End of the Semester Review

Using the ever-handy Soundslides, I compile another audio slide show filled with some of my favorite photos this past semester as I look back and ahead. Enjoy!

River Line: The Audio Slide Show!

As promised, here is the audio slide show accompanying the photographs I posted earlier. Enjoy!

River Line, a preview

I've always been fascinated by trains, so I opted to focus on that rather than cars for my final project. Here's a look into my audio slide show (which will be up later today).

1.

Walter Rand Transportation Center--Passengers wait for the next train towards Trenton on December 3.

2.

Walter Rand Transportation Center--A passenger waits for his ticket on December 3.

3.

36th St. Station--A used train ticket lays crumpled on the platform.

4.

36th St. Station--A train en route to Camden arrives at 36th St. Station on November 30.

5.

Walter Rand Transportation Center--A flock of seagulls gather on the train tracks on December 3.

6.

Walter Rand Transportation Center--A seagull flees the oncoming train on December 3.

7.

Walter Rand Transportation Center--The wait between trains isn't long but this woman still keeps herself occupied on December 3.

8.

Walter Rand Transportation Center--Technology passes the time while waiting for the train on December 3.

9.

River Line--A passenger watches the scenic view on December 3.

10.

River Line--Passengers stare out the window as the train travels through South Jersey on December 3.

11.

Walter Rand Transportation Center--Conversation passes the time among passengers on December 3.

12.

River Line--Passengers keep to themselves or even fall asleep on December 3.

13.

Walter Rand Transportation Center--Passenger prepare their belongings to board the train on December 3.

14.

River Line--The packed train leaves some passengers standing on December 3.

15.

River Line--Passengers keep to themselves on the train on December 3.

16.

Walter Rand Transportation Center--A child examines his fingers after throwing Cheese Doodles to the seagulls on the train tracks on December 3.

17.

Walter Rand Transportation Center--A child takes a break from feeding the seagulls on December 3.

18.

Palmyra--The sun begins to set over the River Line on December 3.

Final Project Idea

After my failed attempt to start a profile on a NJ Turnpike rest stop worker - I ran into trouble along the way - and the expansion of topics, I decided to look outside the Turnpike.

I still don't have a clear idea of what I want to do, but I may look into doing a story about the Camden Adventure Aquarium. Taking photographs probably won't be an issue aside from the light (and I'll just raise the ISO level) since tourists generally take lots of photos, but talking to somebody may be a bigger issue. I'll try to call the Aquarium, but that's about all I can do for now.

More Sunday Parkour Sessions

After taking another look through my Parkour photos from a couple weeks ago, I found even more photos for your enjoyment.

1.

Glassboro--Many of the "Parkour Boys" carried bags with the American Parkour logo to practice on October 31, 2010. 

2.

Glassboro--Gabe Arnold slides across a trash can on Rowan's campus on October 31, 2010.

3.

Glassboro--Gabe Arnold observes the rest of the Parkour Club perched on a wall at Hawthorn Hall on October 31, 2010.

4.

Glassboro--Carl Campbell, left, and Nick Huddy take leap frog to another level on October 31, 2010.

5.

Glassboro--Andrew Thompson, left, and Gabe Arnold, right, observe Bill Goodwin, center, at work on October 31, 2010.

6.

Glassboro--(Left to right) Nick Huddy, Andrew Thompson, Carl Campbell, Bill Goodwin and Gabe Arnold take a short break before changing locations on October 31, 2010.

7.

Glassboro--Andrew Thompson waits patiently as two students pass by Bunce Hall on October 31, 2010.

8.

Glassboro--Nick Huddy, left, and Gabe Arnold practice a move they call "The Suburban Jesus" at Bunce Hall on October 31, 2010.

9.

Glassboro--Carl Campbell contemplates his next move in a stairwell at Bunce Hall on October 31, 2010.

Sunday Parkour Sessions

The other day I tagged along with Rowan University's Parkour Club. For those wondering, Parkour is "the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movement to the environment", according to the American Parkour website. A number of members came out to practice on Halloween.

1.

Glassboro--Andrew Thompson stretches at Hawthorn Hall on October 31, 2010.

2.

Glassboro--Gabe Arnold jumps down from a wall at Hawthorn Hall on October 31, 2010.

 3.

Glassboro--Carl Campbell uses his upper body to climb down a brick wall at Hawthorn Hall on October 31, 2010.

 4.

Glassboro--Carl Campbell, left, and Nick Huddy on October 31, 2010.

5.

Glassboro--Nick Huddy leaps over Carl Campbell at Hawthorn Hall on October 31, 2010.

6.

Glassboro--(Left to right) Bill Goodwin, Andrew Thompson, Gabe Arnold, Nick Huddy and Carl Campbell move on to their next practice area - Bunce Hall - on October 31, 2010.

7.

