Semester videos

Semester Videos

This is what I REALLY like though this is probably the most enjoyable thing I have done in a while. I really like doing this which is creating these videos and telling a story. Right now I'm not that great at it but I really do plan to get better. This is one of those things that I really want to get better at. Even though I haven't been that consistent with the content i put out i still really enjoy it a lot. All of this was because of my instructor asked me to do it and I was hesitant to join but I am so glad I did. There is something here that I don't see everywhere. Maybe its the fact that I haven't seen a group of strangers work together really well in while or maybe its the fact that it is like a small family with mr.smith being the estranged uncle and there is a few black sheep but I digress. There is a connection here that is in very few places and I get to be a part of it so I'm pretty stoked for next year. There are things I want to try to do and I will succeed. Sorry a little Kanye came out but nonetheless here are some of the videos. A few of them couldn't register on the blogger and I don't know why either so, oh well.

This video was because of girl at our school had a lung issue to where she only had one lung and could only use 33% of it. It is also rather personal because she is a good friend of mine so i wanted to do it some justice. It could have been a lot better had I gotten another interview in it but my own ignorance kinda ruined it.

This is a package i did about the basketball team with there upcoming season and it happened to be very good. The audio is a little of because i didn't put the mic up to the people i interviewed correctly but it still didn't take away from the package as a whole and I'm rather pretty happy with it. 

Semester growth

Progression of Time-Israel Arias

As I look back at my first year for photography I realize an entire semester has gone by. Never have I ever felt that I did more than this first year than all of the other High School Years COMBINED. I don't even feel like I did much. Its more of the fact how overwhelming learning these things were because I was thrown to the sharks shortly after and thank god that I knew how to swim, barely. In all honesty though I'm glad I was taught how because I wouldn't be the same if it didn't. I am extremely happy that I was asked to do it. At first I was extremely skeptical of joining the photography staff. There was something about it that was concerning to me. Maybe it was the fact that I was the only guy in the class ( I don't regret that at ALL), or the fact that it seemed kinda feminine (You don't see a lot of males in this field.) There was something though that made me change my mind and I'm kinda glad it did. It was my Ignorance; hah. If I look back and think of the conversation that me and our instructor had, it was pretty much went like this " Hey Israel, do you want to be a staff photographer next year" and i said "sure." Yup that was pretty much it. But none the less here are photos ordered from the beginning to end and I think there is some pretty obvious growth.

This is one of the beginning photos that started it all essentially( I sound like Mr.Bickham, hah.) This photo was taken during the summer when the art hall was under construction. All this picture is, is a cone that says caution but it is still a humble beginning. 

This photo is awful but it was one of the first assignments I had taken so I guess it was to be expected. Even if it was it still shouldn't have been this bad and I now know that all i needed to do was adjust the shutter speed higher. I just needed to adjust the aperture and Iso to make it visible. It is still a beginning. 

This was taken during senior pictures for graduation and it went alright but it still could have been better. The picture itself is decent but it could have been a lot better. It was rather interesting but it still worked. These pictures came out alright but its still a beginning.  

All this is a student reading a book but it came out pretty good. I am rather pleased with it because it has the book in focus but not him which this is the time when i started learning focus. I don't like the girl in the background but thats beside the point. The point is its still a beginning.

I personally like this photo but I know its not that good. I like it because of the fact that it has at least a little story. It had a lot of processing to make it this decent. I just like it because it has me so hah. It is still a beginning 

This photo was during the football season and I shot a few of these games. I like this photo a lot because it is before the scene of action and has a lot photo action. The focal point is on the players and its very good. I personally like it so thats why i chose it as growth. It is still a beginning 

I like this photo a lot because it is positioned really well and shows our principal taking notes. There was the backlight problem that i didn't really like but it somewhat worked out so its fine. The focus on bailey adds to it a lot and so does the out of focus teacher. Its still a beginning 

I REALLY personally like this photo a lot mainly because of the framing of the student in the middles face. I like how its positioned and the light on his face creates a great shadow that adds to it. This, in my opinion, is probably one of my better photos and it shows i have another one thats really close up of it thats also really good but its still a beginning. 

