It's Over

I genuinely cannot believe that the semester is over. It feels like I was just graduating from high school yesterday. All together, my first semester of college went surprisingly well. I passed all of my classes, and I have a strong hunch that I got all As. I had some great professors along the way, too.

Since starting college, I feel I've broken out of my shell a bit. As I'm sure I've made it abundantly clear in the past, I am a massive introvert and, with that, I also hate attention. With that combo going for me, having my work critiqued in Digital I was quite terrifying at first, but forced me to become confident in my work. Even in my English 101 class I learned to be more self-assured. My professor for that class was amazing, which lead me to gain enough strength to share with her a short story I wrote that was very close to my heart. She encouraged me to submit the story to Cassandra, so I did. Before I came to Suffolk, I never would have been able to stand in front of my peers and talk about my work, let alone submit one of my personal short stories to the school literary magazine.

As corny and lame as it may be, I'm proud of myself and the progress I made this semester. I started off as a passive aggressive teen, frustrated at my parents for making me go to college, and now I'm a more bold and positive person, slightly excited to see what the next semester has in store for me. So there's that.

An Introvert in an Extroverted World

This past Thursday was my last Digital I class which means the final was due. The final project was a little intimidating, but I'd like to think I did a decently good job on it.

Throughout the whole taking photos process, all I knew is that I wanted to focus on landscapes and lines, and I went with that. I traveled across the island to Stony Brook, Port Jefferson, Greenport, and Head of the Harbor to find some pretty landscapes. Taking the photographs was the easy part, though. Deciding what they meant was the hard part.

I've never considered myself an artist. I guess I create art, but I'm not really an artist. Artist means you have some sort of creative, deep intent with your work, which I've never really had. I just take photos that I like and show them to people. 

As far as what my final means, I really don't know other than just the comfort of solitude. I am very introverted, so taking photographs that lack people and are abundant with silence satisfies me. I like landscapes because I'm not in a rush to get the perfect photo (which is very important to me). So I guess that's what my final means to me.

The Time I Got Stranded in the Middle of Nowhere While Shooting a Project

As the semester comes to a close, the due date for my Digital I final comes closer and closer. It's been quite an adventure thus far with deciding what I was going to shoot and what it was going to represent. Last weekend, I made a lot of progress towards it and got seven photographs for my final, so I only needed to get three more this weekend.
I decided to go to one of my favorite photo spots in Head of the Harbor. Since my car doesn't have four-wheel drive and the spot is super rocky and sandy, my dad drove me with his and took some photos too.
I was able to get a few shots that I liked, but was quickly losing all of my body heat, so I asked to go home. My dad and I hopped in his Ford Explorer and were ready to take off when he took out his keys and... oh no... the car key snapped in half.
Of course, we were in the middle of nowhere in Head of the Harbor, so there was a lack of cell service. So, it was freezing cold, we couldn't start the car, and we couldn't call home. It was pretty awful.
Eventually, my dad was able to find a few bars to call my mom and have her bring over the spare key, so we were saved, but it was still a slightly traumatic experience. Well, at least I got some photos for my final, so I guess it was worth it.

Lots and Lots of Landscapes

Since it was gloomy and rainy earlier in the week, I took advantage of this beautiful weekend and spent my days shooting for my final project in Digital I. On Friday, my dad and I walked around Avalon Park and down Harbor Road to Harmony Vineyards. Since my dad grew up in Head of the Harbor, he knows quite a bit about the history of the area. He spent his youth wandering the parts where we were walking, so not only did I get a few shots for my final, but I also got the chance to hear a few stories from my dad's childhood and about the history of the town.
On Saturday, I went on a drive to Greenport with my mom to get some photos of the water. We also made a stop at Crazy Beans and had a Gilmore Girls inspired lunch (coffee and fries). It was very cold, but we had a great time finding locations to shoot at and places to stop to warm up. One of those warm up locations was Burton's Bookstore, a quaint little book shop that just about made me cry in happiness. You could say it was a successful outing.