Glassboro--Bill Goodwin practices rolling at Bunce Hall on October 31, 2010.

8.

Glassboro--Parkour doesn't come without its battle wounds. Calluses on Carl Campbell's hand split open on October 31, 2010.

9.

Glassboro--(Left to right) Nick Huddy, Gabe Arnold, Andrew Thompson, Carl Campbell and Bill Goodwin after an afternoon of parkour on October 31, 2010. 

Photojournalism So Far...

Photojournalism Positives

• Learning to shoot photographs with a camera without using a flash
• Learning the features of the camera (e.g. ISO)
• Attempting to corporate different elements of photography in class

 Photojournalism Negatives

• There's not much going on in South Jersey, so sometimes I had to stretch a little bit to get a story idea. I'm not exactly sure how to fix that.
• I wish I could rent the cameras longer.  I was in the journalism department office twice a week to rent out the camera (and I will be returning there this week for a telephoto lens) and it was the same thing. My solution? I was lucky enough to receive a DSLR camera for my birthday.
• Photoshop. I sort of have an idea of how to work the edits that I need for my photos, but it's a big program to work with, and I still don't really a grasp on it. So far whenever I've had issues, I Googled the answers, so for now I will probably continue using that.

An Off-Day at TAM

Theatre Arts Management (often referred to as TAM) works many concerts, lectures, recitals, and high-scale events. But there isn't always an event to work. When that's the case, there's still plenty of work to be done.

1.

Glassboro--Steve Orlando goofs around as he grabs the needed light bulb from the TAM office on October 27, 2010.

 2.

Glassboro--(Left to right) Collin Day passes the blue light bulb to Steve Orlando on October 27, 2010.

3.

Glassboro--Steve Orlando pulls a balancing act as he replaces a side stage light bulb on October 27, 2010.

4.

Glassboro--(Left to right) Collin Day and Steve Orlando discuss moving the piano in Pfleeger Concert Hall on October 27, 2010.

5.

Glassboro--Steve Orlando pushes the piano on to the stage at Pfleeger Hall on October 27, 2010.

A Day in the Life

Yesterday I followed my coworker, Steve Orlando, around to see how he spends his time when we're not busy working at Theatre Arts Management.

1.

Glassboro--Steve Orlando surfs on his Mac Book on October 20, 2010.

2.

Glassboro--Steve Orlando catches up on an episode of NCIS on October 20, 2010. 

3.

Glassboro--Steve Orlando greets a friend en route to work on October 20, 2010. 

4.

Glassboro--(Left to right) Deanna Ford, Collin Day, and Steve Orlando enjoy some down-time at Theatre Arts Management before a musical recital on October 20, 2010.

5.

Glassboro--Steve Orlando checks his phone on October 20, 2010.

Deanne Fitzmaurice, 10/6/10

Last week I, along with a number of other journalism majors and photography enthusiasts had the opportunity to watch Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Deanne Fitzmaurice lecture at Rowan University. The event was hosted in Wilson Hall, which happens to be where I worked, so while I was lucky enough to see most of the lecture, there were a few points where I had to attend to other matters.

Fitzmaurice was very calm and handled herself well on-stage. Unfortunately, the lighting in the auditorium in which the lecture took place (as well as the projector) did not do proper justice to some of the photographs she showed the audience. She had an extensive portfolio - most of which we did not see.

She talked about some of the multimedia projects she worked on - such as the story of Frank and Joe, a gay couple about to be married in San Francisco or Family Kocktail. She reinforced many of the ideas some of my professors have drilled in my head for the past couple of years: Learn as much technology as you can.

Fitzmaurice waited until the end of the lecture to showcase the story of Saleh, which won her the Pulitzer Prize in 2005, which gave her time to show some of her other stories, such as the behind-the-scenes profiles of Barry Bonds, a former MLB baseball player for the San Francisco Giants.

She also discussed some of the benefits and pros of being a backpack journalist, such as having the ability to keep copyright of your photos. The audience came prepared with many questions, and some even stayed behind to ask for more information.

Furthermore, Fitzmaurice came to my photojournalism class the following day to allow us the opportunity to ask more questions and get more advice.

Hamilton Township Columbus Day Parade

On Sunday, October 10, I drove home to Hamilton, New Jersey to watch the annual Columbus Day parade.  Members of the New Jersey Italian American Heritage Commission introduced each group as they marched by a makeshift stage.

1.

Hamilton Township—Just one of the many signs advertising the parade around town on October 10, 2010. 

2.

Hamilton Township--The Nottingham High School Marching Unit marches on October 10, 2010.

3.

Hamilton Township--Members of the Greater Trenton Pipes & Drums play in the parade on October 10, 2010.

4.

Hamilton Township--Cheryl Mills returns to her seat after chatting with friends on October 10, 2010. 

5.

Hamilton Township--The Hamilton High School West drum line marches on October 10, 2010.