How time has past!

Oh I know it has been such a long time since I have posted. Of course it has also been such a long time since I have seen the light of day. Well almost.
As of this Saturday, I have just finished my 2 year journey at Gwinnett Technical College earning my Commercial Photography Degree. Myself and 18 other students were able to hit the ground running and finish our portfolio in 5 weeks (normally 10). Such a crazy thought!
I some how squeaked by and also won "Best Portfolio" for the class. Yea me! I have to be able to celebrate a little right? Anyways, overall there were a lot of people who finished with great work and I am very happy for all who managed to hang in there and finish along with me.

We had the show this past Saturday at Art Station in Stone Mountain. The show was great and well received. If you are interested and have time. All of our work will be hanging for the next 2 months at the location. I would highly recommend checking it out.

Well in a short reflection I am surprised at how fast it all came to ahead. I think it may actually take a few weeks to realize that it is actually over and now I need to find a real job. Oh my!

Reflecting on the Internship

This internship turned out to be a time in my life that I will never forget.
I was able to get my work on the cover twice, with another one in the works. Most people never get an opportunity like that.

I also was exposed to many different aspects of the the magazine world. I learned a lot about networking and planning events. I also had great exposure to planning large photo shoots. It was interesting working with a make-up artist, hair stylist, models, clothing distributors and also a creative director. It is information that I find invaluable.

Overall, I am very happy with the way my internship played out. I am anxious to see where the next chapter of my photography life is going to take me.

Week 8

Monday 16th 1-7, 6 hrs

We had our weekly meeting, then went to lunch with other employees. We also went to a local contact of Torren's so they could discuss an event that is coming up in the future.

Sunday 22nd, 2:30-8pm, 5hr 30min

Today was the swimsuit fashion show for David magazine. It was at a club called Opera. The day was very interesting and informative.

I learned a lot about how to organize models and the clothing that they would wear and also about the layout of a fashion show. The models overall did really good and embraced the fashion show. The crowd was a little disappointing. However, there were not many people there.

Skills:

This week I learned a great deal of event planning and about a fashion show. I know this was on a small scale, but I think it was a good introduction to what the bigger events could be like. I also learned that marketing an event is key. If you do not plan it all out, then sometimes the turnout is going to be not what you expect.

Week 7

Internship Weekly Report Week 7
5-8 thru-5-15-2011
Hours Worked 7hrs

Saturday 5-14-11, 5:30-11 pm, 5 hrs 30min

Tonight we went to the HRC dinner. I was to cover the event by taking pictures of the speakers and attendees. When we first arrived we were told to go into a room to wait to take pictures of the main award recipient that night, Monique.

It was interesting to be in a room with other media and trying to find a place to take pictures. When she finally arrived she was only in the room maybe 15 minutes before she went on to the dinner.

After taking pictures of Monique I went into the venue and took pictures of the speakers and award recipients at the dinner. I also took pictures of attendees of the event.

Sunday 2-3:30pm, 1hr 30 min

Today I edited pictures for David magazine of the HRC event.

Skills:
Overall, it was good to be exposed to that type of environment. It was very different for environment for me. I had to adapt to the situation and how to act and shoot pictures in that type of environment.

Week 6

Weekly Report 6

5/1-5/9/2011, Total Hours 50hrs 45min

Sunday 1st, 8am-8pm, 12hrs

Today we shot 7 models and many bathing suits. We went all around Atlanta and put the models on the streets. It was a learning experience for me because it was my first big shoot with models, hair, and makeup artist.

It was very important to stay tuned into what the models, fashion designer, and creative director wanted and did not want.

We shot a lot in direct, harsh sunlight. So it proved to be a challenge. The shoot was a lot about adapting to what the director wants and also trying to not compromise your own vision.

It was a long day overall.

Monday 2nd, 1pm-9:15pm, 8hr 15min

Today we had the weekly meeting. We also went through and selected photos from the Swimsuit shoot.

Wednesday 3rd, 3-4pm, 7pm-2am, 8hrs
Edited images in Photoshop and Lightroom for the swimsuit issue.

Thursday 4th, 11a-4pm, 5hrs
Edited pictures from the swimsuit shoot.

Friday 5th, 10am-12:30am, 14hrs 30min
Meeting at the office. Went to meet a group of actors who purchased the cover for the July 4th issue. Printed and laid out the final pictures for the swimsuit issue.
The final images for the pages, cover and index page were selected. Edited more images. Also, typed the information for each image which included all of the designers clothes and prices.

Saturday 6th, 1-2:30pm, 5-6:30pm, 3hrs
Finished up editing the final images. Created the final page with graphics and added text to it.

Skills this week.
I learned a great deal about how to work on a project with many models and leaders involved. There was a lot of planning and details that go into a high volume shoot.
Also, got great insight into deadlines and the pressure they can bring.

Week 5

Week 5 Weekly Report 4-24 thru 30-2011

17 hrs 30min

Sunday 24th 3-5pm, 2 hrs

Easter Drag Races were today. I went to the parking lot of Burkharts bar and took pictures of the Drag Races hosted by the Armorettes. It was a very entertaining job and enjoyed watching and shooting it very much.

Monday 25th 1-6:30pm, 5 hrs

Today I worked on sorting through pictures for the seen@ of the Drag Race photos. I worked on organizing models, make-up artists and locations for the swimsuit issue shoot for the next weekend. I also did more picture editing and mailing photos of previous shoots.

Friday 29th, 2pm-10pm, 8 hrs

Today we had models come in to get tanned for the Sunday photo shoot. We also mapped out locations and ideas for shots for the photos. We also looked at the swimsuits pulled for the shoot.

Saturday 30th, 8pm-10:30pm, 2hr 30min

I created an ad for the HRC dinner.

Week 4

Week 4 Weekly Report - April 17-24, 2011

Total hrs: 13hrs 30min

Sunday 17th, 2-3:30pm , 1hr 30min

Today I went to the Mono Homo event to set up the media wall for David. I went around the event asking individuals to take pictures. It was outside at Friends bar off Ponce in Atlanta.

Monday 18th- 12pm- 9pm, 8hrs

We had our weekly meeting outside today. We went to a local restaurant and sat outside to discuss the issues and magazine layout. After the meeting was over Torren and I discussed further issues related to the magazine.

Around 5pm we went to a location to shoot a model. We got there early and scouted it out until the model showed up. I then shoot him, with Jeremy’s help, until the sun was gone.

Saturday 23rd 3-7pm , 4hrs

Today I came in to meet with Torren. We drove around to meet with Brian for a minute. We then went to Starbucks and had a meeting about the Swimsuit issue. We also meet with Brian about doing make-up for the models.



Skills:

One thing that keeps repeating itself it how important it is to network and try to keep an ongoing report with business owners and individuals. In this network there seems to be many people that have their hands in a lot of pots. You need to find the right way to mingle and make contacts while still be professional.