What is a Rubric?

What is a rubric? How to read a rubric to get all your points

Another very good Wednesday morning to you. It is currently storming outside my window and my boys have their noses glue to the window panes watching the lightning flashes and listening for all the thunder.

If you have children then I am sure you can picture two little boys in their pajamas on the couch.

Well on to why you should allows make sure that you pay attention to your Rubric.

Well what is a Rubric to start with? The dictionary refers to it as " a statement of purpose or function" .

I always read it as, "Don't forget to check this list because I will lose points" list.

This rubric is normally in addition to you assignment requirements and lists the specifics on what is required for your assignment submission. Don't get confused here because you also have additional notes from your Professor, as well as additional tips and comments in your discussion feed.

You should always see the rubric as the official rules and regulations.

This is what you get graded on. The points to the right gives you an indication on the amount of content. It is not written in stone, but more information and details is always better than to little.

This what you are graded on, in addition to the other requirements within your assignment.

So, as you can see it is very easy to follow and it is normally set out in such a manner that you just need to follow the sequence as it is listed.

NB! One important point to remember here. Sometimes the feedback you need to give to your peers might not all be listed as the last day of the week. It changes all the time so pay attention to the date listed here as well.

Now there is no reason not to obtain full marks, (well only if you provide all the facts and information required) for any of your assignments. 

So have a great week and I leave you with this great quote from Zig Ziglar.

Ps: We have a great session on giving back to the community and how you can expand your business in the process. Please join us.

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8937203609213996043 

How to Deal with Stubborn or Mean Subjects During Event Photography

So one of the students this week posted about some trouble they had had with people not wanting to be photographed at a local event they were shooting for one of their photography classes.

This student had really had some cranky people that they ran into during a public event and asked how to best deal with situations like this. A few of us posted our suggestions and even a couple of the professors chimed in as well with their wisdom, and when it comes down to it, Reuben Njaa had one of the best responses, “Kill them with kindness.”

In photography, there are just certain things that we have to learn to deal with and overcome and one of the toughest is cranky subjects when trying to complete a shoot. Human nature is a sometimes funny thing and one of the oddest quirks that people have is not wanting to be photographed. Some of the Native American tribes as well as other more “primitive” groups of people felt that the camera would steal their souls and they would not be able to get into their Heaven.

The best way to deal with people that yell at you that you cannot take their picture when you are at a public event is to just apologize and not take their photo. Many times, you can change their mind by explaining that you are a professional just doing your job or in your case, a student doing an assignment. Often if you carry yourself as a professional with an air of confidence, you may just convince them to let you complete your assignment with them included.

                                          Concession worker at Gwinnett County Fair 2014

If being the confidant professional doesn’t work you can just apologize and move on. You need to learn to develop a “thick” skin as a photographer as we are not a profession that is truly loved by all. Often a few kind words and an apology and just move on are the best ways to deal with difficult and cranky people. I have found from my own personal experience that having some sort of professional credential helps a bit.

I am not saying that you have to run out and join a group like NPPA, but I did and I upgraded from their student to their Professional membership. Why? Because I not only get a free freelance photojournalist listing in their directory for potential clients to find and hire me, but I also am able to get a photo ID from NPPA with my professional membership that to me is pretty sweet! The IDs are not free as they are produced by a third party company for NPPA but I still feel it’s worth it as it shows you are a professional and most people know that NPPA has to do with news and news outlets.