This is probably one of my favorite pictures even though its so basic. It was one of my first painting with light photos and i really like it. The only thing i actually did was sharpen the picture and balance the exposure. It is one of my favorite pictures that i have created but this and time exposure is what i really want to get GREAT at. It is still a beginning.  

And here it is. My very first good photo. The funny thing about this that it was a complete accident so you know Sweet. This was during an informal photo shoot for a picture that happened and it wasn't even the correct photo. They needed a different photo and it was a miscommunication which was mostly my fault. I love this photo mainly because it was the first good photo i ever had and i am very happy i got it. It is still a beginning though. It is always a beginning 

    

Mu Alpha Theta Induction

Mu Alpha Theta Induction 

Mu Alpha Theta is a national honor society for math and it allows students to be part of something rather big. Texas high students are allowed to join and the induction for the honor society was a while back in November. There was a good turnout to the event and it was organized rather nicely. It was an assignment that I took last minute which was literally the day it was on.

F/2.8, 1/250, Iso 1600
I like this picture because it shows a student receiving their acceptance document into Mu Alpha Theta. I don't like this picture because everything is too bright and it isn't that great

f/2.8, 1/400, Iso 1600

I like this picture because it is a basic picture of a guy talking about his job. I don't like it because its too basic. 

Round table discussion

Round Table Discussion

On every other Thursday the head principal sits down in the library and allows anyone to speak about any concerns they have about the current school system whether it be faculty, parent or student. These photos are unedited and not processed yet. Mr. Bailey believes that this will help get rid of some of the concerns around school policy.         

1/125, f/2.8, Iso 800

I like this photo because the focus is on Mr. Bailey and shows him interacting with the people at the discussion. The lighting is decent and has a good view. I don't like it because the window is in the background and makes it look overexposed. 

1/160, f/2.8, Iso 800
I like this photo because it has a group of people speaking to Mr bailey about a subject. It has everyone in it and the focus is on the people instead of bailey. The lighting is alright and that is honestly the only thing I have a qualm 

JV Football-Pine Tree

JV-Football Pine Tree

These photos were taken during the JV football game vs Pine tree a few weeks back. It was my first time shooting football so they are not the best but they are fairly decent. The description for the first photo is that after the play his leg bent the wrong way so the athletic trainers ran out to see what part of the his leg was injured. The one on the bottom is a player from pine tree was hurt due to being injured after a tackle. They are good but, like always, could be better. 

f/4.0, 1/320, Iso 1600
This photo was taken after the play when a Texas High player was injured and the athletic trainers plus a coach ran to his side. The actual photo is ok its not fantastic or anything like that but it shows a sense of

f/4.0, 1/160, Iso 1600
I like this photo because it shows a proper team building experience. What ended up happening is that the play had ended and they were taking a knee for a hurt player. I dislike it because of the kid in the background kind of just standing there not doing anything. 

Little Dresses for Africa

Little dresses for Africa

The project here is students at Texas High, in the fashion design class, where creating dresses for needy children in Africa. This assignment was created for our yearbook staff who edit and produce the yearbook for the school. I took on the assignment the day before because it was created by our teacher. In hindsight I undershot it when I should have produced more than what I did. Although the images were not terrible they weren't fantastic. 

f/4.5, 1/50, Iso 800
This was taken whenever she was finishing the dress that she was currently making. I used a flash for this mainly because the lighting sucked and it would have looked better anyways. I kind of sprayed and prayed this assignment so thats also reason why it isn't great but it is usable. What I like about it is that it is properly showing everything she is doing and has her as the main point. 

f4.5, 1/50, Iso 800

I took this the same time and used a flash. Like i said earlier i kind of just sprayed it and took the pictures. What i wished i have done is got under them and shot it underneath them which is basically what my instructor told me I should have done. I like it because it fit the purpose of what we needed it for. 

JV Football Greenville

JV Football Greenville

This was during the JV football game a few weeks back and it was only the second JV game that i have shot all year mainly me being busy with other things. I really wish that I had done more so that I would be able get this properly done. It would have been able to teach me how to shoot this with more knowledge.

 F/4.0, 1/250 sec, ISO 1600

I like this photo mainly because it is a pretty decent action shot and I got it during the middle of a play. All the bases of being in focus balanced correctly are good so thats fine. I don't like it because it is very basic and isn't overall exciting. It doesn't have any kind of quality that really make it pop.  

