way possible. The majority of my sources were online articles and eBook sections. The world of photography is constantly evolving  and growing so nobody publishes real books. Information is here today, gone tomorrow, and we are already living in a world where the things we learned today are things of the past.

At one point I was slumped. I could not think of any answers beside color that I could appropriately answer my essential question with. I made a 180 and went from photography to the brain and its functions. This gave me light to what memory is really all about. Which is things you are already familiar with, things that ingrained into your mind since day one.

I wouldn't necessarily think that there are two resources that helped me extensively. All of my research and the people that contributed to their existence deserve recognition. Even though this would never reach the knowledge of anyone that contributed to my learning, except maybe my mentor, thank you all so much for the help. I would like to bring up Henry Molaison who's amygdala and hippo campus were ignorantly removed. He is the reason why neuroscience exists. I do have to say that "What Makes a Visualization Memorable", a collaboration between MIT and Harvard students, and "Visual Design: Using Color in Photography" by David Peterson, a photography expert and teacher, were the most informative, extensive, and all around helpful sources to go towards the answering of my essential question.

April Extra Post

I've sold pictures!!! Finally! Thank the rain and my neighbor!

I feel this picture's focus is very distracting and not weighted correctly. But one of my buyers insisted on this one. Art is subjective. Who am i to tell them what they can and can not admire.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

I, Ester America Gonzalez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 38.5 hours of work. It's true, it's true what they say, "How did she do that!?" I would never have made these hours if it was not for the countless mishaps that kept on occurring. Just yesterday I was about to turn this in, and Google decided to delete all of my spreadsheets, so I did them over thanks to trusty Microsoft Office Excel 2007.

The majority of the beginning of my research was experimentation with different styles of photography. My USB Drive was taken and I needed to build my portfolio and collections once again. I was watching Steven and Chris, and I decided I would try to photograph food for a while and just different things around my apartment. I was just reading little tidbits about food photography online and I learned that hot chocolate served in orange cups was more appealing to the audience, and that cream colored cups were thought to hold more aromatically pleasing and sweeter hot chocolate. This was all explained in "Hot Chocolate tastes Better In An Orange Cup" by Catherine Paddock PhD on medical News Today's website. I am a little taken back by how much science uses photography and photography uses science. It is exciting, and so informative, almost the perfect collaboration. I was apprehensive, but I do quite enjoy the collaborative benefits each field provides to the other.

Starting my independent component, I had hopes of selling my art on the internet and spreading the joy I feel when I see an interesting piece of art that catches my eye. But the more I read about all of the websites out there, the more I realized that eventually I will be making money IF anyone ever buys. I am a guppy in the ocean of art. I am also not a legal adult and I could go to jail if I get a crabby patty customer.

I had been working on my portfolio as stated above. In my original I had a picture of a ballerina clock I have, so I tried to recreate it. it was successful. I include this because my neighbor, who has always been there to see me do strange things in the name of art, bought a ballerina print in 8x10. It was a rainy day and I was doing my usual mischievous looking shenanigans while taking pictures and eating chocolate like a weirdo. We ended up talking about photography and it lead to me talking about my rut that I was facing with my second independent component. And you know what my generous neighbor did? He bought the picture of the clock! I went to IKEA and Kinko's and when I i finally gave it to him, he told me he had been telling my other neighbors. More sales came and went and I would go out with my cousins and we would sell together, to their neighbors and peers.

My creepy Valentine's day flower. I had a cropped version but the file was corrupted.

These three are supposed to be stuck together in a horizontal line with minimal spacing between, but those functions are beyond my power on this. They'are dark, but it was cloudy that day.

I like this. It reminds me of the dinosaurs in the desert.

This is the ballerina clock I recreated.

I decided to join the kids I TA one day and take pictures with them. We had a field trip to the Japanese garden  up at CalPoly.

March Extra Post

Check this out!

http://society6.com/help/selling

I really want to start selling, as soon as possible. I am not 18 yet, nor do I have a credit card number and I am weary of handing out my bank account information. I researched all month, gaining knowledge about different ways to sell my art for my second component. I came across this lovely website which is very professional and clean when handling transactions and dealing with the consumer, customer satisfaction guaranteed and the sort. So hopefully, I have parent permission to start my own little business on a corner of the internet.

