Juan Diaz

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Bob in game design described his career in how he has been part of many facets of the gaming industry. He has the wisdom and career path that many people may want in a professor. He spoke of all his accomplishments and about what the gaming industry. His time for questions was rudely interrupted by a student asking Joe Vitone a question. That is not detracting from Bob it goes to the quality of professor that we have at St. Edwards, Joe Vitone is a very accomplished photographer. I would only hope to achieve a third of what he has in a lifetime.

Alex Robinson’s presentation is always impressive. She is always asking you questions that make you think about what you are thinking. She deconstructs images or art so quickly that she tells you what you think before you come up with what to say. So it is interesting to see how she sets up the photos and videos that her children did. It is also amazing that we can make art out of anything. I am hindered by the thought that I feel that I have to have a point in what I create or else why create it. Sometimes you have to create to be able to create what you want to say.

Joe Vitone is by far one of my favorite professors. He may say something that you may not particularly agree with, but his expertise cannot be questioned. The man knows what he is doing behind the camera. His collection of ordinary people is fascinating because celebrities and beautiful people you don’t have to do much they are constructed to be interesting, but making the ordinary interesting is genuinely a work of art. To see that is why I came to study at St. Edwards.

My first semester here has been an interesting one. I come from a place where I am constantly in charge and have been telling people what to do, how to do it for most of my adult life. Taking a step back and absorbing that is different. This class has been an interesting, and I would like more feedback on the post. Maybe making the students in the class review and comment on each others post would be good. Not that it’s acknowledgment, but with every other class we are taking it is easy to put this one on hold because we are not receiving feedback on a regular basis. I have enjoyed all the artist and lecturer. It gives you an idea that if you do your work, the whole starving artist persona is not necessarily real.

We had a couple come in to tell about their journey into designing their game. Nate and Anne show how long it takes to build something of quality that you can monetize. They talked about how sometimes you rush the game off to production before completion because you need to turn a profit. They also talked about how you can feel there is something you can improve, that you could fix this or change that to make your project better.

They are a married couple and work together on the same project. Nate is the coder, and Anne is the artist. It is interesting to see this dynamic at work. You can only imagine that they have to set boundaries between work and home life. The process of working through problems was something they elaborated on. The different iterations of the game and how they came up with a solution. They stressed that there was a more natural way, but they choose to build their platform. If could do it all over again they would probably have chosen a different route.

We can apply this to a lot of our endeavorers we often feel that we only have one avenue to reach our goal. Usually, because that road is the one we have chosen and didn’t want to start all over again. The critical thing to note is to learn from your mistakes and if you have to fail, fail forward. That last bit of knowledge is mine not from the couple. They are doing well in developing their game.

The question I would have for the professors would be, Have you failed in your career? If so how and what did you do to recover?

Alejandro, Anthony, and Claudia all presented their life after St. Edwards. This reality only looms as a distant future to most students in their first year of school. A truth that is so distant compared to daily rituals of college. That far away future is not as important as passing your midterms or finals this semester. The value of their advice may be reduced to a side not and an entree into a blog they will recall later in their life.

That is not the case for me the not so distant future is here. The information these alumni shared is something I will use in the not so distant future. We can all take advantage of the advice Anthony gave about selling our work on the various sites he does. It would be wise to join Claudia at Bolt with the many other artists and collaborate with them. Alejandro talked about the internship at SXSW this is something fascinating to me.

I would like to get an internship at SXSW they have a lot of various division where I would learn. Edwards Media is a production company here in Austin where I want to intern. If Edwards Media does not have a program, I can see about creating one. Simmons Twins Films is also a place where they are creating fascinating videos. I would take a similar approach as with Edwards Media. The options are unlimited if you can find someone that is willing to participate in the internship program.

My five-year plan consists of graduating from St. Edwards with a degree in Photocommunications with a minor in Writing and rhetoric. St. Edwards University will prepare me with the skills to succeed in the future. While I am here school is not my only objective I am also building a small production company that I will expand upon while here and after. I aim to create a production company that helps people create a podcast, YouTube, documentaries, and films. I am in the process of developing a YouTube series that would be the beginning of my future endeavors.

I have started to learn software like Audible and Premiere Pro. I am developing a photography business to help fund my production company. I’m marketing myself to be able to shoot videos and photos of products. We can put an instructional video about your product. Corporate commercials and photos for any internal and external campaigns. I am developing my skills to be able to produce quality work for any customer. Right now I am acquiring equipment and knowledge. My idea is to freelance now and develop a brand and reputation that will carry over when I am done with school.

My four-year plan has been somewhat already accomplished since I am a transfer student with over 90 credit hours. My classes here at St. Edwards consist courses specific to my major and minor. I am a photocommunications major with a minor in writing. I still have to take a two cultural foundation and capstone classes, but most of my classes are photography related. My courses are mainly project-based, and it is rewarding to see finished products.

Transferring in after being in the workforce and the military puts a different perspective going to school. I approach education like if it is a job and every assignment like if it were a job for a client. My approach to college this time is different than when I went to college after high school. I attended classes while in the military, but it is different because your job always comes first. The workforce has also given me experience on how to deal with clients and potential employers.

