Multimedia Stories

Following are some multimedia stories that have perked my interest this past week.

The Fight for Sugar Hill:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2007/sugarhill/index.html

This story has some powerful images. It may be a little lengthy for the average viewer, but I think it pairs audio and images nicely, and at times, powerfully.


Suicide Races:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/multimedia/index.ssf?RACES

I like the content of this story and I think there are some good images. At the same time, I have issues with the audio—it doesn’t match up like I expect it to when I watch the story. I want to see an image of people cheering or a crowd on the sidelines when I hear them and I want to hear hoof beats or the skid of hooves on the sand, or the splash when the horse hits the water. I guess this wouldn’t be considered an exemplary audio story, but it is one that could be improved upon to make a good event story.

Stories of Katrina’s Aftermath:
http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/photography/2007/katrina2year/

This multimedia presentation includes pieces of video. The pictures almost jump at you too suddenly; however the jarring nature of the presentation only echoes the jumps these people had to make so suddenly in their lives. I think the combination of music, photos, and audio make Anita Fowler’s story the strongest in this multimedia presentation.

Blend and Fill: more fun with the flash

Rachael McMillen, 18, yawns as she sorts out laundered articles of clothing during her early morning shift at the US 190 Cleaners. McMillen, who has worked at this store since she was 15, works 40 hours a week and also studies at Columbia College.




Jenna and Justin play on the playground at New Haven Elementary School. The two third-graders get twenty minutes of playtime on the playground each day.

Some cowpokes get ready for Halloween.

Color Correction Assignment:

There are some weird things in the woods...

The new challenge, the next step: Flash!

Members of the Midwest Fury, an under-11 soccer team from Columbia, Illinois, play an arcade game at Willie’s Pub and Pool on October 13. After being rained-out from their tournament, team members and their parents came to the pub to watch the University of Missouri football game against the University of Oklahoma.


Jackie Milan and Renee Heck enjoy drinks at the Blue Note before a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show on October 17. The two women drove an hour from Eldon, Missouri, to watch one of their favorite movies. As is typical of many Rocky Horror fans, Milan and Heck brought items such as rice, toilet paper, and playing cards to throw into the crowd throughout the movie.

Glass in the Studio

"Stephanie, Emote" - The Portrait Assignment

This assignment certainly had close-to-endless creative possibilities. That idea was not only exciting, it was a little daunting. No less daunting was the fact that I was paired with photographer extraordinaire: Stephanie. The minute we sat down together, Steph already had her plan for how she was going to shoot me; I was nowhere near having an idea. And when we went into the studio, my ideas were still pretty slim. It was not that I hadn’t thought about the shoot (it was more the exact opposite) it was the fact that I did not know how to use light to convey who I knew as “Stephanie.”
Stephanie is an amazing person. Since knowing her last semester, I’ve been inspired a good deal. She’s explored away from her home of Seattle, Washington, playing volleyball for three different schools, working, and following her passions. She’s incredibly driven to say the least, and I admire her for finding what she wants to do with her life. Steph also gave me some of the best advice I could have ever had last semester about following my heart. Therefore, I see Steph as a very introspective and motivated person. Her tattoo of a turtle represents the Hawaiian word “Hanu” which means “direction.” This tattoo seems fitting for Stephanie’s character. She says that it reminds her that, even through all of her adventures, she’s always known where she wants to end up, always had a sense of direction.
My first picture reveals the tattoo. At the same time I think it captures some of Stephanie’s quiet satisfaction in knowing where she’s headed in life. The portrait was set up with two lights and a reflector. One spot with a blue and green gel was aimed at the grey backdrop from the back right. A large soft box was at the front, a little left of center, at shoulder height. A reflector was placed on the left to insure illumination of the tattoo. The shot was taken at f22 at 125 at ISO 200. I would have liked to see her right side in a little less shadow; a reflector or low-wattage light might have been helpful on the right. I can’t decide if I like the blue-green background. It corresponds to the color of the tattoo, gives a sense of both boldness and serenity, and is also Steph’s and mine’s favorite color. However, it seems somewhat gimmicky. Thus, I don’t know how successful the picture is. Is the blue too overwhelming?
In my second shot, I captured the other side of Steph that I’ve begun to know this semester, the goofy side. She’s an upbeat girl with giggles and smiles and some funny stories. In my second photo, I think I captured this funny side. I shot this photo at f16 at 125, ISO 200 with one light with a barn door on it. I chose the barn door, quite frankly, because I didn’t know what it’s light would look like. I think the specular light is a bit harsh for this photograph and somewhat defeats the lightheartedness of the image. I wish I had used a reflector on the left so that there was not such a difference in stops between the two sides of her face. If I were to shoot this photo again, I would do it in a more high-key environment.
Overall, I think I did an ok job on this assignment. I really felt clueless (i.e. not at all artistic) on how to set up the lights in order to portray the “essence of Stephanie.” I need to work, too, on communicating with my subject while I’m shooting. Stephanie surely helped me by opening up and displaying different emotions, but not all subjects are going to be so honest.

Some other favorites: