COM 220 – That’s A Wrap

COM 220 has been full of ups and downs throughout the entire semester. From struggling with manually white-balancing cameras to figuring out what the heck the marquee tool does in Photoshop, this semester has been full of challenge. But, with these challenges have come opportunities to learn. Before I took this class, I NEVER could have produced what I attached in this blog post. I cannot believe how much I have learned in just one semester: photography, Photoshop, video, lighting, audio and three different Adobe Creative Cloud programs. Although I kicked and screamed the entire way, I am so thankful to have participated in a class like this because it DID challenge me. It pushed my out of my comfort zone. It gave me enough experience and portfolio material to secure an internship. There were parts I liked better than others and I’ll be honest, I didn’t like video before,  I still don’t like video now, but at least now I know how to do it.

International Student Documentary – Natalie Mayr

Interacting with Natalie Mayr reminded me just how much Elon is lacking in diversity. I was fortunate enough to go to a high school back home where there was tons of diversity. A lot of my closest friends were born outside of the United States or were first-generation American-born citizens.

Interacting with my friends back home challenged me, but in the best way possible. It made me think about my life and views critically, and attempt to understand the identity of someone who is very different from me. This kind of challenge enhanced my high school experience. It even enhanced the friendship that I had with these people during my time in high school because we had to work harder to find commonalities. I learned form them and they learned form me; we learned from each other.

The opportunity to interact with Natalie and learn so much about where she is from, what her life is like, etc. made me miss my friends from high school and reminded me just how un-diverse my friends are here at Elon. Diversity is something that is desperately needed in the Elon community. It is unfortunate that I do not know more people who are unlike me, and I hope that in the future the Elon community is filled with all different types of people with different lives, backgrounds and views about the world. That way, students can challenge and learn from each other, therefore becoming more well-rounded people. After all, I learned so much from Natalie during my short time interacting with her throughout the course of this project.

A lot of what Natalie talked about when my group interviewed her for our International Student Documentary had to do specifically with sustainability. Unfortunately, in her home country of Honduras, there is not even a word of sustainability. She said multiple times that the issues of sustainability that are at the forefront of United States policy are not even on the radar in Honduras, but not because people are unaware of global climate change.

It is just a fact that in Honduras, there are much more pressing issues, such as personal safety, etc. Natalie said that these kind of issues are something that citizens in the United States may take for granted. Unfortunately, although sustainability is something that is a huge issue in the world that needs to be addressed, in places like Honduras there is a lot of other issues that need to be addressed first. Eventually, when the time comes, Natalie would like to bring sustainable practices like recycling, etc. to her home country.

Are You There Hiring Managers? It’s Me, Joelle.

Like every other sophomore undergraduate student on the planet, I am currently trying desperately to get an internship for this summer. I have been applying to anything and everything that I have found via search engines, job posting sites, EJN, and word-of-mouth. Throughout this exhaustive process I realized something (well, a lot of things, but this one is the most important): I don’t necessarily know what I’m the best at when it comes to my major. Am I better at planning or creating? I have NO idea?

I’m not sure if it is lack of skill or simply lack of confidence, but I still haven’t been able to find the one thing that I am REALLY good at and am equally passionate about. I’d like to think that I’m a pretty decent writer, an above-average photographer, and have a creative way of looking at situations in general, but I don’t really know how to make myself look super appealing to employers. I want employers to see my resumé and want to hire me on the spot, but I don’t know how to get there. But, I think that creating (or re-vamping) my online portfolio has helped me tackle this challenge in a fun way.

First of all, completing this exercise got a lot creative juices flowing. I never realized how much I enjoy web design (if creating a Wix cite even counts as web design?). I recently switched to from Strategic Communications to Communication Design last fall, but I am still not really sure what I want to do for a living because I haven’t had a chance to really delve into or experiment with my major classes just yet. Although I can already tell that I enjoy the creative process behind all kinds of communication more than the logistics side of things, I guess you could say that am still trying to figure out my calling. Maybe it’s web design, maybe it isn’t.

Still, I think that that I want to do this summer to figure out the answer to that question. What is my calling? I want to get an internship that either really love or really hate. That way I either know exactly what I want to do, or I know exactly what DO NOT want to do. That’s what internships are for anyways?