My plan is to build a portfolio in both photography and writing that shows my value in the job market. While here at St. Edwards I will develop the skills and vocabulary to be able to market my work to potential employers. With my background in both the military and workforce, I am confident I can find employment once I graduate. With the education I receive here at St. Edwards I will be able to enjoy what I do for a living.

1. My greatest strengths in Large Camera include: My persistence to try and keep trying until I get something I like.

2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Refine my technique in using the view camera.

1. My greatest strengths in History of Photography include: Keeping up with the work.

2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Read and make sure that all the required reading and videos are watched.

1. My greatest strengths in Visual Studies include: being open to learning new and old information.

2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Keep doing the work.

1. My greatest strengths in Writing in the Media Age include: Is the interaction and executing of all the required work.

2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Complete all the projects due.

1. My greatest strengths in Studio include: My previous knowledge of studio lights.

2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Continue to try new techniques.

Seminar

1. My greatest strengths in 1st Year Seminar include: my attendance.

2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Keep up with the blog post.

Computer skills:

1. My computer skills include: A lot of the Adobe Creative Suite and word processing software.

2. I still need to learn: to be proficient in Premier Pro and Audition.

Research & writing skills:

1.   My greatest strengths as a researcher/writer include: The ability to create a story line.

2. I need to work on these aspects of research and writing: Grammar and style

3. I learn best & accomplish most when: I am excited about what I am doing

ACTION PLAN

The class I struggle most in is Seminar because it is a deceptively easy class.

Need to keep up with blog post

Need to write blogs in a timely manner

Need to post blogs in a timely manner

Need to research blogs in a timely manner

Need to be more proactive in this class

Need to complete and proof my blogs

Need to make a more intriguing blag

Need to devote more time to the blogs

Need to write a blog or two into the future if possible

Need to post the blogs

The St. Edwards Art department has a variety of degrees that we can pursue. In seminar some upperclasswomen came in and talked to us about their experience in their respective degree.

Clara is in photo communications and is an amazing photographer. She talked about her dedication to her craft with amazement and delight. She is very involved in traditional forms of photography large format and film an art that seems to be disappearing. She truly loves what she does and does and is pursuing it.

Michelle De Santiago is a visual artist and is working at a community latino center. She was very interested in what she does but was very involved in work, even recruiting for them. She incorporates what she likes to do into her daily work.

Hannah King is a graphic designer who is proud of her accomplishments here at St. Edwards. She was a novice when she started and now has developed her skills to be productive in her desired field. She seems to be very enthusiastic in what the future lays out for her.

http://www.onioncreekproductions.com/ Onion Creek Productions website is strait to the point they are showcasing their work from the initial page. You can navigate to projects and information but you see what their skill level is on the first page. 

https://www.charliewaite.com/ Charlie Waite is a landscape photographer and from the first impression of his page you know what he has to offer. It is a simple page with clearly defined tabs that guide you to what you need. The page is also showcasing his work from the initial loading of the page.

http://www.edwards-media.com/ Their website is very unique as you scroll down the page you see projects they have worked on. If you place your cursor on the projects they highlight and give you a link to that projects page. You can also scroll down and see more information on the company.

http://matteivisuals.com/ This page is also very interactive but you see the quality of work you get from the initial download. There is a lot of information and examples of his work.

One of our assignment in Visual Studies is to photograph the Gestalt principles on South Congress. So we all took to the streets to capture everything that South Congress or SoCo has to offer. At a glance, the assignment is easy enough take photos that show containment, grouping, and closure to name a few principles. After everyone went out to shoot, and we started to share ideas most pictures look the same. We all took photos of the same objects that peaked our interest.

After the professors individually critiqued our images they made us question what how we see the world. My thought process was I have to shoot his let me take pictures that show this and go from there. The question posed to me was how to stand out in a sea of many. We are all creative people, so how do I stand out.

I never really considered myself an art student or artist I’m a photographer. I quickly realize that the sooner I lose that notion of myself the more I will absorb and create.

We had to present our work and view everyone else’s, work. After a couple of presentations, it is easy to see who took the time to shoot multiple times and who just threw something together. You see the people who consider themselves “artist” shot once, colorized and image and said it was interesting. The artist who did not know how to use the equipment but went out several times and created interesting pieces. It is about learning and experiencing through the process that is laid before you.

Out of about two hundred and fifty images, I narrowed it down to five, and I am presenting two to you. My picture of a margarita has a lot of Gestalt principles, but the reason I enjoy this image is its simplicity. It is a margarita in a plastic cup. How can I make this photo better? The highlights are too high on the left side of the cup. There could be more color in the negative space of lighter on the right side of the foreground, not a lot just enough to make it pop. The composition altered to create better lines, so your eye flows through the image.

The flower and mug have more color and texture throughout the frame. This image would benefit from a more purposeful dynamic composition. This photo would benefit from more texture in the dark color. The contrast between the colors makes it an attractive image. The triangle formed by the background to the flower and then the mug. The image has the separation between foreground, middle, and background.

Before I settled with these images, I shot well over three hundred photos. Gestalt was in many of those photos, but to me, these were the most interesting.