Story With a Photo: Commonality

The purpose of Multicultural Week is to share the different cultures with the student body, and most of all, to try out different types of foods! However, sometimes I just want to stick to the usual and go for the common food that I am comfortable with and used to. 

MSJMCW

As I walked up and down the horseshoe shaped parking lot, where all the food stations were located, I saw that  things were a little bit different this year. The area was more empty than the past years, and it almost seemed as though the students had decided that it was not worth standing in line for the overpriced food in the hot sun. However, this was not the case. During this year's annual Multicultural Week at Mission San Jose High School, the school decided to try something new. Instead of the usual cash for food exchange, the system changed to tickets for food instead. This system has created a rush for the students to buy the tickets first then hurry in line for the food. Although some argue that this is inefficient, because the students would have to first stand in line for the tickets outside of the parking lot, many see the merits of this system, because it allows the food lines to shorten faster and the horseshoe to empty out quicker. This ticket system was what created a seemingly empty event and an unsupportive student body. However, when digging a little deeper into the event and the system that it runs on, one can see that the school's annual MC week is running just fine.

Unity

Exposure: +0.5
Contrast: +5

Clarity: +7

This picture shows unity because the eye automatically groups the bushes together. The bushes form one group because of repetition and similarity. 

Shutter Speed and Everything After

Lens Blog Photo

1. The picture is fast because it is taken on the highway and logically, vehicles move fast on the highway. 
2. One rule of composition in this picture that is really visible is leading lines. The white lines on the road and the road itself are leading into the picture. The eye naturally follows the lines and looks far into the road. 
3. The element of art that really stands out in this picture is color. In the gloomy weather and background, the bright reds, blues, and greens, the primary colors, seem to pop out. 
4. A principle of design that I noticed in this picture is movement. When looking at the picture the first thing the eye is drawn to is the big truck in the front with a red rear end. Then the eye goes to the green truck and looks down the road. Once the view has reached the end of the right road, it looks to the left but is disrupted by the truck that is knocked down. 

Tuesday with Farley's Kids

1/750

Exposure: +0.32

Contrast: +5

Sharpness: +10

Vignette: -15

My favorite photo 03/27/15

Otha Turner, goat barbecue is my favorite photo from today's series. This picture is a good example of unity because of the way the mind just automatically groups the big bowls in the center together and shows a feeling of harmony. Psychologically, the mind tends to group things together. This picture makes it especially easy to see the three bowls as one group; therefore, showing unity.

Rhythm

Exposure: +0.12
Contrast: +3
Clarity: +5

This picture shows rhythm because there is a feeling of organized movement created by the repetition of the wires, ceiling, and poles. Each repetition goes in different directions and are made with different elements of the picture, adding a variety to make the rhythm more exciting and active.

Half Past Autumn - Gordon Parks

Part I 
On the day Gordon Parks was born, how did the doctor save Gordon's life?

young white doctor plunged him into a tub of icy water 
Where was Gordon born? (what state?)

Fort Scott, KansasWhat did Gordon's college adviser, Ms. McClintock tell him about college?

She told him that black students don't go to college because they were going to "all wind up as porters and maids regardless of their education."

How old was Gordon when his mother died?

15
Where did Gordon move after his mother died?

St. Paul, Minnesota
Did Gordon graduate from college?

Yes
How did Gordon begin his fashion photography career?

Marva Louis, the wife of Joe Louis, saw his photographs on display in a clothing store, and encouraged him to move to Chicago to start a fashion photography career.

What is a "double exposure?"

Repeated exposure of a photographic film to light

Who was boxer Joe Louis?

He was the heavyweight boxing champion from June 22, 1937 to March 1, 1949.

What instrument did Gordon play?

Piano
What was the purpose of the Farm Security Administration?

An effort by the United States during the Great Depression to combat American rural poverty.

When Roy Stryker hired Gordon for the FSA, what was Stryker's first assignment for Gordon in Washington, D.C.?

Go to a department store to buy a top coat, then eat at the restaurant across the street, and then watch a movie at a nearby theater.
Who was Ella Watson?

A pioneer of Wyoming
What was the inspiration for Grant Wood's American Gothic?

A member of the FSA cleaning crew in front of an American flag.
What did Gordon learn from Stryker about photography?

He lerned that he had to approach people and hold them more important than himself. 

Part II
When did the FSA shut down?
1943
After Gordon moved to New York, what magazine did he shoot for?
Vogue Magazine
Who was the picture editor of Life Magazine when Gordon walked into the Life Magazine office?
Wilson HicksWhat was the first major story Parks covered for Life Magazine?
Gang leader Red Jackson and the crime in America.Who were some of the artists that Gordon Parks mentioned influenced his work after he 
moved to the Paris Life Magazine bureau? 
Van Gogh and Picasso  How did Parks shoot fashion when he lived in France?
He worked with the movements of the models. Where was Parks' concerto performed?
In Venice Who was Parks' second wife? (Who was her father? What did she do?)
Elizabeth Campbell
How old was Flavio de Silva when Parks met him?
12
When did Parks meet Flavio?
1960
Where did Flavio live when Parks first met Flavio and his family?
In the slums of Rio de Janeiro
How is Gloria Vanderbilt? Who is her famous son? Who are her ancestors?
Gloria Vanderbilt is an author and an artist. Her famous son is Anderson Cooper. Her ancestors were railroad company owners. 
How did Vanderbilt describe their relationship?
Vanderbilt described their relationship as platonic; however they held a lot of love for each other.

Part III
What is your definition of successful?

Being successful is accomplishing a goal or a purpose in life, whether that be big or small.
What have you given up to become successful?

Times to relax and have fun.
What did Parks give up to become successful?

Parks gave up the chance to spend time with his family because he had to travel overseas so much.
Who was Genevieve Young's father?

Genevieve Young's father was
 How much was Parks advanced to write his first book (and eventual best-selling autobiography)?

$10,000
How much money did Elijah Muhammad offer Parks to do a story on The Nation of Islam?
$500,000
Why did Parks refuse the money?
He disagreed with the Nation of Islam's violent protests.
What was significant about the movie The Learning Tree?

It was the first Hollywood studio film to be directed by an African American.
What was significant about the character Shaft?

Shaft represented the African American's in the U.S. He inspired many African Americans to not be inhibited by racism.What was Gordon Parks' choice of weapons?

The pen and 35mm camera
What reason did Genevieve Young give for the divorce?

She said that the problems in his life set her own career back and wore her out.In 1984, Parks directed Solomon Northrup's Odyssey. What recent feature film told the same story?

Twelve Years a Slave
Who was Gordon Parks, jr?

Gordon Parks' Son. He was a screenwriter in Hollywood and died in a plane crash at the age of 44.
What is your favorite Gordon Parks photo?
My favorite Gordon Parks photo is the Frisco Railway Station.
What will you remember about Gordon Parks in ten years?

That Gordon Parks was not only an amazing photographer, but also a filmmaker, artist, author, and even a composer. He encompasses all forms of art.