NOSH

Over the weekend I did a shoot in the studio for Theresa Berens prototype magazine NOSH. The idea was to show the average person and their personal on-the-go snacking habits. 

"The Healthy Eater"

Benton High Steppers

On Wednesday I went to Benton Elementary to photograph the Benton High Steppers. The group of dancers and drummers range in ages 8-12  and come from all over mid-missouri. The kids are incredibly talented and dedicated to the team. I look forward to spending more time with this group. 

 Daleshaun Coleman, 8, watches the High Steppers rehearse at his first practice.

The Benton High Steppers rehearse behind Benton Elementary.

Advanced Techniques: Color Correction

For my color correction assignment I went to The Wardrobe in Columbia. I gelled my strobe with 1/2 green and 1/2 CTO and set my white balance to florescent. I bounced my strobe off the ceiling onto my subject. This assignment made me realize how awful and distracting indoor tungsten and florescent lighting can be to a photograph. 

Marvin Bennett measures and sorts jeans at The Wardrobe Thursday afternoon. The Wardrobe provides affordable used clothing for the Columbia community.

Here is a lighting diagram of how it was done:

An outtake from color correction:

Volunteer Marvin Bennett measures a pair of jeans at The Wardrobe.

Advanced Techniques: Single Flash

For my single flash assignment I chose to shoot Busker's last stand using bounce technique. The event was very high energy with a lot of interaction. 

Jake Greenlaw of the Touchcats drums along with other True False Film Fest musicians at Busker's Last Stand Sunday night in the Missouri Theatre. The jam style musical event wrapped up the weekend long film festival.

 I bounced off the ceiling at a 45 degree angle onto the circle of musicians playing. I should have taken into account the warmer tones in the room and the photo is underexposed. There were several other photographers shooting so I chose a lower shot to minimize background distractions. I shot at f/4 1/125 and 100 ISO.

Below is my lighting diagram:

Direct flash was another story. My flash only fired once at the Mojo's show I shot Wed. night. As a result I only have one direct flash photo as seen below. 

Danny Seim of Menomena plays keyboard Wed. March 9 at Mojo's. 

Here is a direct flash outtake from the week:

Nadine Oelschlager sits in her favorite chair March 2.

True/False Film Fest

True False Film Fest brought together approximately 30,000 film fanatics for a weekend somewhere in between reality and the imagination. Several very talented directors brought their best work, documentary or fiction, to the screen.  From Thursday to Sunday Columbia was transformed into a haven for smart wool, creative beings, and supporters of the arts.    

Festival attendees and volunteers socialize at the @ction party Friday night in Tonic night club.

Despite the rain True/False attendees celebrate the beginning of the festival in the March March Friday through downtown Columbia.

 House manager and Juggernaut volunteer Caitlin Cunningham works outside The Blue Note.

Festival musicians play at Buskers Last stand, the closing event of the weekend, Sunday night in the Missouri Theatre.

The audience waits for Academy Award-winning director James Marsh's most recent film Project Nim to begin in the Missouri Theatre.

The Def-fish-it

I hear a lot of numbers being thrown around about where U.S. money goes and where it is coming from. I decided to investigate and provide a visual representation of some number crunching. I wanted to show how far the U.S. has fallen into debt and who will be affected by any spending cuts.

The following is a photo illustration of U.S. spending in 2010.

From the bottom up:

Soil: 57% of the U.S. budget is mandatory spending (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid etc.).

Sand: 38% of the U.S. budget is discretionary spending (Homeland Security, Health, Education etc.).

Water: 5% of the U.S. budget was money earned on top of the 1.3 trillion dollar deficit.

Fish: Americans.

The United States is drowning in a debt of over 14.1 trillion dollars. Fifty-seven percent of the budget is mandatory spending (soil) which is untouchable money. Thirty-eight percent of the budget is discretionary spending (sand) which could be reduced if it was not borrowed money. As a result federal spending cuts are limited to the positive portions of the U.S. budget (water).

All information from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Lighting Diagram:

I positioned the fishbowl on a light table directly in front of the camera. I lit from underneath and had Alex Wood gobo. I placed a strip box at an angle to light the front so you could see the detail in the sand and soil. I shot at ISO 200 f/11 1/15.

C.O.L.O.R.S. Step Show

Several talented individuals from greek organizations at their respective schools showcased their step skills for the entire Big XII Conference on Black Student Government at the The C.O.L.O.R.S. Step Show Saturday night in Jesse Auditorium. Check The Maneater for a slideshow of the entire performance.

Alexandria Sayles, a member of MU chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, holds up a Delta backstage at the  Coalition Of  Leaders Organizing Radical Segues Step Show.

Members of Lincoln University's Omega Psi Phi stand together before going on stage at the C.O.L.O.R.S. Step Show.

Jalisa Ray of the MU chapter of Delta Sigma Theta performs at the C.O.L.O.R.S. Step Show.

This Week In The Kitchen

Rosemary chicken soup with roasted veggies and cous cous.

Saffron chicken and vegetable fried rice.

Tomato basil chicken with mushrooms and scallions.

Advanced Techniques: Classmate Portrait

Here is my first attempt at a studio portrait. Look below for lighting diagram.

Junior Jeremy Jardine throws his hands over his head to relax. Jardine describes his "happy place" as laying in the grass on a beautiful day.

I placed 2 soft boxes at even power 200Ws, one on either side of the subject, to create soft even light. To imitate real sunlight I placed a modeling light high in the back at 800Ws. I also used a white reflector angled over the subject to create more evenness. I shot f/22 and 1/30 at ISO 100. 

No Coast Valentines Day Massacre

Battle rappers and performers came together from all over the nation (and Canada) to compete in the No Coast Valentines Day Massacre Feb. 11th and 12th at Cafe Berlin.

Mr. Biscuit yells to Maniphest DestNE during the No Coast Valentines Day Massacre at Cafe Berlin.

Dallas and Hindu Rock face off before their battle on Saturday at Cafe Berlin