On Sunday, my parents, my brother and his girlfriend, and I went to Port Jefferson for the Charles Dickenson festival. We took a horse and carriage ride around town and saw a few carolers. Of course, it was freezing, so unfortunately we had to cut the day off early to avoid hypothermia. Before going home, though, we went down to the water and I was able to get a few more landscape photos.
It was a pretty productive weekend for me in terms of my final assignment in Digital I. Now it's time to do some work for my other classes...

A Rather Chilly Nature Shoot

This morning, my best friend Angela and I went out to breakfast at Crazy Beans in Stony Brook. Very close to Crazy Beans is a nature reserve called Avalon Park. Avalon is well-known for The Tree With The Rainbow Rope. (The rope has since been removed.) After finishing our yummy meals, we took a walk around and had a little autumnal shoot.
I brought along my fisheye lens to see how some landscape shots would look with it, and I was rather satisfied with my results. For some odd reason, I really like how the fisheye distorts and softens the edges of the image. I'd like to do something with landscapes for my final in Digital I, so I thought experimenting with different lenses could focus my idea (no pun intended).
We also took a walk to Cartas al Cielo, which is a reflective sphere that you can put notes into for someone without an earthly address. Angela and I are fascinated by it, so she was intently examining it when I noticed the light that was being reflected onto her. I quickly switched to my 50mm lens and asked her to pose. The shadows were so interesting that I just had to capture it.
We had a nice time, despite the very, very cold temperature. It was a great way to kick off thanksgiving break. Happy Thanksgiving!

The famous tree during the summer of 2015.

An Evening in Port Jefferson

For my most recent assignment in Digital Photo I, we had to shoot light. It was a pretty broad topic, so I wasn't exactly sure where to start. After procrastinating enough, I took a drive to Port Jefferson after class with the hope of being inspired.
By the time I got there, the sun was just about to set. As a huge sunset enthusiast, I was excited to see what this form of light would bring me. I took a walk and shot whatever I found, and I think the results were decently okay. What once seemed like a difficult assignment turned out to not be so awful.
After reflecting on my photos, I think what I'm most passionate about when it comes to photography is sunsets. It's an extremely lame conclusion to come to, but I feel like I can do a lot with that general subject for my final.
I've also found that I really like landscape photos, so combining the two seems to be what would best work out for me. For my final assignment in Digital Photo I, I'd like to take a drive around Long Island and capture different landscapes at sunset. It'll take a bit of work, but I am anxious to see the results.

Why I Still Shoot Film

I tend to bring a camera everywhere I go. That camera could be my Canon DSLR, Fujifilm Instax, Minolta 35mm, or even simply my iPhone. However, whenever I bring along my Minolta, I am often asked the question, "Why do you use film?" Usually, I will give a bland answer -- "I like it," "It's fun," or "I just do" -- and then resume taking photos. Not until recently, though, have I really thought about the answer... why do I shoot film?
I think my love for film dates back to before I was born. I know, it doesn't make clear sense, but bare with me. When my dad was a teenager and until the late 90s, he was shooting Kodachrome on his Minolta X-370 (the same Minolta I shoot on today, mind you). Before that, he was shooting and developing Plus-X-Pan black & white film in the darkroom he built in the basement of his parent's house. He was a full-on photography nerd, and the enlargers and trays in our basement closet are evidence of that.
Flash forward to 2014 when I started attending Wilson Tech for photography. Wilson Tech is apart of the BOCES programs where students leave their high schools for half the day to go to a BOCES campus and learn about a specific practice, in my case, photography. For my first year at Tech, I studied mostly b&w film. We shot primarily ILFORD 400, sometimes 200, and developed and printed everything ourselves. I went into the program not knowing anything about shutter speeds, f-stops, and ISO, and left knowing all of that, plus the inner-workings of a darkroom. After learning something new at school, I would gush to my dad and he would understand exactly what was exciting me so much. Learning about photography was a way to connect with my dad in a way I hadn't for most of my life.
These days, my dad and I will every now and again wake up early and decide to go on a photo run. We bring our respective 35mm cameras (he recently bought himself a Nikon and handed over his precious Minolta to me) and shoot whatever we find, then later come home and develop it in the basement bathroom sink.
I also love film for reasons not entirely related to my dad. Looking through the viewfinder on a 35mm camera seems so different to me than one on a digital SLR. Since film is becoming obsolete, I am able to find lenses for relatively cheap prices and find out what lenses I enjoy over others. As for developing film, there's this unique feeling of satisfaction when I unroll the negatives from the film reel and see my photos come to life.
So, to anyone that has ever asked me, that's why I still shoot film.

