Hall Buddies

Stefan and Matt are roommates on my floor and both of them tend to sleep with their door open. One time when Matt was sleeping my roommate and I watched him sleep for a few seconds and he happened to wake-up with us standing over him. He was a little weirded out; as he should be, but we thought it would teach him and his roommate not to sleep with there door open. From the picture above, of Matt's roommate Stefan, you can see the lesson has yet to be learned. Stefan obviously  fell asleep while reading so his unplanned sleep lead to this picture. We shall see when the lesson will be learned...until next time... (P.S. I did not notice the awkward hand placement until after the picture was taken...funny though, right?)   

Campus Treasures

I found this little beautiful statue walking on my way to J-Mac the other day. I like that someone took their time put this together and kept it there so everyone can enjoy it. I certainly did. I wonder who made it...

Changing Colors

Fall is amazing when the leaves actually fall and change colors. In San Diego this never happens, it never gets cold enough. I can see why people love fall now...it is so pretty.

Rainbow

Seeing rainbows always makes me happy! I had to take a picture because it made me smile :)

Sky

I like the color of the sky and the green grass combined with the texture of the white clouds. The little pathway in the corner is also intriguing. Where it leads a mystery. I love hidden treasures like this within pictures.

Sunset at DU

I love sunsets! The silhouette is amazing! This picture is a cell phone picture so it looks good at this size, but it looks blurry when expanded, like how it was shown in class. I think it looks better here.

Twins!

I took this picture when two twins, Chris and Kevin, were waiting to have a turn on the slack line. I thought it was a cool picture because even their feet look the same! It helps that they are wearing their pants the same way too. This is a simple picture, but I like it.

The 2 Sides of Amaya

I love these pictures!!!! They represent Amaya so well...she can be composed like the ballerina that she is or she can be crazy like the rock climber in her. I love the juxtaposition in her personality. Amaya is a great friend oh and she is roommates with Sam...what a fun room :) The pairing is crazy! Amaya and Sam have a ton of fun together!

Silly Sam

I'm getting better at taking pictures of people. Sam lives done my hall so I just asked if I could take some pictures of her. She was totally up for it and ended up being a great subject. I got this little beauty from her! :) She probably shouldn't find out that I chose this picture hahaha!

Camp Out

I went to the DU camp out for hockey tickets and it was really fun except FREEZING!!! I was so proud of my roommate and I for putting our tent up by ourselves that I had to take a picture. (It looks good right?) This was only my second time putting up a tent, we did it really fast too! But I didn't even get to sleep in it!!! (LONG BORING STORY.) Evan though I didn't get to sleep in it I still like that I assembled a tent :)

Dorm Room Fun

I like the lighting in this picture. The shadows I created add a lot to the picture. The lighting makes this boring picture a good picture. I took this picture  in my dorm room because my roommate always makes fun of how many cups I have. I was able to control the lighting and make it how i wanted it with a desk lamp. I like experimenting with lighting.

Henri Cartier-Brasson

(One of my favorite picture by Henri Catirer-Brasson. Like stated in the movie people are alive when they are thinking and in this picture the rugby man is strongly contemplating so he definitely seems alive. I like that this is an exposed "middle ground" picture, it is not an extreme so it really seems your are finding a treasure that otherwise would have been missed.)

Henri Cartier-Brasson can be described in one word- WISE. His experiences and natural talent have given him an amazing life. He is respected and loved by many and he deserves it. He has worked long and hard to gain his fame and become an expert at his practice. He also loved his life and everything he was privileged enough to witness and shoot. I would have loved to have his life as well, but it helps me to remember that even he had to practice for years. He did not shoot the above picture just by natural born talent. Every person has to practice their talent before becoming an expert. Brasson does have a certain eye, but he had to train it and take care of it, just like everyone else.

