Cut Line Only

For this assignment we had to create an image in just over an hour that could be used for the front page of the local section. The photo had to be something that didn't need to have a story to go with it, just a short caption.

Cosmo De Amor, plays his fiddle in the Fairhaven District on Tuesday afternoon, filling the cold air with warm Southern sounds.

A City of Bellingham employee helps shovels dirt beneath the tires of a car that was struck by another and became stuck. The days after the first snowfall are filled with car accidents, said Mark Browrigg, another city employee helping at the scene.

"These are pretty treacherous conditions," Brownrigg said. "The ice is what really gets people, not necessarily the snow."

Photo Illustration

For this week's project we were directed to either capture a stand alone photo or create a photo illustration. I chose to pursue the photo illustration to be able to demonstrate multiple skills in photography and graphic design.

It's a love - hate relationship.

Photo manipulation has been around almost since the beginning of photography, said an article from graphicssoft.about.com.   With continuous advances in photo technology it is almost effortless to create an image demonstrating an event that hasn’t actually happened.

Stacie Rennert, 22, helped to demonstrate the ease that programs such as Photoshop bring to photographers, graphic designers, advertising agency and so forth with this image displaying her multiple personalities by acting out her “dark” and her “peaceful” personalities.

“Photoshop is a wonderful tool for creative modeling shots,” Rennert said. “It is me acting out my own characters without being the actual me, its fun.”

These tools are helpful for art and modeling based photos but these same tools have been used to manipulate photos used by very reputable organizations including National Geographic and multiple news organizations. One very famous instance is the cover of National Geographic displaying the pyramids on the cover of the magazine in a way that is impossible to actually photograph.

What one sees may not be the truth, but rather an inaccurate representation or a completely false occurrence.  One must be wary of what they are looking at to be sure they are not being misled by a journalist or editor trying to sway a person to believe one thing over another.

proof sheet.

Capturing Motion

In this assignment we had to capture motion, either completely still or by showing the movement. 

Travis Petrie, 23, does a backside smith grind.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Several people were trespassing near the fish hatchery Sunday at an abandoned building foundation to skateboard and build objects for skateboarding on.

Travis Petrie, 23, was among the crowd of six skateboarders who had scaled a fence with multiple no trespassing signs to access the building foundation where they wanted to perform their skateboard maneuvers.

“Skateboarding is something I believe in,” Petrie said. “That includes the progression of the legality of it. If that means risking harassment, tickets or getting arrested, that’s what has to happen.”

The skateboarders were grinding a ledge that had been built by skaters who had previously visited the vacant location. They were also doing flip tricks over a gap in the concrete.

Travis Petrie, 23, performs a 360 flip over a gap.

“Skateboarding is an art form,” Petrie said, “It never gets boring. I skate for the same reason I eat, I have to.”

Travis Petrie does a kick-flip backside tail-slide.

Honest emotion.

In this assignment we had to capture honest emotion.

 

Bellingham, Wash. -- As part of the City of Bellingham’s Ten in ’10 Initiative the city is offerings tax credits and cash rewards of various levels to businesses that offer ride share programs or purchase bus passes for employees as well as apartment complex owners who provide the bus passes for tenants of their buildings.

City of Bellingham transportation planner Chris Comeau, 45, responds to questions after a presentation Tuesday evening at Sustainable Connections about parking and transportation incentives that are being offered.  The goal of the program is to reduce traffic with the help of local businesses.

“If someone is part of car-share program they will actually drive less.” Comeau pressed when speaking on the importance of these programs to help reduce vehicle trips and traffic.

The presentation was given to an audience of about 20 people including, city workers, local developers and residents of Bellingham.  This was the first presentation given on the transportation incentives and will be continually revised based on feedback from the public until an agreed upon version is complete.