Ashley and Joel Mendez walk through magical Storybook land in Albany last Wednesday night.

Train Conductor Bob sets up the mini village for the children to play with.

Mother brings her baby boy to see the Christmas train show.

Mother shows her son her favorite movie when she was younger, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Cindy gets the seasons first Candy Cane straight from Mrs. Claus herself.

Peer Pressure Photo Story

Savannah Adams trying to impress her friends as she wrongfully inhales a cigarette and coughs.

Cimantha Hormel secretly drinking for the first time to impress her friends.

Cimantha succumbs to the pressure of her friends to participate in a game of 'Spin the Bottle'.

Daveda Landcaster spreading gossip about Cimantha the next day during school.

Asia Flaska is too afraid to stand up for her friend in order to keep out of the situation.

Week 1 Forum
Three things I learned in chapter 1

"Writers and photographers should resolve conflicts between words and pictures before the story goes to the press" (15).

"The medium shot should tell the story in on photographer, shoot the picture close enough to see the participants action, yet far enough to see the participants action, yet far away enough to show their relationship to one another and to the environment" (16).

"Photojournalists must catch their subjects as unaware as possible to record real emotions...In a good candid picture, subjects never gaze at the camera. Eye contact tips off the reader that the picture is not candid and suggests that the subjects was at least aware of the photographer and might even be preforming for the lens" (21).




*I recieved 4/5 on this assignment and was hoping this would bring it to 5/5 taking my grade from a 78% to 80% with 40 points instead of 39.

My three goals of the term was to become more comfortable with taking pictures of people and talking with them, becoming a better photographer, and learning about professional photographers and their stories.

The most difficult task was getting more comfortable with taking pictures of total strangers however I soon overcame that feeling as I took more and more pictures. I think that as a photographer I improved greatly mostly because I got the chance to use a real camera as appose to my phone. I got the chance to learn about lots of incredible photographers through the Photographer of the Week assignment and readings in the textbook.

This is my favorite shot of the entire term because it captures the aesthetic of the store as well as the customers who shop in it. I think Sofia's style really comes out and overall it looks really cool. This photo reflects my learning experience throughout the term because I slowly began to feel more comfortable with taking pictures of strangers and asking them their names as well as other questions. I had a really great conversation with Sofia that night. I believe my photo skills increased with my level of comfortability with the situations I was apart of. In the future I plan on taking more photos of people and capturing their daily lives.

Arthur "Weegee" Fellig is an extremely simple and stylistic photographer. His work of the "real" New York City encourages many people to lift their idea they had on Manhattan and think about it differently. The dark and unseen aspects to living in a socially destroyed and crime ridden city are made apparent through Fellig's work. I loved the black and white still photos that capture evil endulgences such as the pictures of dead bodies on the ground and blood spatter. I love that he had a dark room in the back of his car so that he could get the printed pictures in the newspaper as soon as possible before any other reporter had the chance.   

I am going to shoot a photo story pertaining to the idea of an individuals struggle to gain acceptance into a social group. I plan to get pictures of teenagers doing things to gain acceptance such as bullying, smoking, sex, drinking and driving, and fashion choices. I will get an overall picture of a kid pinned up against a locker and bystanders just walking by. For the medium shot I will get a picture of teenagers in a car filled with alcohol and a visibly impaired driver. For the close up shot I want to photograph teenagers smoking and the subject looks ashamed. For the picture reguarding sexual pressure I will get a picture of a girl and guy in a car. For the fashion choice photo I will take pictures of girls at the mall looking at racey clothing.

I will be shooting the volleyball practice at the Y.M.C.A in Albany on Thursday night at 7:30 until it ends. For the overall shot I plan on getting a photo of the entire team working together to get the ball across the net. For the medium shot I plan on taking photos of the players setting up for a spike by setting the ball in the air. As for the close up shot I want to get an individual player in active motion leaping or diving for the volleyball.

Y.M.C.A of Albany Volleyball team practicing on Wednesday night November 16.

Middle blocker strikes down with a spike leading the team to victory!

Player dives to the ground in order to save their team from loosing.

Y.M.C.A volleyball team front setter tosses the ball in the air for a winning strike!

Peaceful demonstrators at the presidency protest chanting "Black lives matter, Women's lives matter, American lives matter!" in downtown Portland Wednesday night, November 9. 

Mila Youngstrom, German student from Eugene joins protestors at Pioneer Square in Portland voicing her opinion on the outcome of the presidential election. 

