Club Picture Day!!!! (Written as if on Club Picture Day)

Today was not just Club Picture Day, it was also the best day of the year, MY BIRTHDAY. I may have kinda picked this day on purpose... Regardless, I was taken from my bed in the wee hours of the morning by my wonderful best friends. They blindfolded me, took me to breakfast, then Starbucks and then to the school to prepare for the wonderful day to come. (They also made me wear a birthday princess sash all day except in the pictures...) We set up and taught the Juniors everything (I hope they were paying attention!) Then we just started rolling as the clubs came in. A video camera floated around so we could get footage of everything, Claire had it most of the time though. I stayed at the Big Stand for most of it but I floated in between and made sure everything was going okay, all the photo numbers were getting written down and we stayed on schedule. I was quite proud as to how well we stayed on schedule and didn't take pictures too late or early. We stopped when third period started and packed up everything to go eat. Josh's lovely parents provided sandwiches from Ironwood for us. It was wonderful. Then we ran back to play our annual football game. Juniors against seniors. Seniors won. WHOOP WHOOP! Then we set everything back up, metered the lights and stuff and started rolling again. Right before last period we finished and packed up one last time and went back to smiths room and chilled. Today has definitely been my favorite day all year and I'm really sad I won't be back to do it all again next year. But, I couldn't have wished for it to go anymore perfectly.

What Happens When You're in Pot's Room Too Long

What I Learned at JEA

So, this one doesn't have pictures to go with it, I didn't learn my lessons from behind the camera this time. On Friday all the classes we went to we just heard stuff we already knew (hmm, one might think we had a good teacher...). So Saturday it took all we had to get out of bed and go to our classes but I'm sooooooooooooo glad we did. Our first two classes were about telling stories not just taking pictures. and they were FANTASTIC! For the first time in a while we walked out of the room with our heads spinning with thoughts of were going to do next time, what we should have done and how we can take what were already doing and make it better.
We were on a photographic high we went to out next class. We quickly sobered up as we sat down in this leadership class and realized they weren't helping us in the aspects we needed to be helped in. So, at the very end of class we told the instructor our problem. We had newbies with so much potential and talent but they weren't as driven as we needed to be and we were flat out of ideas and almost hope. The instructor was stumped as well and shifted his attention to the flopping hands around the room while the two lovely ladies in front of us turned around and talked to us about possible solutions. They were stumped for a while too then they suggested that maybe they feel like they don't have enough responsibility and maybe we should give them jobs. We thought this was brilliant! So we left class more hopeful than ever and met up with Smith on the balcony and ran the idea past him and he thought it was brilliant as well. So Caroline and I spent the next 3 and 1/2 hours planning the perfect job for each newbie. We took into consideration what area they needed to be pushed in and what area they thrived in and created a job for each person. The jobs were as follows:

Bailey and Sydney- They are the assignment sleuths and inspirational seekers. We gave them these jobs so they would have to speak to more people and get out of their comfort zones. We felt like they have some really good ideas but their quietness holds them back a little bit. The inspirational seeker things was just because that was something we wanted done and the assignment sleuth thing didn't have to be done that often.

Riley and Sabrina- They are the dough harvesters. Sabrina always comes up with creative ideas but sorta lacks the focus to get it completely done and Riley is suuuper organized and is fantastic at making things happen, so we thought they'd be a great pair. Also, both girls have excellent people skills which is very important when planning a fundraiser.

Ndidi- She is the studio assessor. She's very tidy and orderly. She always uses the sign out board (which is FANTABULOUS), so we thought making sure the studio was in order would be right up her alley! BUT! Her job is nit the maid, it is simply to notify the staff when things are less than satisfactory in the studio.

Joshy- Joshua has two jobs. He is the desktop janitor and the weekly nudger. Every once and a while he has a problem remembering he has an assignment until we remind him so we thought that putting him in charge of reminding everyone else would help with that. We gave him the job of desktop janitor because it was something that needed to be done and he had the least time consuming job. But I promise that's the only one we gave just because!