I wear my photo ID lanyard when I am out shooting for my personal project and it also helps keep the cops away when I am shooting in posted areas or just in general. Is it a fool proof get out of jail card? No it’s not but sometimes a professional credential of some sort is all you need to convince them that you are someone that knows what you are doing and that you are not there to hurt anyone with your camera. You would be surprised how many times I have had people spot my NPPA ID around my neck and they ask me, “which newspaper are you shooting for?” I just told them I was a freelance photojournalist and that was usually sufficient. Some pros will actually make up the name of a phony newspaper and even go as far as having business cards made up with the name of their phony newspaper on them. I have not decided to go that far yet but again, your mileage may vary. I did shoot a local event for Editorial Photography class at a place called Corn Dawgs and there was a lady there giving free hay wagon rides with her tractor. She was’t into the idea of her photo being taken until she found out I was doing it for a class assignment. She just didn’t want to end up in the local paper when she didn’t “look her best”. Once I explained it was for a class assignment, then she said, “Oh, well then shoot away.”

                                           Lady giving hay wagon rides at Corn Dawgs 2014

This post is some of the best, straight forward advice I can give on this subject. The key here is to not be discouraged, work on that thick skin and get back out there making great images.


Comments/Questions

Why shouldn’t I shoot my family and friends for class?

Just finishing up my Portraiture class and I must say its been the toughest one yet. Not tough because the assignments where hard but tough in the fact that each assignment required a new person. In total I needed to photograph 25 different people in 6 weeks. It was hard to find all these different people and keep them to your schedule. Everyone has family they could always use but the problem with that is your family wont end up as a paying customer later on.  They will always expect you to shoot them for free. It seems pretty sad but that is the way it works.

In all of my assignment this past 6 weeks the hardest was to find 8 people to photograph together. To accomplish this I put some feelers out weeks in advanced but most of those options fell through. My last and final option was to ask a friend if she knew of anyone that I could get to photograph. I figured since she has 3 kids and herself that would kill off half of my requirements right there. However this particular week none of her kids could show up for the event. I was lucky though because she know a lot of other people and found me the 8 I needed in the nick of time. By the end of my shooting I had people asking for a card, wondering if I could shoot an up coming event.

I was grateful that these people who I didn’t know was asking me if could do other work and that they would be contacting me in the future. Without shooting these strangers I would have never got my name or my information out there like I did. I learned the in the end it might pay off to shoot people you don’t know because they may want your services in the future. The event that I was asked about is for the republicans in town so they will probably want a hand out, however it might be one of those handouts that gets your name out there for paying work. These politicians might need head shots or things like that. While doing the event for free might make them think you will do everything for free, you can quickly let them know what you charge for those types of services.

So I recommend getting yourself out there and looking for ways to network and find potential future clients. You obviously wont get paid to shoot them for your class assignments but if they can see the quality of work you can provide them, then you might very well have made a connection to turn them into a client.

Here is my funny face shot of my 8 people. In the end this probably was my best assignment. 

TBT

Thursday Ambassador

What is a Rantom?

Greetings fellow shooters! Tuesday Ambassador Stanley, here welcoming you to another Tuesday. Not just any Tuesday but perhaps a “Timely Tuesday.” This week I wanted to cover on things about the Monarch Butterflies since the season just ended here in California, although I am sure they can be sought here and there post-season. Nope, this week is going to be a “rantom.” A random rant if you will. So without further a due I present to you my “Timely Tuesday Rantom.”

Unfortunately, as of late most of my frustrations in class have led me to vent, but mind you not to harass or offend any one person, about why some students do not seem to take the time to read or view any of the “Course Home” material, why some students do not follow proper MLA guidelines, why some students do not “works cite” anything at all or why some students do not follow the directions of the material what-so-ever. I AM NOT PERFECT! And I never will be which is why I confess to the fact that I have been a VICTIM of doing, or should I say not doing these acts. It took many months of being corrected by very few students, unfortunately, and some Professors here and there. However, people do make mistekas and that is okay, you just have to make sure you learn from it and apply it moving forward.

Whoops! Not the right one!

Okay, what is that one doing to this one? Get some shade!