I think that my online portfolio (joellehalle.wix.com/joellehalle) will help me stand out in ways that a simple cover letter/resumé combo would not. The site I have created shows just enough of my personality and passions to make it intriguing to employers, but it still remains professional. Because I already have a good amount of my work on my site, I think that what I have so far will definitely work in my favor when trying to land an internship.

Right now I am waiting to hear back from Under Armour after completing a first-round interview last month. I am SO passionate about the Under Armour, that if I get it I might actually explode. If I were to snag a position for the summer, I would be working in a youthful, fast-paced environment that is constantly changing, which would be such an amazing opportunity. I will hopefully be working side-by-side with graphic designers and brainstorming for REAL campaigns (if you can’t tell I’m really excited). I am supposed to hear back from them soon, but until then I will be continuing my search for the perfect internship.

Loy Farm; a lesson in sustainability

Experiential learning is not hard to find on Elon University’s campus and the Environmental Studies Department is no exception. On most days of the week, one can find a number of professors rolling up their sleeves on Loy Farm with their students.

Loy Farm was purchased by the university in 2000 and was originally used for landscape equipment storage. It is located across from the South Oak Ave and Saddle Club Rd intersection just outside of campus.

When Dr. Steven Moore came to Elon in 2011 he saw a need for students to learn about the environment and local agriculture in a more direct way, so he started the AgroEcology Program and the space was converted into a student farm.

Today, Loy Farm is used for growing produce in rows and inside its recently renovated solar-powered greenhouse. It is also used as for student research and engagement.

Although those who are interested in Environmental Studies use Loy Farm frequently, professors and students from all disciplines have access to its resources.

According the Elon Website, “Humanities, social science and natural science courses all utilize the farm as an instructional tool, and it hosts the research projects of both students and professors.”

Because the field of environmental sustainability is always changing, Moore wants to use Loy Farm as a fluid model for sustainable and responsible farming. From chemical-free pest control methods to carbon-rich compost, everything about the farm it is sustainable.

“We focus on growing carbon crops for composting purposes so that we can minimize the unsustainable inputs that we have on the land,” Moore said. “Students also do a lot of research surrounding sustainable agriculture at Loy, which will have real-world implications.”

Loy Farm also exceeds every requirement to be deemed a Certified Organic Farm by the US Department Agriculture. According to Center For Sustainability at Aquinas College, “Organic farming typically requires 2.5 times more labor than conventional farming, but it yields ten times the profit.”

But, Moore is hardly worried about a profit. In an effort to support local agriculture, he makes sure everything that is harvested at Loy Farm goes right back to the Elon community.

“Students, professors, Mill Point Catering, Elon Campus Kitchen and Allied Churches all have access to what we harvest,” Moore said. “One hope for the future is that Loy Farm will eventually provide enough produce to supply the campus dining halls.”

Elon graduate Brett Evans was the garden manager at Loy during its full conversion to a student farm and was inspired by the project’s success. He decided to start his own small-scale, sustainable farm.

“I now have my own farm near Chapel Hill, and I continue to rely on Dr. Moore’s guidance,” Evans said.

Senior Allison Hren is the current garden manager at Loy Farm and is also very passionate about the project.

“Over the past few years, Loy Farm has taught me so much about biointensive agriculture, crop planning and planting, and all the odds and ends around owning a small, sustainable farm,” Hren said.

If students want to get involved at Loy Farm all they have to do is grab a shovel and get started.

“Everyone is welcome,” Hren said. “Loy needs the love.”

RESOURCES:

Consumer Resources. “Sustainable Farming.” Center for Sustainability at Aquinas College. Aquinas College, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

Manual Madness

When we were assigned this exercise in class, I was a bit worried. Although I am an outgoing person, I definitely did not want to have to ask strangers if I could take their picture. As it turns out, approaching strangers was the EASIEST part of the project. Who knew using a camera on manual settings could be so hard? I’m pretty sure every time I adjusted the camera the shot turned out the exact opposite of what I wanted. Let me tell you, I will forever bow down to the person who invented the automatic settings on cameras, because manual mode is definitely not my forté.

