Why Photojournalism is Still So Important

 Why Photojournalism Matters

You may wonder why you're taking this class. How is this different from the Digital Photography class offered by the art department. There are many differences, but the main one (other than what credit this fulfills) is that one is art and allows for artistic license where photos are manipulated to convey a message and one is conveying a story by the elements, not by manipulation:

You constantly have access to a camera, and true photojournalists often find themselves battling for space:

And now, more than ever, photojournalists are finding themselves struggling to defend their importance in the face of budget cuts, widespread technology usage and a variety of other factors, like the Sun-Times photographers who were fired and raised a powerful protest:

But TRUE photojournalism matters.

Read the article at this link:
GPI: Why Photojournalism is Still So Important

Halfway through the article, she mentions four photographs that are "powerful" and "world-changing." Find them online. Examine them. Think about them.
What about them makes them "powerful."  How are they "world-changing?" What did they do to change the world?
Then go to THIS PADLET and discuss each photograph in AT LEAST THREE FULL SENTENCES.

First Hour's

https://padlet.com/e05044/lcgd36nmvcn0px6r

third hour's:

https://padlet.com/e05044/9lye0yd6r5h82gud

Then answer the questions on THIS google doc about the rest of the article.

5.11 Your Photo of the Year

5.11 Your Best Photo

Good morning, Photojournalists,

I've LOVED looking at your self portraits, but they've made me miss you all more than I already do!!

This is your LAST assignment for PhotoJ this year. I'm unsure how finals will go, so we'll figure that out. It won't be difficult, just something like we've been doing the past six weeks.

Your last assignment for photoj is to find the best photo you've taken this year. You SHOULD have all of your photos still on your desktop, so find the best photo you've taken. The photo that is the BEST example of your work.

Walsworth, our yearbook publishing company, is running a photo contest, and the winners in each category will win a $100 gift card.

You need to do TWO things with this photo:

Number 1: Enter it into the Walsworth Publishing Company contest using this site:

https://www.walsworthyearbooks.com/walsworth-photo-contest/

Your photo needs to fit into one of these categories:

Academics (anything that happened in a class)
Club or Organization/Community Service (anything that happened in a club meeting)
Feature Portrait (a special portrait I asked you to take)
School Spirit (crowd photo)
Sports Action (photo of the action at a game)
Sports Reaction (photo of players reacting to something that happened at a game)
Student Life (dance, Homecoming Pep Assembly, etc)
Yearbook Life (Yearbook class stuff)

They also ask you to give your photo a name and provide a description, like how you took it, when you took it, what event it was, etc.

RIGHT BEFORE YOU ENTER IT, take a screen shot of what you filled out. If you forget to do this and you enter it and then realize you forgot, go view the entries and take a screen shot of your photo in the entries.

The deadline is May 15th, so you need to do that by then.

Number 2: Go to this google doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1of5yIgBBavEgVBj1kQSq1_7EeT71nKJWUPpiaW9RNaw/edit?usp=sharing

Put the screen shot of your photo in the entries so I'll know you did it. Then put your actual photo on the google doc.

You need to do this BY MIDNIGHT ON MAY 15TH.

If you have any questions or need anything, please let me know!!

5.4 Self Portrait

Good afternoon, photojournalists!

I'm sorry I didn't get this on the blog earlier. I was having issues with my blog being blocked for some reason.

This week, you're going to do a self portrait.

Note, I said "SELF PORTRAIT" NOT "selfie."

It's relatively easy, and you can make it as fun or as serious as you want. Think about what you want it to represent about yourself.

Here's a blog about how to take self portraits with your iPhone (or any smart phone), but it's kind of serious:

https://iphonephotographyschool.com/self-portraits/

Here's another one:

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/self-portrait-tips,review-4621.html

Here are some ideas for cool self portraits:

https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/cool-self-portrait-ideas

Here are some examples:

https://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/100-seriously-cool-self-portraits-and-tips-to-shoot-your-own--photo-5689

Does it need to be serious? No. You can make it fun.
Can you use props? Sure, as long as they're school appropriate.

Think about you and what represents you.

Here's one I took a few years ago. It was a deadline night. I was exhausted and waiting for kids to hand pages in so I could edit them, and all I really wanted was a strong latte. You can see there's a mess of things behind me, which typically happens on a deadline night.

AND I had bangs. I'm still trying to decide if I want to do bangs again or not. What do you think?

When you're done with yours, put it on this google doc:

Put your self portrait and then a short paragraph or a few sentences of how it represents you or why you chose to do your photo that way.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_Dpzt5r6h6Tt88VRRU3sY0nl9LafzozZvsJJXgEPmuc/edit

This is due on Monday, May 11th.

As always, if you need ANYTHING, please let me know!!

4.27: Let's go outside

Good morning, photojournalists!

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and that the Thrive on Five was good for you. We had fun doing some of the activities with our boys.

A lot of you had last week off because YOU'RE DONE WITH YOUR EVENTS FOR THE YEAR! YAY!! Those of you who aren't done, I sent you an email reminding you of what I posted last week.

So, this week you have another assignment. As usual, it's just to get you thinking about photography. It's not difficult or overly stressful. It's to get you thinking about how to take pictures and keep you in contact with me.

So, here's what you need to do:

Pick a spot in your yard or a newby park. Set the timer on your phone for 10 minutes and really pay attention to your surroundings. It may be a little hard for you, and it may feel boring at first, but really take the time to pay attention and observe what's happening around you.

I did this in my backyard, and I noticed a little snake making its way across the yard (I moved quickly. We have snakes in our neighborhood quite often). I moved up to our garden where we have strawberry plants blooming and noticed an ant hill in the corner. I detest ants almost as much as I do snakes, but I became fascinated by their movements.