               After becoming a Student Ambassador, of which I had no idea existed until my name was brought up for it, I realized that in the weeks of being one, how little time faculty have in their schedule to do even the simplest of tasks. Sometimes I think I have a lot on my plate but I cannot imagine being in their shoes right now having to go through so many student’s assignments. Have some of you taken the time to read the biographies of your instructors? Some instructors teach at more than one school and most, if not, all of them teach both online and on campus. When I download a student’s work and find so many things missing in the assignment, it makes me feel like I just wasted my time downloading it. So it makes me wonder how a Professor feels when they view the same thing.

                Tardiness! What it used to be called when you were late for class. I typically do not like to delve on this topic too much considering it was a bad habit of mine for as long as I can remember, but I can tell you that it will be a tough time for you if this habit becomes prevalent. Yes, not just in school, but in everything you do. Are you constantly turning in work late? If so, maybe you need to re-evaluate your situation and see if there is something to you need to change that would drastically change your direction for the better.

                Now, are we with the program? This is a program that we are supposed to follow, and in result the success to our future in the field photography, after all. I mean what else are we paying for? So if a student corrects you on the format of your assignment, I would take it into high consideration and review your assignments to see what you are missing. However, if a student critiques your work and makes suggestions, you can take it with a grain of salt or you can enrich the discussion even further. It is called collaboration and we need to get used to it.

Now we're talking!

Now I know a lot of you may not fall in this category but I suggest that you think twice before you post your assignment next time. If you were another student, would you find your work worth looking at, let alone download? Is everything in the assignment that is asked of you actually in your assignment, like your name? Did you cite your work? Oh, there is absolutely no reason to cite your work. How about “Works cited – N/A” as a viable citation to your assignment? Yes, even if it does not call for it or is not needed, put it in! Trust me; it goes a long way with instructors when everything is filled out correctly. Now I do not condone you do this on every assignment, especially if the assignment calls for heavy research, but just know when you can use it.

Rant done! Now where do you fall in all of this? In order for one to become successful, one must self-evaluate and fix the flaws. And I am still working on that! The big question I have for you is, “are you as a student discovering more about yourself after every course you complete?” If you answered “yes,” than I think you are on the right track to potential success. If you happen to answer “no,” then I would highly recommend thinking real hard about the question again and make sure you are not misinterpreting it. And if you still answer “no” then I suggest thinking about the path you have chosen. Seriously, you are paying for classes that you came in here to learn about because you are passionate about it. Is it not?

Let me hear your views. If you happened to have been offended by this post, you are not alone. Stay tuned next week for what I hope is not another “rantom.” I hope you enjoyed the butterflies. If not, dang. And as always, thanks for reading.

-Tues. Amb. Stanley

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

Where are the Models?

Hello everyone, and welcome again to another edition of Terrific Tuesday blog, I am your Ambassador today and every Tuesday!

If you are in the field of photography, there will be times that you are going to need a model to complete an assignment or homework from one of your classes.  If you are in your first year and have not have the pleasure to have living subjects in your compositions, well, just wait it is around the corner.  Courses such as Lighting, Portraiture, Portraiture II, Advertising Photography 1 & 2, Creative Concepts, Advanced Studio Techniques, will have the need for living subjects.  So by know you might be wondering; where do I find models to help me with school?

The answer is simple: everywhere and anywhere!

Let me share how some of my models came out to be part of my experience with the school, you might find that you are in the same position as I was when I first started.

The first area that you might explore will be family and friends.  That is great, they might say that they don’t have experience, you could say that you don’t have the experience working with models either.  I started with pictures using my wife as a model, she was very shy at the start and now she helps me by giving me opinions about my ideas and serves as someone that I can share my vision, after all, she knows me better than anyone else.

That followed by using my daughters who have modeled for me for fun and for classes.  Once their friends saw some of the pictures I took of them, some of them asked if I could take pictures of them too!  Ok, so now I have more people that I can use for assignments, which brings me back to one important statement: don’t let the models run YOUR show, the object is for them to have images for themselves but you also need to do your work at school!

http://www.modelmayhem.com/411651 Ajani Photography

Once my co-workers saw the images that I was creating, some of them decided that they would help me too (see the pattern?).  I have now taken images of co-workers, families and friends, and it all started with creating great images that were admired by others.

