Prompt 4: What specific ideas from class discussions and assigned readings will you incorporate (or have already incorporated) into your work on the upcoming 3-photos and slideshow assignments?

Moments: From looking at the POYi photos from the readings and the other decisive moment photos in class, I want to do better at finding moments to capture. This means taking more photos and getting more involved with whats happening with my subjects than what’s happening with my camera.

Backlighting: During critiques, a few of us had problems with our subjects being too dark and backgrounds being to bright. Although I think I’m getting better at judging light through the camera and making it responsive, I need to do a better job at judging the light outside and how it pertains to my subjects (where it is coming from, how it affects the face and background, etc.).

Backgrounds: Every time I take a photo, I feel like when trying to incorporate what I’ve learned so far, I inadvertently leave something new out. In the last assignment, I included some distracting backgrounds without realizing it. I need to train my eye to see everything in the shot.

Although it makes me a little self-conscious, I like the opportunities we’ve had in class to critique each other’s work. Just like with writing, I get protective about photos I’ve taken, perhaps even more so because I am far less certain of myself with a camera than I am with a pen and notebook.

Just like I’m learning to let go of that desperate protective feeling with writing, it’s becoming easier to let go of it with other types of journalism, too. I just have to remind myself that the collaboration is what helps me learn. I might be a person who likes to recharge alone, but I have to work with people. I need to talk things out and brainstorm and grapple with ideas. So no matter how uncomfortable it is, the class discussions and critiques have really helped.