Kenz- She is the scribe. Since we have a chronological book this year I would make a poster every week saying what was happening that week, but as the year went on and I had more things to do I didn't have time anymore. So, since Kenzie is always on top of her game with whats happening we thought this would be great for her.

Carls- She is the celebratory engineer. Shes very crafty and loves celebrating, whether is a birthday, Christmas, or a monday. Shes been doing great with taking a bajillion assignments and working them into her schedule so we decided that giving her a job that would be more of a creative outlet than actual work would be good for her.

I guess this post should have been a detailed outline of what I learned in those fantastic classes and how I'm going to be a much better photojournalist from here on out, but while I do have an outline on my phone and I do plan on being better, what I learned this weekend is that I want to know that my baby is going to be in the best possible hands. I have poured my heart and soul in this program for a year and a half and i don't regret one second of it, but I want to know it wasn't all for nothing. I want to see them have their "ah-ha" moment. I want the newbies to love photography at least as half as much as I do. That's what I really learned at JEA.

I Should've Been More Like Caroline...

ISO:800

Aperture: 1.8

Shutter Speed: 1/400

ISO: 800

Aperture: 1.8

Shutter Speed: 1/400

ISO:800

Aperture: 2.8

Shutter Speed: 1/160

So today Caroline, Claire, Amy, Woodsies and I went to Shop with a cop today. It was the most magical thing in the entire world. IM SO WEAK!! After I took the first picture I broke down and balled like a baby, Woodsies had to come over and force me to pull myself together. After I pulled myself together I found Officer Irvin and Stormy (the sweet girl above) and followed them around. Stormy was really quite. Officer Irvin couldn't get much out of her so I got down and asked her what her favorite animal was and we went in pursuit of a bear, then we went and looked at clothes. And I just got so involved with trying to help her and Officer Irvin out that I forgot to be a photographer. All my training and preparation went out the window and I was consumed by the story instead of documenting it. I learned it's one thing to know what pictures you need and how to get them but it's another to go out there and do it. Caroline, on the other hand, hit this one out of the park. She got all the shots she needed to have a very effect photo story and then some. She became friends with the children but she never forgot what she was there to do. In conclusion, I should have been more like Caroline.

But, I still got a lot out of this assignment as a whole. It was such a beautiful thing to see all these kids running around with these police officers and fire fighters getting a wonderful Christmas. And all these officers have such a big heart. Anytime a child went over their $100 they payed the rest so the kid could get everything they wanted. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

Words Hurt

Wooh Fire!

Cat Lady

Book Worms

ISO: 1600

Aperture: f 2.8

Shutter Speed: 1/50

So I am co-president of book club and when Potter found out I was put in charge of documenting all book club meetings. This time we met at McAllister's and discussed The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I was quite fun. There wasn't a lot going on so I shot the best I could. I just got a few shots of people discussing the book and wide shot of everyone there (minus me). I couldn't shoot the whole time, cause ya know, I'm President. So, I had to participate. 

JEA Wooh!

ISO:2500

Aperture: 3.5

Shutter Speed: 1/125

ISO:2000

Aperture: 4.0

Shutter Speed: 1/320

ISO:1600

Aperture: 2.8

Shutter Speed: 1/320

     So, I wasn't in town on the 16th because I was at JEA so that's what I'm going to blog about. The pictures above are what I entered in the Write-Off. They may have possibly won a Superior Award and I may have gotten a cool little medal. It was quite exciting. I've never been the ideal "sports photographer," I struck a chord with swim last year but any other sport I've shot I just got decent shots broken up with the occasional "that's pretty good!" shot. So this year I accepted that and realized there's  so much more that happens at a football game than the football game, I wish I would have realized this a year ago, but oh well! Anyway, I stopped focusing on getting the ideal action shot and started trying to get the shots that haven't been seen, the shots that you have to get your butt dirty to get. And thus the first two pictures were born. 