Brasson’s experiences have brought great wisdom. I loved hearing a part of how he looks at the world and photography. He spoke about how there is a mysterious link between the subject and their surroundings. To me this explains why photos are never the same and why they are so special. The camera can freeze a moment so this mysterious link can be better seen. He explains that photography is simple observation, you just have to look. He makes it sound so easy, but in a way it is. If you see the perfect image framing and timing are the main obstacles. (Oops and lighting!) Brasson believed it was good to aim well, shoot fast, and then scram. I like this thought process, but I need to take more than one picture sometimes; if the subject allows.

He said America had great extremes; I like taking picture of the extremes, but finding “treasures” in the middle ground is a joy of mine as well. Extremes may be easier to find and shoot because they stand out, I like searching for pictures, but this means I always have to be ready and unfortunately this is not always the case.

When Brasson talked about balance I was inspired. Something seemed to click. How could he explain the makings of a perfect picture in such few words? It shows why taking a perfect picture is not an easy task. Having your eye, mind, and heart aligned does not happen 24/7. I would love to be balanced 24/7, but again it takes practice.

One of my favorite things about pictures are the memories attached to them. You could see Brasson remembering the moments as he flipped through the pictures. They made him happy, the power of pictures is astonishing.

It was interesting to hear that Brasson does not like the processing and developing stage. I like these parts of photography because they strongly connect you to your photo. You can make your photo to your like, which I think is amazing.    

Campus Finds

I love weddings!!

This is so cute! The bride and broom probably met at DU :)

I loved seeing this while walking back from a class, it made my day!

I hope the bride and groom live happily ever after :)

Random College Activities

A friend of mine thought his hair was getting too long so he let me and some of my friends buzz it and he said, "You can do whatever you want." These became the famous last words as we continued to give him racing stripes and a huge M off-centered on the back of his head. He took a little heat from his friends about the hair cut, but he'll live. To see the process and results of the hair cut click HERE. I love how he looks scared even before we really started, he knew he was in trouble.

Annie Leibovitz

 
I am fascinated by Annie Leibovitz life: so spontaneous and full of rich experiences. One of Annie's most interesting adventures was when she toured with The Rolling Stones. I cannot imagine having this opportunity. The power between the dynamic duo of Annie and The Rolling Stones created amazingly "real," hypnotizing, and disturbing pictures. The way Mick Jagger abused his body is atrocious and yet he was an icon. Everyone fantasizes about the rock and roll lifestyle, but when seeing the backstage happenings through Annie's camera the images do not seem so enticing.

I had seen the image taken by Annie Leibovitz of Annie Lennox before, but I had no idea it was one of Annie Leibovitz photographs. I really like this picture. Annie Leibovitz’s art is very influential. I remember this picture and when I think of Annie Lennox this is the image I see. I am sure this is the case for many Annie Lennox fans. The power of Annie Leibovitz’s art is amazing. She is lucky that her art has such a large audience. I do not think anyone would have a problem doing her job, but that’s the catch…not everyone could do her job. I strongly believe this, her talent is rare, others with access to the same resources; a creative eye is necessary.

I love the picture of Susan Sontag. I had no idea that Annie Leibovitz and Susan Sontag had such a close relationship. I find their relationship interesting because I would not think that they viewed photography in the same way. I was touched by their deep friendship.

Meryl Streep is an icon. This picture is genius! It is easily one of my favorites by Annie Leibovitz. It was probably an honor for Meryl Streep to be photographed by Annie Leibovitz and Annie Leibovitz was probably honored to be photographing Meryl Streep. There was so much talent in the room when this picture was taken. I would be honored to be the photographer or the subject in this circumstance. You cannot go wrong with getting to be Meryl Streep o Annie Leibovitz. I wonder if they get along…I wonder if Annie Leibovitz likes most of the celebrities she takes photographs of or if she even cares about getting to know them. I would want to meet my subject and try to understand them, but I don’t know if Annie Leibovitz does. I think she would because she seems to like people the same way I do.

Annie Leibovitz has an amazing life…I hope she enjoys it as much as I believe I would.

 

9/19/2010

I took a trip to Boulder after the first week of classes. It was an amazing adventure. I got to learn about the light rail and bus system. It was a fun night full of snacks, jokes, water balloons, and sleeping on couches.