Blog Post #6

4/24/2020

Hello everyone. It has been quite a semester for me. Over this course, I had done a number of assignments that have improved my understanding of recording, editing, blogging, and media production.

I would say that my biggest challenge this semester came from having to move outside the classroom. The quarantine made everyone of use take to online classes in order to continue the course. This has reduced my ability to practice in the higher grade cameras and use of a studio, but I think this has been a good lesson in adapting to the situation.

I think that my biggest takeaway from this situation is to try to stay adaptable. Which is something that I think is an important lesson in media production. In a job where you have to be on the go with a camera or finding the right way to piece something together you need to be adaptable and ready to learn ways to achieve your goals.

Overall, I had a good time taking this step in my education. I plan to still be in college for awhile yet, but I think I will come out better for it in my career and life. I am grateful for this opportunity to meet others who are also striving to do the same. I hope that we can meet in person again this fall.

Post #4: An Experiment Lighting

3/24/2020

Hello readers. My life over the past two weeks has had a similar turn I am sure that many of you had. An extra week of spring break to go with some social distancing and staying at home. It has not been the easy break I was hoping for. The lack of being able to work and helping my family out has, admittedly, been a hassle to manage. I did sneak in a little fun with video games, TV, and reading so I would like to think I had an otherwise normal break. I did return to my classes in an online format and will likely remain that way for the rest of the semester. However, I am starting to get back into the flow of schoolwork.

My first assignment back was to just experiment with lighting in photography. Using my phone, I needed to take a few photos that made use of a flash, natural lighting, and a mixture of both. Like many of my classmates, I have basically been confined to stay inside my home. I knew that this setback should not prevent my create ability, so I decided to practice some photography with what was already inside my room.

A ceiling fan captures with natural lighting. Taken by Arian Mitchell

My first picture was taken only with the natural light of the room with the addition of a window. It has an f-stop of 1.9, an exposure time of 1/30 second, and an ISO of 125. I wanted to see how the natural light would light the shape of the fan against the similar white of the ceiling. I accomplished this by taking the shot from below as I laid on my back in order to get this angle. The lighting from the window came from behind me, or toward the upper half of the photo. I think that it is interesting how some of the fan’s blades are more clearly defined, while others almost blend into the background. I like how the natural lighting can give shape and definition on its own with a decent setup. It sometimes gives a less polished, but more in-the-moment appearance to a photo that might be harder to replicate with more staged lighting.

A cat tucked into bed. Taken by Arian Mitchell.

This photo made use of my camera’s flash. It has an f-stop of 1.9, an exposure time of 1/30 second, and an ISO of 64. This shot was taken by positioning myself to be more eye-level with the bed. The room was otherwise naturally lit, except for the camera’s flash positioned in front of the subject. I will admit that the outline of the cat was not as defined as I would like. The main goal here was to use the flash in order to see the distinct textures of the blanket, the bed below it, and the features of the cat. I think that this was basically accomplished. I think that I like this one the least. It has the flattest appearance among them and I wish I could better fine-tune the lighting of my phone to give more depth and definition.

A cup of morning coffee. Taken by Arian Mitchell.

My final photo used a mixture of the room’s natural light and the automatic lighting of my camera. It as an f-stop of 1.9, an exposure time of 1/17 second, and an ISO of 320. I wanted to do a shot that played a bit more with perspective and centering of the subject. I think that this one has an interesting amount of detail from the reflection in the coffee to the objects around it. Of these photos, I think this might be my favorite. The use of perspective gives the feeling that the viewer is the one peering down the cup instead of the photographer. There are colors that pop out, mostly the red, but in an almost matching unified way.

Post #3

2/25/2020

Hey everyone. I hope you guys have been alright. The past week has been really busy for me. Definitely the single biggest thing for me was spending all of last Saturday on my second ethics case paper. You would think that seven pages could be done quicker, but I guess that’s just me trying to get it perfect. I’ve also worked on a journal entry for that same class, production workbook chapters, a PR group project, and I’m setting up for a photojournalism assignment.

I think that I’ve been learning a lot over the past two months. I admit to have some trouble keeping up due to the sheer amount being piled on over multiple classes. However, I think that I’m getting better as things go on. I’m currently getting ready to write in preparation for a commercial and show for production. I know that I have more papers and speeches to write, news to find for reports, and so on really soon.

I’m honestly a bit surprised at how fast this semester has gone so far. I started this semester on the 13th of January. Now I’m nearly at the halfway point as I move towards March. If I remember correctly, the ninth will be the exact halfway point. The ninth will also be my Spring break though, so maybe I can get a bit rest for a few days. What do you guys think of things so far?

Blog Post #2

2/10/2020

Well I’m officially into my fourth week of this semester. I’m only about a fourth of the way done and the time has moved so fast. You may have been wondering what I’ve been up to and what my classwork has been like for this media production class.

The simple answer is a ton of homework. The more detailed answer is doing chapters out of a video editing workbook and practicing in Final Cut Pro. The workbook is mainly about trying to answer the questions about a production topic in a bubble-in style. I’ve just been trying find the energy to do them all, but I’m getting there.

If you’re unfamiliar with Final Cut Pro, it is a video editing program. It seems to only be available on a Mac computer currently. As someone who used only PC laptops their whole life, I’ve only just started to use it. It seems so complex with trying to navigate all of the tools and features of Final Cut, but I think I will get better at it. I think just a bit inexperienced. I did do some work in Adobe After Effects back in high school, but haven’t gotten to refresh myself on those skills since. Regardless, I’m sure I can get the hang of it later.

Overall, it has been a been a hectic few weeks. I think I’m starting to get in the flow of things. I know that it’s going to be a ton of work, but I think it will pay off in the end.

Post #1 My First Step Into RSS

1/22/2020

Hello readers. As part of my Media Production assignments, I started this blog and need to update it with what I’ve been up to. I thought I should start with my introduction to RSS.

I already knew about setting up feeds to your favorite sources, but I never went out and actually set one up for myself. I was always too busy to stay on top every bit of news. I’m glad that I had a chance to set up a Feedly for my desktop. I also set up Google News and Smart News apps for my phone.

I set them to look for information about local news, graphic design, and communication topics. I’m really exited to use this to help me stay on top of the news and my passions.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

  • Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
  • Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

  • Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
  • What topics do you think you’ll write about?
  • Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
  • If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.