Photojournalism From A Student’s Eye

Back when I was attending San Jose State, one of my favorite workshops was the lighting workshop that alum Glenn Matsumura would hold once a year. In the journalism department, and without any photographic background, I was never exposed to any lighting specific classes (my own fault for not taking one through the art department). When the lighting workshop rolled around, it gave me a chance to play around with toys that were unfamiliar; grids, ring flashes, dynalite kits that weren’t broken…

One of my favorite tools to play with was the grid spot. Unfortunately, now that I am out of school, I no longer have the access to the kits there, and I can’t afford my own kit. Luckily, there are some great DIY photoblogs out there, and more than a few ways to build your own grid for your strobe.

I ended up following a post on DIYPhotography.net which utilized corrugated plastic for the grid.

I ended up making two versions, one that was 3cm in length, and another that was 6cm in length. Though the light that was coming out of the grid was definitely more controlled, for some reason I could not achieve the nice circle shape seen in a test using a grid made from black straws. Instead, when shot against a wall, there was a definite rectangular pattern with half-circles coming out of each side. Below are the photos from both the 3 inch and 6 inch versions.

Other DIY grid tutorials:

cardboard
black straws
honeycomb grid

The honeycomb grid is actually an air straightener from a company called saxonpc. They have since realized that there is a market in the photo world for their product and sell grid kits.

Posted below is the latest multimedia I have completed for Green School. It is the third flipbook style audio slideshow I have done (and I think my favorite so far), with photos and sound from a drum circle held at school for the Year 1 – 2 and Year 3 – 4 classes.

My photography has been getting noticeably stagnant (at least in my eyes) in the past couple of months and I know that I need to push myself to do more creative pieces, hopefully starting with the one below. Being out of journalism, and not being surrounded by a talented group of motivated visual artists, has definitely forced me to become much more self-motivated, and so far I have responded by going to the beach.

From the LA Times, found through Interactive Narratives.

I am sitting in the airport in Taipei, Taiwan, halfway there to beginning my journey in Bali, Indonesia. I have been meaning to update more often, with info on where I am going and what I will be doing, but found myself too busy catching old friends one last time and packing (it has been only two weeks since I left the Register).

Hopefully I will have some photos to post once I get settled at the Green School, but until then, I will be checking out the newly re-launched Interactive Narratives and I suggest you do too!

Oh and, while you are at it, check out the video done by Shaminder Dulai that is displayed on the top of the photo below. It is one of the video pieces he is working on while a summer fellow at Poynter.