Saturday, January 30, 2010

Yay!!!!

Loneliness was chosen as a finalist in the Photographer's forum, this makes four of my pics to make it into their competition over the past couple of years. This thrills me to no end, shows I have consistently good images, not just by my standards. It would be nice to win even 4th place this year though as we could use the money and being placed in Nikon's emerging photographers hall of fame would be so awesome. I must be improving somewhat as I actually placed second with this photo in the five state, in the people category, not one of my stronger areas, but one I keep striving to work on. Grad school is somewhat intimidating, I go for my initial review after this semester and they will determine if I stay or go. Part of my thesis is to design and print 27 catalogs for the faculty and Graduate school, likely wind up printing 30 or so just to even up the printing and cutting order. That is going to be slightly expensive, as will setting up my thesis show, but I have until Spring 2012 to do that...*phew*...

I have a better show record than most of my fellow students, and others who have graduated with their masters, so I hope that indicates my work is sufficiently good enough quality to mean continued progress. I am shooting lots of sports and other events this semester so I should get the opportunity to capture some interesting things, and I am looking forward to getting into the studio to take some abstract or still life shots and maybe some portraiture. my plug-in software should get here in a day or so and I am looking forward to playing with that.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Patience

We are underway.....while I get the opportunity to work with the campus photographer and get more experience, the opportunities will be slim, so they need to use me for graphics and grunt media work as well to fill up my work study. We will be getting less than we had anticipated from our tax returns as our new windows only cont in removing taxes paid, which we don't have at the moment. So re-adjusting there is in order. Fighting more with my depression, just can't seem to wrestle it under control lately like I have been, and my blood glucose keeps spiking, so I'm trying to cut back on my calorie intake to lose more weight, which likely contributes. I have to meet with my drawing professor and my photography professor on Mondays to discuss my direction and show work accomplished in the drawing aspect. Art History is M/W/F, with a 1 hour meeting early on Tuesday mornings and Digital media runs 3:30-6:20 on Tuesday and Thursday, which is sorta fun as I am learning some animation, but the three hour class is tiring. that leaves me some room to work while I'm on campus.....and read when I'm not working, this is because I don't want my wife to waste gas coming to get me mid day, I can manage being on campus all day and then come home. I shot the Women and Men Basketball games and Mitch was happy with my first effort, not much in the way of advice on how to improve, just to remember to get as close as you can. I go out to shoot the MLK candlelight ceremony on Monday, then I'll see what other work they have for me....I hope there is plenty to do, and I'll be doing lots of after hour shoots, so I'll be getting home later than usual, and my social life will be non-existent (like I had much of one to begin). I'll be submitting to a couple of shows this year, and the photographers forum as well, but the student honors show is beyond my grasp now, only undergrads can enter. I have sent something to our on campus publication, Lines, and to the McNeese exhibition, now comes the waiting. There will be fewer opportunities to take classes in the summer, so I'll have to get a job either working for a photographer in town, or at one of the retail stores around here (retail is the most likely). I was contemplating doing my paper for art history on the development of photography as both art and otherwise through the two world wars. I'll have to see what material they have on it, failing that I'll probably write on Margaret Bourke White during the 40's, or one of the many other photography pioneers. I'll need lots of patience....especially as all I want to do right now is scream and go running off into the ether...I want this to be done, and yet I feel like this is the only way I'll be able to get to a point to really make something for my family, despite the mounting debt.I have to budget some equipment into the next few semesters aid, software is included in this.....still waiting for my Plug-in suite 5 to process and ship...that's frustrating as well. IR filter is one of my wish list items, a combat style d-ring strap (so I can wear the camera slung rather than around my neck), one of those periscope style eyepiece devices as getting very low to the ground is easy, its the getting up that is hard (knees are pretty messed up). Lenses would be nice, but they'll come in time starting with a macro, then a wide angle then a good telephoto. Well I'll stop rambling now....I think maybe I've vented enough so that I won't implode or something. I know not everyone reads this journal, and I kind of double post on my other two journals......maybe I should just keep updating all three.