My Hometown Photos

Dala Johnson walks through Ralston Park in Lebanon Oregon, placing warning signs for lighting displays for the upcoming "Holidays in the Park" on Dec. 1.

Pioneer Cemetery has been a staple in Lebanon Oregon for decades as a creepy place for teenagers to hang out "after hours".

Robert McCollum, head chef at Apple Tree Restaurant in Lebanon Oregon, preps for a lunch rush. Apple Tree has been part of Lebanon for over 30 years, at one point, early on, being called Applebees, before the now well known chain was ever on the west coast. To avoid a costly court battle, the small restaurant changed their name to Tree instead of Bee.

Final Photo Story

GROWING CHRISTMAS
by
Lee Frazier

West's Tree Farm started in 1978. Since their start they have moved locations to their current address at 29545 Berlin Rd. in Lebanon, OR, which is an 80 acre tree farm. Every year they have a sales lot where they sell pre-cut Christmas trees. The pre-cut lot opens a couple of weeks before they open the tree farm to the public for the "U-Cut" program. Jon West, owner of the farm works with the community to help out organizations and churches with acquiring trees for Christmas. He believes Christmas is about family, charity, and gathering loved ones around the Christmas tree.

Signage posted at the pre-cut lot in the Safeway parking lot in Albany Oregon.

Kristi West, daughter of owner Jon West, works the Albany pre-cut lot with co-worker Kelly Horner two days before the opening of the U-Cut farm.

A northern view of West's Tree Farm on their second day of being open to the public.

Jon West, owner of West's Tree Farm, shows off a seedling planted last January in 2018.

Married couple Brian Keeney and Rebecca Keeney search the farm for a perfect tree for their church.

After the perfect tree is found, employees, Michael VanGelder and Demetrius "Bear" Scott retrieve the chosen tree and haul it back to the front of the farm for the transaction.

Employee Quentin Gravelle looks on as owner Jon West load the Christmas tree into the shaker before being hauled off the farm.

Quentin Gravelle and Demetrius "Bear" Scott load a Christmas tree onto a customer's truck to be taken to a church. 

Happy customers Brian Keeney and Rebecca Keeney getting ready to tie the tree down before delivering it to their church.

Week 10 Forum

Topic One:

 My favorite photo this term was a toss up between a photo of Justen Noll, and two photos from the "Sirens" rehearsal. While I like the photo of the two girls a little more for the symmetry, I chose the group photo due to my use of angles to capture their faces in the reflection. Below is the chosen photo.



 I feel this photo shows how we were taught to get creative to get a decent photo. While it does feel a bit center balanced, I think the subject outweighs it's "Boringness".

I would have to say the biggest thing that has changed about my photo taking abilities is my understanding of the camera, and learning how hard sports photography is in a poor light situation.
I learned how to achieve long depth on a short lens by using the max F Stop, and this applies to sports photography as well. In a low light situation I did have to have a high shutter speed, a large F Stop, and an incredibly high ISO, which caused some grain in some photos.


Topic Two:

TERM GOALS:

Q1: My goals for this photo journalism class is to enhance my abilities with my camera in reference to taking photos for news.

A: I learned how to use Prime Lenses that are best for shallow depth of field and achieve a longer depth by closing the aperture. Better for sports photos, but you need a LOT of light.

Q2: I hope to learn the best type of photos to take depending on the story that is to be written.

A: Photos of people should always show their face if possible. No boring center framed shots. Check for background objects, etc.

Q3: I am hoping to get better at taking action photos. These require more thinking on your feet, and this is something I need work on when it comes to photography.

A: Large Fstop, High ISO, 1200+ Shutter speed.

Q4: I also hope to take at least 1,000 photos this term, based on the idea of, "The more you take, the better your odds of getting good photos."

A: I took roughly 1500 photos this term. (Nearly 600 at one volleyball game.)

Q5: I also plan on attending theater events at the school because these are student focused and involves many people with connections to LBCC.

A: I failed this quest.

Q6: I will probably attend a couple of sporting events. These are the events that will give the opportunity to really focus on action shots, which is something I am wanting to improve.

A: I attended the last home volleyball game which resulted with the Roadrunners winning, and two of my photos getting into the paper.

