Nature's Nursery is an amazing organization.

 Nature's Nursery is a wildlife rehabilitation and conservation education center located in Whitehouse Ohio. They strive to educate the public about the wildlife in our own backyards.
     Laura Zitzelberger is the director of operations at Nature's Nursery and she was kind enough to help me with my sound slides project for photojournalism. She took time out of her day to give me a tour of the facilities, and see some of the heart of what the center does.
     From opossums to owls, and squirrels to birds of prey, all the animals in their care are provided with food, shelter and medical care. I even was able to get up close and personal to an eastern screech owl named Einstein and a cormorant named Darcy.
      In several of the cases, some of the animals will never be able to be released and instead can be used as education animal. For those that can be released, the volunteers try to make them not become comfortable with humans. This way they have a better chance of surviving in the wild when released. Sadly there are three animals that they are not able to rehabilitate. Those three are coyotes, raccoon, and deer.
     The other main part of the heart of Nature's Nursery is educating the public. Many assumptions need to be dispelled. One of these that Laura says they face a lot is people think that if they touch a baby animal that the mother will then abandon it. However it seems that this is not the case.
      It was an amazing experience and I would like to thank Laura for allowing me to not only see what Nature's Nursery does, but to also be able to show the public some of the animals that benefit from this organization.

Darcy is a double breasted cormorant. (pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

Isabella along with her cage mate Maverick (not pictured) were kept as pets before coming to Nature's Nursery. (pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

Laura Zitzelberger spends some time with Nigel the woodchuck. (pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

   

Shooting a baseball game was actually kind of fun.

     The only other sporting event I ever shot was Hockey and this was by far better because it was a better speed. Hockey was a bit too fast paced for me to shoot.
     When I went to the Mud Hens game on April 23 it was all business in my mind. I went there to get a coach shot and a fan shot but I ended up getting more. It was fun to get action shots because I could get each play individually.
     However when it came time to the shots I needed, I was nervous to say the least. I don't like large crowds of people unless it's in a dance club and I really didn't like photographing fans at random and then getting their caption information. But after a small panic attack I actually started loosening up and having fun.
      Does that mean I'll become a sports photographer? No. But I will definitely watch baseball games in a new way, envisioning what would make a great picture, rather than how the game turns out.

The Columbus coach takes a moment to speak to his pitcher. (pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

Muddy and Muddonna prepare to head onto the field. (pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

Columbus player no. 11 gets to first base before the ball. (pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

Mudhens batting coach Leon Durem shakes hands with  no. 44. (pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

Tomi Harvey (black hoodie) stays warm as she watches the game. (pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

   

Why yes, I can do a portrait headshot

In my previous post on my feature story (Lori Nix) I forgot to include a head and shoulders portrait shot. So now I give you proof that I can successfully shoot the shot. Ta da!

Laura, who is the director of Nature's Nursery, was very nice to let me get a shot of her. 

   

The Sunshine Home Visitation

     The experience of team shooting at the Sunshine Home was very beneficial for me as both a photographer, and just a person in general. It made us work together as a cohesive team and coordinate our different jobs. We were split up in to teams of two for this with me and Paul being on the sound team.
     Paul and I got to do the audio interview which was a little nerve wracking. However it was shooting the residents that caused a mini panic attack in me. I didn't want to disturb or upset the residents so I was hesitant about getting the shots.
     I've come to realize that photojournalism may not be for me, but I will take the lessons I learned and the teamwork skills to heart and utilize them in my future interactions with others.
All photos by Sydney Sawkins.

A 72 year old resident, Tommy, holds hands with caregiver Deb Johnson.

Caregiver Lamiah Jones  helps move resident Tiffany Beacon.

One of the very friendly and photogenic horses used for thereaputic riding.

Caregiver Sarah feeds a resident.

