Vincent Laforet

       When looking through Vincent Laforet's photos, I noticed first that he has a lot of images that are taken with a birds eye view, especially of cities. This is just one of the many examples of images Vincent has of gorgeous cities from above. When on the ground, we normally take in a few details at a time from wherever we are standing. Rarely do we get an opportunity to see the lights of a city from above and be able to look at it all at once to fully understand just how magnificent they are, not just small portions at a time. From this particular view one can see the busses and the people, along with the vehicle headlights swirling around as the cars change directions and speeds through the busy streets.

Gregory Crewdson

For this post, I decided to look into the work of Gregory Crewdson. Born in New York, he photographs American homes and neighborhoods. I decided to go through his photographs and get a feel for his work when I came across this image. I should explain that I love the creepiness of clowns so it should be no surprise that I instantly loved this image. I first noticed how solitary he was sitting in the dark room with a few dim lamps and the harsh glow of the TV. I got the feeling that this was a sad older man whose career as a clown is failing and is forced to live in cheep hotels or a small apartment. I saw the bottle of liquor on the table and got the feeling that this clown is struggling and is using alcohol to function in his stressful life. The stuffed animal on the floor suggests a loss of fun and childhood magic in his life, or a loss of ability to make children laugh. The pictures on the wall in the bathroom could be pictures of him during happier days so that he can look at them instead of his sad expression in the mirror every day. He appears to be very trapped in his life and is unsure as to where to go from here. This photograph has a lot to tell and I really enjoyed picking it apart. 

Multiples

     These are the two photos I took for the multiples/self portrait project (assignment 4). The first was in my living room, featuring me with vodka, a ps3 controller, a laptop, and just leaning against the couch watching tv. This is basically me on any night when I am bored and do not feel like being in my bedroom. The second photo is taken in my kitchen, featuring me cleaning, getting in the pantry, pouring more vodka, and doing dishes. I love eating, cleaning, and drinking while cleaning so this is also me on any given night when I am not stuck at work. My pjs in both photos are what I wear when I am home: baggy, soft, and comfortable. I hate wearing people clothes when I am at home.
     The first photo was my first attempt at a multiple photo and did not turn out so well. Notice how the far right character is blurry, and the feat at the bottom are messed up. My camera kept moving, so it was very difficult to make this photo work. I may have to redo it this weekend if I have time and can find some more help with the camera. The second photo is my second attempt, and it turned out a lot better. The camera was still, so I was able to merge and move the photo easily without any problems. I also did not have any blurry photos, so that was a plus.

My Parent's Trip

     My mom and dad left yesterday morning for Malaysia; where they will be staying for two years. My mom has spent the past few months feeling sad that she is leaving myself and my brother behind. She has been very stressed and unsure about how I will be housesitting for that long. I wanted to capture her on camera right before she left; but not just her, but her love for her family and all the hard times we all went through over the past few years. I decided to get her in front of the pictures of my brother and I as we grew up, with a suitcase in the background to show her departure. They were blurry, but I got a few photos of my mom making silly faces and having fun spending time with me. Its weird being home without my parents around, but its nice knowing we got to play around with my camera before she left.

Portraits

  



     These are a few of the portraits I took for my assignment! Aerial, in the top left corner, is wearing her "Still Standing" t-shirt outside of the J. Scheidegger center at Lindenwold University. "Still Standing" is the non profit organization she started to help victims of sexual assault and prevent attacks from occurring. She is a fabulous person and I was glad that I got to hang out with her.
     The child in the top right corner was taken by accident when I was trying to get a picture of the polar bear. I was surprised at how good the picture came out to be for a mistake, so I tried to get the mom's attention to make sure it was ok that I had it. Since this was taken at the zoo, she was busy and hurried off. My professor said that it was ok that I had it, so I am relieved. I love how the child's innocence and wonder is captured in this photo while looking at the polar bear swimming. Such a small human next to a huge bear!
     The picture in the lower left hand corner is of a mom outside of the zoo bathroom. I went up and she agreed to let me photograph her for class. She smiled for this photo, but before I went up to her I could tell that she looked frustrated and stressed out. After I left I glanced back and saw her with a whole group of small children.
     The final picture is of a girl I met while looking at the lemurs. They are my favorite, so I was happy to capture this girl next to them. She said she also loved these furry creatures, so I called this photo a double win!

