Wide-Angle Wednesday- Get Connected

Greetings from the snowy Midwest!

One of the greatest inventions in technology created is the Internet. Prior to the Internet communication was limited but in today’s world we have the opportunity to communicate world wide in less than a second. As a military family, social networking keeps us connected to our families and friends no matter the location we’re currently in. As students our classmates can be in a combat zone or sitting on the sunny beaches of Hawaii at any given time. Online schooling is unique because we all have the opportunity to connect with one another through social networking like Google +.

            A few blogs back I wrote about life outside the classroom. One of the greatest discoveries for me as a student was the Photography Student Professional Network (PSPN) hosted right here on Google +. Moderated by our very own Ai Photography Department Faculty, the community page is a great place to ask questions, share imagery, community resource, and a chance to connect with both faculty and fellow photography students. The PSPN community main page runs just like other social networking news feeds, the newest posting appearing at the top. Off to the left of the news feed is a tool bar in which will narrow down the postings to a particular category.

            Photo sharing is very popular at PSPN and tops the tool bar list. When posting images expect faculty and fellow students to provide a critique. Some student’s will post images to give an idea to an issue their experiencing and specifically to ask how to solve the issue. Recently I shared images from an assignment, because I enjoy critiques and was proud of what I had accomplished.

            Look at the tool bar as a way to search through the postings on the main news feed. Though if your looking for something specific you can also use the “search community” box located directly above the tool bar. Below I searched “lighting” and all posting with reference to lighting was narrowed down in the feed from newest to oldest in posting. Being this is just a screen shot, you can only see a few postings, but the posting do continue as lighting is a commonly talked about.

            One of the highlights I look forward to is the posting of graduate’s portfolios. What a great way to congratulate our fellow classmates, review their hard work, and gain inspiration to continue your path in school. A few of the recent graduates were the original Student Ambassador bloggers. To narrow down the feed to view posting of portfolios just click on the BS Grad or AS Grad Portfolio tabs.  

            As you can see the tabs offer a quick way to narrow down your interest. The PSPN is more that an avenue for reading, your also invited to attend the webinars at no cost. Click on the event tab and you can view upcoming and past webinars. The Photo Live webinars focus on variety of subjects related to photography weekly. Artist Talk has been held monthly, in which an artist is invited to speak and share their work. Both Photo Live and Artist Talk welcome students to ask questions either by chat box or through a computer mic. The webinars don’t require a webcam, so no worries there. Feel free to show up in your PJ’s if you like, because no one will know. If you’re unable to be online you also have the option to call in and participate via phone. The only downside to phoning in is that you won’t be able to view any visual presentations.

            Personally I enjoy the webinars and look forward to meeting up with fellow students and faculty. I invite you to join the PSPN and to attend the next upcoming Photo Live webinar. Click the link below to view how to attend the upcoming Photo Live.

Photo Live: Get Connected  Thursday 6th of February @ 11am MST

I leave you with this quote;
“Introverts don't like small talk conversation, but they typically don't mind writing. The more people can "see" you on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or a blog, the more they will feel like they know you, even though you don't have one-on-one interaction with them.” 
― Thom S. Rainer

            The quote is very true as I tend to call a lot of people I have networked with online as friends even though we have never met face to face. Getting connected is more than building a friendship; it’s an opportunity to open doors. Whether it be a new technique, obtain a better understanding of a skill, there is always something new and exciting to see.

I look forward to meeting students on PSPN and hope to see you at the next Photo Live.

Sincerely,

The Wednesday Ambassador

Substance, please!

Saturday Ambassador

The critique is a vital part of being a student at the Art Institutes. It is a required part of every assignment, and it affects your grade. The purpose is to promote communication, to develop conversant language in the arts and to share your observations with your peers. However, it is also an art form; the ability to convey that which stimulates artistic growth to others is beneficial to both parties. You solidify your knowledge by discussing what you already know, you may encounter new ideas by initiating discourse on a topic and you provide a new perspective to the recipient of the critique.

The most significant aspect of critiquing effectively is honesty. Much of the student feedback consists of so much drivel about how nice is the work being discussed. While that is always pleasant to the ear, it is not particularly useful on its own. Consider adding a bit about why it is nice – what elements of the art compel the viewer or generate interest? More importantly, where can improvements be made? If there are notable flaws, ignoring them does not benefit the art's creator.

 

I mentioned that honesty is a virtue, but this does not give license to launch a vituperative attack. Temper your most piercing comments with a bit of praise for the more appealing elements of the work. Always provide an explanation with your disapproval. "I don't like this" does not serve any useful purpose. Define technical flaws, compositional faux pas and other issues, and offer useful (and correct) advice.

