2014 NAU Behind the Image: Guest Blogger project » You Can Sleep When You're Dead: Blog by Colleen Miniuk

Behind the Image: NAU Guest Blogger – Chris Martin

May 022014

Photo copyright Chris Martin

The inspiration for this image comes from the emotion behind the place where it was taken. Alcatraz Island, “The Rock”, is known in history for being a prison that is escape proof, and was home to the most dangerous criminals in history. As I walked around the island, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of sadness with undertones of loneliness and isolation even though there were hundreds of people there. Around the perimeter of the island were numerous photo opportunities, but as I came upon this scene where the above photo was taken I sensed something different and a sense of happiness and freedom began to take over me; with the green plants and a ferryboat representing a way of escape, yet still staying true to the history of the island with an old run down building as my main focus point. This opposition of emotion all in one picture made it a very popular spot for other photographers there and gave me one of my favorite photos from the whole island tour.

I approached the spot of the image with my initial intent to take a horizontal picture, but no composition was quite right, and nothing captured the emotion that I felt as I stood there. I began to walk away, but in my head I told myself that I had to stay and figure it out. After a few moments I had the idea to flip my camera vertical and take a photo and the first one I captured was the image seen, and I loved it.

For the photo I am using a very small aperture of f/11, because I wanted as much in focus as possible. My ISO is at 125 at 1/40^th of a second.

As I took the image into Lightroom, there weren’t many changes that I wanted to make. I cropped the image to get rid of some clutter on the right side, I boosted the shadows and brought down the highlights in order to get the most contrast out of the image. Lastly, I increased saturation to give the greenery some nice punch and that’s it.

About the Photographer:
My name is Chris Martin, I’ve been interested in filmmaking for quite sometime, but just recently started to get into photography, and I’m slowly learning all of the subtle differences between the two when it comes to framing and composition. The type of photography that I enjoy most is landscape and astrophotography, although I’m still learning the latter. Also, almost every single photo I take I touch up in some kind of way in Lightroom for minor stuff, or Photoshop for more intense photo editing. To me post processing is an artistic choice that only you as the artist can produce and even if two photographers took very similar photos, they can look vastly different depending on the post work done. This ties in with my main goal as a photographer and that is to be different and set myself apart from the crowd.

To read more about the Northern Arizona University “Behind the Image: Guest Blogger” project on our blog, please read the introduction at youcansleepwhenyouredead.com/wordpress/its-back-the-2014-nau-photography-students-behind-the-image-guest-blogger-project/.

Behind the Image: NAU Guest Blogger – Daniel Riebe

Guest Blogger, Making the Image 3 Responses »

May 012014

Photo copyright Daniel Riebe

Every image captivates a story. Whether significant or not, each story brings the audience closer to the photograph. The story told through this image allows the audience to understand more about the person and the specific background. Along with the story behind the image I want to present the man’s story as well. His name is Caveman. He’s a homeless man from Flagstaff, Arizona with a life that incorporates a very particular mindset of thoughts.

This story began with a downtown Flagstaff exploration while I looked for that image that would leave me in peace. I shot a couple photos of strangers while I explained to them my reason to why their photo had been taken that day, I had yet to take a photo which would allow for the completion of the portrait shot.

A couple of relationship shots, teenagers that had hung out together that day and of course the employee shot of a hard days work simply had not been the type of image I had in mind. I had been on the look for a different perspective of how individuals see the world. The day had slowly started to come to an end and I had been disappointed in the shots I found, to say the least. As I walked back to my vehicle I had felt defeated, with the mindset of the day to be over.

Suddenly, an individual that I had not seen earlier was perched directly in front of me with a very peculiar name, Caveman. His stern look seemed questionable whether to go talk to him or not but he had hand written signs that intrigued me. I walked up to this man, introduced myself and started a conversation that went further then I had expected.

One of the most kind, gentle and extremely enthusiastic individuals I had ever met in my life, Caveman told me stories I would have never believed I would ever had heard. The best part of this individual had been to learn about his ideas that a majority in the world would believe are insane. This man had a life with a house and a job to pay for it and one day had been tired of it all and dedicated himself to be on his own with his old life left as memories. He had a different ideology on the behalf of illegal substances, which he now had revolved most of his life around.