F/4.0, 1/160, ISO 1600

 I dislike this photo because the back of it is very bright and the huge glowing zero takes away from the picture. The ball is a little cut off by the linemen's shoulder and I'm cutting off their feet. On the contrast I like the photo because I shot it during the beginning of the play when the quarter back was getting the ball at the start.

Another SPIRIT DAY!!!: Dress like your date day

Dress like your date day

We are on another spirit day from the week before homecoming and these are, again, unedited. A surprising amount of people actually decided to dress up for it which I'm happy for because I honestly didn't think anybody was going to dress up for it. It was very funny seeing the guys and girls switch clothes for the day. 

f/3.5, 1/125, Iso 800

I like this picture because it has two people i know dressed up as girls which is extremely funny. Other than that it is a bad photo for several reasons, one of them being the orange hue the picture has. Another reason is the fact that its not completely in focus and its is not exposed properly. Also the girl in the back looks kinda weird in the picture.

f/4.5, 1/80, Iso 400

This picture here is exposed correctly but it still isn't good. What i do like is the fact that I at least got her because I was in a hurry. I don't like the that she is not completely in focus and that i cut off her feet.

Spirit Day- The Nerds

Nerd Day

Homecoming is coming up and the excitement is in the air. Many students are still questioning where they want to go to eat and all the trivial things that come with homecoming. To celebrate homecoming, the school has a week long spirit day. The day today was nerd day. Now to be clear these are still unedited so it basically means this is the raw product. 

f/4.5, 1/250, Iso 800

I like this photo because it looks generally good. There are problems with it like the phantom arm on the right. He is at least smiling which shows that he at least has some school spirit. I don't like the photo because i don't have the entire face looking in that generally direction. I would crop it so he is rule of the thirds to the left most likely.

f/4.5, 1/250, Iso 800
This photo right here i like because she is dressed up for the day. Everything else i don't like. while I'm glad it is at least exposed correctly and focused but it isn't that good. I cut off some of her legs. She is holding a lunch box but its not completely in the picture and she generally seems uninterested.

The Actual Day; See You At The Pole

National See you at the Pole Day; The Actual Day

This day is dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of students who believe in. It is so that they can meet in fellowship and worship. They can pray without anybody calling them names for they are with fellow christians 

f/3.5, 1/125, Iso 125

This picture was taken while they were all praying in union. I like this picture because it is during an intimate moment and it is exposed properly. I dislike it because it could have been better than what it is.

f/4,0, 1/250, Iso 160
I like this photo  because it is all of them in a group and it is exposed properly. I dislike it because at some points in the photo it gets a little blurry and does not look as good

Revisit: National See You At The Pole Day

See You At The pole.....Again

I am revisiting this again because the national see you at the pole day is on September 24 every year. That so happens to be two days from now and i get to shoot it again which I'm pretty excited about because i enjoyed the last time i did it immensely. I am looking forward to be able to at least get better shots than the ones i got last time. All of my respect goes towards these students who are willing to openly pray outside at the flagpole for the whole world to see even though these kind of events are becoming more scarce as time goes on. These students are not afraid to let their faith be known which is impressive to me at least.

f/5.6, 1/320, Iso 400

I like this picture because it at least captures the essence of the event which is communal prayer and fellowship. It is also exposed properly so I'm happy about that and it is taken correctly. I dislike the photo because its a bland photo and doesn't really say much. It is in all honesty kind of boring and bland but hey simple stuff works sometimes.

f/6.3, 1/250, Iso 320

Its is about the same with this picture. I like it it for the same reason of the above and the fact that it is    also taken correctly. I dislike it for about the same reasons as well. Also the girl on the right is a little blurry and out of focus.  

The 80's

80's day

Texas High likes to show school spirit very much so. Our school, during football season, usually has one Wednesday every week to show off our school spirit. We show the tiger pride that all students have, as you can obviously tell. This day was not a good day for me. I did not feel good, I couldnt adjust my settings correctly and it was a mess. In all honesty out of the entire day these two were the best and they still are not great.  

