Feeding Time

Greetings fellow shooters! Tuesday Ambassador Stanley here introducing you to another Tuesday. As you all know I have departed my classes of Studio Photography and Marketing and I am currently pursuing Editorial Photography and Portraiture I. Let’s just say everything looks overwhelming right off the bat. Though, I think with solid time management I may be able to pull these two classes through. We will see.

Enough of that though as I have a little treat for you all to enjoy as my weekend was spent camping at a nearby lake. Many shots were taken that weekend but not as much as I had wanted, however, pleased none-the-less. I started with a time lapse of the night sky framed with branches and leaves waving in the foreground while the next day was filled with capturing shots of various birds, ducks, landscapes and anything that caught my eyes. Later that day was filled with more of the previously mentioned captures but instead of on land, I took into the waters.

Shooting while on water was a total transformation for me than it is shooting on land due to the fact that water is basically like a reflector when shooting birds that are just a few feet above the water. Since I am slowly starting to become known with my photo of the seagull getting splashed by the ocean, I decided to capture these wonderful creatures one last time before I would become fully devoted to the classes I am in now. I will admit, I was feeding them a ton of crackers while riding in the boat, but at least they are not feeding on plastics and such to try and stay alive. Better that they feed on stale crackers than to let it go to waste. The crackers were meant for the ducks but as I saw one seagull going in for a pick, another soon followed suite. I swear they come out of nowhere!

In turn these are the photos that came out to be and I feel that the timing I get when they are momentarily suspended in mid-air is peaceful and an art form in its own. All I can see is an art form with the way the light is cast upon each seagull thanks to the low setting of the sun and the hills and seagulls to slightly impede it. Oh do these birds move which ever way they can to get to their targets. =)

These guys as well as other birds, if I happen to run across them, are something that will never leave my sight. I just hope many of you do not lose sight of them either. And can anyone tell me how difficult it is throwing the crackers, stopping flying trash, snapping the photos while on the back of your mind you are hoping that you will not get pooped on? O.O And as always, thanks for reading.

- Tues. Amb. Stanley

I will leave you with this cute, big eyed bird that I have been trying to capture for several months after seeing this guy blurred out in several of my photos focused on different birds. Unfortunately I am unaware of its name and I hope I find out soon. Until next week.

Making the Most of an Online Education

There are plenty of reasons to choose an online school. Many of us have full-time jobs, families, live overseas, or simply do not have the means to travel for an education in the arts. Now that you are part of the program, it’s helpful to have a plan of attack to really get the most out of it that you can. I know there are things I could have done differently, but overall I fell that I found success pursuing my photography degree and want to share some tips on how you can do the same.

Manage Your Time

The single most important thing that can help you successfully navigate your online duties is learning how to manage your time. It took me a few sessions to find a system that worked for me, but once I did life got so much easier! The first thing I always do is read through the assignments to get an idea of the type of work each class will entail. Shooting assignments, especially those that involve models, take much more forethought than something like a discussion question response.

What worked for me was creating to-do lists for each week, separated by class. When I created each list I’d have my personal calendar in front of me so I would know if I needed to account for a birthday or hockey game. Maybe a combined calendar would work better for you, or simply a printout of assignments with due dates highlighted. Whatever makes most sense for your workflow, stick to your routine so you get used to it quickly.

Find Balance

Many students I’ve met throughout my years in the program are wearing multiple hats: student, employee, mother/father, caregiver… While it may sometimes seem like there’s just too much to do, don’t give up! Setting aside specific times each day to work on school and leaving the rest of your free time for family and other duties will get you on the right track to succeed. Do your best not to let one push out the other. Family is everything, but your education can help contribute to that family in new and exciting ways. Keep that in mind when you budget your time!

Make time for family, school, and volunteer work or personal projects to keep you sane!  This is a shot I did of an adoptable dog for a Chicagoland rescue, Peace for Pits. Volunteering your talents is quite rewarding.

Have a Back-Up Plan

Most of your instructors will want to know that you have a plan in case your gear fails or you lose Internet access in your home. It is so important to know where there is a coffee shop with free Wi-Fi or who has a computer you can use in case your hard drive gets corrupted, because the classes move really quickly and missing a couple days will leave you far behind. With good time management, you’ll be able to incorporate back-up days for shooting in case there is bad weather, and have back-up models on hand in case the ones you booked bail on you (trust me, it happens!). The small amount of effort you put into booking your back-ups will save you a great deal more work (not to mention frustration) if you have to deal with last-minute changes and aren’t prepared.

Participate

When it comes to an online education, you’ll get out of it what you put into it. Because the online classroom does not exactly facilitate friendships and study groups like a brick-and-mortar classroom does, it’s really up to you to keep up with others on the class boards. Make good use of your fellow students and instructors by pointing out certain results you’re hoping to achieve to get feedback on how best to do so. Follow your peers as their projects progress to encourage them and help them polish their work. Active participation will keep you invested in your classes and help you build bonds with others, and networking is always a great idea.