This however had been the most intriguing part about him. The belief that one-day he would be taken up, by what he called “the weed fairies”, which allowed him to be in a different world. This photo represents a different perspective on life. The story applies a specific outlook for people to look back on there own life.

On the mechanical side I used a Canon 70d and an 18-55mm lens. The black and white photo emphasizes contrast which provides more emotion to the photo.

About the Photographer:
I have personally found that the ability to capture a fleeting scene in order to depict its story is why photography has become so important to me. It is also humbling to think that each and every moment, which I choose to capture, is an image that testifies to my interests and passions. If you would like to know what I enjoy, cherish, and respect, look at my work, what I document, and choose to share for others to see.

My work consists of proposal and engagement photos while being able to sell my photographs to those who show interest. I prefer subjects that are not going to move around. Subjects that sit still and have me move to the specific angle I need for the perfect photograph.

Have you ever stopped and stared at something for a considerable amount of time; wishing that you could physically hold on to the image that you are currently tantalized with? The beauty of photography is that it allows an artist to express those moments that would otherwise remain nothing more than a memory for any who were there to witness it.

It is my goal to continue on this path, and further my ability to express myself. Truthfully, it is astounding to think that a hobby I have has also become my voice and my way to display how I see our world!

Behind the Image: NAU Guest Blogger – Wuke Zhou

Guest Blogger, Making the Image 2 Responses »

May 012014

Photo copyright Wuke Zhou

Little Orange Juice (my cat) came to me on a Friday night. Since then, he occupied every inch of my apartment. At first, he was so into the computer. He could not stop watching my girlfriend typing her paper. However, one day, little Orange Juice found a new world.

It was a dark day, and I was alone in the living room. I created a small studio for my photo class assignment and was ready to shoot. Little Orange Juice was sleeping on a chair behind me. The moment I hit the trigger, I also woke up Orange Juice because of the light from the flash. I did not notice him until he “meowed”. He looked at me on the other side of the table, very still. I hesitated only for a second and took the shoot. At that special moment, I didn’t think twice or adjust my camera settings. It came to me that I wouldn’t have a second chance to take the shot. I believed that Orange Juice inspired me to create this image. As a matter of fact, he encouraged me to do so. I hardly ever have a chance to photograph him because he is so naughty. Also, animals don’t pose for photographers. Therefore, I knew I had to take the shot.

As I mentioned before, it was the trigger that drew Orange’s attention. When I took the shot, the flash fired as well. Thus, I got a very clear shot of him, full of details. I was surprised that the flash turned out to be perfect. It came from the side and added stunning shadows on Orange Juice’s face. Meanwhile, since I didn’t have time to change the setting or camera lens, the data for this photo is kind of interesting. Using my Canon 5D Mark III, Canon Macro Lens 100mm, ISO 320, 1/20 sec at f 10, at roughly half powered light from an off camera flash.

These settings actually worked well. Low ISO number means overly high quality of the image. Compared with the dark environment, 1/20 second might seem too slow. I didn’t recall if I used a tripod or not, but there is no sign of movement. Thus, I supposed that I did use a tripod, which makes 1/20 second good enough for this image. On the other hand, slow shutter speed ensures enough light. As a matter of fact, we can still notice a little bit more high light in this image. A very large aperture makes sure a deep depth of filed in this image as well.

During the post-processing of this image, the first important thing is to crop the image. I only used Lightroom to edit this image. On the original photo, Orange Juice’s head was in the center but only took about 1/6 of the image. I cropped it a lot because I didn’t want any distractions. Then, I applied 10 clarity, sharpness and contrast on the whole photo. I focused on the details next. I decreased highlights and shadows on his face to make him look soft and bright. I added some clarity on his nose and eyes. I increased the orange and red in this photo too. Therefore, he looked cuter. That’s all I have done for this image.

About the Photographer:
As a future commercial photographer, my initial goal is fulfilling my clients satisfaction in the shortest time possible. In order to achieve my goal, I will learn all the camera equipment that I need to handle and be creative during post-production process. I believe what makes me differ from other photographers is that I understand the difference between creating fine art and starting a business. My art piece will always show both the profession of skills and artistic values that my clients can appreciate.

