Going to miss this view soon as my academic journey here at Ohio University is winding down. I will be defending my thesis project next Friday in the hopes of completing my MFA in Communication Media Arts. It’s been a life-changing experience for me and am so grateful for this extraordinary opportunity to pursue documentary film making and immersive 360 video storytelling as my two areas of study and research. #ouscrippsmfa #viscomohiou #scrippscollegeou #cutlerhall #scrippshall #gridlab (at E.W. Scripps School of Journalism) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-uJh75gepZ4anYwekUzx2ZurffELbjFYZ-04o0/?igshid=4bx8hnmrwr3g

January 27, 2016 CP Editing

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while but I wanted to examine how my photos were used in the paper. The designers chose to place text over many of my photos, which gives them a whole new look. 

Some of these compositions have a lot of negative space that accommodates the addition of text quite well (the farmer photograph, for instance.)

Some (like the sports portrait) were cropped in a way I didn’t like as much because what they took away was essential to the photo (I’ve included both, you can make your own conclusions)- I had composed it to include the athlete’s shadow against the stadium wall, which was truly the only strong part of that image. As glad as I am that they ran in large, it took away from my intended impact. 

At some point, photographers have to give up control of their images to those putting them into context. And I’ve always found it interesting to see the two different takes on the same image. Regardless whether I agree with the edit or not, it’s always a rush to see a photo I’ve taken run so prominently. 

‘Looking at Appalachia’ a photo exhibition curated by @walkyourcamera is on display at the School of Visual Communication Gallery at Schoonover Center 140 at Ohio University. Roger May will be speaking tomorrow at 5:30 pm in Schoonover 145. This is an extraordinary exhibition on so many levels including a Braille explanation of each photograph in the exhibit. #lookingatappalachia #viscomohiou #schoonovergallery #ohiouniversity https://www.instagram.com/p/B8q-q6qgM8orJ9b_Hipopny0pei_5jwhZfBwBc0/?igshid=6lliyq5nqwm6

Rich Jospeh-Facun is a photographer of indigenous Mexican and Filipino descent who grew up in Mississippi and Virginia and put down roots in Ohio after taking a job at Ohio University, where he studied visual communication. Facun's series is a perspective rarely seen in the photo world - a visual exploration of a mostly White community by a photographer of color. Facun’s book Black Diamonds takes a reverent and sincere visual look at his home in and around the former coal-mining towns of Southeastern Ohio. There is a somber tenderness in the muted quiet tonality of the images. The atmosphere and mood of the pictures capture the mysterious and sometimes haunting aura of the region steeped in the extraction industry. There is a beautiful epilogue, If I Left Appalachia, by @alistinewrites that will move you emotionally if you have lived any amount of time there. Those who have the least, give the most in Appalachia. Such powerful work @facun. Thank you for sharing your sensitive and empathetic eyes. #richfacun #blackdiamonds #southeasternohio #viscomohiou #littlecitiesoftheblackdiamonds #unspokenpsalm (at Little Cities of Black Diamonds) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSVLvDRJ_2yKcPS2V34VQ-TiF6K7ZJANzzd9Wk0/?utm_medium=tumblr

Our VICO 5400 Digital Imaging class welcomed Los Angeles artist @notteresa for an online video discussion about her work and studio practice today. Flores is an interdisciplinary artist examining identity and her Chicano culture through drawing, video and social practices. Thank you Teresa for sharing and inspiring our class! #teresaflores #losangelesartist #ouscrippsmfa #viscomohiou #centralvalleyrepresent https://www.instagram.com/p/B9FQDHZgBCEYPVM9MD8J1jgEcsSNt8qn3IddCQ0/?igshid=1xeudoskfnhqc

My Digital Imaging / Illustration class shared a delightful collaboration with Julie Elman’s Creative Process class Tuesday afternoon creating mixed media collages. Students implemented a variety of styles and techniques to create their final collages using magazines, construction paper, colored pencils, paint and drawings. #ouscrippsmfa #analogcollage #ohiouniversity #viscomohiou #handmade (at E.W. Scripps School of Journalism) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7obH-3ADvVOc51J1NLpIwiiFVpjd6lkt17W1M0/?igshid=1eejb0wbpxukh

