Individual final project with Owens Radiology Program

An x-ray of a chest with bullet wounds. (Photos by Sam Ricker PHO245)

   It's almost the end of the semester and that means everyone is hurrying to finish final projects and study for exams.
   The final project this semester for the photojournalism class was an individual Soundslide presentation. The stories were supposed to follow with the beats we covered earlier in the year. However, I decided to change my program to get a wider view of the programs at Owens. Lucky for me the Radiology Program was more than happy to help me out. I met Melissa Trombly, a student who showed me around the radiology department. She let me interview and photograph her with a patient, who was actually another radiology student.
   Trombly also pointed out to me how radiology can be similar to photography. Both use words like exposure for their images. Both also have had to deal with film that has become updated into the digital world.
   The presentation process is a long one. There are two separate programs that are used, Audacity and Soundslides. Audacity is a sound program that allows to you to edit your interviews, cut, paste and add sound.
  The other program, Soundslides, is a program that connects the photographs and the sound into a presentation. Soundslides allows you to arrange photos, lengthen or shorten them and add transitions and movements.
   The whole process takes a while to finish, and you need to be patient and allow yourself time. It's not a simple job that can be done in two hours but when its finished you have something that you really can be proud of and show off.

Radiology student, Melissa Trombly looks over x-rays on the computer.

Melissa Trombly, a radiology senior poses for a photo with a radiology shield.

                                                                                                                                                                

This photojournalism class has been quite an experience, I have learned so much and had experiences I will never forget.

Burned: Arson field trip to the Central Toledo area

A white picket fence surrounds what once was the American dream burned to the ground. (Photos by Sam Ricker PHO245)

Steps lead to nowhere after an arson claims a home in Central Toledo.

   The final projects are in full swing in Owens Community College's photojournalism class.
  Our class took a field trip to the Central Toledo area to photograph arson sites on November 28th. The job for us students was not only to photograph these houses but to find witnesses or neighbors to interview,  then a soundslides production.

   The class was broken up into three sections. A sound team to collect interviews and work in a sound program called audacity, an editing team to collect and edit photographs and put them in sound slides, and a caption team to write down information to make the captions and put them along with photographs.

An abandoned home can be the perfect opening for an arsonist to enter and destroy.

  The class started out at a house that was burned to the ground, only rubble remained. A neighbor who lived across the street was kind enough to talk with our sound team students and gave us valuable information that we could only of obtained from witnesses like her. The rest of the class worked on photographing the house and the surrounding area.

   Leaving the first house we also visited houses that were still standing, these houses showed us just the amount of damage that can be done from arson, not only to one home but to the houses next door as well.

  On our final stop the class witnessed what appeared as the American dream burned to the ground, a white picket fence surrounding a pile of rubble. A man who lived in the neighborhood talked with our sound team and really gave us information we could have never known. He told us about all the abandoned houses in town and how easily they are vandalized. I now kind of understand how houses can be forgotten about and torched. 

  This project was one of the largest photography projects I have had to work on. It was a difficult challenge, and took a lot of courage but it was also something I will never forget and learned so much from. 

   I think arson deserves much more attention and notice so others can learn and maybe try to fix this problem.
   The final project from Soundslides will be given to rustwire.com, a website that focuses on areas like this in both destruction and beauty.

Shooting sports photography during a night DVI playoff game



McComb's Jerry Brown, right, carries the ball ahead of the Tiffin Calvert Senecas.

A McComb panthers coach yells to get his players motivated.

  The McComb Panthers and the Tiffin Calvert Senecas battled for the Div. 1 regional final spot on Friday night at Lake High school, in Millbury, Ohio.

   I shot this game for my sports assignment and found just how difficult shooting sports can be. Not only can it can be tricky to get color and everything in your camera right but stopping the motion of a player is important, as well. Sports photography might take some practice but when you know what you're doing you can capture some great moments.

   Some obstacles I had to overcome during this assignment were finding a game on a day that I didn't work, contacting the correct people in order to enter the game and standing in the best place to get the best shot.   

    By entering the game with my Owens ID and Assignment hand out I was able to shoot the game  and not have to pay for a ticket. I contacted the sports director who was there to get permission to enter the field for a short time, and got a few players names and information from fans around me. 

   The next issue dealt with the lighting on the field, I have never shot that much movement at night and I found it difficult to stop the action. ISO and white balance were two things I knew I wanted to set first so I worked with my camera on how to correctly expose and image but still stop the action. A fast shutter speed helps but the best way to stop action and not eat up a lot of light is with a flash. 

   I tried to remember that during sports you want to capture not just the players but the fans and the coaches. There is a lot of emotion and action going on not only on the field, but on the sidelines and in the bleachers.

   In the end McComb out scored the Senecas 42-0, taking the team to 12-0. Beating Tiffin Calvert also moves them ahead to the regional finals this Friday night against Delphos St. John's at Findlay's Donnell stadium.

   I enjoyed shooting sports, and know that it will still take a lot more practice but this was a great learning experience for me. I already know I would like to shoot sports again.





McComb Panther fans wear there favorite players jersey during a semifinal playoff game against Tiffin Calvert.

