Emotion/Relationships

This week's assignment was not very successful for me. We had to take photos of people showing emotion or relationship. The idea was to be a fly on the wall and get these candid moments and then approach the person to get their information. This strategy did not work well for me and I felt uncomfortable. Lots of people would immediately see me with my camera and stare so I felt like I wasn't blending in. The photographs I did end up getting I approached the people first and then told them to get back to what they were doing and that seemed to work a lot better for me. I didn't get a whole lot of emotion out of one of my subjects which was disappointing but I am happy with my photos overall.

Michael Chiavario,65, of Bellingham, Wash., works out at the Bellingham Activity Senior Center Wednesday, Jan. 27,2016.

Miriam Schwartz, 53, of Bellingham, Wash., and Joan Wayne, 67, of Bellingham, Wash., drink coffee and discuss the latest books the have been reading at Woods Coffee Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016.

Miriam Schwartz, 53, of Bellingham, Wash., and Joan Wayne, 67, of Bellingham, Wash., drink coffee and discuss the latest books the have been reading at Woods Coffee Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016.

Environment/Personality Portraits

This assignment required me to find two individuals and compose a picture that either represented the environment they work or play in or showed their personality. I ended up finding two really interesting people in Fairhaven to photograph. I found Lisa to be more comfortable taking pictures with her dog. This really showed her personality so that is why I ended up picking the picture below for her. For Ben, he is an artist and I really wanted to capture the studio space he works in. The last picture shows that but the second image was a bit sharper looking. 

I am still learning the ins and outs of my camera and so some of the pictures I took ended up being either blurry or very dark. Also I have noticed that the pictures below seem to be over exposed. It didn't look that way when I had finished editing them in Photoshop but now I am thinking I should have toned down on the brightness. 

Lisa Hill, 58, of Bellingham, Wash., is the owner of Fairy Godmother’s Unlimited. Hill brings her corgi to work with her and plays with him under the counter.  

Ben Mann, 50, of Bellingham, Wash., stands in front of finished artwork in his art studio. 

Ben Mann, 50, of Bellingham, Wash., paints tulips in his art studio in the Morgan Block enclave. Mann considers his art to be contemporary folk art and has been told it is whimsical. 

Icebreaker Photos

For the first assignment in my photojournalism class I had to take pictures of strangers. My plan was to go to Boulevard Park and walk up to people who looked like they were just lounging around and weren't doing much. Most the people I took photos of were either alone or with one other person. The majority of people I talked to were really friendly and were willing to let me take their pictures. Bellow are the best three pictures I took.

G. Dean Britshgi, 57, of Bellingham, Wash., hangs out at Boulevard Park Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016. “I love the romance of what [Bellingham] used to be,” said Britshgi.

Shayne Vandenboomen, 22, of Kirkland, Wash., sits on a bench waiting for friends at Boulevard Park Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016. “I love the nature, proximity to the water and mountains,” said Vanderboomen.

Garret Miller, 19, of Longview, Tex., spends time at Boulevard Park playing his guitar Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016. “I love the view and the people, the people are very friendly,” said Miller.