     I was really kinda nervous when I entered these. I mean a year ago if you would have asked me if I thought I was going to 1st Place in Advanced Sports Photography and a Superior rating in JEA Yearbook Sports I would have laughed in your face. When we went to the photographers group critique my pictures were in the group that was shown in front of everyone and the judges held nothing back. This gave me quite a bit of hope. Most of the comments were on the middle picture. They loved the perspective of it. They said I had done my job of taking the viewer somewhere they couldn't go. One guy said he wished I had gotten Anthony's face in the first picture, but I feel like if I had done that I'd be going them the same view they get by watching a game. So after the critique I had to wait another two days. I thought I was going to die.

     Sunday at the awards thingy I was just praying to get an honorable mention. When they started announcing awards for my category when my name wasn't there for honorable mention I got the strange feeling that was a mix between hope and disappointment. The feeling only intensified when I didn't see my name for excellent. But then the superiors were put up there and lo and behold my name was there. Man I was excited. That's a national award bro! Im just hoping people don't get tired of seeing it before Josten's... *fingers crossed* 

Oh The Things I'll Do!

ISO:100

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/250

ISO: 1250

Aperture: 2.8

Shutter Speed: 1/13

ISO: 1250

Aperture: 2.8

Shutter Speed: 1/13

ISO: 1250

Aperture: 2.8

Shutter Speed: 1/13

ISO: 1250

Aperture: 2.8

Shutter Speed: 1/13

ISO: 1250

Aperture: 2.8

Shutter Speed: 1/13

These were the many stages of this pain in the butt picture. It was a last minute assignment and it sounded so cool I just couldn't pass it up. This picture was to illustrate the death of rock and roll, how awesome is that?! So during class I made a plan to have a light behind the tomb stone and a light in front to light the guitar. It was just my luck that the syncs were going bad and didn't want to work for me. So, the first three pictures are  Caroline and I trying to get the flashes to work. In the first one the flash just went off in the front and on the second one it went off on the front and back but the settings weren't right. All the while poor Caroline was lying on this grave holding the flash because the light stand was too tall. And Smith I knew what I was doing when I made my shutter speed 1/13 and didn't have a tripod, well once I got there anyway. While we were there Caroline taught  me that when your shutter speed gets kinda slow you can put it in high speed drive and hold down the shutter while you breathe out and one of the pictures should be in focus. So thats what I did and focus wasn't the problem. After about an hour we said "FORGET THE FLASHES!!" and we used cell phone lights. Innovation at its best. And thus was born the third picture. At this point it was 10:45 and my mother demanded I come home. So I walked away with my faith in editing. When I got to school the next day I started editing the pictures in Lightroom and thus was born the fourth picture. Then I called for back up: Smith. You helped me make it to where it could be put in the paper and not just be  black hole. The I was like "The Belcher gotta go!" So we went into photoshop and cloned over the name, cleaned up the back ground and stretched up the tomb stone. It looked pretty awesome and then I was like "Hey, can we put Rock & Roll on the tomb stone?" and you said yes! so we did so. and thus the sixth and final picture was born!!!

Swimmer Strip

ISO:1600

Aperture:4.0

Shutter Speed: 1/200

       So, Woodsies and I were sitting on the table at the front waiting for a computer and I was just looking around the room when I realized Smith had put up the TOP pictures from last year where the pictures from my freshman year were.  The pictures that I had been looking at for inspiration, the pictures that made me want to be a photographer, had been replaced by pictures that my best friends and myself had taken. After this realization I cried. Like a baby. This was the first time I had cried about something in publications because that was the first time I realized I'm not gonna be here forever. I can't continue to take refuge in Potter's room when the world becomes something I can't handle anymore. I can't continue to hold in everything just to let it all explode to my photography family. Publications had become such a significant part of my life that the thought of it not being there forever was just too preposterous to even consider. So, I cried. But, I also decided if I had to leave I was going to leave giving photography everything I got. Four year after I graduate I want freshman to look up at my pictures and think "Wow. I want to make pictures like that!" 