~Thank you

Blog 18: Fourth Interview Questions

1. What is the most important element to go into a memorable digital photograph?
2. What do you think most triggers the memory of a viewer?
3. What kind of memories stick to you the most?
4. What is your favorite element to use in your photographs?
5. What element do people like most about your pictures?
6. What do you like to see most in a picture?
7. Think of a picture. What is it a picture of?
8. How does the picture make you feel? What do you feel from it?
9. What element is most prominent in that picture?
10. When taking pictures, do you keep in mind that it can always be edited, or do you keep your pictures as final products?
11. How far have you gone to edit a picture to give it the purpose you intended in the first place?
12. What is the hardest element for you to incorporate in your photographs?
13. What elements do you like to keep standard in every photo?
14. Why do you like to keep these elements in your pictures?
15. What do you think tends to be most striking in other people's pictures?
16. As a photographer, what is a photograph you would like to take (a dream photograph)? What is the most striking thing about it?
17. Do you think world problems can be solved with photographs?
18. What do you think of amateur photographs?
19. What mistakes do you think people make most when taking pictures?
20. What is some advice you could the tell people next time they are taking pictures?

I am so absolutely sorry! This post never went live! I'm just checking today, I am so disappointed, it was still a draft!

Blog 17: Answer 3

What is the most important element to go into a memorable digital photograph?

I don't know how the order of the answers work, so just in case I'd like to change my second answer of form to my third answer, and insert "an easily recognizable object" as my second answer. I already did a blog for form so in its place right now I will give my reasons for why the subject matters. I am also still trying to figure out if I should say "easily recognizable" or just "recognizable", I'm still working out the wording.

One of the most important elements to go into a memorable digital photograph is allowing an easily recognizable object to be the subject of the picture (see what I mean by wording, I'll get to figuring that out so it runs smoother).

I do not have many examples for this because they are kind of hard for me to explain. I started doing research on memory, and although photography is where I am at right now, the science of memory is not my forte. It is in short, hard for my to transfer memory terms into photography terms. I will try though.

The experiments that took place in the memory research lab in MIT was conducted mainly with graphs. They would show a set of forty-eight different graphs and have people rank them from most memorable to least and when they ran out of graphs to remember, they would show them the other graphs they missed and start all over again. My first answer, color, is what they found to be most memorable. My second answer, a recognizable object, it what they found to be triggering memory next.

The graphs with pictures, like a soccer referee and dinosaurs, had more impact on people. rather than the graphs with foreign foods and their layers of ingredients.

A recognizable object can affect us at other times too. Like when you are looking at pictures of people you do not know, versus, people you do know. The people you do know will stand out to you more than the strangers. Just walking around at school, we pass by the people we do not know as well, but stop to talk to a friend.

For most people, a red hammer will stand out rather than a green screwdriver. When we are young most of the time the first tool and color we learn is red and hammer.

Multiple Authors. "What Makes a Visualization Memorable?" CVCL. MIT. 1 August 2013. Web. 27 February 2015. <http://cvcl.mit.edu/papers/Borkin_etal_MemorableVisualization_TVCG2013.pdf>

Memory is so very intricate. No one person is the same. What I find more memorable may be completely different to you. But, we all have a common ground. We just need to work towards it.

February Extra Post

I have been starting again on my pictures and my portfolio. For my Independent Component 2 I have been complimenting selling my pride and joy or not. I will be trying to sell pictures soon but I've been busy with colleges and things of the sort. I have been trying to see what I can do with purchasing Adobe Photoshop. It's really exciting. I enjoy the program very much and to have it at home would be a dream. And now, it's a dream coming true.

Blog 16: Answer 2

What is the most important element to go into a memorable digital photograph?

Color is the most important element to go into a memorable digital photograph because it triggers emotion and draws in the viewer the the scene.

Form is another important element to go into a memorable digital photograph because it makes a subject look like it is in the third dimension rather that being flat, which gives it more presence.

Color has long been believed to be a form of therapy, blues and greens were placed around a person to make them feel calmer and relieve tension. Red in our society now means stop, warning, just no. It's bold and it triggers a memory response in people. White to us can mean something plain, bright, or simple, while in some other cultures it gives a sense of mourning. Color means something different to different people. Color means something different to different people because it is strongly linked to memory.

We have all seen the standard child's drawing on a house. It looks flat, like a sticker. Now add shading, it looks more tangible. That is form. Form is the difference between a circle and a sphere. Form is the difference between a straight on square, and an evident cube.

CHIC SIMPLE. PAINT. Pg 11-23. New York. 1994. Print.
CHIC SIMPLE. PAINT. Pg 24-47. New York. 1994. Print.
Peterson, David. "Visual Design: Using Color in Photography." Tips. Digital Photography Secrets. 21 December 2012. Web. 7 November 2014. <http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/2815/using-color-in-photography/>

Peterson, David. "Visual Design: Using Form in Photography." Tips. Digital Photography Secrets. 21 December 2012. Web. 23 January 2015. <http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/2835/visual-design-finding-form-in-photography/>
Peterson, David. "Six Classic Design Elements for Outstanding Photographs." Tips. Digital Photography Secrets. 30 November 2012. Web. 5 December 2014. <http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/2679/six-classic-design-elements-for-outstanding-photographs/>

Color is linked to emotion. Form is linked to touch. Emotion and touch are the essence of memory.

