Essay 1 - Make Not Take

     Photography isn’t a simple amusement. One cannot just point the camera, press the button, and produce the greatest photo seen by the human eyes. More times than not, a photograph requires staging and several manual adjustments that are necessary to generate a striking image. The famous American photographer Ansel Adams, who started publishing his photos in 1916, once quoted, “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” Several images in the gallery, however, displayed techniques in their composition causing them to emerge from the sea of photographs.
     Notably, the photo labeled Watered Edges by Ryan Lamer demonstrated immaculate artistry throughout. The deep, rich brown color of the wood from the pier gave it an overall homey ambiance. Bubbles upon bubbles issued the piece a lighter vibe that felt indescribably relaxing. Also, the point of interest indubitably focused onto the wood, bubbles, and the water while leaving the outer corners unfocused. This photograph genuinely captured nature and left the sound of water brushing against the pier in my ears.
     In addition to Watered Edge, The Coming Storm composed by John Shippee possessed numerous appealing aspects. From a quick glance, I noticed a broad beach landscape. Looking deeper, the distant thunderstorm came to life. This photograph precisely focused my attention to the light on the sand, the large cloud directly at the top, as well as the vague pier in the background. Overall, this piece thoroughly exhibited perfection in the field of photography with its wonderful execution.
     Table for One devised by Ashton Yorek equally portrays exquisite technique. At a slight glimpse of the photo, I only noticed a simple yet elegant place setting. However, many aspects gave character to this piece. Angles are a crucial detail in every photograph, and this angle in particular captured it eloquently and effectively. Having the knife slightly slanted also produced character by showing perfection is not necessary in an exceptional photo. The black and white effect also administered a great appeal to this artwork.
     Truly, these three pieces present impeccable works of art. From crisp bubbles to distant storms to an unbalanced knife, each possessed a uniquely different quality. The creators of these photos surely devoted much time, effort, and thought into composing such photos. Certainly these photos weren’t just taken, but rather designed.

Journal 1

I had the privilege to take ENC1101 with Prof. Jimmie Barrett last semester, and I thoroughly enjoyed her as well as her teaching. I feel that one of things I gained from her class was confidence in my writing. Since it was my first ever college class, I had no idea what to expect. I was used to having a teacher take me step by step through all my papers and having my teacher grade rough drafts. However, Professor Barrett only graded one copy of our papers with the grade we received being the final. I also feel like she has encouraged me to read more. Nearly every story we were assigned was incredibly vivid and lively.

Almost every week we were assigned a list of 10 vocabulary words to memorize and be quizzed on. Some were given in order to broaden our vocabulary while some were to explain different technical terms of writing. Also, 5 essays that covered a variety of styles were due periodically throughout the semester. Several classes were spent discussing stories in our groups and discussing reading comprehension questions with the class.

I believe I will need more assistance in my quality of writing. Though I've become more confident, I'm still skeptical of my ability. Since I've spent a few years on the yearbook staff at my high school, I have grown a love for journalism. I wish to become a yearbook adviser and/or a journalist as my career, so writing will be key to help me excel.