Behind the Image: NAU Guest Blogger – Ashley Carlson

Guest Blogger, Making the Image 1 Response »

Apr 302014

Photo copyright Ashley Carlson

As a born and raised Flagstaff native, or “Flagstaffian”, I have always taken the beauty of Northern Arizona for granted and even at times hated living here. All throughout my primary education I had this grand dream of escaping Flagstaff to see if the grass is really greener on the other side. A series of events and decisions led me to stay in Flagstaff to attend NAU and that is when I began to realize that Flagstaff is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. After my freshman year of college I made a life-changing decision that came in the form of a Jack Russell puppy. That huge bundle of responsibility and endless energy made me take daily ventures out into the woods and that is when I fell in love with the place I had lived in my whole life.

Many adventures later led me to discover this beautiful open field right behind Pulliam Airport. After dozens of hikes in this field, I finally brought along my camera to take a picture I have been dreaming of capturing for years.

Standing in the middle of the field with my Nikon D600, 8mm Rokinon Fisheye lens, tripod, and my dog, I began snapping pictures. With my ISO set to 320, with a shutter speed of 1/80, and my aperture set to 22 I was able to avoid capturing the stronger shadows that surrounded me and also keep everything in focus. That day the clouds were wispy and moving quickly due to the wind so I wanted to track the movement of the clouds in one photo. Using my watch, I snapped a photo every minute for about 15 minutes. I had to stop after 15 pictures because the sun was setting extremely fast but I took enough pictures to give me the desired effect I had envisioned. I uploaded all the images to Photoshop as layers and created a stacked image, which I then saved into Lightroom to do the final tweaks.

This photo has a deeper meaning to me personally than any other photo I have taken. The time lapse of it represents all those days I never stopped to appreciate the place I grew up in. The field and mountains reminds me how much I have grown to love every part of the outdoors. The overall image gives me the warm, fuzzy feeling of home and how I have fallen in love with my hometown.

About the Photographer:
As a Flagstaffian, I have grown up around the gorgeous outdoors. So, I tend to photograph nature most of the time but I also strive to always push myself and broaden my horizons to other forms of photography. Photography is not just a hobby, it is a form of therapy; it relaxes me but also makes me exercise my imagination. I try to find the beauty in everything in life, to find inspiration in everything from people to nature. As a perfectionist, I am never happy until I feel my art has been completed to the best of my ability. My goal in photography is to capture something that pleases the eye and that I feel is my best work.

www.thealcstudio.com

Behind the Image: NAU Guest Blogger – Allison Jourden

Guest Blogger, Making the Image No Responses »

Apr 302014

Photo copyright Allison Jourden

When assigned to my photography class, this project bore the name “Painting with Light.” Earlier in class, my instructor dazzled the class with beautiful images taken by photographers that danced with a source of light in their frames while taking images of multiple second exposures. The effect I found breath-taking.

When my turn came to breakout the artists brush and dip it in a little light, I struggled. I found the hurdles of getting my camera settings right often took up most of my shooting time. Having taken dozens of images, many blurred, or my friend attempting to blindly draw cool designs in the air and seeing close to no success, I quickly became disheartened and quite frustrated.

Initially I had chosen an outdoors location to shoot this photo. My friend and I met in a rather-trafficked area of campus – one of which I would have considered very dimly lit, until trying to use it as a location to take this photo. Eventually, we moved to an indoors location, as I found avoiding the yellow glow of campus lights impossible. Dorm living limits photographers on the available space to take intricate photos, neither mine nor my friend’s room was big enough to get anything done, so we met in our resident hall exercise room.

I had purchased and was excited to use glow sticks for this project – I thought I could achieve something epic – so as soon as we got in the room we began suspending them from walls and taping them together, hoping to construct some cool device that would look incredible when moved in front of a camera for 30 seconds. Again, this was to no avail.

I was ready to give up. How could all of those images I saw on Google have such clean and beautiful lines of light seemingly put in all the perfect places to illuminate only intended areas of the images? Why weren’t any of mine working out the way I was picturing them in my head? Why had I left this damned assignment until the night before it’s due and given myself no room for error?

