Technology: wonderful when it works, aggravating when it doesn't--especially when your schoolwork and career plans require it.
Monday: I spent the afternoon shooting my stereotype project in the NSCAD lighting studio, using a cable release and a school camera (a Pentax SLR).
Tuesday: I printed stuff off for the scholarships that I'm applying for (two internal NSCAD scholarships and one external award) and handed it all into the Office of Student and Academic Services (OSAS). I can't remember the last time an hour disappeared so fast.
Once again, we watched a movie, discussed it--and then disappeared into the darkroom. I developed my negatives, but I don't think the film was wound properly when I loaded the camera because when I unwound the film from the reel, it was clear, meaning that it hadn't been exposed. I told Adrian what had happened, and we discussed what I'd done for the first shoot because I hadn't gone as far with the project as I could have. Just when I thought I was done reshooting projects...
Wednesday: We finished the Coptic binding book, and some of us started on the Japanese box, which I'll start next week.
After class, I reshot my Intro assignment, using my own Nikon SLR. Because the lighting studio was completely booked all day (if NSCAD had some extra cash floating around--which they don't right now--I'd suggest that they add a second lighting studio because the current one is almost always booked due to the fact that there are about three hundred students in the photo dept.--roughly a third of the entire NSCAD student population), I did the shoot in the student lounge, using a portable backdrop.
When I got home, I checked my school email: I am now the Students Living in Residence rep for SUNSCAD!
Thursday: Bob had a prior commitment that day, so last week he asked us whether we wanted to either come to class and watch a photography-related movie, or use the day to work on our projects. Us being third- or fourth-year students, we all chose to use the day to work on our projects. I spent the morning and afternoon shooting for the assignment, and the evening over at NSCAD, processing the roll I'd shot for Intro the day before.
Friday: Yet another working class. I spent much of it wrestling with one print. And then in the work-in-progress critique I found out that I had to reshoot the assignment again. Ugh. I can't remember the last time I struggled so much with a project, though I am learning from the experience and know that I'll be a better photographer because of it.
Saturday: Ever since I migrated my stuff from my old computer to my new one, the FireWire 800 cable that I use to connect my external hard drive--and used to do the migration--has been rather temperamental. But that day, it refused to work no matter what I did. When I tried using the USB 2.0 cable to connect the hard drive to my computer, a warning popped up saying that one of the USB ports was using too much power and both ports had been shut down until the device was removed. When that happened, there were no sounds from the hard drive (I could hear the disk spinning when I plugged it in with the FireWire). So either the FireWire cable has died, or my computer doesn't like FireWire--which is a common problem with OS X Lion, which I'm running.
So when I went to NSCAD that afternoon to buy film and sign out a light meter, I also went to Scotia Square and bought an 8GB flash drive. I then transferred all the stuff on my hard drive that I need to be able to access on my computer onto the flash drive.
I spent the evening finishing my project for Beyond the Frame.
Sunday: I did the reshoot in my room (which is a good way to make myself clean my desk), but other than that I was rather lazy. Though I did send an ecard to my friend Lynn, as today's her birthday.
Showing posts with label scholarship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scholarship. Show all posts
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
I'm finally starting to feel like a fourth-year
My teachers have already mentioned finals twice in the last week or two--I have to keep reminding myself that finals are still about a month away.
Monday: I finally made the time to visit the job centre at the university that I'm staying at. It was mildly helpful, but not as helpful as I'd hoped, which actually makes sense because I'm from a different school, studying different things, and they're geared toward students studying at their university.
I then headed over to NSCAD and edited the additional photos for my project for Beyond the Frame, put together the slide show (and wrestled with Lightroom in the process--just like old times), went to the candidates' forum for the SUNSCAD election, and finished the day off with a floor meeting at my res. The forum mostly consisted of introducing ourselves and having an open discussion about what we want to see happen at NSCAD. One of those things is more co-operation and community between the different media and students from different studios. NSCAD has two issues that complicate meeting people from other studios: unless you have class at one or other of the campuses, you can't get your access card to work on the door to that campus--you have to have a real reason to be there. Some of the studios have a similar situation: unless you're a student in that studio, you can't enter. I understand why it's set up that way (safety and, in the case of the studios, protecting the equipment), but it makes meeting people from other media more difficult. One of the solutions that we came up with is to have a voluntary directory listing students and their skills so that we can collaborate and pool our knowledge.
Tuesday: Yet another rundown of photography history. We also talked about our ideas for our next project, which is our first concept-y project (NSCAD's big on conceptual art). Two of us, including me, hadn't come up with ideas for ours, so we had to come up with ideas by the end of class. I came up with several and settled on one. The project is self-portraits depicting stereotypes. Mine will be about homeschooling, which has a lot of stereotypes (homeschoolers are either right-wing Christians or hippies, they're either really smart or really dumb/mentally-challenged, they don't know what the latest fashions are, they are unsocialized, etc.), some of which I've been exposed to.
