A Tout Le Monde, Farewell

Stanley, Winston. Trapped. 2014

Greetings fellow shooters! Tuesday Ambassador Stanley here introducing you to my last Tuesday as an Ambassador here for the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. The past few weeks have been a mental and emotional roller coaster ride for me which resulted in missing posts, however, this may be a ride I will never forget. Now I am not leaving just yet as I still a have a few more classes to go before graduation, if everything pans out that way, but you should still see my presence on PSPN from time to time. I feel that I need to step down as Ambassador so I can open the door for another passionate, aspiring photographer who loves to write and is able to keep up with each and every week.

Do not get me wrong though, I love taking photos of just about anything and everything that presents itself to me because there is nothing like capping a perfectly timed photo. If you do not feel a rush of something going through your body after capturing a photo where you know that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, then you may be pursuing the wrong profession. If you feel like it is a hassle to go out and shoot for an assignment, even with one camera and nothing else, again, you may be pursuing the wrong profession. Why am I writing this you ask? Because I know there are some individuals out there, judging by their pictures, that indicates to me that they are not putting in the same amount of effort in their assignments with no explanation as to how or why the shoot went the way it did. Case in point, think about what you truly want to pursue in your life whether it is taking pictures, 3D animation, architecture, plumbing or maybe you just want to be a police officer. Whatever it is that “floats your boat” pursue it and do not let it go no matter how difficult the assignment, course or even instructor is.

Some tidbits before I sign off for all of you newcomers and newbies who are enrolled here at the AIPOD and that is to check every little piece of information within your courses at the start of the course; Course Home, “Readings and Assignments,” Academic Expectations, Academic Resource, Syllabus even any questions that are asked of your professor is great to read as well. Reason being is so that you are not in shock and awe when you come to find out that there is an assignment due today that needed a few days of work. Be mindful of the day rate when turning in late work, but in fact you should not be turning stuff in late to begin with. Once you get in the groove of how each first week of class pans out you will come to find that most of the information that I pointed out to you will usually be the same for every class, so you will soon figure out what you should read and what you have already read. And always, thanks for reading.

Stanley, Winston. Set Free. 2014

- Tues. Amb. Stanley

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

Down to the Wire!

It is a beautiful Thursday in Michigan! It is 57° instead of 97° this morning. What a difference a week can make!

What do you do when your assignment is due in six hours and you don’t understand a concept? This can even happen for seasoned students…like myself…so first thing, DON’T PANIC.

Last week I had an assignment that I totally thought I understood. I went out and shot my images for the assignment (it was creating a planar panorama in photoshop or like software), sat down to process it, and it didn’t work. There were several choices to make in the process and I tried them all, and nothing worked. Now what? Professors don’t really like calls at the last hour when assignments are due. They really do have a life outside our classrooms.

Here are some options:

·         Check Skype and see if the professor happens to be online. If so, ask your question.

·         The internet can often be a great place to find solutions. Google the exact info you need help with. Often you will find your answer or enough information to get you past the obstacle that has you stumped.

·         Call a friend. Develop relationships with other classmates so that you can call on each other in times of trouble. I have a couple fellow students that I’ve developed friendships with whom we’ve shared phone numbers, and feel comfortable enough to call at late night hours J. A lot of times two heads are better than one. You will find that your classmates track along the same class schedule as yourself, so you will be learning together for the next three or so years.

·         If you don’t get your answers through any of the previous suggestions, turn in everything you have tried with explanations of how you did things and ask what went wrong. At least you will get partial credit, AND the professor will know how to help you.

The last option is actually what I did on my planar panorama problem and I got a 90% on it. So it didn’t harm my overall grade, the professor was able to work me through the problem and now I know what to do to create planar panoramas. (By the way linear panoramas are a lot easier to create. Hmmm…I think I feel another blog coming on.)

Planar Panorama (It takes a flat surface to shoot against.)

 Linear Panorama

Do you have any other suggestions for those last-hours-before-an-assignment-is-due problems? Please share them with us.

Have a great day!

Your Thursday Student Ambassador

Auto Giga 6.2 Review. Northlight Images. 2013. 24 Jul 2013. http://www.northlight-

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I'm Late, I'm Late, for a Very Important Date!

As students a AiO we are faced with many deadlines for submitting assignments and participating in discussions.  The deadlines are very important for several reasons.  One reason is that with our classes only being 5.5 weeks long, if we get behind, it is REALLY hard to catch us.  Another is that in that in the real world we have deadlines and school is a great place to learn and train ourselves to be one time.  That being said, sometimes life happens and we find it is simply impossible to meet a deadline in class.  So what do you do?

After you have a mild panic attack ……..

breathe. 

Breathe deep,

Three – slow – deep breaths.

Now, get your ducks in a row, come up with a good solid plan.  How are you going to handle this situation?  How are you going to get your work submitted?  How late will it be?

Then you MUST contact your Instructor!  A phone call or email is fine, but you MUST contact your Instructor!  Depending on your situation and who your instructor is, you might be extended some grace.  Here are a couple scenarios with different outcomes:

I was working on a project/assignment and just not getting the images that I wanted.  They were not up to my standards.  I made a conscious decision to turn the assignment in a day late and take the deduction rather than turn in images I was not happy with.  I emailed my instructor straight away and explained why I would be turning my assignment in late.   While I did indeed take the 10% deduction, my commitment to excellence made an impression on the instructor and kept me true to myself.

At another time, in another class, with another instructor. My oldest son is a very gifted athlete and was being recruited by D1 schools for football (and potentially basketball and baseball).  In game 4 of his senior football season, in the middle of the 3^rd quarter, on his 212^th yard of the game, he broke his ankle.  This did not exactly fit the schools policy, but the instructor granted me grace for a late assignment.

Deadlines are extremely important and you should do everything you can to always meet them.  But sometimes being late is unavoidable.  Just be professional and handle it.

Drop me a note and let me know how I can help you today!

It’s just another Manic Monday…..

Monday Ambassador