Iso 800, 1/125, f/5.6

This is fantastic nor is it good. It is ok but i still dont like it. I like it due to the fact that it is at least exposed properly and shot in the frames speed. I dislike it because it is only ok. If i stare at it too long i end up not liking it even more. No offense to the girl, its my own fault for taking a crappy picture

Iso 800, 1/125, f/5.6

This photo is pretty much the same thing said in the above one.  I like it due to all the settings be right. I dislike it because it looks bad. Its just as simple as that.

Athlete Series

Jalissa Trotter

To become a great athlete one must overcome the obstacles before them. Athletes train for years to become the best in their sport. They sweat, bleed and cry on the field known as their battleground. Such athletes are admirable in their actions respectably so. Not to the point of idolatry but to the point of inspiration. To be able to inspire not the people around them but the future athletes who see in wonder believing that one day they can become like them. This series will be showcase some pictures of athletes around the school of Texas High who have been recognized for their athletic ability in such sports.

   Iso 400, 1/500s, f/2.8

This is a picture of Jalissa Trotter, a star athlete at Texas High who dabbles in a little bit of every sport although her main is volleyball. The school newspaper needed some shots of her to be able to publish a series were they pick out one star athlete out of at least every sport. Due to us being on a deadline i was not able to get her in a volleyball outfit. Instead we got her during the 80's spirit day at our school which is a nice substitute. I like this picture immensely, It is one of my personal best and is taken correctly. The best part about this is that it was basically a happy accident and i'm really glad it happened. I have nothing bad to say about it either.

Iso 400, 1/500, f/2.8

The picture shown is another i took. I personally like it although not as much as the first picture. I got it during a good time and nothing got in the way. I don't like it as much as the first one but its still good.

Books For Everyone

As the human race further progresses into the realm of technology, books are becoming more and more outdated. Teenagers and adults alike are missing the wonderment and excitement that a book can bring. Many books are being neglected due to the availability of things such as movies, TV, etc. Books hold a precious piece of the authors mind and their own creative thinking. Authors create a book with their very ideals engraved in the words while they pour their time into getting the book out on a certain deadline. A book can contain thousands if not millions of carefully placed words to further enthrall the reader into their story. 

f/3.2, 1/50, Iso 800

This Picture was taken in class during the 2nd period of the school day. The student was reading the book intently while i had the picture of him. I like this photo because the set up and scenario are really nice and the photo came together properly. I like the fact that his face is a little hidden behind the book making the picture look better. I dislike it because i wish i would have gotten his face a little bit more in focus to make his face look a little more prominent but i like the photo overall.

f/3.5, 1/40, Iso 800

The second picture was taken during the same period and with pretty much the same settings. This was the first picture i took during this period. I like it because its rules of the third to the left and it looks fairly good. The positioning is correct and all the settings are right. I dislike the photo because his face is blurry and you cant exactly see the title of the book. Also the light is extremely bright which causes the photo to look weird. Overall I'm ok with this photo due to the explained above.  

Video Games and the New Generation

Video games have become one of the main centers of debate for this generation today. The ever present question of whether or not it desensitizes children to violence and creates murders is still an ongoing topic. In my own personal opinion i believe that it does desensitizes people in general to violence and things of that nature but i do not believe that it produces homicidal maniacs. I believe, as i do with everything, that it is a choice made by the person who allows themselves to become so deluded into false reality that they become subject to insanity. 

f/3.5, 0.6sec, Iso 400

This is a photo i took for our newspaper staff at Texas high who is currently doing a story about video games effect on our generation today. I had to put the camera on a self timer so i could set up the shot correctly and get in place to take the photo. This photo in hindsight was poorly done due to the fact that i didn't have the correct iso setting for this. I like the photo because it is somewhat interesting as the light bounces off my face and creates a cool scenario. I dislike the photo because i didn't have anything correctly done and i had to constantly adjust the camera. 

f/3.5, 0.4sec, Iso 800

This photo is when i just decided to turn on the lights and i figured i would need at least a few with the lights on. Its in a different position than the previous one because i just moved the camera a few inches to the right to at least get the TV in view for the shot. I like the photo because its decent and i least had the shot correct. What i dislike is the fact that its not completely in focus and everything looks off and unnatural.

School Spirit Woooo!!!