Lighting in class

In class today I had my first attempt to shoot with the lamps and reflectors. Sadly, I did not take the time too really set up and take the light into account to get the exposure right. I was pretty frustrated, but I am hoping that I can practice more in the future when there aren't so many people around and I am feeling better. So far in this class, I think light is something I really struggle with when taking photos. It is also frustrating how easy people make photography look; it is much easier when I am in a room alone trying to teach myself then having a bunch of people around watching. On the bright side, here is a picture of a sleeping gerbil. 😃

 

 

Sunset after rain

These are a few photos I took after it stopped raining and the sun was setting one day. The top two photos are outside of my house, while the bottom is outside of the 7/11 on Mexico Road. I was really impressed with the light that was coming out from behind the clouds in the top photos. Normally the sun is already down by the time I wake up, but with the daylight savings I am now awake to see the sunset. It is so great to be able to capture this on camera.

Diane Arbus

 

     As of now, I think Diane Arbus is my favorite photographer. She took a very large range of photos, however she mainly took pictures of people that were discriminated against and defied social norms; putting them in social situations that showed them as functioning members of society. This takes a lot of bravery and I admire that. Above are just some of the pictures I found that she has taken, but my favorite one is the picture of the two women in the middle. It looks like they are happy and going out for the night like any other persons might do. They may not look normal, but the fact that they are doing normal things shows us that they are just like us. These photos, in my opinion, show that there is some hope for humanity.

Flint Hill Cemetery

This photo was taken at the Flint Hill Cemetery behind a small church. The cemetery is surrounded by the stone wall you see in the photo, and there is an iron gate at the entrance that no longer closes shut due to how much the cemetery has settled over the years. Along the side of the wall there are a lot of old graves, some that have visible stones, others you can no longer see. In this picture you can see the small stone covered in leaves at the base of the wall, almost hidden from sight. Closer you can see the larger stone with all the names of a single family written on it. You cannot see due to the leaves, but there are many small stones lined up against the wall, covered up. The church paid to have a single, larger stone built to honor the life of the family buried under the leaves. I love this photo because I do not see people fixing/replacing stones very often and it makes me happy to know that this family can be better remembered.

 

This photo above, however, is an example of a life that has been forgotten. The stone reads 11 years, 10 months, and 29 days; the stone is half buried under the ground and there is no telling for how long it has been there. There are many more stones like this on the property, and many of them you can no longer see. The cemetery itself looks half empty, but it is very full.

Doggies

These are pictures I took of my friend's dog and his roommate's dog, Cosmo (left) and Watson (right). These two do not get along very well, but tolerate each other in the same room. Cosmo is more of a guard dog, even though he is small. He loves to play with his dad and his toys, and loves to meet other dogs, even if it might be just for a second. Watson loves to play with Cosmo's toys when he goes over, and gets very jealous of Cosmo. Watson is what you would call an attention whore, always needing some kind of attention, and will lay on top of you just so that he is noticed. You can tell that Watson is very spoiled, and knows it. I am personally not a fan of Watson, just because he bullies Cosmo and is kind of a dick, but he is cute and you cannot deny that it is adorable when he lays on top of you. Cosmo will wait until you are sleeping and then will curl up next to you.

Sixth Street Cemetery

     These are some pictures I took at the cemetery on sixth street in Saint Charles, MO early one morning right after the sun started coming up. I have always loved walking to this cemetery late at night while I went to Lindenwood because it was always so quiet and peaceful. Also, some of the stones are incredibly old and I always found it interesting too see how much stones have changed over the years. What makes me sad is when I find stones that have fallen and became one with the ground due to not being picked up. Part of me wishes that they could be restored, but then I think about how much money and effort must have been put into them in the first place, and I think that leaving them where they are might be better then replacing what someone put so much effort into. What do you think?

Update on K9

Hello! Work has been terrible so it has been a while since my last post. So tonight I decided that I would let K9 try some different treats other then his meal worms. First, I gave him a little bit of my banana to taste. At first, it looked like he enjoyed it. However, he very quickly spit it right back out at me. It was hilarious to watch and I wish I had a picture to show you just how funny it was. I then got some plain apple sauce on a spoon for him to lick off. He REFUSED to have anything to do with it. He sniffed it, and licked the tinfoil wrapping, but that was it. He turned his butt at it and walked away to go explore the rest of my couch. I am planning to try some more fruits such as cherries, pears, peaches, and pumpkin before I go find some baby food for him to try. I do not cook a lot of vegetables so I am not sure if he will ever try those. I will keep you updated on the hunt to find my baby new foods he will enjoy. If you have any suggestions please comment and let me know. :)

More about me...