Ok, you might be wondering how to coordinate all the people that I have mentioned here.  Well, remember that every course is 5.5 weeks long so you do not need to use all your resources at once, look forward to what you need in the next classes (if you can) and figure out who in your pool would work for what you have to do. It is not always going to work out with a limited pool of people and that is when you need to branch out and seek new models.

Once you are comfortable with your skill directing others and you have a better understanding of how your vision, your brand and your concept can work together, you might want to venture out and become a member of Model Mayhem.  This website provides an area where you can search for photographers, models, stylist and other professionals that can help you with your work.  Becoming a member is free and the process takes about a week to complete.  If you want to look more into this website and what it has to offer, here is a link for you to follow.

http://www.modelmayhem.com/

So, there you go, finding models is not as hard as it sounds as when you began your studies.  The more people you photograph, the better you will get.  The more new people you photograph the better the chances that your vision and work will be seen around the world!

Just keep shooting and don't be afraid to ask new people to pose for you, who knows you might be taking images of the next supermodel!

Drop me a line and share any of your experiences with models, we all can share and learn from each other. Until then, this is your Tuesday Ambassador signing off for now.  You all have a great and wonderful day!

Tuesday Ambassador

Current Project...

Happy Sunday Everyone! I hope you had a great and productive week. Today's blog wont be a long one, I just wanted to talk briefly about personal projects. Many photographers have a personal project that they choose to do for their own reasons, many are unsolicited.

I had mentioned in a previous blog post about the current class that I have Digital Image Illustration. The final assignment is to produce a surreal image for a fake company that is "Green" and what could happen if we abuse our natural resources. While initially it was just a school assignment, it put so many different ideas in my head, which lead to my personal project.

My personal project I think can and will speak for itself, but the reality is... we could end up in this situation if we don't step up and take action. My personal project has me photographing then doing so radical edits to images of people in different settings wearing gas masks.

This is a work in progress below are some of the newer images I have created this past week.

 Photos By Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

  Photo By Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

 Photo By Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

  Photo By Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

  Photo By Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

  Photo By Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

 Photo By Wayne Salat of Flash Mob Photography Network

Sorry for such a short blog this week, life has been a bit crazy

Enjoy Your Sunday and Photograph Something Everyday!

Sunday Ambassador~ Wayne

Recent Class Assignment and a Road Trip

Good Morning Everyone and Happy Sunday! Today I am just going to talk about a recent project and school assignment that I had due. On Thursday of this past week I had the pleasure of going on a road trip. I had a class assignment due on Saturday so I chose to go to a different location other than what I normally use. The road trip took me to Baltimore MD and Washington D.C. I had always heard about this great place to shoot called the Graffiti Warehouse located in Baltimore, so that was the first place we headed. I also like to photograph National and Historical Site so for that I headed to Washington D.C.

The assignment for school we had to take portraits using only available light, no strobes or flash. This is something that I do all the time so I wasn't to worried, I used the Graffiti Warehouse for this they had a few rooms with huge windows that gave some amazing light. Below are some of the photos taken yesterday.

 Photos By Wayne Salat

 Photos By Wayne Salat

 Photos By Wayne Salat

Photos By Wayne Salat

For the other personal project, as I had mentioned, I went to Washington D.C. I have never photographed at night so this proved to be a challenge. Photographing some of the monuments during the day also proved to be a challenge as the light was quite strong.  Getting my settings right and putting the knowledge that I had to the test, produced some nice photos. Below are some photos of the U.S Capital Building taken at 10 PM and the others were taken during the day when sun was brightest.

  Photos By Wayne Salat

  Photos By Wayne Salat

  Photos By Wayne Salat

 Photos By Wayne Salat

Enjoy Your Sunday and Photograph Something Everyday!

Sunday Ambassador~ Wayne