Many students are afraid that they will give offense with an honest critique – and you will. At some point, you will inadvertently offend someone. As long as your intentions were worthy, apologize for the misunderstanding and move on. If the recipient remains galled, so be it. The risk is always outweighed by the potential benefits.

Pay attention to the content of your critiques: Don't just say the same thing twelve different ways to fulfill a word-count requirement. None of us is fooled by that, particularly not the instructor.

Good critiquing practices will ultimately aid your peers and make you a better photographer. Avoid the easy road and venture upon the one less traveled, for it is there that our most precious commodity – knowledge – may be obtained.

The Road Less Traveled, Deva Mayorga-Malone, 2013

 

~Saturday Ambassador

 

 

 

Photojournalism with a Twist and a Vape

Good Morning Everyone and Happy Sunday,  I know its  been a while since my last blog, but my current class of Intro to Photojournalism and some other obligations have been putting me through the ringer. Today's blog won't be a  long one and I apologize about that, but I wanted to share with everyone some things I have been working on. Within the last two months I had quit smoking, thanks a few wonderful people in my life. This opened up a whole new area to photograph. Its called Vaping or e-cigs... Call it what you want it saved my life and thousands of others.

I had the opportunity to attended a Vape meet at Liberty Vapor in Phoenixville, PA as part of my photojournalism class and Vapor myself, I found that everywhere in the vaping community there are people willing to help enhance your own personal creativity. Below are some of the photos that I took for my final assignment.

You can check out Liberty Vapor at www.Libertyvapor.net if you dont live in the Phoenixville area or stop in they would love to help you take that next step.

Photos by Wayne Salat

Photos by Wayne Salat

Photos by Wayne Salat

Photos by Wayne Salat

Photos by Wayne Salat

Again if you have any comments or questions please feel free to ask.

Enjoy Your Sunday and Photograph Something Everyday!

Sunday Ambassador~ Wayne

I Never Planned To Be A Photojournalist!

Over the past two weeks I have had an abundance of photojournalism jobs. During the photojournalism classes I took at AIPOD, I kept thinking, I will never use this kind of photography in my wedding and portrait business. I never expected my business to take in business event coverage. You see, these jobs have not been for newspapers or magazines, but rather for Inforum, A Women’s Business Alliance, one of my commercial clients. I covered three lunch events where a moderator had a conversation on the place of women in business today with the special guest. These guests were: in Lansing: Governor Richard Snyder;

in Detroit: Dan Akerson, Chairman of General Motors; and in Grand Rapids: Doug DeVos, President of Amway Corporation. At the meetings with Governor Snyder and Dan Akerson,which were on consecutive days, there was an abundance of press, and I had to take advantage of my role as official photographer for Inforum to get images I wanted. At the first event, I saw the way the press acted, knew I could never be so rude, and quickly adapted so that I could get the images I wanted without being rude. (I asked the governor’s press secretary to let me get a photo after the press conference ended and she kept the governor there just long enough for me to snap a photo of him in front of the banners. I had to make sure that one quick shot counted!) I learned from this what I needed to do to get the shots I wanted. The lunch meeting with Dan Akerson was extremely large, with over 1,000 in attendance and camera and newspeople from every major source. I had my zoom lens, so I got down on the floor with the cameramen in front of the tables for some great shots. And knowing those in charge of Inforum, I was ready at the end of the luncheon to grab a more formal shot with Dan Akerson as they came off the stage. As soon as I was finished, the camera/newspeople were moving in. The lighting in both images was flat, but at least I got the images.

A week passed between the Detroit and the Grand Rapids meetings. Inforum may have limited who could come from the press on this meeting. There were only two other cameras there, and only one shooting during the meeting. I knew exactly where I needed to be to get great images. After the meeting, I had press people from the local paper and media people three other places asking if they could get images from me. I now have contacts with the local newspaper (who already got a photo from me) and the publisher of a local women’s magazine. The newspaper needed a horizontal image. Amway’s media department will be more interested in an image that “puts a good light” on their company president. Which photo do you think Amway will prefer?

Suddenly, today, after this experience, I was glad for the times I was forced to think like a photojournalist. Those classes prepared me to not only cover an event, but do it artistically.

So, the moral of the story, learn every genre the best you can. It will pay off someday.                                          Have a great Thursday!

Thoughts on Creating a Series and Presentation.

Good Morning and Happy Sunday... I have had a busy week with my current class and life in general. This Sunday I just wanted to touch base on a subject that I am currently dealing with, the subject is a photographic series. Im sure that many of you have seen these before. I know I have some are very interesting and others.. well, others not so much. Now the questions is why were they not so successful, I don't really have an answer, but the one thing that has been weighing on my mind is how the series is presented to the viewing audience. Does that series have that "WOW or SHOCK VALUE" factor. If they do then I would assume that they would be rather successful vs. the series that doesn't give the viewing audience something to think about or draw them in.

