Favorites of the Year

This is one of my favorite photos of the year because it symbolizes unity between two people in front of the United States of America flag. It makes me think of all of the terrorist attacks that happened throughout the year all over the world and how the rest of the countries united in mourning over the ones who lost their lives. I was also attracted to the high aperture resulting in just the hands being in focus with the flag blurred in the background. 

This is another one of my favorite photos of the year because it shows the beauty of the world. Even though there is so much hate in the world, it's still a beautiful place. I also love the symmetry that's created in this photo. The lightning bolts also create lines.

I also love this picture because it portrays a very deep message within the photo. It represents all the fighting going on in the world right now. It also has framing with the gun, and it's very impactful in black and white.

Part Two

I think the biggest song of 2015 was "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth. This song was number 5 on the top 100 songs of 2015. This one is my favorite because Paul Walker had such an impact on his fan base and his death was hard to deal with for his fans. I think the fact that Wiz Khalifa made a song in his honor is an amazing and generous thing to do. The song was definitely a tear jerker and it was a beautifully emotional song.

My favorite movie of 2015 was Inside Out. I think this movie had a great theme and portrayed the emotions and thoughts of a young girl very well. I liked how the movie proved that not everyone is happy all the time, and it shows that being sad sometimes is okay. This movie also left a lasting impression on me personally because it got me thinking about other people's emotions.

The biggest news story of 2015 is that same sex marriage in the United States was legalized. This is a huge step in equality for everyone in the country. It made me happy to see that people could now freely love and marry who ever they wanted to with no legal boundaries anymore. I believe that people should be able to be themselves no matter how unique they are and society shouldn't be allowed to control that.

The Person of the Year 2015 goes to Caitlyn Jenner. When Caitlyn came out as a transgender woman it opened the door of opportunities for other people who may be struggling with identity issues themselves. She serves as a symbol of being herself and being who she feels she is. I think she was very brave to talk about her transition with the world.

I think the biggest sports story of 2015 was when Tom Brady took part in the deflate gate and the deflated football scandal. I think this was so huge because before this I always thought of Tom Brady as an athlete who was true and a good sport. This scandal changed my perspective of him greatly.

Part Three

1. One thing I will remember from my Winter Break was how busy I was. The first week I went to the Bahamas for the first week with my dad and then on a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Cayman and Jamaica the second week with my mom.

2. My resolutions for 2016 are to stay organized and clean. I also want to stay on top of my grades and turn things in on time. My last resolution is to not make any enemies this year and try to fix things with the ones I made in 2015.

3. I'm looking forward to getting my driver's license this year in October. I also can't wait for my softball season this summer because we'll finally be in 16U and the difficulty will go up and I'm excited for the challenge.

Fall Final Extra Credit

1. There was a man harassing other people in the subway, so 58 year-old Ki Suk Han confronted him about it. The man then pushed Han onto the tracks of the oncoming subway train. Hans was unable to lift himself out, so photographer R. Umar Abbasi began taking photos of the man to try to get the train to see the camera's flash and stop the train because he couldn't help Hans himself.

2. The photographer said he took the photo to try to tell the train that there was a man in the tracks and to stop. Abbasi was hoping the train would see his camera's flash and stop.

3. I think the photographer should've tried to help Hans out more instead of taking the photo. If I was that photographer I wouldn't have taken the photo. 

4. I think it depends. If Abbasi really and truly couldn't have gotten Hans out in time, then I think he did. Abbasi tried his hardest to get the train's attention to stop, but it wasn't enough. I think the best thing he could've done was to help Hans out.

5. I disagree with the decision to put that photo on the cover because it's morbid. It's Hans last moments before he gets killed by the subway train. I think out of respect for his family, I would not run that photo on the cover. On the flip side to that, it's a very impactful image that might spark a lot of people's attention to buy that magazine, so I understand why they did.

6. As a photojournalist, capturing life as it happens is more important. Sometimes there are things that you can't change or that you can't help stop. The goal of a photojournalist is to capture images that tell a story and impact a viewer, and I think that this photographer did just that.

7. I think it's always acceptable to put yourself into a situation when other people need help whether you photograph it or not. I think this because I believe that every human should do what is necessary for them to help other people. 

8. I think this depends on how severe the situation is. If the situation can cause extreme harm to a person, then yes I think photojournalists should avoid influencing this situation. On the other hand, if the situation is harmless, I don't see any problem with photojournalists taking out their cameras and shooting it as it happens.

9. A photographer's job is to take photos and capture moments as they happen, good or bad. I think that's something people who aren't photojournalists don't understand. Yes, I think he should've helped the man out, but at the same time I understand. He was doing his job, and he was doing what photojournalists are known for doing, taking photos that tell a story.

Magazine Cover Images

Self Portrait

Portrait

Portraits and Self Portraits

Self Portrait

Portrait

Fashion Photography

1. Her face was slimmed down, her lips were made bigger and moved down, they added more contour to her face to make her cheekbones pop out more and her eyes were made bigger. 