Portland's Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on southwest broadway street shines bright as an iconic monument for tourists and locals alike to gaze at. The Oregon Symphony and other venues for concerts and entertainment show every night. 

I will be photographing Corvallis Oregon, a small town situated in the foothills of the Oregon Coast and Cascade mountain ranges. Corvallis has an exuberant culture of love and expectance of new ideology. This liberal and welcoming college town is home to 53,000 happy citizens going through everyday life and living it to the fullest. Since Corvallis takes great care of their small businesses, I will photograph a owner of a local business for a portrait shot. For the landmark I will photograph the train at Avery park. Perhaps the most difficult to photograph is the activity portion of the assignment. Do I take pictures of college kids drinking beer at Block 15? Do I take pictures of hikers at Bald Hill? Do I go to the gym and watch a basketball practice? Hopefully as I walk through the city something exciting will catch my attention!

Linn-Benton sophomore Sofia Torres, 19, searching through a wide array of vinyl records at Happy Trails in downtown Corvallis on Wednesday November 2.

Whiteside theatre in downtown Corvallis offers a wide array of showings including the Oregon State production of 'Synofie der Großstadt', a german silent film from 1927. Showing begins on Wednesday November 9 at 7pm. 

The Benton County Courthouse accepts ballots for local and federal office, turn in your ballot to the dropbox, no stamp required. Ballots must be returned before 8 pm on Tuesday November 8, election day.

Alcohol: Bringing us together,  Alcohol: Tearing us apart

The story of alcohol consumption in America can go from the happiest stories and memories, to the worst nightmare an individual can face. The idea of capturing the true effects alcohol has on American culture is extremely captivating, as well as emotional. Alcohol brings the world together to celebrate the happiest of times and enhance individuals moods. Celebrations aren't concluded without a toast, parties aren't memorable without a drink, and relationships are enhanced. Brian Plonka, photographer of the series faced struggles within his own consciousness and ethics as well as the livelihood of others. Witnessing the deaths caused from alcohol consumption and dealing with the children of abusive alcoholic parents has pushed strain on the photographers mentality. Each photo in the series is black and white to diminish the light that alcohol brings to people and show the tragedy people face. The pictures show empty expressions to match an empty feeling the consumers had felt. Peer pressure, driving, consumerism, suicide, and grief all fall into each photo. The photographer had to emerge himself into this tragic story. Plonka joined parties, gatherings, celebrations, funerals, and investigations to gather photos for his story. American society has thrived on alcohol and used it to drive happiness into the worst of times. Alcohol becomes a problem once the drinks are used to fill a void rather than temporary happiness. 

Students and faculty gather to rummage through hundreds of donated articles of clothing in the Albany Linn-Benton campus courtyard on the morning of Wednesday October 26.  

M'Liss Runyam trying on clothes at the Community Closet Fundraiser. All clothes were only a $1 and quickly sold out raising funds for the American Association for Women.

Incoming Linn-Benton freshman Phan Nguyen looking through the racks after his yoga class on Wednesday 26.