 

Shooting smiles with the dental progam for a portrait assignment

Lauren Murtaugh

   Portrait photography allows the photographer to be more in control, and this idea can be scary to some. Portraits can capture the meaning or feeling of a person. The photographer needs to work with the subject and understand them as well as the surroundings.

   Lauren Murtaugh is a second-year student in the Dental Hygiene program at Owens Community College. I am covering the Dental program currently in my photojournalism class, and followed Lauren for my portrait assignment. Lauren, as a second-year, gets the opportunity to work with real patients in their clinic at Owens. I shot her portrait as she was setting up her work space before her patient arrived. She was meeting her patient that day for the first time, but had already looked over his form and was prepared for what was needed.

   When I first arrived to shoot this assignment my first thought was to get a head shot of Lauren. To get the right exposure in a head shot you need to be sure you are setting up the subject and white balance correctly. A head shot is a basic head and shoulders shot with their head tilted back and their face forward. In addition to the head shot portraits should include an environment shot which the subject works or lives, which is her cubicle at the clinic. 

Lauren Murtaugh prepares for her patient before clinic (PHO245 photos by Sam Ricker)

   I wanted to capture Lauren working in her clinic space as she was working with her own tools because not only would Lauren feel more comfortable but I could easily see how she works and what tools she uses regularly. Lauren put on her sterile gloves, protective glasses, mask, and cover slip just as if she was preparing with a patient. With her face covered however portrait photography can be tricky. It is important to see a smile and a face in portrait photography. I'm sure a dental student won't mind showing off some teeth. 

  After tackling feature photography and learning to not be afraid of photographing people, portraits did not seem so scary. Knowing an visually appealing way to pose a subject comes with experience but capturing someones life and portraying them is fun and exciting for both the subject and the photographer.

   The Dental Hygiene program has been great in allowing me access and information. They were very welcoming. Hopefully they enjoyed this assignment as much as I did.

Second-year students in Dental Hygiene, like Lauren Murtaugh, participate in a clinic at Owens Community College.

Shooting feature photography with the Dental Hygiene program

First-year students follow along in a exploratory lesson

   For our first shooting assignment on feature photography we were instructed to work within our individual beats. 

   According to what I learned in class beat systems are a common way journalists cover topics on a long-term basis. I was assigned  to the Dental Hygiene program on campus. I was very nervous when first thinking about the idea of photographing real people who I did not know, rather than just objects or family members. 

   I enjoyed the assignment way more than I thought I would. It allowed me the opportunity to get out there and work independently, just like I would if it were my career. The Dental Program was fantastic in allowing me to come into their classes and clinic time. They informed me of what was going on within their program, and gave me even more ideas of what could make great shooting experiences.

Students work with real patients during their clinic at Owens

    The second-year students actually see real patients in their clinic. These patients schedule an appointment with the Owens students, just like as if it were a real dental office. I had bit of trouble deciding whether or not to photograph the patients without a model release. Thinking back to my journalism class, I remembered the differences between public relations and journalism. Photojournalists do not need a release form because we do not profit from a subject's image. Just to avoid any trouble, I decided to photograph the patients either from behind or from an angle where they would not be recognizable. This ended up being the best way to work with the students and the patients.

   The most challenging thing I found in this assignment was to remember to get names of students and instructors in the photos, and how to get their names without interrupting the lesson. The best way to tackle this problem is to wait until the lesson is over or until there is a break and respectively ask the student or instructor their names and how they are spelled. 

    Feature photography is not as scary as it seems; just remember to be confident and respectful. Shoot your photographs and get the right information about your subject.

Dental program first-year students learn to work with tools for their upcoming clinic on real patients. 

What exactly can you do with your camera operations

An image with a shallow background using a large
aperture (PHO 245 by Samantha Ricker) 

   Basic camera operations and functions are not always so basic and I learn this in my photojournalism class, and every time I'm out shooting. There are so many things a photographer should think about when shooting an image.

   Some of the main things a photographer should consider are ISO's, exposure, shutter speed, white balance and depth of field. We also have to remember  composition, and what is being photographed.

   My favorite thing when taking photos is the composition, and being able to find a different way to photograph something that has already been photographed. Some cool ways you can do this would be to blur a background or part of an image.

   Camera operations are the basis for creating your image and after knowing them you're ready to move forward to shooting your image. Everyone can learn a little more about the camera functions at the tutorial I viewed at Penn State photo tutorial.

This photo shows an image of stopped motion by using a fast shutter speed

This photo shows the compositional, element rule of thirds

Photo captions and why they are important

  Photo captions and AP style is something very new for me,but also something that is important that I should know and be able to learnand understand. Every photo caption should include the 5 w’s and the h- who,what, where, when, why and how. It is important to include these and make surethey are correct because as a reader one of the first things you look at is thephoto. The caption can be what determines if you’re interested in reading thatstory or not. Another reason captions should be accurate and concise is becausesomething as little as how to spell a name the right way should always treatedas being important not only to the reader but also the subject you arephotographing. The caption information should also be the same as theinformation used inside the story.

   I think photocaptions can be a little difficult when it comes to the style used, but gettingthem right and accurate is something that needs to be done and done correctly.I hope I will continue to learn to make them perfect.