2. They made her legs longer, her feet smaller, arms, legs and stomach slimmer, lightened her skin, and her neck longer.

3. They edited this model a lot. They completely slimmed her down, made her chest bigger in proportion to her new body, made her hair longer, and made an entirely new person. 

4. No, it is not ethically acceptable to change a model's appearance. It ruins girl's self esteem and says that the models aren't good the way they are. It's showing a distorted version of beauty.

5. I think in every situation editing a model's appearance is ethically unacceptable. I don't think there's a time when it's worse than other times, it's bad every time.

6. I think the only changes that would be considered acceptable would be simple lighting changes like we do in class. Fixing the levels of a photo is okay, fixing the model is not.

7. I think the difference between fashion photography and photojournalism is in photojournalism it's understood that photoshopping photos isn't okay. In fashion photography, a lot of brands still photoshop their models into an entirely new person. 

8. Photojournalism is more used to portray a certain aspect of life and taking photos that convey a story to the audience. Fashion photography shows people what people think beauty should look like. I think fashion photography has a huge impact on people because they see the edited photos and think if they don't look like that, they aren't beautiful. Photojournalism is ethical because it doesn't change the way something is, it just changes the perspective of things in a way to tell a story. Fashion photography is unethical because it does the opposite of that, it doesn't tell a story, it changes the way something or someone is.

9. I think you're showing us these videos to try to inspire us to make a difference and change the way fashion photography edits their models. Also, to make us realize the way fashion photography perceives fashion so that maybe one day people will understand that beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes. 

10. I think none of these videos are about guys because boys don't have the same pressure as girls to look perfect all the time. Of course boys have pressure to look good as well, but for girls it's on a whole other level. People typically accept boys easier than they accept how a girl looks. It's a sad thing that people shouldn't have to deal with, no matter what gender they are.

Magazines Part Two

Early Magazine Covers

Early Magazine Covers were used from the mid 1700s to the late 1800s and usually resembled a book cover and only had the title and publication information on it. Sometimes, the cover of an early magazine had the table of contents on it, and a small illustration. Magazines were similar to newspapers in the way that some magazines would start an article on the cover of the magazine. There were rarely any headlines, and if there were, they weren't flashy or very descriptive. Early magazine covers sometimes had symbolic illustrations on the cover to portray what the purpose or desire of the magazine was. 

The Poster Cover

The Poster Cover was used from the 1890s to the 1960s. These covers were created by amazing illustrators and engravers, and the pictures drawn usually had no significance to what was inside the issue in the beginning of the poster cover era. The illustrations usually were related to the season or certain mood at the time. The pictures on the cover were not covered by headlines or other words on it, the pictures stood alone in the middle. Many of the magazines used the pictures as their headlines, and thought that the cover picture said more than a headline could. From the 1920s to the 1960s, cover lines became essential to the design of the magazine. Poster covers are still seen today, but are less popular. 

Pictures Married to Type

The Pictures Married to Type cover shows a relationship between pictures and type. It's an advanced version of the poster cover. These types of magazine still use a strong and meaningful photo on the cover to draw readers in, but now the use of interesting cover lines are introduced to draw even more readers in. As time went on, cover lines became more prominent and had more daring fonts and colors. The cover lines began covering parts of the illustrations or photos, and the cover lines played with the depth of the cover. 

In the Forest of Words

The In the Forest of Words cover shows an impactful image that is overrun by multiple cover lines, and is often over shadowed by the flashiness of the cover lines. These are the most common type of magazines today. The cover lines seem to draw the most attention on the cover over the model and magazine brand. The way the covers are designed with the type make it look like the models are in a forest of words which is why it's called this. This idea is symbolic to show that we live in a world today fueled by words. 

My Favorite Cover

The Advocate, December 2014/January 2015, Person of the Year

Photograph by Junko Kimura

"How do you show Vladimir Putin—a deliberate and calculating persecutor of minorities in his own country—as Person of the Year, without having to explain your choice? We approached this several ways, before deciding on the provocative placement of the cover line. It was a statement, and one we felt justified as a reference to the way in which Putin’s transgressions had gone relatively unpunished. The image was not altered in any way (despite some fevered blogs claiming otherwise); we just had the colors match the old propaganda images of the wartime era."

- See more at: http://www.magazine.org/asme/magazine-cover-contest/past-winners-finalists/2015-winners-finalists#sthash.Ixb4qxlX.dpuf

This is my favorite magazine cover because it conveys the truth about Vladimir Putin without altering Putin himself. It compares Putin to Hitler without directly saying it. I like how he was a cutout put onto a solid black background because it makes Putin himself pop off the cover. I also love the simple design and neutral colors of this cover because it creates a sad tone without being to flashy about it. The placement of the headline creates a controversial subject and pushes boundaries for what is socially acceptable, which I think is a very brave and interesting thing to do. I applaud the designers and editors of this magazine cover because it really does push the envelope and create a meaningful and reflective cover.