I also sat by my tulips. Tulips are my favorite flower because when I was a little girl, my grandpa grew tulips along his front walkway. We spent a lot of time at my grandparents' house, and every time we ran out of their front door in the springtime, he'd always say, "Don't step on my tulips!" I looked at the structure of the flower and the different kinds of tulips I have.

Anyway. Find something that catches your eye, and watch it before you take your photos. Once you find something to photograph, get down low. Photograph the bugs or whatever you found from their level.

Get bug's eye view.

Put your picture on this google doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZJeCpHIiiMcHqQ47eymGrF6OEA3FJU1GQkbDfyX7zXg/edit?usp=sharing

AND tell me why you chose this to photograph. What about it caught your eye?

It looks like the weather will be BEAUTIFUL this week! Get out there an enjoy it!

4.20 How do you make up events?

Good Monday morning, photojournalists!

I hope this post finds you well!

This is how I'm feeling today

I've received several emails from several of you asking about events.

Obviously, there aren't any more events for the rest of the year. I know several of you were hoping to make up events from January and February in the later months of the school year.

First off, I'm only going to require events for January and February, so if you took events in March and were missing events in January or February, I went into the gradebook and transferred the March ones to ones you were missing in January or February. That should take a little of the stress off of a few of you.

Also, I've graded every event that you've turned in, so if you took pictures at an event and didn't turn in your paper, please let me know so I can check the server.

You can check that by looking at your photojournalism folder on your laptop and comparing it to the google sheet I made to keep track of everything. Here's the link if you can't find it: 2019.20 Photojournalism Events Semester 2

Now, some of you still need to make up events.

I've decided that the best way to do this would be to have you learn skills in PhotoShop AND THEN use those skills to make a video that teaches someone else how to do them.

You need to make a video like the one I made teaching you how to rename your photos, and here's the link to that video: How to Batch Rename Photos

Every skill you learn and video you make will count as one event.

Here are the skills I'd like you to learn and make a video of yourself doing:

USE PHOTOS YOU'VE TAKEN UP TO THIS POINT TO EXPERIMENT, AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE READY TO ACTUALLY DO THE ASSIGNMENT(S), EMAIL ME, AND I'LL SEND YOU A PHOTO TO DO THE ACTUAL VIDEO WITH.

1: Using Levels to improve the color of your photos.:
 
2: Make a photo black and white and then adjust the sliders of the colors to make different areas in the photo stand out.

3: Cut out a figure in a photo with a transparent background so it can be place on a yearbook page.

How do you record your screen and voice?

Here's a link to a video that shows you how to do it if it's not blocked:
How to record your screen and voice using QuickTime
If it is blocked, google it.

How do you learn how to do these things and then show others?
Google how to do them.  There are HUNDREDS of videos of photographers talking you through how to do them.
With Photoshop, there are at least 10 different ways to do each of these skills, which is one of the reasons I kind of struggle with PhotoShop sometimes.

ONCE YOU DECIDE WHICH ONE YOU'RE DOING, AND LEARN HOW TO DO IT, EMAIL ME AND LET ME KNOW WHICH ONE YOU'RE GOING TO DO, AND I'LL SEND YOU THE PICTURE TO DO YOUR VIDEO WITH.

When is this due? Thursday, May 7.  DO NOT EMAIL ME THE MORNING OF THURSDAY, MAY 7 AND ASK ME HOW TO DO THIS.

START NOW!!

EACH one counts as one event. So you can make up three events. If you have all of your events to make up, do all three of these before you ask me for another activity.

Practice on photos you already have from ones you've taken.

Got questions? I'm just an email away!

4.13 Make a rainbow!

Good morning, photojournalists!

Last week's announcement about not going back to school hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew it was probably coming, but I had been holding out hope that we'd be able to go back. I'll be honest, my oldest and I have shed some tears over the situation (we're both big criers), but we'll get through this! I miss you all so much!

I'm up bright and early this morning because everything.... EVERYTHING for the yearbook is due today.

I have to upload it to the yearbook company site by midnight tonight, and I'm pretty excited to actually be able to put this puppy to bed!

FIRST: I've heard from several of you about how you can make up events. I have an idea percolating, but I need to go over it in my head a little bit this week. I'll post them in a week, so please don't stress. I've got you.

I WAS going to have you go outside for this week's project, but I took one look at the weather and was like, "Nope, too chilly!"

So, this assignment will keep you inside. You can all thank me when we see each other again.

This week's assignment is simple: you're going to make a rainbow.

You remember learning about the colors of the rainbow, right?

ROY G. BIV is how I learned them

Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet

You need to walk around your house and take a picture of every color of the rainbow. You can omit "indigo" if you need to.

Then use PicMonkey to create a visual of them however you want.

Put them on this google doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/137txbaFMZMZwNQOcKjD7LotoMme_2uWi-YeH3w-ICJQ/edit?usp=sharing

If you need anything, I'm just an email away!!

Have a great day!

3.30: Flipgrid

Good day, photojournalists!

Two assignments for this week:

Several of you know my love for "The Office." Okay, maybe "love" is putting it mildly. Okay, no maybe, "love" is putting my feelings for "The Office" mildly. I ADORE that show!

So, first assignment.

Watch this youtube video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F5pgG1M_h_U

I think we could all use some good news.

Now for some more good news, I've figured out a new way to communicate!

Before you all roll your eyes and say, "Oh, Sparks, you drive us crazy," it will allow you to record video, and let's be honest, I've missed your voice!

So, check your email for the FlipGrid code and record a video for me.

BUT make sure to login and then click on the "Record a Response" and make your video there. Don't email it to me. I want the class to see your faces, too!!!

It looks like this, and you'll click on the green plus.

I miss you all terribly!!