Reaction Paper #3: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A few weeks ago, my best friend Angela (a student at St. Joseph's College) invited me on a bus trip with her school to The MET. After penciling it in our schedules, confirming our attendance, and preparing for the expedition, November 5 arrived and we were on a bus to New York City.
The day started off rather early, but was nonetheless very enjoyable. We got to the museum at around 10 am and it was practically desolate; for the first hour, we had the place to ourselves. Angela had to complete an assignment for her art class, so we visited the work of Lilly Martin Spencer. Angela admired the paintings and took some notes. When she was satisfied with the information she had gathered, Angela turned the lead over to me. As the photo nerd I am, I immediately bolted to the other side of the museum in search of the photographs.
Unfortunately, the main photography exhibit was closed, so I was unable to see Edward Steichen's The Pond -- Moonrise. I was pretty disappointed, but that didn't stop me for being overly excited about spotting a Daguerreotype by Southworth and Hawes.
I was also able to see Dorothy True by Alfred Stieglitz. I had not seen this photo prior to going to the MET, so it was such a unique experience to view a piece for the first time in person. At first, I thought it was just a photograph of a leg, which I thought was okay, but didn't quite understand why it was exhibited rather than one of Stieglitz's other pieces. But then I noticed an eye... and then another eye... and then a mouth -- slowly, I began to recognize that not only was there a leg, but there was also another exposure on this print. It was very faint, but when I saw it I couldn't take my eyes away. It was absolutely breathtaking.
On top of seeing some photographs, I got to view some work from one of my all-time favorite artists: Roy Lichtenstein. My love for his art bloomed in middle school when, for an art assignment, I had to recreate a famous artist's work and I chose him. Every time I see a piece of Lichtenstein's in a museum, my inner middle schooler gets so excited. There is something so satisfying about following a creator for so long and your love only growing as the years go on.
After spending some time at the MET, Angela and I walked around Central Park and did an impromptu autumnal photo shoot. I am quite proud of how the photos turned out, and altogether am left satisfied after my trip to the Upper East Side.

Why I'm Glad That I Made a Terrible Mistake

This past Wednesday, my friends Angela and Melissa modeled for me at Long Beach in Nissequogue just as the sun was setting, and it was quite a valuable learning experience for me.
I had just gotten a new 50mm lens (f/1.8!) and was feeling especially good about myself. However, I let my new-found confidence get a bit ahead of me as I forgot to adjust one of the most important photographic factors: ISO. I shot the entire time on ISO 400. At night. I know; absolutely pitiful. I feel so embarrassed just writing this because it was such an amateur thing to do, especially when I've been shooting fully manual for three years now.

As you can expect, my photos came out way underexposed. I was able to salvage a few by making adjustments to my exposure and shadows in Lightroom, but it was still extremely disappointing to come home and discover just how poor my shots turned out because I was being neglectful.
Despite how few shots I was able to recover, I am slightly happy this happened at the time that it did. Both Angela and Melissa stayed home for college as I did, so it's not as if I'm not going to see them again soon. I'd rather do a stupid thing at an easily re-creatable shoot and learn from it, than do a stupid thing at a once-in-a-lifetime event and only have three photos to show from it.

So, in conclusion, sometimes it's good to make mistakes -- even if you're an overzealous perfectionist that will be haunted by those very mistakes for the next few months, much like myself.