        Anyways... Now to talk about this picture. After my little break down Woodsies cheered me up the best way possible, she told me about an awesome photo opportunity. The swimmers decided to revive the tradition of painting their chests at the football games. I was actually quite impressed with how well they had planned everything. So we went and planned everything. At the game after I walked off the field and grabbed the $300 lens  (gasp!) and then I went and chilled with the swimmer until the kickoff (when the stripped happened). I waited to see if they were going to get in trouble, but they didn't. All in all twas wonderful!    

Senior Night!!

 ISO:1600

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/400

ISO:1600

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/400

ISO:2000

Aperture: 4.0

Shutter Speed:1/160

So this was senior night and it was quite a bit of fun. I got to walk out on the field during pre-game along with all my other lovely senior photographers. I over came my fear of the Bigma and got a... FACE MASK PICTURE! I'm really super excited! I do wish there wasn't that guy in the background just chillin', but it's all good! That would be the top one. The second one is of Cluur. She danced so lovely and she just kinda broke down at the end, and I got it! Isn't she so pretty? The last one is on Mary Claire. Besides the Drill Team she was the only other one that cried, and man did she cry. I wish I would have had a 2.8 lens or maybe even a 1.8, so she would have popped off the page more. I saw my Juniors getting some pretty good shots, so it made me happy to know that I'm passing off the program to worthy hands. I hope so very much that they don't sustain our reputation but surpass it.

You Gotta Work With What You Got

All of them:

ISO:2500

Aperture: 2.8

Shutterspeed: 1/60

So, I was at the Halloween party, enjoying being a banana, when Madeleine and John David were like "hey seniors! we have to get the bonfire finished, lets go work on it." Then Madeleine told me that we would probably need some pictures for the yearbook and to go and take some. I was all gung-ho about it cause I knew I had my camera bag in my car and so I joined them. It was dark so two of the boys drove their trucks over there and we used their headlights to see. Once I started to get my gear together I realized, it's 8 o'clock at night and I don't have a flash! But did I let that stop me?? Absolutely not! I simply adapted, improvised and overcame! The first picture and the last picture I took with the pop up on my camera and was less than pleased. So I decided to play with the light from the trucks and silhouette the people. (I also should have mentioned that it wasn't exactly legal for us to be working on this at night with no faculty around, so silhouetting them also made them unidentifiable). And thus were the middle three. I liked these a lot more, except the third and fourth one are pretty muddy. The second picture came about when Madeleine suggested we get a group picture and I agreed and climbed as high as I could on the bonfire (It was fairly safe Smith) and took it. And now I'm stocked because were using that picture in TOP! :D

Cut Outs!

I curse the day that high key was thought of. For one of the spreads they're covering the awkward transition between summer and fall, so they want pictures of a bajillion different clothing items and for them to be cut out. I didn't take any of the pictures, but I cut all of them out. It's by far not my favorite thing to do, but it suuure beats color correcting headshots. I always use the little magic wand tool and then erase like that, and Smith tells me I'm doing it the hard way everytime, but his was confuses me, so little magic wand tool it is!

I am ashamed

ISO: 2000

Aperture: f 8

Shutter Speed: 1/250

I feel a deep twinge in my soul as I look at this. This was just an utter and complete fail. I didn't even put the coaches' pictures on here because I feel so much disgust looking at them. 

Let's list everything I did wrong:

1.) It should have been vertical

2.) They were not in between the creases

3.) The coaches' pictures have people growing out of their heads

4.) Their shadows are too harsh

5.) Why the poop was I shooting at 2000 ISO??

6.) In the jersey pictures you can't see their number

That's all the really big things that we messed up on. Poor Amy got the butt chewing before I could get up to the school nut as soon as I got here I walked in with my head hung in shame. They're just awful. 

If You're at a Worknight, You're Gonna Work

I Forgot...

Twiggy/ Cluur Ballet Stuffs

ISO:100

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/320

ISO:100

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/320

I felt like I haven't taken anything for me in a while so I decided to make time to take something for funsies. I saw a picture similar to this but it was Twiggy and so i was like " Hey Cluur! Let's do this!" And she was like "Okay!" So I lit her feet and we just shot until I got the ribbons how I wanted them. I originally shot it be in black and white but i liked the color and entered in ATPI and won an honorable mention. Wooh! Well that about all I gots to say about that! 

