Archive for March, 2010

Talk about a Spring Vacation.

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Hey guys. I haven’t had so many comments in a long time! It’s fantastic!

Well, tomorrow’s my last day of school before spring vacation, and it’s been a busy few days. Yesterday I did my job shadow for a class I’m in called Employability Skills. I shadowed Artists’ Eyes, a photographing business by my school. It was, in its own way, fun. Not quite like, you know, going to a theme park or anything but I enjoyed it. The work was somewhat familiar being that I have had an interest in photography for many years now and have used Photoshop for the same amount of time, but I did learn quite a few things about the program. It was also nice to actually be able to talk to someone. The only person I know who does photography is someone I work with and she’s not doing it for her job, so it’s not exactly the same thing.

In school it’s all been about how the week’s almost over, May’s just around the corner, the ACT is next week… talk about a pain. All of my teachers are encouraging studying over break. Which is, you know, fine and all. But that would mean I have to study for the ACT, three college exams, practice my saxophone for the concert, get my pictures done for Photography, plus any other homework I have… as well as try and enjoy actually having a vacation.

This should be interesting.

Over the break I have to get some possible photographs taken for a contest I’m in. The group is called SkillsUSA and it’s a national competition. April 27th and 28th I’m going to be in Wisconsin Dells for this. I have to have two pictures prepared to put on display, but I also have to have a knowledge of lighting, framing, camera parts, editing, Photoshop and who knows what else. It’s extremely over-whelming. My teachers are giving me packets after packets of stuff I need to know, telling me to get my pictures in as soon as possible, giving me a book on photography, while also telling me that I’m not expected to land a first and go to nationals (since this is my first time doing this for the club). No pressure, right?

The theme photograph is a silhouette, and I think I have some ideas for that. The other one is freelance. Of course, that’s the one that has me stuck.

As promised, I did get the wallpapers up. Go to For You > Wallpapers and it should be the first one.

Anyway, I have an outline due tomorrow that I should probably get done. And a review packet for Employability Skills. Meh.

1. What do you want to be when you grow up?
2. What do you think I should add for graphics?
3. What do you think I should blog about (like opinions on certain things, rather than always about my daily life)?
4. Are you glad summer is slowly getting closer?!

Posted in Music, Photography, Real-Life, School | 7 Comments »

I’ve never been so sure.

Friday, March 19th, 2010

“Reflex. Reflection. Click. Off the top of your head. The sum of what you see, think you see, remember, project… I came, I saw, I conquired. Veni vidi vici = to photograph.”
– William Klein

I’ve never been so absolutely, positively sure that being a photographer is what I want, until I went through the Street Seen exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The entire thing (save for one painting that I’m not sure why it was included here) consisted of photography. Photography almost all in black and white, going back to, if I remember right, World War II. It was fantastic. It was beautiful. Some were blurry, some were sharp, some were spontaneous, some were planned. But they were all completely and totally amazing.

I may never be able to live up to the photography of people like William Klein, Robert Frank, Saul Leiter, any of the others displayed, or even any wonderful photographers like them, but I will die trying. And I will die happy.

“Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.”
– Robert Frank

We went to the art museum today as a field trip for AP Language. Prior to today, I had never actually been inside the Milwaukee Art Museum. But it’s a fantastically designed building. The main lobby area and the walkway leading into the collections is designed like a ship, with huge windows over-looking Lake Michigan and the walkway along the beach. I have two pictures that show the inside of the lobby, facing toward the windows. I also have one that shows the ‘ceiling’ of the lobby.

I think the only depressing part about the museum part of the field trip was having to watch tons and tons of kids my age with SLR cameras. ): You’re probably thinking “What a stupid thing to be bothered by.” Well, if any of you know Islie… all I can say is that I want this camera about as much as she wants to meet Johnny Depp, if not more.

Oh yes, I went there.

None of the people I saw had Canons though. They were all Nikons (of the SLRs) or the little tiny Fuji things that make my camera look like an SLR.

Which just means that if I ever get my hands on the 7D and I go back, I’ll kick some serious behind.

“Seeing is a neglected enterprise.”
– Saul Leiter

While I highly recommend visiting the Milwaukee Art Museum (even though, unless I know you from school, you probably do not live in the area), one thing I do not recommend is eating at the restaurant known as “5 Guys”. It was extremely disgusting. Unless you like grease filled hamburgers (and I mean really filled) and fries so greasy they’re slimy, you won’t like it.

If you like heart attacks, it’s probably for you.

Anyway, on a site-related note, you can clearly see bcf got a make-over. New layout, finally. And I’m going to try to avoid neglecting my updating here. I’ve just been busy with “should be doing homeworks” and running around and a whole bunch of other things.

I did, though, create a wallpaper based off of this picture that I took. Hopefully I’ll be able to get that up soon.

1. Do you like museums? What are your favorites?
2. If you could have one thing, what would it be? *
3. If I made a subdomain here for my photography, do you think I should make it a simple gallery, or make it a photoblog? Any name suggestions?
4. The sidebar looks really empty. Any content ideas?

* I asked this one before, if I remember correctly. But desires change.

Edit / I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT THIS! I got an iguana! His name is Machiavelli, or Mac for short. He’s a baby. Out of all of his possible places to sit, he prefers my head. Dork.

Posted in Internet, Photography, Rant, Real-Life, School | 20 Comments »