I have been working on my own series. Its the Post-Apocalyptic Gas Mask Series. Over the past few weeks I have photographed for this series, it part of my final project for class,but they will all fall into place when the project is done. The one thing I have noticed is that all the subjects I have photographed have one thing in common... The Gas Mask, they all have some "Shock Value", but Its missing something.. This weekend I figured out what it is, so I am on a quest to fulfill the missing aspect of my series. Until I get that done, I still have the task of figuring out how to present it. I thought of it as if it were a book. You have the title then all the chapters. I am in the process of working out the details, but if any reader has any suggestions or comments please feel free to comment,leave suggestions or opinions.. I love opinions. Again its been a busy week, sorry for a short blog today. Below are a few of the photographs from my current series.

 All Photos Taken by Wayne Salat

 All Photos Taken by Wayne Salat

 All Photos Taken by Wayne Salat

 All Photos Taken by Wayne Salat

 All Photos Taken by Wayne Salat

 All Photos Taken by Wayne Salat

All Photos Taken by Wayne Salat

Again if you have any comments or questions please feel free to ask.

Enjoy Your Sunday and Photograph Something Everyday!

Sunday Ambassador~ Wayne

Location.. Location.. Location...

Good Morning Everyone and Happy Sunday... These weeks seem to be flying by especially when you are in a class that you really enjoy. This week I wanted to touch on a topic that came into play for a current assignment in Photographic Design. The topic is Location.... Now depending on what you're planning on photographing will depend on the Location... but not every location is the right fit.  Sometimes the studio is the best place to create your magic. The one assignment that comes to mind was from this past week was Audio Interpretation—Storytelling.  

 We are all students and we are all still learning, but sometimes you need to think outside the box for your assignments.   I chose a song by R.E.M: “it’s the end of the world as we know it” (but I feel fine).  There are so many different views on how a photographer could shoot this, but you have to incorporate everything about the song into one image. This isn't easy. I had scouted a few places and I ended up back at a place where I have photographed before. It’s called the Philadelphia Coal Pier; it’s been abandoned for years and has graffiti all over the remaining walls. This was the best place; I got all my ducks in a row and set up my shoot.  The challenge for this type of assignment is that you really need use symbolism to get the message across and not be so literal about it. Again thinking outside the box this was the direction I decided to go. I could have chosen several different locations.

Some really cool locations came to mind and they will be done, but for this assignment and for the "shock value", this location worked the best for me. If I had done this in a playground or in a studio I don’t feel that the impact or the message would have gotten across.  I don’t mean to be long winded today, but I have so many ideas and well my… ADD is kicking in… so just remember when you’re planning a photo shoot, take your time and choose the best location that will give the viewer the best possible vision of what you want your images to portray, this way you will create a long lasting memory in that persons mind and they will remember you and your work. 

Below are a few photos that I took for this assignment:

 Photos by Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

 Photos by Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

 Photos by Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

 Photos by Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

Photos by Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

Again if you have any comments or questions please feel free to ask.

Enjoy Your Sunday and Photograph Something Everyday!

Sunday Ambassador~ Wayne

Balancing Your Life and Education

Obtaining an education and balancing the time it requires with a demanding lifestyle can be a challenge. Many students attend classes online because they have other responsibilities, such as work or family obligations. Others, perhaps, simply find it convenient. Regardless, pursuing your degree, be it your first or one of several, is one of the most important things you will do in your life; it is your gateway to a brighter future, a greater income or fulfillment of your grandest desires. Allow me to offer some advice about how to achieve a viable solution:

• Get your priorities in order. Though perseverance is required, your education is your ticket to a more promising future. The people you love should be able to understand that you have a commitment that will demand a great amount of your time for the next few years and afford you the space to attend to it.
 
• Curb your social life. You don't have to be a hermit for the next four years, but putting real effort into the work you produce will pay off in the long-run.
 
• Budget carefully and expect the unexpected. Plan for contingencies, because life is rarely predictable.
 
• Start assignments early. Reading them for the first time on the day they are due is asking for trouble and will likely not elicit your best work.
 
• Produce exceptional work - every time. If your assignment requires forty photographs, don't shoot forty images and submit them all. Create 100 images and select only the best. If your work on an unfamiliar technique or subject could be better, shoot it/write it again before submitting it. The worst that could happen is that you'll learn something.
 
• Embrace new techniques and media. Just because you enjoy nature doesn't mean you shouldn't learn portraiture. Exploring new realms will ultimately make you a better photographer. 

Check out this video demonstrating how an OTR truck driver pursues a Bachelor of Science degree online in the Art Institute's Photography program.

The AI Experience 

 

The AI Experience, Deva Mayorga-Malone, 2013

 

~Saturday Ambassador

 

 

 The AI Experience