Blog 14 1/2: Independent Component 1

I can cot find my flashdrive anywhere. Which really sucks because there are print worthy pictures on there. Not to brag, but I take pride in what I do. Luckily, I found 454 of my pictures on a hidden file I I had forgotten about. Yay me! The bad news, they're not the good ones that I hoped to share. I'm sorry. I'm so sad, you don't know how many memories lie in that flash drive. How may hours. How many years. How many stories.

Bare in mind, I have 454 pictures. I am so not putting all of those up. I also do not have any editing software on this computer so these are raw. The ones that were touched up to perfection were done at school. And we saved to my flash drive. And now for some pictures!

There are mostly depth and line photos. Normally I would have all elements, but enjoy.

space

line

depth

depth

line

line (implied)

color

These are the Azusa mountains at sunset. I think they're beautiful.

shape

color

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

I feel sick so I'll try to make this quick. I feel really really gross.

I plan to get a new flash drive and keep on taking pictures.

I was planning to probably try selling pictures already. the demand is not high, but at least it's something. I guess I have to start all over again though.

You can not read about photography. You have to do it. It is an art.

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

I, Ester America Gonzalez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 32 1/2 hours of work.

"Ansel Adams A Documentary Film." American Experience. PBS. Nd. Web. 25 November 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/ansel/index.html>

This is probably the only thing I looked up, really, for my independent component. The rest is in my WB. I do not like history, but I like photography. When I find I like a piece of history I am interested in,  I try to engage myself as much as I can and really take advantage of my interest. I would not know any history otherwise. Ansel Adams is probably my favorite photographer. he lived in Northern California. he photographed Yosemite. His photos are stunning, I have posters. Every photograph has a story and behind that story is a person. Whether they are trying to convey feeling or an event, it is all different. Getting a feel for the photographer that took the picture gives you a sense and feel for as to why they photographed that very picture that very way. It is quite interesting.

I completed a TON of photographs. Once I'm on a roll, I don't delete any photos that were taken during that time. I tried focusing on my use of space, shape, line, form, texture, and color. I grade pictures during mentorship, so I went back and graded my pictures. Boy oh boy am I far way from something print worthy! But I did use the six elements in bad ways and in good ways, probably half and half. But I think the element that was most important was color and the use of color.

Photography tells a story. Photos can make people laugh and cry. They are not tangible in a sense of touch, but they are visual. There is visual strength in everything . Everything makes you feel, whether it is subconscious or conscious. Everything has a story. I read a quote from one of my recent WB sources. Street photographer instructor Eric Kim said, "You can't fake passion. You can't fake love." I do not know if this impacts any of you, but this hits home for me. Photography is my passion. I am not good with words and I was never really cared for like a regular kid would have been. I have had a messed up life and I am not even 18 yet. Two sentences after that he said, "Share your time, energy, love, insights, hopes, weaknesses, and self-doubts with them." He was talking about his students. People he just met. People he does not know but he is willing to open up to them and be blind to who they might be or what they might do. He is raw. He trusts. He is confident man and it shows in his pictures. There is something so admirable in his words and in his work. I never was allowed to express myself. Just knowing that there is someone out there that has these characteristics, makes me feel safe. I have feelings and I have a voice and I demand to be allowed to express myself. To express myself in the way I see the world, through visuals. This is what I find comfortable, this is who I am.

I had a flash drive with all of my pictures, but I live with people that do not respect my space or my things. So I have no evidence. Do not bother looking for my Instagram account, it only has one picture. I had no way to upload my pictures onto my account because the device I use was taken away for no reason and I only very recently got it back, for no reason again. I'm telling the truth when I say I did my hours. In fact, I'm missing hours. I went over thirty hours, I do not know what that means but that's all I needed to log, really. Hopefully It just makes the grading process faster.

Thank you.

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

I am not proud of anything in my presentation. I was accidentally making a powerpoint equivalent to the two hour presentation and when I finished that, I realized that it would be totally way too much and what I was actually doing. I only spent three hours working on it so it didn't have the full affect I wished it could have had.

I would give myself an NC/CR.
There was concern with all three points made on the Professionalism section of the contract. There was concern with two on Organization and Activity. Concern with all for Justification and Answer. And concern with two on Audience and Involvement.

People liked the pictures I put on my slides, so I guess that worked.

