classified staff appreciation day

On Wednesday, April 27, Linn-Benton Community College classified staff were invited to the commons cafeteria for an appreciation day. Staff were invited to get tattoos, rock out like real stars, and most importantly, eat food. 

(Overall): Staff line up behind Clint Hoisington, head of public safety, eagerly waiting to fill their plates.

Amy Sikora smiles on as Marcene Olson presses on her new temporary tattoo.

Ramona Sweere works on decorating her paper guitar. There was a competition to see who could decorate the best guitar.

Forum #4

1. The piece from the Code of Ethics that sticks out to me most is #2. Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities. As a photographer, especially a beginner, it can be hard and somewhat nerve wracking to candidly photograph strangers. When the deadline is near, it's easy to just find a friend and set them up doing something generic, but the photos almost always look corny. It's much better to find something that someone is already doing, and shoot them in a natural form.

2.  The biggest standout on the second list is #1. Ensure that the public's business is conducted in public. This reminded me of the "$60,000 photo" from the Gazette Times, and how easy it is for someone to sue you for a photo. A good rule of thumb would be to only run photos that you take from a public space, unless you can get their permission in writing. Even they verbally give you permission, they could always claim they didn't if the photo gives them negative exposure they weren't expecting.

3. Last week I was stressing to get some photos taken, so I ended up breaking rule #2 on the code of ethics. All the photos I took were really lame, and I wasn't excited about any of them. Luckily I found the two guys playing ping-pong moments later and shot them instead. The ping pong photos ended up turning out way better, and I actually got some shots I was proud of.

1. I like this photo of the Bible guys in the quad. It's a really close shot that makes the viewer feel like the guy is trying to give them the bible personally. I also like the use of depth of field, you can see the guy in the background, but he doesn't distract from the photo.

2. Another standout to me was this shot by Terri at the equestrian barn. She caught a lot of great action in this photo. The water spraying, the horse moving, and the girl controlling the horse are all very apparent in this single frame.

Environmental Portrait

Paul Faulconer posing with his guitar at his home in Corvallis, Oregon. Paul started playing guitar in third grade, and hasn't put it down since. He recently started playing in a band with some co-workers; if you play bass guitar they could use your talents.

Paul Faulconer

Forum #3

1. Caleb Smith
2. Caleb is an LBCC baseball player who recently signed a ten day contract with the Corvallis Knights
3. The best environment to shoot Caleb would be on a baseball diamond.
4. The best props would be his uniform, glove, and bat.
5. I've already contacted him through text.

1. Paul Faulconer
2. My brother Paul plays guitar, and recently formed an unofficial band with his friends two friends that sing and play the drums
3. Ideally I would get shots of him playing with his friends, but anywhere with nice lighting would probably suffice.
4. The only props we would really need are his guitar and amplifier.
5. I live with him, so I can ask him face to face.

1. My favorite photo that I've taken is my close shot from week 2:

I like this photo because the lighting and colors are really crisp. It almost seems like a photo you would see in a brochure for LBCC.

2. My least favorite photo I've posted was my first medium shot:

 The subject matter of the photo is interesting, but the quality isn't great. There's a foggy look to it, none of the colors really pop. I also didn't put much thought into the cropping job.

3. I think my photos would improve a lot if I was more conscious  about lighting while I was shooting. I noticed a lot of my photos from the ping-pong game had light coming from the background which affected the quality of the photos a lot.

(Open): Kase Allouzi and his friend Belaal Alaghbari play a friendly game of ping-pong in the lobby of the Activity Center at LBCC.

(Medium): Kase watches the ball as he returns a serve from Belaal.

(Close): Kase eyeing the ball mid-air as he prepares to serve it.

Forum #2

Arthur "Weegee" Fellig
1.
a) Arthur Fellig is originally from Ukraine
b) He was a self taught photographer with no formal training.
c) He developed his photos in a home made darkroom in the back of his car.
2. The thing that most stands out about his photos is his use of distortion. It's not something you commonly see from photographers of his era.
3. Weegee's claim to fame were his dramatic street photos, particularly the night shots that showed crime and other creepy things.

1. The first method I liked was to localize a national event. I feel like those types of things are always the most interesting to the local readers. The other method I thought was good was to peruse event calendars. That is a surefire way to find something local and interesting.
2.  After looking at the LBCC event calendar, I noticed the GSA is hosting a drag show next Friday. I could go there and get photos of the show and the crowd reactions.

 Open: Students working hard on their assignments from week 2 in the learning center.

 Medium: Quinn Webb locked into his computer screen in the LBCC library

Close: Quinn Webb in the library working on a beat, Webb spends much of his spare time producing hip hop instrumentals

Forum #1

About Me- My name is Casey Faulconer, and I was born and raised in Corvallis, Oregon. I graduated from Crescent Valley high school in the class of 2015, and have been attending LBCC since fall term. I'm currently undecided on a major, but writing is something that I've always enjoyed, so journalism has definitely been a thought. In high school I took an introduction to photography class, so I know some basics, but I definitely have A LOT of room to grow, especially in editing my photos.

Goals- 1. As of right now I know very little about photo editing. By the end of the term I hope to know more about using photoshop to enhance my photos.
            2. Right now, taking photos of people I don't know at all and then talking to them afterwards seems really awkward. Hopefully over the course of the term I'll become more comfortable with it.
            3. My third goal is to make it into The Commuter. My hope is to get three photos published so I can get an A, but even one feature would be very exciting.

LBCC Photos- 1. The learning center and library are always filled with students. This would be a good area to catch people in their natural habitat.
2. The Activity center would be a good spot to find action shots. Particularly during a basketball class or practice.
3. The quad always has some sort of exhibit going on. This would be a good place to find a subject.

Week 1 Photojournalism assignment

A man recording students learning about an exhibit in the school's quad
(medium)

 Student Alex Fredrick takes notes from an essay for is Writing 122 class (close)

Student's bustling in and out of the learning center, one of the school's many areas for students to work on assignments. (overall)