Stanley Kubrick Photographer of the Week

In 1945, Stanley Kubrick became a photojournalist at the age of 17. He signed on as a staff photographer with “Look” magazine, which at the time was a photographic competitor to Henry Luce’s “Life”, when they acquired Kubrick’s first photo of a newspaper vendor looking glum the day after President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in 1945. In 1946, after Kubrick graduated from high school, Look hired him as an apprentice and paid him $50 a week.

Towards the end of his tenure at Look, Kubrick shot two feature layouts for the magazine covering the boxers Rocky Graziano and Walter Cartier. Kubrick later made Cartier the subject of his first film, “The Day of the Fight.” The photographic work for Look became the storyboard for the film, enabling Kubrick to work out the scenes, camera angles, framing, and lighting. Kubrick maintained this practice of storyboarding from photographs throughout his life.”

During his time at "Look", he completed about 300 assignments. There is currently an exhibit at the Museum of New York which is displaying his early photography, and leads up to his days as a filmmaker. Once he stepped into film, he became an award winning director/cinematographer.

What stands out most about his early photography was the subject matter. He seemed to focus on capturing moments of action centered around people. Whether it's a thought, or eating a hot dog, you know something happens next, as if he is leading you where he wants to, much like he did with his films.

Stanley Kubrick has been nominated 13 time for an Oscar, 4 times for a Golden Globe, and 8 times for the BAFTA's. He has won 1 Oscar, and 2 BAFTA's.

-www.nytimes.com
-imdb.com
-www.diyphotography.net

-www.cnn.com

-www.washingtonpost.com

BLOG FORUM QUESTIONS FOR WEEK 7

:

TOPIC 1: MY NEIGHBORHOOD/MY HOMETOWN --

For the "My Hometown assignment, I will be shooting in Lebanon, OR. I chose this town because it is where I was born and raised, and still live in to this day.

For the portrait subject, I am hoping to photograph "The Can Man". He has been a staple in Lebanon for more than two decades.

My landmark of choice will most likely be Ralston Park, aka, Duck Park. As for an activity phot, I don't have any idea yet... I'm hoping while I'm out in the field something will catch my eye.

The most difficult photo to obtain will be of the Can Man. He is never in the same spot for very long, so I will have to drive around town looking for him. Then I will have to get his permission, and he is deaf and mute, so I will have to prepare a letter before my search.

TOPIC 2: TWO PHOTO STORY IDEAS  --  

I only have one idea so far for my photo story. I want to follow the owner of Kuhn Cinema in Lebanon OR for a couple days and capture the day to day activities required to run a movie theater.

To do this, I will need to contact the owner and staff to gain access for my story. I will need to see the projection room, lobby, and theater area beforehand to plan out my shots. I will have to schedule with the owner when I will be allowed to do so. With my photos, I will attempt to answer the who, what, when, where, and even the why...

Week 7 Sports Photos- LBCC Roadrunners vs. LCC Titans (Volleyball)

Team photo of the LBCC Roadrunners before their match against the LCC Titans.

Caity Carillo #2 Fr, Ally Tow #8 Fr, Grace Phillips #12 So, Madelynn Norris #6 So, Mitra Aflatooni #3 Fr, and Kya Knuth #1 So celebrate a point, continuing their lead over the LCC Titans.

Grace Phillips #12 So slams back a tip rejecting a score attempt by the Titans.

Kya Knuth #1 So at the ready, waiting for a serve by the LBCC Roadrunners to be returned.

The LBCC Roadrunners celebrate their victory over the LCC Titans on Wednesday.

Week 6 Photo Choice- Portrait & Mug

Ross Cutsforth on set last week getting prepared for the next scene where he delivers a monologue to the camera.

“I am 21 and have been at LBCC for 2 years. I am a computer science major at LBCC and participate in the film and tech development club. The best part of LBCC is the class size and the instructors. My favorite classes so far have been some of my philosophy classes, computer science, and WR241. I am somewhat famous as a social influencer although my name is anonymous in all my work. I have multiple dream jobs, working as an actor or filmmaker, a professional writer, a creative designer for gaming, and an overall entrepreneur who pushes new ideas and cutting edge technology advancements. My life goal is to create and innovate books, properties, technology, video games, and many other ideas in my head for people all around the world to enjoy and remember. I also want to continue to learn and push myself to become a kinder and better person every day. My greatest fear is not being remembered, turning into nothing as eternity passes me by. That and needles.”

Ross Cutsforth