Behind the Lens

This was one of the most fun experiences/ assignments that I had to take on this year. Ms. Gamzon had the students in the class pair up in groups and create a commercial on any chosen topic. Our topic happened to be Converse sneakers. In our commercial, we had to use advertising techniques in order to entice viewers to buy the product. The following link shows our group commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ZoFjcq_Mw&list=HL1339523839&feature=mh_lolz

Query Letter

Another assignment that our sophomore class took was to write a query letter which is also something that many newspapers require in order to get an article published. A query letter consists of a writer writing to the publisher to talk about what their article will consist of and why the article should be published.

300 Word Article

Ms. Gamzon had each student write a 300 word article to introduce us each to the possible tasks that could be assigned to us if we decided to pursue a career in journalism. The following article is my 300 word article which contains information on piercings.

Understanding Photo Composition

Photojournalists' use many techniques to capture something specifically in a photo. Many use the rule of thirds, leading lines, setting the main image off-center, symmetry and patterns, viewpoint, background, depth, framing, cropping and experimentation. Ms. Gamzon had us study the photographs of famous or well-known photographers and take note of the composition of the photo. The following link demonstrates some of Margaret Bourke-White's most famous photos and it also explains what techniques were used and how.

http://prezi.com/9u8y7za-4qnk/margaret-bourke-white-prezi/

From the Eyes of a Photojournalist

To learn from a journalists' point of view, Ms. Gamzon gave us the assignment to get behind the lens and use photo techniques to capture something in our own eyes and to understand a photo journalists' task in a different perspective. The following link shows my experience in taking the role of a photojournalists. The photos are based on the theme of graffiti.

http://prezi.com/rcbtlec74tra/graffiti/

Name All the Animals by Alison Smith(Part 3)

So far, the book is...interesting. I don't really find any part of the book to be difficult to read nor do I find it easy to read. To me, it's just like any other book I've ever read. A character that I seemed to start liking in the novel is Teresa. I liked her because she's very daring and different. She seems to be the one who is helping Alison forget the pain and misery from the death of Roy. I think the author includes Teresa in the novel to keep the story from getting so bland and to show how much Teresa changes Alison. Alison soon discovers things about herself that she never knew and she begins to feel things that she has never felt. Alison discovers that she is Lesbian and she experiences the feelings that one feels when making love. There aren't many characters that are described besides Alison's parents, Teresa, Alison and Roy so I can't really say that I dislike any of the characters. But so far, I guess that the story is somewhat progressing because Alison is making changes in her life and the subject is gradually moving away from Roy's death. So...I guess I should keep reading. Bye :)

Name All the Animals by Alison Smith(Part 2)

I'd have to say that Alison uses a lot of characterization throughout the novel. Often, when introducing a character, she describes their appearance, gestures/actions and conversations. For example, she describes Teresa by telling the reader that she has massive curls with a wide face. She also describes how she watched Teresa with sketchpad on her lap. This introduces Teresa as an artist. I think that Alison made Teresa kind of mysterious or shy because of the fact that Teresa doesn't want to share her drawings with Alison. Another example is Alison's father. He often calls Alison 'baby' showing that he is caring.  When Alison's mother and father let the nuns know to keep a close watch on Alison when they went on their trip to Toronto, it shows that they are protective. Throughout the story, when Alison's parents do things to show that they are grieving for Roy, they tend to come to Alison, as if to make sure that the only thing that they have left, is still there. Overall, I think Alison does a great job in introducing the characters' personalities as well as their image.