Ask for Help

As our Saturday ambassador pointed out, talking with your instructor can help you “smash through the confusion.” If you are struggling with a class or specific assignment, don’t just suffer through it! Ask how you can best complete an assignment or what exactly is meant by a certain instruction that confuses you. To be successful and enjoy your time in the program, you can also make use of your instructors’ wisdom. I got my monitor calibrator (a ColorMunki) based on the suggestion of an instructor when I had no idea what to look for. You can pick their brains on anything from gear to technique, and they will be happy to see your interest and share their experience.

I hope that you take advantage of what online classrooms have to offer - flexible timelines, being able to go to class in a comfortable setting,  - without feeling lost in the digital world. By motivating yourself and working off of a schedule that makes sense for your life, you will do well and learn a great deal. Best of luck, and please do use this blog as a resource when you have questions about how to succeed!

-Friday Ambassador

T-Minus One Day 'Til Turkey Day!

Ah yes, the much needed 4-day weekend.  At least that's the thought process my employer has.  See I have Thursday and Friday off this week.  Just like the Art Institute Employees have off this week.  Just like the students have off this week.  Awesome!  I can relax and spend time with my family, right?  Wrong.

Desterro - Rebeca Saray

The Lady in Red - Rebeca Saray

Just because I am not required to log into the classroom on Thursday and Friday this week doesn't mean I can rest on my laurels.  Because of the change in due dates I now have 3 assignments due on Saturday and Sunday.  I mean I could wait to do it all until Saturday.  That would be cool.  2 papers at 1,000 words each and a full photo shoot (that could take up to 3 hours to shoot - not including editing time).  So I guess I don't really get a long weekend, huh?

Nope.  Ya sure don't.  In all my time at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division, the most hectic time of year is the time between now and 15 January.  You will need to juggle holiday, time with family, classroom expectations, writing papers, organizing photoshoots (remember models want to spend time with their families too), opening gifts, shoveling snow, and the list goes on and on.  The bottom line is it's the BUSIEST time of year, so get your time management skills sharpened up because you are going to need them.

For me this year will be really tough.  I am taking, arguably the two most difficult classes that I have had to date, at the same time.  Both are classes that I am retaking for one reason or another (no worries Wednesday Fans, none were for failed classes) so I already know what is expected in both classes, and it's a lot of work all crammed into the holiday season.  So if I miss a week or two this term of blogging you'll know why.  

Well, back to work for me.  Trying to get ahead of the game and get some of those thousand word papers done early.



Works Cited

Saray, Rebeca. "Desterro." Phlearn. Phlearn, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://phlearn.com/ 
     weekend-photography-inspiration-xxxiv>. 

- - -. "The Lady in Red." Phlearn. Phlearn, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://phlearn.com/ 
     weekend-photography-inspiration-xxxiv>. 

Are we going fast or slow in this course?

Hello everyone and welcome to another Terrific Tuesday!

If you started classes at about the same time I started blogging (is that a word!) then you should be in your week five or so, looking ahead toward the end of the class… so you can start all over again with the next on most of the time the next day!  People have asked me before “how do you do it?” after all I am working full time, working part time and going to school full time.  My answer is simple: stamina and perseverance!

When I first started with the classes it seemed that everything was going at such a fast pace that I felt that I had to run from day one just to catch up with the fear of being left behind.  After three years, now it feels like time has stopped moving as fast and that everything is where it is supposed to be.

By this time you might be saying: “who is he kidding, I can barely keep up with the course!”

Others might be saying: “this guy is crazy, we will never be able to perceive that classes are that slow!”

I am here to tell you that someday you will look back at this blog and say that I was right!  If you are wondering how I got where I am today, I will tell you that there are three things that helped me through the hard times in this race to the finish line, also known as graduation with a diploma.

The first one is time management, be sure that you keep track of everything that is going on in the classes you are taking and plan ahead accordingly.  If Monday is day one of the week and you have a shooting assignment due on Saturday, don’t wait until that day to start shooting, more often than not there will be some problems that need to be dealt with before you get to the shooting.  If you have a paper for another class due on the same day, start your research as soon as possible.  Also, remember that the last week is a short one and some classes have final projects that need to be turned in before the course ends.  Once you know what is going on during that week, plan your time to get everything done taking into consideration everything you learned in your previous classes.

My second area that helped me during my studies is patience.  Don’t laugh, you need to have patience to deal with everything that is thrown your way and perseverance to get everything done.

The last thing is developing a strong will and foresight of everything you are going to do in the future, that way you can plan ahead and use your time management skills accordingly.  Some classes are required in order to tackle the next ones, go into the library and see all the courses that are required for your degree.  You can actually open the information for each one of them and see the topical outlines for each class, so you can prepare yourself for what is coming your way!

That is all I got, do you agree?  Do you have any secrets that assist you throughout the studies that you might want to share with others?  Go ahead and write them down and share them here.

Until later then, I leave you with some humor to keep your spirits and your tickle bone tuned!

Have a great Tuesday!

Tuesday Ambassador.