What didn't work was someone else's presentation... The day before there was a super short presentation and it scared the willies out of me! So I was scared my lesson would be short too. So I tried stalling to make time but it made my presence seem weak and that I didn't actually know my topic. I did. and I wish I could have presented in the manor that was originally intended. It made my activity weak and it made me sound bored. I forgot to say my sources and use my props. They were on the slides, but still. I should have addressed that more. I only gave credit to the pictures in my slides.

My answer two would be form.

For My ROP Students

Every Monday and Wednesday I TA for the photography class Jack teaches in the ROP room. What really impresses me every time I go in are the students. They are all such great workers and they really slay when it comes to creativity. They are dedicated to their work and trying to meet the standards the rubrics call for. Two days ago I was honored to be there as their TA.

The A-Z project is a project in which the students try to make a children's book using pictures. They photograph objects and photoshop the first letter of the object on to their pictures. It sounds simple but the process is very long and taxing. Trying to find objects that start with certain letters is tedious. On top of maintaining pictures, photoshopping each multiple times, keeping them in order, and finding an object for every letter, they must boil everything down to a simple form. It's a picture book for children and not all of them understand what the pictures are trying to convey. It is their end of the semester project, worth 104 points, their biggest photography task yet.

That last day they had to work was the most focused I have seem them. It was a race against time and it was interesting seeing them pulling everything together. There was a group of students that stayed behind longer than the rest, working fast yet still managed to stray behind. I remembered when I was in their shoes. You feel the rush, the drive to keep on going. It is stressful and it feels like you are getting nowhere. In the end, my students completed their projects. The relief of knowing you don't have to worry about the project anymore, that it's over, is very rewarding. Later you think of improvements you could have made, but a lll together you are proud. It may not be the best looking to everyone else, but it looks like the best to you. You know what went into it and you are proud.

In honor of the kids I TA for and all of the hard work they've done this semester, I will be posting my A-Z project. Their projects may have a few bugs to fix but I know what they did to get there, and I am the most proud TA in the world.

Some of them were asking about my A-Z project and I told them I might show them if they finished. My gosh did they finish. And with flying colors. The pictures are embarrassing, it was a whole year ago and I have learned from my mistakes. If you guys actually check my blog, this one is for you rascals.

Blog 12: Mentorship 10 Hours

I am doing my mentorship with Jack Bolka in the ROP room.

My contact is Jack Bolka? I'm sorry, I don't quite understand this question.

I have completed 12 hours of mentorship.

The first couple week and a half the kids were not really paying much attention to me. I am there to answer questions and fix any photoshop malfunctions they may have come across. I also grade their photographs. At first I was a little lenient but they have a grip on what photography requires, so I am  cracking down on them now. But I think they are catching on that I am not your average beginner. It is going great with them. I learn from them and they learn from me.

Blog 11: Holiday Project Update

It is necessary to constantly be working towards the essential question by consistently being proactive with senior project. Most of the time on my break I was looking through a camera lens and researching famous photographers and the tactics they used most of the time. During the summer I did not have the opportunity to be using a camera or being active with photoshop, so I really needed to take the time to get back to getting in touch with my subject.

I think the most important thing I learned is that taking pictures really does project a story and every story is different.

If I could do a ten question interview with anybody, I would interview Annie Leibovitz. I think she is a genius. She's bold and not afraid to speak her mind and it really shows in the way she photographs and what she photographs.

December Extra Post: Late

I got a camera for Christmas! It's very small, very basic, but I love it! We drove my brother back to Monterey the 26th, all the while I took pictures from the backseat with the school camera I borrowed for the break. It was so boring! There was absolutely nothing but hills, not the pretty scenic ones, ones that are awfully identical, 17 miles away on either side, and mundane. And all through those hundreds of miles of farmland, the plants were dead because you know, winter. I saw a cow that jumped the fence though, that was pretty cool. We never stopped driving, it was mind numbing! Northern California is definitely not the place for me. West Covina was voted the most boring city of Southern California. That is such a lie. As soon as you are past LA, wave goodbye to your precious brain cells, they die along the way north. Monterey was really cracked and scary. I do not want to relive the confusion it took to navigate those streets.

We dropped off my brother and in the morning, we were back on the road. It was so funny, the GPS is completely evil. We wanted to take either the 101 or the 99 back so our brains would be spared the lack of mental stimulation, but no. The GPS took us in a very large circle and sent us back to the 5! It was so frustrating. I was so done at that point.

All in all, I took a lot of pictures, saw a real lake for the first time, and also saw Magic Mountain for the first time as well. I really wanted to take a baby cow because there were so many, but no. Oh well, never doing that again.

This is in the middle of nowhere on our way back. My sister saw a cat.

This is when my brother came to school. Excuse our gross faces.

Photo credits go to the amazing Ms. Bazaldua.