FULL SHOT: To the right you can see my favorite full shot out of my camera roll for this project. Although it was initially hard to white balance everything and get the lighting right (I was not entirely successful), I love that this photo is bright and sharp. The subject was very excited to have her picture taken, and is a good representation of the typical Elon student walking down Williamson Ave on a cloudy, brisk day. (F Stop: 3.5, Shutter Speed: 1/400, ISO: 400).

WIDE SHOT: This photo is definitely my least favorite out of the three that I chose to submit for this exercise, but I chose it because it was more interesting than the shots I had of people reading books in the library or walking on campus. The subject is rolling silverware during his shift at Pandora’s Pies. I love the colors, the lines, and the fact that the photo truly shows the subject’s environment (his place of work). The lighting inside the restaurant was very tricky because there are a lot of different types of light sources coming from all different directions, and I was unable to successfully adjust my settings to make the image brighter and clearer no matter how hard I tried! It was definitely a challenging moment for me, and I guess that is why I decided to include it as part of my submission for this exercise. (F Stop: 3.5, Shutter Speed:1/50  ISO: 800)

CLOSE UP: For my closeup shot, I chose to include another photo of a Pandora’s Pies employee. The subject was a little nervous that I was taking her photo, so I did not have a lot of time to adjust the camera once I started shooting. Again, I struggled with the lighting in this shot, but I think it is far more successful than my wide shot. The colors are warm, and I love the way the natural light coming through the window to her left illuminates her face and how everything else sort of fades into the background. By far, this photo is my favorite out of the 100+ I took for this exercise, which is why I chose use it. (F Stop: 4.5, Shutter Speed: 1/125, IS0: 400)

Dorothea Lange & The Migrant Mother

Although I may not know much about specific photographers, I can always remember my favorite photos. I was probably around 10 the first time I ever learned about the Great Depression and how devastated our country was during the 1930s. One of my favorite teachers used a photo to teach an entire lesson about that period of American History. She projected an image entitled “The Migrant Mother” on the board. It was a portrait of Florence Christie and her two children taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936 (see below).

I vividly remember my teacher asking each of us to write down what we thought Christie was thinking and/or feeling. To my surprise, it was relatively easy to guess the woman’s emotions and thoughts based on the level of realism displayed in the portrait. Fear, uncertainty and anxiety about the future all came to mind immediately. Looking at the photo, I could almost feel the pain that Christie felt knowing that they only way to keep her children was to pick peas for pennies in California, which was rumored to be a place overflowing with riches at the time. Lange was able to capture the such a wide range of emotions in a still frame, which is beyond impressive.

Lange was not born as an iconic portrait photographer. Like almost everyone else, she has to work her way to the top and overcome much adversity. She was born in 1895 in Hoboken, New Jersey. When she was seven years old, she contracted polio, which left her right leg partially paralyzed. Three years later, Lange’s parents divorced, but were still united in supporting her education.

After high school, Lange studied art form at Columbia University and served as an apprentice to many famous portrait photographers at the time. She married a muralist and 1918, and became more interested in documentary/portrait photography in the 1920s.

In the early 1930s, Lange left her first husband for a whirlwind romance that took her across the country in pursuit of documenting the devastation of the Great Depression and subsequent events in American history. While her new spouse wrote about what they saw, Lange took photos.

While “The Migrant Mother” is definitely the most iconic of Lange’s portraits, I have some other favorites. Below is a portrait of Japanese-American school children pledging allegiance to the flag, immediately prior to the internment of Japanese Americans in 1942. There is nothing more powerful than the innocent ignorance of children.

Another one of my favorite is a photo from 1934 entitled “Mended Stockings.” It brilliantly and bluntly shows the harsh realities the Great Depression; people could not even afford to buy new stockings. Lange shows all of this without a single word.

My favorite thing about Dorothea Lange’s photos are that they give a beautiful face to a time period in American History that was certainly not beautiful. Because her portraits are so shockingly real and simple, there can be no longer be denial or ignorance about their context after viewing them. I’m sure if Lange was still alive today, she would be traveling the country (and probably the world) showing everyone the faces of hardship.

To check out more information about Dorothea Lange, a selection of her works, exclusive articles, and up-to-date Lange exhibition listings, please visit artsy.net.

Resource: “Dorothea Lange.” Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2015.