 

It's a small world for Lori Nix

Lori Nix addresses Owens Photo Club. (Pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

     I chose Lori Nix as my center point for my environmental portrait assignment.
     Nix is a New York artist who builds intricate and detailed dioramas, and then photographs the finished results. She breaks most of her dioramas down after she captures them on film before she begins her next project. She utilizes exceptional lighting techniques, and her pictures have a distinct and original personality.
     Nix came to our campus last week to speak to the Owens Photo Club about her work. She focused on getting jobs in the commercial market, and about how we have to go out and get work rather than wait for it to fall in our laps. She also discussed some of her inspiration for her personal projects, such as her photos of dioramas that depicted post-apocalyptic scenes, which were displayed at the Toledo Museum of Art from November until yesterday.
     When shooting my environmental portrait of Nix showing a slideshow of her work, it seemed like the dim lighting in the classroom was against me, and I did not utilize it the best way possible. The lights were off for most of the presentation, and only a little sunlight was streaming in through a side window. Therefore, I had to deal with an extremely high ISO, a wide-open aperture and a slow shutter speed. 
     I feel I managed to comprehend the assignment, but did not excel in shooting it. However, this will give me the nudge to practice tough lighting situations. 

Lori Nix shows some of her commercial work. (Pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

One of the photos on display in Nix's series that was at the Toledo Museum of Art. http://www.lorinix.net/

   

In hockey age does not matter

Jeff Weis of the orange team faces off with the with the white team's goalie. (Pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

     Let me just first say that I am not a sports expert.
     In fact, the hockey game I shot for this assignment is the first one I've gone to that I can remember. However, I did my research and watched a few hockey games online before I went to shoot. I found that shooting sports can be a tough job to get those key shots. It's very fast paced; maybe a little too much for my liking.
     The hockey game was at the Tam-O-Shanter in Sylvania, Ohio. The players were in a 35 and older league. The teams were organized by color, and there was no roster to help me identify the player's names.

The goalie prepares to defend the net. (Pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

     One should not assume they can't hack it with the younger players. I found that there were just as many hard checks into the boards and sticking violations as a pro hockey game, or even that of a high school or college game. In fact, one of the teams seemed to utilize the illegal move of using their sticks to yank the feet out from under their opponents.
     In addition, a big hockey tradition was rampant in the form of trash talk and profanity. The one sentence that stood out in my mind was aimed at a player heading into the penalty box. He shouted out, "Get in the box already you fat, f---ing pig!" It mildly surprised me that they would use such language, but in a close game like this tension was running high.
     The winning team did a lot of scoring in the first period. However, the losing team managed to tie it up in the second period. After that it was a grueling battle for the win.
     As the two teams lined up after the game to slap hands, all anger and tension from the game was put aside in a great display of sportsmanship.
    This was a good ending to a great game.

Three players engage in possibly illegal stick play. (Pho245/Sydney Sawkins)

Feature opportunities can happen indoors or outdoors

Toledoan Joyce braves the elements to take her dog Raxr for a walk. Photo by Sydney Sawkins.

     When you live in Toledo, you get used to Ohio's random weather. It can be cold and storming one day, then warm and sunny the next! However, during either of these situations one can find an activity to do, whether it be indoors or out.
     Joyce, who lives in my neighborhood and declined to give her last name, didn't let the rain keep her from walking her dog. Though it wasn't freezing out, it was still chilly and the rain kept starting and stopping. However consideration for her dog, Raxr's, needs made it quite an easy decision.
     I was not as inclined as Joyce to spend a lot of time in the horrible conditions, so I attended the Findlay Art League's Photo 30 contest opening reception indoors. The Photo 30 show is open to residents of Northwest Ohio who are allowed to submit three photos, four for those who are members of the Art League.
     Those submissions are then judged and either accepted into the show or are rejected. If accepted they are hung in the Findlay Art League's gallery in Findlay for the month of March. The opening reception took place on March 9, 2012 from 7-9 p.m.
The judge this year is fine art photographer Darlene Yeager-Torre and it was through her decisive choices that awards were handed out to certain pictures.
     The coveted Best of Show award went to Kaitlyn Jo Smith's photo Poison (picture at right), which utilized varying depth of field and leading lines and angles. Kaitlyn was unable to make it to accept her award in person.  