Reaction Paper #2: PhotoPlus Expo

I had the exceeding pleasure of attending the PhotoPlus Expo in New York City on October 21. The expo was held in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and was absolutely incredible. I had the time of my life.
Walking in, I was immediately overwhelmed. The venue was huge! I couldn't fathom just how big the expo was. I signed in, got my badge, and was already feeling quite professional. The PhotoPlus Expo was the photographic nerd's dream.
There were so many booths from big companies like Canon, Nikon, and Sony, and also booths for brands I wasn't previously familiar with like Tocad and Yuneec. Just about every booth I went to had freebies, so I ended up coming home with a bunch of cool gizmos.
My favorite booth was the Fujifilm Instax one. I have always been a lover of instant film whether it be Polaroid, Fujifilm, or otherwise, so this was a very exciting moment for me. In their area, Fujifilm created a whole set exhibiting hundreds of Fujiroids, all decorated in fun frames with creative boarders. There were also Instax cameras that attendees could use for demo. I took a photo of my friends with one and it printed with a NYC boarder, which, for some reason, I thought was the most amazing thing in the world at the time. My friends and I also got our Fujiroid taken in front of a "selfie" backdrop they had set up. I, then, proceeded to get way too excited when it developed in my hands in the next 90 seconds.
Also at the Fujifilm booth, I saw the work of John Messinger, who creates beautiful compositions using Instax Mini film. Professor Cyr had mentioned Messinger in Digital Photo I and showed us a video of him making one of his pieces. At the PhotoPlus Expo, I got the chance to see that same piece in person, which made the composition even more spectacular in my eyes.
Collectively, going to the PhotoPlus Expo was a tremendously valuable experience, and I can't wait to go again next year!

Reaction Paper #1: Jim Lennon Studio Visit

On September 26, I had the opportunity to visit professional photographer Jim Lennon's studio in Hauppauge with my Photography Seminar class. Right off the bat, it was completely different than I expected. I went into his studio anticipating a wide-open, white space with soft box lights and cameras all over the place. I expected the stereotypical photography studio in the movies, so just from walking in I had already learned so much.

Credit: jimlennon.com

In his studio, there were both film and digital equipment, the majority of the latter. I also noticed a light box, loupes, and color slides as I walked around which, to me, was extremely exciting because I am quite the film lover myself. In addition, he had computers everywhere ready to be worked on and backdrops rolled up in so many colors I lost count.
What surprised me the most though was the kitchen. It was so interesting to see such an expansive kitchen set in the studio of a photographer who didn't primarily do food work. I loved the feel of it. The entire space had this sort of homey feeling, which I'm sure is very comforting to clients and models that visit.
For the hour or so that we were there, Lennon spoke to us about what it's like to be in the photography business. He didn't sugarcoat anything either. He explained both the money aspect of the profession, and the production side. Lennon gave us aspiring professionals an insight on how much work goes into preparing for a shoot and also what goes on in post-production.
All together, visiting Jim Lennon's studio was a very rewarding experience and taught me about what I should expect when going into a career in photography.

Dean and Kat Sunset Beach Shoot

For my assignment in Digital Photo I, I had to take photos of three different subjects. Kindly, my brother, Dean, and his girlfriend, Kat, offered to be one of my subjects. That evening, we went to the beach just as the sun was beginning to set. It was the start to a beautiful sunset, so I took out my camera and started shooting.
This was their first time modeling for me, so both of them were a bit confused on what to do, which resulted in a few humorous photographs. After I explained that all they had to do was act natural, they relaxed a bit and I was able to get some pretty great shots.
I positioned Dean and Kat on some rocks so that, with the sunset behind them, they would become silhouetted. Out of all the photos I took of them that evening, I think those came out the best. The two of them are just dark enough that you can't see every feature of their face, but just lit up enough to tell by some key features who they are.
I am really happy with how the photos I took of Dean and Kat came out. Shooting people for this assignment really helped me learn to use my camera quickly in order to get the perfect exposure almost all of the time. Not to mention shooting in RAW also helped out quite a bit in darkening their shadows and adding contrast to make the images more powerful.