     So, tonight I decided that I would tell you guys a little bit more about me. I feel like if you are going to be reading these posts, you might as well know who is behind the screen. If you read my last post, you already know that I was born in St. Johns Newfoundland, Canada. I moved to the United States when I was two, so my only memories of the small island is the annual visits we take to visit family. I grew up in Latham, New York, which is a few hours from the city. It was in New York that I learned how to swim competitively and got my Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. I had a lot of good friends and I have a lot of awesome memories, so I will call my childhood a win.
     When we moved here to Missouri, I had a slight hiccup. When I was thirteen, I started eighth grade here thinking it was going to be an adventure and a lot of fun. Nope. Lots of bullies, grades dropping, the whole works. It pretty much went down hill for me all the way up through high school. After high school graduation, I was in hospital with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder on watch for self harm and suicidal ideations.
         Now, you might be thinking: Why is this crazy girl telling us all of this? Isn't this too personal? Well, I am telling you because it is an important part of my life I do not like to hide. I want people to know that it is ok to talk about things. That normal, healthy conversation about mental illness is not scary, but helpful. I am a huge advocate for mental health, so I will never be afraid to bring up my own history and encourage others to not be afraid. I started college right after high school graduation, so on top of getting used to Lindenwood I was dealing with medications, therapy, and my own demons. It was hard for a while. But one day a friend of mine sent me a link about how one of the counselors on Campus wanted to start a chapter of Active Minds. Active Minds is a wonderful organization that I have dedicated many years to. It is a non profit organization that works to decreasing stigma of mental health on college campuses and in the surrounding communities. I am proud to say I am one of the founders of the Lindenwood Chapter, along with being the President of the organization, and the chapter is still going strong today after my graduation.
     So. Yes, I am on mediation still. No, I am not ashamed. And nobody else should either. If you ever wanna talk, shoot me a text or email! Unless I am asleep I am always available. :) Stay Awesome!

Today in the world....

    Hello! So as many of you are aware, Donald Trump, or as I like to call him, Fuhrer Cheese Puff, has banned people from seven different Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. These pictures that I have included are people protesting the ban of immigrants from the United States at the JFK airport in New York four days ago. People who were coming into the United States at the time of the ban were held at the airport, unable to go anywhere. Many people were sent back on a plane home after arriving. Normally, I do not go into politics. However, this ban has struck home with me. I am not a Citizen of the United States, I am a Canadian citizen born in Saint Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. It is nerve wracking seeing people from other countries being deported back to their country of citizenship, knowing that I myself am not American. I understand that right now the ban is on Muslim-majority countries, however I can't help but wonder where this ban is going to lead us. Are all people from different countries who are not citizens, visa or not, going to be deported in the future? Is it going to become impossible for anyone to apply for citizenship? What is going to happen next? Due to this, I will start working on getting my citizenship in the next few weeks. 
     I am ashamed to be living in the United States right now, where people are telling me it is ok to keep refugees who are seeking help and safety out of the United States, and that people living in the middle east are our enemies. I am hoping this madness ends, for the sake of America and the world.

Baby Hedgehog Pix!

     Hello! So I spent a lot of tonight taking pictures and learning how to better use my camera. As promised, I took some pictures of K9 (as much as he felt comfortable!). These are my two favorites of him, and I am quite proud! After I put him back in his home to sleep and play, I attempted to give him a mealworm. He is still a baby, so he does not understand treats just yet. I have been putting a single mealworm in his food bowl every night to see if he will eat them, which he has. Tonight I spent roughly five minutes with my hand in the cage, attempting to get him to take it. Just before I gave up, his nose stuck out from his blanket and he gobbled it up! Tonight marks the night he ate his first treat out of my hand. I am so excited!

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my very first, brand new blog! I plan on publishing many pictures and details on my adventures during my Digital Photography 1 class this semester, so stay tuned! Also, there might be a few pictures of my baby Hedgehog, K9, on here, so be prepared for some cuteness! :)