Photo by Greg Gorman

Stephen Wilkes is an American photographer from New York who is famous for capturing the world by day and night, as well as the worlds abandon locations. Stephan was born in 1957, he received his bachelors in photography from the university of Syracuse with a minor in business management in 1980. Stephan Wilkes began his career as a photographer by opening a photography studio in 1983. Since then his reputation for being one of the best photographers in America has skyrocketed through a series of publications in famous magazines and books. Stephens worked reached a new level of fame in 1998 when he visited an abandoned quarantined hospital for immigrants on Ellis Island off the coast of Manhattan as well as the  Bethlehem Steel factory both which he has captured as a world lost in time. Stephens’s photographs were published into a book called Ellis Island Ghosts, which helped to raise over 6 million dollars for the restoration of the island. His work has been published and nationally recognized in The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Vanity Fair, and Sports Illustrated. In 2000, Epson America commissioned Wilkes to create a millennial portrait of the United States, “America In Detail,” a 52-day odyssey that was exhibited in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. In more recent years Stephen has embodied a new genre of stylized work called day to night. The day to night collection features one photograph built of up thousands of pictures collaborated into one. Each session can take up to 24 hours to fully capture. It captures fleeting moments of humanity as light passes in front of his lens over the course of full day The photographs are electronically blended together. The series has expanded past New York to several cities including Dubai, Shanghai, and Jerusalem. Wilkes has a passion and style unique to himself. His photography is all about capturing history through architecture, people, and cities across the globe. Some of Wilkes most popular day to night pictures occurred at the inauguration of President Barack Obama as well as Times Square on New Years. Wilkes has been featured on numerous segments on talk shows including CBS and CNN. Stephan Wilkes work is up for display in some of the world’s most renowned museums including; George Eastman Museum, James A. Michener Art Museum, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Dow Jones Collection, Griffin Museum of Photography, Jewish Museum of NY, Library of Congress, Snite Museum of Art, The Historic New Orleans Collection, Museum of the City of New York, 9/11 Memorial Museum and numerous private collections. Wilkes has shot pictures of natural disasters, creating heart wrenching images for the public to view such as Hurricane Katrina and Sandy. Wilkes has been hired by some of the top corporations in the world to dominate the marketing scene and attract more consumers. Wilkes’ extensive awards and honors include the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography, Photographer of the Year from Adweek Magazine, Fine Art Photographer of the Year 2004 Lucie Award, TIME Magazine Top 10 Photographs of 2012, Sony World Photography Professional Award 2012, Adobe Breakthrough Photography Award 2012 and Prix Pictet, Consumption 2014. My favorite photograph taken by Stephen Wilkes is titled Times Square, New Years Eve, NYC. It’s my favorite work of art because not only does it capture night and day, but it captures the end of a year and the birth of a new one. The picture embodies the fast contrast of New York between hours. The location of the shot is astounding capturing the iconic Times Square.

Savannah Dahl wanders through Riverside Cemetery in downtown Albany on Thursday October 13th. Savannah's obsession with gothic romance novels influences her personality and fashion in invigorating ways.

Gothic Romance enthusiast Savannah Dahl is 17 years old and attends South Albany High School. Savannah's favorite book written by author Victoria Holt is Mistress of Mellyn published in 1960. She feels lost in time when she reads novels and fantasizes about the life's these flourishing characters live.

Around LBCC campus

Dori Litzer's morning drawing class takes their time sketching out ideas for an upcoming assignment at Linn-Benton's Community College campus in Albany.

Incoming freshmen Hadassah Gaillardet (front left) and Lindsey Estis (back left), enjoy a break at the Courtyard Cafe, laughing on October 10 at all of Jacob Birchard's jokes! 

Linn-Benton's Community Cafeteria staff works hard to prepare meals for the students and faculty. Here they work before the lunch rush on Monday, October 10.

0

+1
Kyle Thompson impressed us all with the winning shot during basketball practice on Wednesday at  the Albany Linn-Benton gym.

Teresa Guerra's intermediate basketball class practices on the activity center court at the Albany Campus.

Will Vermilyea goes for a layup during Mrs. Guerra's morning basketball class last Wednesday at the Linn-Benton gymnasium. 

    Who am I? For some reason that's an incredibly difficult question for me to answer. There's so many different aspects to my personality in which can be hard to explain. Well I'll just list some things I like. I am an associate at Rue21, and a prep cook at Carinos Italian restaurant. So I essentially fold sweaters and make lasagna to pay my bills. I work so much not only to be responsible but to travel. I have traveled the world on minimum wage. I have paid my way through countless local adventures, as well as gone to Mexico and Jamaica. My next goal is to travel to New York and explore each multi-cultural neighborhood. I am the one who drives the truck with a pumpkin patch garden in the back of it! My major here at LBCC is currently undecided, I attended classes throughout my senior year. I am leaning towards fashion design and marketing because I love how clothing can tell a story
 about someone every single day. I love taking pictures wherever I go and capturing the moments that made me smile. I took this class to expand my options for career paths as well as advance my skills in photography. I am committed to having good grades, so my main focus is so learn the material and receive an A at the end of the term. I would love to meet new people and hopefully end up attending school related events to take pictures! By the end of the term I would hope to gain more confidence with meeting new people!

Former star athlete alumni Samantha Rouleau poses in front of her own mural on LBCC campus. "First thing my boyfriend said was I always knew you had a big head". 

LBCC star athletes Samantha Rouleau and Kyia Duvall replicate their stances from last Wednesday's unveiling of the mural on campus.

Aspiring artist Simon Hutton (undecided major) works on a still life composition for Art 115.

Artist Rip Cronk signs his name for fans at the unveiling of his mural at LBCC on Wednesday.