School spirt is extremely prominent during a rivalry week; especially in Texas. Everybody here loves their football and the famous line "don't mess with Texas." The conflict between Arkansas and Texas is very heated therefore Texas high school has a spirit week with different themes everyday to show just how serious this is; with decorated aprons and camouflage. I can't even see the kid in the last picture thats how serious he is. On a side note it shows just how much our students and teachers have school spirit. 

f/3.2, 1/60, Iso 800

This picture was done during class after he was finished giving us a speech about black holes and anti-matter. The was exposed properly and all settings were correct. A shot in a classroom is always an easy shot to take once you know the settings that you need have. I like the shot because it properly shows a teacher with spirit and actually taking part of a student activity. I dislike it because he is not smiling all that much but it is still a good shot nevertheless.

f/8.0, 1/60, Iso 800

Another picture that i took the next day was on Camo day. This student was going to class so it was a little difficult to adjust the shutter speed for it but i eventually got it. The pictures i took that were a little difficult because i had to adjust my shutter speed multiple times before i got a decent shot, I like the shot because i at least got him in focus and I got the settings down. I dislike it because the windows behind it kind of backlit the shot and made it look bad.

See you at the pole

Last Wednesday i recently shot photos for the nation wide event called See you at the pole. It begins in the morning with students gathering around their schools flag pole and a coming together for a time a fellowship and prayer. It is a very serious event where students pray to god and talk about there innermost struggles and feelings. Not only does this event help current students who are christians connect to one another; It also helps get those who are non-belivers get involved in this time of prayer.

   f/8.0, 1/250, Iso 400

This picture i took was near the beginning of the event. They had gotten together in a circle to start of the event with a communal prayer to bless what they were about to do. The entire background was cloudy which is fine but it gives every single photo a kind of gray wash background. I also had to adjust multiple times because it was a mixture of clouds and sunshine. It became very annoying as the day dragged on. I like this photo because it is of them getting together in a circle and i was able to get every single one of them. I dislike it because it was annoying to set up and like i said earlier the sky was in a gray wash. All in all it is a decent not one of my personal best but it is alright.

f/5.6, 1/320, Iso 400

One of the things I like of this picture is the fact that she is praying and the event is called see you at the pole so i combined the two. I know its very original and I'm the only who thought of it (A little sarcasm there). I sometimes find that basic is best even if its bland. I also like this picture because it rule of thirds to the left while still having the main point of the picture in focus. I dislike the picture because of the blur of kids in the back and the minivan but other than that i think it is a good photo.  

Summer reflection

As school begins, there are many things one has to get ready before the madness begins. The ritual of school shopping happens where everybody scrambles to get the best deals on clothes, school supplies, backpacks etc. Whilst in this conundrum, very few look back to what they did during the fleeting summer and although it is not entirely their fault, we begin to forget the memories we made due to the school rush. Summer memories are a special thing because while we may forget about the next day, next month or even next year they hold some of the best times with connections that can last forever. As a new photographer i am starting to look at the world through a lens so as to appreciate everything around us.

F/3.5, 1/125 s, Iso 800

This photo was taken during senior pictures for the school I attend which is Texas High School (No this is not me by the way.) This photo is good due to the fact that the lighting in the library it was shot at was horrendous and I am glad that i was able to at least get a decent shot. I honestly don't have any qualms with it; I was just happy i was able to get a decent picture.

f/3.5, 1/200s, Iso 640

This second photo was for the same thing and was fairly decent. I had to lower the iso due to the lighting of the area. It wasn't that hard to shot but rather annoying because of the library lights 

f/4.5, 1/60, Iso 800

The last picture here is probably one of the worse ones due to it being a little overexposed and this was on the first day i was there so i was still trying to figure out the settings i would need to have to have in order to be able to take good photos. I do like the fact that it is still a good picture overall.

It Begins!!!

Mr. Smith's photography boot camp has thought me the many things that i will need to know when I start my career as a hopeful photography. I have learned how to use an actual camera instead of the ones soccer moms use to take pictures of their "adorable children." This entire experience has taught me the meaning of a good quality picture instead of having many mediocre photos taken throughout the the day 

The first photo settings are at f/2.8, 1/60, and 100 Iso. The second picture settings are at f/2.8, 1/1600 and 100 Iso. The last picture settings are at f/2.8, 1/800 and 100 Iso.