Plans for what I've learned

This week I pulled together all the things that I've done with the technology and training I have recieved.  I also have a list of things that I would like to do with the camera.  These things can all be found on my Prezi:

http://prezi.com/0gtymp7rophm/digital-media-finale/?kw=view-0gtymp7rophm&rc=ref-3139089

Video Haiku

This week I wrote a haiku about my guitar. It is something that always makes me happy.  I wanted to get a close up shot of my hands playing for the last shot so it would be more interesting.

For the closeup I used the macro lens to get a more crisp shot. I used a tripod for the last shot and my hand for the other shots.  The most difficult part this week was thinking of a haiku.  Once I did this project I immediately thought that I could have students write haiku poems in my world history class and then make videos of them.

Here is the link to my video:

http://vimeo.com/63014689

Spring Break Wahoo

During the week of Spring Break I used the ole tax refund to do some work around the house.  The biggest project that I took on was redoing the kitchen.  My dad and I removed the old countertop, wall oven, cooktop, and sink.  We replaced the cooktop and wall oven with a standard oven/range unit.  To do this we had to run a new wire from the breaker box in the basement to the kitchen (which meant fun crawling under the house). 

We spent 3 days cutting and revamping/painting the kitchen, but overall it was a good time and its nice to look back when its done, knowing that now I can fix food a bit faster than with appliances from the 80s.  I chose the theme song from Home Improvment for the background music in the video both because of what the video is about and the length of the video. 

Here is the link:

http://vimeo.com/62501759

Movement Video

Last week I shot video of my hometown and where I live now.  There was a lot of movement in that video so this week I thought I'd go another route and use a day in my life as "movement".  I used "swish" transitions for each of the short clips I shot throughout my day.  I enjoy this type of transition.  I think it adds a new element to transitioning rather than the usual cross dissolve.

The idea for the video was through my eyes.  I tried to keep it simple so other than clipping it together there are no filters or transitions added into the video.

Here is the link:
http://vimeo.com/61484486

My Home

This week I chose to do a video showing where I use to call home and where I now call home.  I heard the song that is throughout the song and thought it would help tell the story without me have to speak throughout the video. I used a lot of hometown landmarks as well as some video effects (such as adding grain) and also speeding up and slowing down video to tell this story.

Overall I am pleased with how the video turned out. I am still getting the hang of editing and when to cut and how to cut, but I feel like it flows fairly well with the music and I wanted the song to finish with the lyric home when it shows the final shot.  This was mainly shot from a moving vehicle being driven by my wife as we traveled all around my hometown of Madison, WV.  Before the video gets to the city, if you can call it that, you can see a coal mine on the side, which is what made Madison a city to begin with. It used to be quite the city before the coal mines became more mechanized and had to let people go.  My elementary school, middle school, and high school are all through the video as well.  What I enjoy about thinking of home and showing my hometown is that it has changed very little since I left.  It's a simple town with good people, the kind of place where people in other vehicle stop and flag you to go as they throw their hand up.  The first chapter of the video ends with my parents standing on the porch giving thumbs up as we leave, which is how they have always done since I began driving 12 years ago. I intentionally blurred their faces to make it look a little dramatized.

The second chapter of the video illustrates some things around town that we enjoy.  For the last shot I wanted to follow the lyric of the song which is, "I'm gonna make this place your home" because to me a home is a place you feel secure, and where you are loved.  This has been my favorite assignment thus far.

Click the link below for my video:

MY HOME VIDEO

Nostalgia

This week the topic was Nostalgia.  I really wanted to have a longer video, so I wasn't able to include all the clips I had planned out.  I filmed it all in my man cave/garage.  I used a tripod for all the shots. I edited the video using iMovie 12.  The song is the Foo Fighters Learn to Fly which was a song I probably listened to more than any other in the 90s. 

When I think of Nostalgia many things come to mind but I wanted to pick something that without people and voices in the video would still be obvious so I chose a cassette and the original Gameboy.  The only shot that I didn't fully use was a side shot.  Instead I used a shot from the front at an angle.  Overall I am pleased with this video and I really look forward to shooting more.  It will be nice to learn more technique.

Reflections

This week for our project I decided to use mirrored sunglasses as a reflection.  I have some other pictures I took in previous weeks that illustrate reflections on water, but I liked the idea of the lenses not only reflecting the sky, but also making it the only part of the picture with color.  Besides that effect, I lowered the saturation of the blues to make the sky have more contrast than the clouds.  All in all I am pleased with this picture and thankful for my wife having patience while I take pictures of her around Huntington.

Week 4- Silhouette

This week I decided that I would like to do a silhouette of the Camden Park sign.  I think it is fairly recognizable to people around the area without being able to see much detail on the sign itself.  I took this photo as the sun was setting behind the sign.  I had the aperture closed almost all the way and the exposure down to -3.  I edited it by saturating and adding more luminance to just the blue and yellows in the photo.  I wanted the sky to have an almost unreal look to it so I really bumped up the saturation, even to the point that it started to look like chalk in the sky.  I really enjoyed getting to go out and get this picture, it brought back a lot of memories from my childhood. 

4 Seasons in one week

This week I went out 4 different days to capture the weather.  On Tuesday I got some shots of the Huntington skyline when it was about 70 degrees.  I captured some rain the next two days, and snow to finish off the week.  I couldn't choose my favorite of all the pictures so I am left with two.  They are not only different because of the type of weather they are, but also in complexity.  The rain shot was using the Sigma lens set to macro at the full 300mm.  The second photo was taken in Kanawha State Forest on Friday morning.  There is a a lot going on in the photo, but I do like how it shows all the branches covered in snow.

Week 2-Smile

This week I chose to take a picture of my guitar neck.  The reason I wanted to include my guitar as a smile is simple; I love music.  When I am having a bad day or when I am stressed out, guitar is my way of relaxing.  I have been playing guitar for about 5 years now and it is my favorite hobby.  I did struggle for the first several days of this assignment, but then I decided to incorporate something about myself into the project.  The eyes are the 7th fret and the smile is a piece of paper.  I took this photo in front of a nearby brick wall to make use of something in the background and to also make the guitar standout more than if it were a solid backdrop.

Broaden Your Horizon-Week 1

I wanted to get a view of the horizon with Marshall's campus in the foreground.  I chose a spot at the edge of the Spring Hill Cemetery so I would be able to capture the horizon above campus.  This week was particularly difficult to get a good horizon picture because the weather has not been pleasant.  The picture above was the third day that I went out to get a good picture.  I am pleased with how this photo came out since the this past week did not allow for blue skies to offer a contrast to the horizon line.  If I were going to use this picture for my own photo blog I would make it black and white to add more depth by playing with the contrast.