Potter Saves the Day

ISO:100

Aperture:8.0

Shutter Speed:1/200

ISO:100

Aperture:8.0

Shutter Speed:1/200

 So this day I just walked on in to Pot's room like I do every morning and checked the photo assignments, like I do every morning. Whilst reading through them I realized an ad picture was supposed to be taken that afternoon and it was off campus! Since two years ago the school decided we deserved to be treated like prisoners and can't leave the school without jumping though hoops, while juggling balls of fire, upside down, with our eyes closed, while doing a back layout full, all over an erupting volcano I had to immediately take action. So I did what anybody would do in this situation; I went to Potter. Potter saved the day with her super typing skills as she wrote an email to Mr. Nichols requesting that we can leave campus. He said... yes! I'm truly upset that he is leaving. :( Anyway, Kelsi and I got excused to leave and take this picture for the ad. I had never spoken to this girl but we bonded and she's super sweet. When we got there she grabbed her cousin and we went and took the picture. I was told "extremely vertical" so, I did my best. Then we came back and continued our work.

Band Doing Bandish Things

ISO:1600

Aperture:4.0

Shutter Speed:1/400

ISO:1600

Aperture:4.0

Shutter Speed:1/250

Fundraisin' Like a Boss

ISO:800

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/4000

ISO:800

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/2500

ISO:800

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/200

So this is the TYTL fundraiser that I shot with Caroline. It was at Chicken Express. Yo this is Haley's Blog feat. MC 2Pagez. I'm going to break these pictures down for you. Okay so we got some people standing around a car. It looks like a pretty nice car. I think it is Kenzie's car. That car is small. But anyway, they're standing there and smiling which is very nice and rare. Okay cool. Moving on. So now we got this white kid named Jacob holding a sign that is decorated way too girly for him to have made. I think Kenz's mom made it. He is wearing flip flops and cargo shorts. The only thing missing from this picture is a popped polo and then he would be a real pseudo Frat Daddy. Whatever. Ya live and ya learn and YOLO and all that. He's standing by a fire lane, which is kind of dangerous. It's not illegal because he is not a car so he is allowed to stand there but it's still kind bad because he would totes get hit by a firetruck if there was a fire. That would be okay. Alright, next is Marissa Johnston who I absolutely love. She is holding two signs which means she is very skilled. I think she made them because they looked nice. This just in, breaking news I have just been informed that the signs were taped together. That is still impressive that she came up with that idea so...! There is a dustpan behind her which suggests that she is a clean person. Now, clean can mean "not dirty" but in this case clean means "really thuggin hard u kno" so that is who she is. She is wearing sick kicks and has a nice pose that Tyra on America's Next Top Model would describe as casually beautiful. In summary, I love her and not Jacob and Kenz's car is nice.

2Pagez out. 

ADS, ADS, ADS

ISO:1000

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed: 1/30

ISO:1000

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/30

ISO:1250

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/20

ISO:1600

Aperture:2.8

Shutter Speed:1/25

So this was a busy day. Woodsies and I took these pictures together. We went downtown to take the top two. Paige Oliver says "Hi!"And then we drove on over Lafferty's and took this picture. In all actuality it wasn't very interesting photography wise but Woodsies and I had an adventure trying to find this Horton place. Downtown is a very confusing area, but we got there. We bought some socks and hairclips afterwards but thats it. Kinda boring 

Tennis!!

ISO:400

Aperture: 5.6

Shutter Speed: 1/800

ISO:400

Aperture:5.0

Shutter Speed: 1/1250

ISO:400

Aperture:5.0

Shutter Speed: 1/1000

So this is the first time for me to shoot tennis. It wasn't like amazing or anything but it wasn't too shabby. I used the new track lens with the aperture that switches up. I wasn't just a huge fan but i lied how much I could zoom in. I wasn't real sure when I was allowed to walk in the courts so I found a coach and asked them and learned that I'm allowed to move in between each game right before they switch sides. but thats it. Other than that it wasn't very eventful.