I remember sitting. I told my friend I was going to take a break and that I didn’t know what I was going to do next. I proceeded to plant myself on the floor. I was ready for the mother of all sulks. Just then, I looked around. What was I missing? Something I hadn’t noticed before all of a sudden jumped out at me, making me feel like a dummy for not realizing its potential initially. One of the walls in this room was covered in mirrors. Yes! This was that extra element I felt all of my other images had been lacking.

Quickly, I set up my tripod and camera to face the wall of mirrors. I armed my friend with my flashlight while leaving some of the glow sticks still hung from a wall behind us. I told her that when I said go, to trace my body with the light. She did so and we only had to do this once. The result is the image above.

About the Photographer:
“If you always do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” – My Dad.

My name is Allison Jourden and I study photography at Northern Arizona University. Growing up, I seemed to always have a camera in my hand. I enjoy memories – there was always something about capturing moments in time to be remembered in the future that always pulled me towards photography. In school, I was always very academic. When it came time to start thinking about college and choosing a major, the thought of going in to photography as a profession terrified me. What if I wasn’t good enough? How was I going to make enough money to support myself? Would I be happy? In the end, that quote by my dad is what pulled it all together for me. I finally believed that if I spent my time doing something that made me happy, everything else would just fall in to place. So far, it has.

It’s Back! The 2014 NAU Photography Students “Behind the Image: Guest Blogger” Project!

Guest Blogger, Making the Image 61 Responses »

Apr 292014

Introducing the 24 NAU students who will act as Guest Bloggers on this blog starting tomorrow through early May (their photographs in alphabetical order):
First row (left to right): Joseph AL-Ruwaished, Ashley Carlson, Caitlin Chesler, Areina Contreras, Olivia Franco, and Ryan Gelb
Second row (l to r): Trent Heimerdinger, Paul Hurd, Allison Jourden, Donna Kelley, Shelby Lynch, and Chris Martin
Third row (l to r): Kelsey McHugh, Ty McNeeley, Rachel Richmond-Woodward, Daniel, Riebe, Jamie Shrader, and Ali Springer
Fourth row (l to r): John Thompson, Carlye Townsend, Matt Valley, Meagan Wakefield, Carolyn Wood, and Wuke Zhou

After the overwhelming success of last spring’s Northern Arizona University (NAU) Photography Students “Behind the Image: Guest Blogger” project, I’m thrilled to introduce a new group of photography students who will serve as guest bloggers on my blog starting tomorrow through early May!

Last spring, I partnered with my good friend, fellow photographer, and NAU photography instructor, Amy Horn, to offer her photography students real-world experience to put their school studies to practical use. Thirty-five students participated in this inaugural project (to see their entries, select Guest Blogger and Making the Image categories from the right side of this screen). After receiving many positive comments from both the students and this audience, Amy and I decided to team up again this year to offer a similar opportunity for one of her spring semester class.

On April 17, 2014, I visited her Intermediate Photography (PHO285) class to kick-off this year’s “Guest Blogger: Behind the Image” assignment. During the presentation, the students received instruction to select one image from this semester. Then, they would describe why and how they made the image in 800 words or less and in active-not passive-voice. We encouraged them to share what inspired them to make the photograph, what process they used to create it, and the technical information for the resulting frame. We also requested a 100-word bio so we could get to know the person behind the image. The students were not required to submit nature or outdoor-related images, as their interests varied greatly (and I feel strongly that we, as an audience, can improve our own work by reviewing and evaluating photography outside of our preferred domains).

Starting tomorrow and extending throughout the next 12 days, in no particular order, these 24 NAU Intermediate Photography students will share their visual expression with public audience via this blog – some blogging for the first time! I hope you enjoy the diversity, the unique perspectives, and honesty these students will share!

However, this project isn’t just for the students. It’s for you too!

You can make a difference in these students’ lives by reading their insights and providing your constructive comments. What do you like about the image? What might you improve? Do you have any similar experiences with this subject, technique, or approach? By actively participating in this project, you can also get new ideas for your own work. As I often share in my presentations and the Austin Kleon book suggests, “Steal like an artist!” How can you apply what you like to your own work in a different situation? Not only will the students get to hear your unique perspective and encouragement, but you also have the chance to polish your own style!

So without further ado, let’s welcome the 2014 NAU Intermediate Photography students and enjoy their photography and “Behind the Image” stories!

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