Thank you @nppaou @scrippscollegeou @viscomohiou and @magnumphotos photographer @mattblack_blackmatt for sharing an inspiring virtual discussion with my ART 30 Photography class at @fresno_state yesterday. Matt shared how his home in the Central Valley of California has informed his American Geography project, book and exhibition. #americangeography #mattblackphotographer #magnumphotos #centralvalleyproud #fresnostateartanddesign (at Fresno State Dept. of Art & Design) https://www.instagram.com/p/Caldz_DrKS_mKc2sAMJH0XGDwbWqvV5d6CHvIM0/?utm_medium=tumblr

#Repost @viscomohiou with @repostapp ・・・ STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Salgu Wissmath {Pronouns: They/Them} . Age: 30 Degree, major, year: MA Photography (Photojournalism), 2nd-year grad student Hometown: Sacramento, California . Involvement: School of Visual Communication Gallery Manager, NPPAOU Instagram, Twitter, website: @salguwissmath, www.salguwissmath.com . Past Experience: During my undergrad at UC Berkeley, I spent all four years in the The Daily Californian’s photo department, and have interned at The Kodiak Daily Mirror and The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Recently I was part of NLGJA’s CONNECT: Student Journalism Project at the 2017 NLGJA National Convention in Philadelphia. . Upcoming Work: Right now some of my work is on display in the VisCom gallery as part of a group show, and it will be up until early next week. This year, I will be working on completing my master's project, which will also be shown in the gallery when it's finished. Next week, I'll be heading out on a 10-day shoot for the magazine class photo-j grad students take in the fall. I'm really excited about my magazine, which is focused on issues important to trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people of color. . What do we have to do to reshape the path we are on? We need to do a better job as photographers, editors, and journalists to challenge our assumptions, biases, and stereotypes when we photograph, assign, and edit stories. We need to make sure that voices of marginalized and underrepresented groups have access and encouragement to enter the field of photojournalism. It's not enough to tell their stories for them. We need to find ways to give them the opportunity, education, and platform to tell their own stories. . {See Salgu’s complete Q&A on the School of Visual Communication Facebook page, http://facebook.com/viscomohiou} . Compiled and photographed by @kisharavi . #scripps #photography #photojournalism #documentary

January 15, 2016 Wrestling

I used to shoot the majority of my high school’s games - all sports- because we simply had no one else to cover them and I had a cheap offbrand 75-300mm, which at the time as if I was brandishing a real telephoto. I wasn’t that bad (aside from the appalling overediting) but once I got to OU, I was intimidated by the increase in rules limiting photographers and stuck to other assignments. 

Apparently ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away and my portfolio was sports-less for a while. Right now feels like a good time to get back into it so I took a couple assignments for The Post shooting wrestling and women’s basketball. And I’m relatively happy with the results, looking forward to shooting more!

Still struggling with focus and reaction times, but I believe I’ll get those back with time.

It was a new experience for me to wait for the checkout room to open to make certain I got the lens I wanted- a 300mm f/2.8. This lens is comically large, and honestly a workout to shoot with, but the results were worth it. 

January 25, 2016 Review of Weekend Shots

I was going through my old work on this blog, when I was posting primarily personal shooting with an old cropped sensor Canon and Helios 58mm (manual focus!) film lens. I really missed the old soft and grainy look and the dreary, understated mood. So I tried to revive that look for my second shoot of the weekend- cropping my photos to an aspect ratio of 16:9 and toned in a muted way.

My future-housemates and I went hiking at Ash Cave in Hocking Hills to see the giant “frozen waterfall’ that forms each year. A fellow sightseer came up and asked if I had ever seen it when it connected all the way to the top, which apparently happens only every 10-15 years. I’d love to see that sometime- I feel like I’ll have a longtime connection to this area.

I’m now looking to purchase a mid-length film lens to continue to continue to refine the look of my personal work. 

January 26, 2016 Stay POSTed: Episode 1

This is the first in a series of entries that highlight work that ran in The Post, the student-run publication I work for as a photo editor. I hope to showcase work I’m proud of, my thoughts behind how I approached assignments and whether or not the idea worked. 

For the portrait: my original idea was to take the portrait where the incident occurred to show just how public it was, and how in the daylight, it looks so average, so pedestrian. Trying to convey the idea of her feeling unsafe in such an common place. I didn’t get that but we did shoot in her apartment I loved the neutral and subdued soft light from the window.