Photographer of the Week - Art Wolfe

Art Wolfe was born on September 13th 1951 in Seattle, Washington. He is a photographer, TV show host and conservationist. The theme of his photos are generally natural landscapes, animals in the wild, and capturing foreign culture. He filmed a travel show that aired on American Public Television titled "Travels to The Edge with Art Wolfe." There is an art gallery that features his work in Seattle and he enjoys visiting Oregon both for photography and the reception he gets.

He is a conservationist and use many of his photos to promote conserving natural environments.He also enjoys photographing the native culture of the places he travels. Some of his later work revolves around body paint after his encounters with the practice in different cultures.

Throughout his career he has traveled all over the world for both his TV show and photography efforts. He recently started encouraging donations to relief efforts supporting Nepal after the recent earthquake disasters.

He has published 16 books and his television show ran for a total of 39 episodes, distributed by American Public Television. He is a major supporter of various charity programs and nature conservation programs.

Though he has been criticized for using Photoshop to make corrections to some of his pictures, Wolfe avidly defends his choice to do so. He considers Photoshop an important tool in his arsenal for fixing mistakes commonly made when photographing the natural world. Some example he has cited involve removing telephone poles or stray branches from otherwise well composed shots.

One of his most notable controversies was a picture of a stone arch in Utah in which he used double exposure to enhance the size of the moon in the picture from the size of a pinprick to the size of a dime. Due to an editing error, the caption forgot to mention the use of a longer lens. Some of his long exposure shots that involve stars spinning around the sky have also come under scrutiny.

Forum Week 4

Topic 1:

1. For me the most interesting part of the code of ethics was the last part: "Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of other journalists." It makes me curious, because they wouldn't have made a rules for it if there wasn't a problem.

I also noted how it specifically said "intentionally." It made me think about how different journalists might end up treading on one another's feet by accident. For instance, one journalist might publish something unflattering about an individual and they might decline further coverage as a result.

2. "Strive to be unobtrusive and humble in dealing with subjects." It sounds like this is encouraging journalists to only observe whenever possible. A journalist's job is to observe and report. You should not use your position as a journalist to influence a situation and keep oneself as detached as possible. Even the presence of a person with a camera or a notepad can affect how people act.

3. To stay humble and unobtrusive I would imagine one would avoid drawing attention to themselves during and event and avoid manipulating subjects. Don't go around trying to create the perfect photo and instead try to capture it. Avoid asking people to pose.


Topic 2:

I liked the photo Marwah posted this week for her portrait photo. It looks pretty well set up and the I never really see people sewing much these days. I think its cropped well and I think the lighting looks really good as well.

I also like Trevor's portrait from this week. I think its really creative and funny. It makes me wonder whats this guy is all about.

Week 4 - Mugshot and Potrait

Cherrie Wellons, a cashier in the Linn-Benton cafeteria.

Cherie Wellons manning the register in the LBCC cafeteria.

Forum 3

Topic 1:

I am thinking of getting a portrait of someone from campus security. I don't have any names because the website is currently down. They would be easily recognizable people from campus and should be well suited to the environment. I would take the picture somewhere on campus or maybe in the security office. I can email them or go and visit the security office.

I could also get a picture of whoever is in charge of the upstairs cafeteria during the day. I don't have a name because the website is still down. I think it would be interesting to get a picture of someone in charge of so many chefs. They probably also have the biggest hat. The best place to get a picture of them would be in the kitchen. I could email them or go to the cafeteria and see who I can find.

Topic 2: Self-Critique

I would say my best is my Closeup from week 2. I made sure to avoid the window and I feel like the photo has some cool stuff going on in it. Unfortunately I didn't get his name

I think my worst picture is my medium from week 2. It could have been cropped better and I could have got a name.

I definitely need to pay more attention to the environment and work on setting up shots. I also need to get more familiar with my camera.

Photos Week 3 - Evacuation Drill

LBCC faculty member Su Youravish coordinates students to the front parking lot of the LBCC campus during last Thursday's evacuation drill.

LBCC faculty members lead students back to class after last Thursday's evacuation drill.

Students waiting to return to class during an evacuation drill last Thursday.

LBCC Learning Center Photos

Various students hard at work in the LBCC Learning Center.

A student logs in to use the LBCC Learning Center.

A student reviews his work after getting help from a tutor.

Forum 2 Response

1. The two methods I would use to find feature stories would bee to keep an idea book and choose a word. I already keep an idea book that I use to write my stories for The Commuter so it would easy to start adding in ideas for photos. I could try to add at least one idea a day and them come over it at the start of each week to find a subject.

2. My favorite photo of Ryan's is the football one, because the light and the fog look really cool together. Im curious to how and when this photo was taken to make it look like this.

Questions:
Should we try to get photos based on the story or base the story on the photos?
What do you do if someone gets angry or violent from having their picture taken?
Where are some places you should NEVER take photos?

Week 1 Forum

Topic 1: My Three Goals for Photojournalism

First I want to learn how to use a camera with some degree of professionalism. I want to be able to take good pictures and do so confidently. I also want to learn how to properly attribute photos of what I take so I don't violate any ethical or legal rules.

Second I want to get over my the hesitation I have of taking photos in public. I want to get comfortable taking photos and getting the information I need to publish them.

FInally I want to be able to take what I learn from this class and apply it to my work at The Commuter and any future work I do relating to the field of journalism.

Topic 2: Famous Photographer

Art Wolfe is a traveling photographer that takes pictures of different cultures and different aspects of nature. He is a philanthropist that advocates for the conservation of nature and animal habitats.

He is from America and is currently 66 years old. He has a television show titled "Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe." He has written 16 books about his travels.

Topic 3:Photo Ideas

I am thinking of taking pictures of people on their way to class in the morning. So I would take pictures of people getting off the bus, in the halls and coming out of the parking lot.

I am also thinking of taking pictures of people who work at the school during their day to day activities. So cleaning, grading papers, teaching class and all that sort of thing.

The best photos you will ever see ever in the history of the multiverse, by me.

Cooper, the Sports Editor at The Commuter

James Reddan during an interview

A faculty member pushing a cart and a student walking