     The other coveted award of First Place went to the photo Charleston Light, photographed by Jane Vanden Eynden. This photo imposed different contrasts between light and shadow and focused upon leading lines. Jane was present to receive her award from co-chair of the show Andrew Crow.
     Though not all photos in the exhibit received awards, all were a fine example of some of the creativity and technique that shows what local photographers of all ages have to offer.

Jane Vanden Eynden poses by her first place photo Charleston Light. Photo by Sydney Sawkins.

Jane Vanden Eynden accepts the first place award from co-chair of the show Andrew Crow. Photo by Sydney Sawkins.

So that that's what's happening

     As I attempted to write my first few captions, I found that it wasn't as easy as I thought. I struggled with making them short and concise because I am used to using a lot of descriptive words.
     However, captions need to be accurate and concise so they hold the viewer's interest while providing truthful information. Captions are the key to providing correct identification of elements in a picture so that it can't be misunderstood.
     For the technical aspects, such as proper use of numbers, the AP style guide was a big help in formatting it properly. For example: instead of writing "This man is six feet nine inches", the correct way is "This man is 6 feet 9 inches."
     I think that for anyone, whether you're a beginner or pro, the AP style guide is a great resource to help you improve your caption writing.

Long live the First Amendment!

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." 

     After learning about the First Amendment, I found that I have rights that are vital to my journalism. The best part has to be the freedoms of speech and press because I may write or say something that others may not agree with.

     Sometimes I think people need to be shown a different perspective so that they can learn important lessons, even when something is unappealing. As a photojournalist, freedom of the press protects my right to shoot sensitive and disturbing photos. I had previously thought that I had to blindly obey the authorities if they told me I could not take pictures somewhere, or could be asked to leave if I covered an issue that someone else found distasteful.

     I am now confident that my rights cannot be stomped, which will allow me to better educate the masses.

Surprisingly the history of photojournalism is interesting

     The main vibe I picked up from the history of news is that it was a pain in the butt back when some of the first cameras were used to capture news-worthy moments, (at least compared to today). However, this didn't stop the dedicated photojournalists from doing whatever they could to bring news to the world.
     One of the more interesting pieces of information was about the gravitation towards the tone dot patterns, and away from the carving of drawings on zinc plates or blocks of wood. What's even more intriguing about the process is the tiny dots used to make up color pictures back then now make up the pictures on our computer screen. We are still utilizing kindred technology of using dots to make up a larger image.
     One of the big photographers of history is Jimmy Hare. He made his name for himself by shooting major world events. He is a prime example of a journalist that one should consider taking notes from his actions. Hare didn't let things like discomfort on shoots and disapproval of shooting locations hinder him from capturing those important moments that are a part of our world history.
     Overall I'm not a big fan of a lot of history. However, through learning about the lifespan and creation of photojournalism, I realize that we can actually benefit from studying processes and photojournalists from the past. This can be used to improve not only our writing, but our thirst of knowledge and willingness to pursue information, no matter how many obstacles stand in our way.

Who am I?

   Let's start off with the basic information here, folks.

   I am currently a commercial photography major at Owens Community College and hopefully will be done with my full degree at the end of the Fall 2012 semester.

   Now let's dig a little deeper...

The majority of my passions include photography, reading and eating. My photography preferences vary from studio still life, creative portraiture, environmental, and anything else that I randomly find interesting or appealing. I am inspired by colors, dreams, mythology/folklore and nature, among others. As for reading, I love anything fiction, from fantasy to murder mystery. I think one of the best inventions is the Kindle.

   My personality is pretty laid back but that doesn't mean I am a push over. I am able to play the devil's advocate and understand both sides of an argument/opinion. However, I know what I believe and can stand up for it when I need to.