Wednesday: We finally started putting together the Coptic binding book! The stitching is a bit complicated, but easy once you get the hang of it.
I spent the rest of the day working on my scholarship essays (I'm applying for three scholarships, two of which require essays, and which are due this week--for the other, I just have to put together some photos and submit them online by mid-December) and getting prices of course supplies (one of the scholarships requires that info).
Thursday: Up and at 'em! Bob met me and a couple of my classmates in the photo dept. that morning because, as transfer students, we didn't have access to the university's photo printers, which photo students learn how to use in the second year--and all three of us are third- or fourth-year students. Much of what he told us wasn't new to me, but it was good to get a refresher--and either way, as a fourth-year I need that access.
At noon, I met with the financial aid and student counselling director, Bernadette Kehoe, as I desperately need a job if I'm to afford photo paper and film (which is where most of my money is going)--and not starve.
During class, I presented the second version of my most recent project (the slide-show). The critique was much better. Bob also talked about the next project, which is solidly a concept project: "choose an object that retains some unique value to you--an object that you might not want to part with. It can be anything. Ideally, this object has an implied intimacy in your life, even if it is a found object that you choose only for this project.
"This object will form the basis and starting point for the next project. The object does not have to be the exclusive subject of the work you produce. You may take an idea, memory, feeling, formal characteristic, metaphor, etc. and develop that into your next project. In other words, I am not asking you to photograph your object. You could, but there may be other options to explore as well. [...]"
Friday: That day was FVA Panel Assessment Day at NBCCD. I usually write a letter to the FVAs around that time, but this year I totally forgot. Oh, the joys of not being immersed in the culture of your alma mater anymore.
We learned how to use the Dynalite studio flashes--something that NBCCD students don't learn until the second semester in the first year of Photo. I don't see either way as good or bad--just different. The lights are a bit different from the Speedotrons, AlienBees, etc. Up until this year, the AlienBees were the smallest flashes that I've ever used. The Dynalites are tiny in comparison, especially to the WhiteLightnings.
Afterward, Adrian met with us individually. My meeting wasn't until 4:30, so because I had about an hour, I worked on designing a poster that I'm going to put up at NSCAD and my residence because if I'm elected--I'll probably get in, as there's no one running against me--I want to get to know my constituents, and as a new NSCADian, I want to make sure they know who their rep is. I was so engrossed in designing the poster that I was surprised when I looked at the clock on the computer and discovered that my meeting was in one minute. So I quickly saved my project, closed Photoshop, ejected my hard drive, grabbed my stuff and headed down to Adrian's office. My meeting went very well: he asked me about adjusting to NSCAD and Halifax (both he and Bob know that I'm a transfer from NBCCD), my own assessment of what I've produced for his class (we also looked at said work), his assessment of my work, and we talked about my ideas for the self-portrait project, which I'd written down. He called it an "informal meeting," but I'm still speaking NBCCD-ese to an extent, and an assessment by any other name is still an assessment right now.
Saturday: Hello, productivity! I read the handout that I was supposed to read last week for Bob's class, went to NSCAD and picked up my camera and tripod from my locker, booked time in the lighting studio for Monday, bought film and started shooting for the assignment for Bob's class (I'm photographing details of my old computer, it's power cord and the USB keyboard that I bought). That evening, I got an email saying that the campaign posters had to be taken down by 11:00 PM on Sunday. So because I planned to not go anywhere on that day, back I went to NSCAD. The election takes place Monday through Wednesday, and the results will be announced on Thursday at the latest.
Sunday: Because much of the part of my loan that was issued to me went toward paying for my university residence, I desperately need a job this year. So I did a résumé blitz, emailing my résumé and cover letter to as many places as possible, mostly arts-related places from a list that Bernadette gave me, though I also applied to a photo store that I'd come across. I proofread my scholarship essays and chopped a bunch of words from one of them. That evening, I called Mom because I hadn't talked with either her or Tom in about two weeks. Among other things, we discussed life after Acadian Lines goes kaput at the end of this month, and why Acadian is going. My theory, based on news articles: corporate suicide, caused by cutting service to places that weren't making them money and caring more about money than the people who would be stranded without bus service in the Maritimes (Maritime Bus is picking up the slack, and will probably offer better service than Acadian did). These problems were exacerbated by the labour issues that led to this year's strike.
Just because this is awesome:
Monday: I finally made the time to visit the job centre at the university that I'm staying at. It was mildly helpful, but not as helpful as I'd hoped, which actually makes sense because I'm from a different school, studying different things, and they're geared toward students studying at their university.
I then headed over to NSCAD and edited the additional photos for my project for Beyond the Frame, put together the slide show (and wrestled with Lightroom in the process--just like old times), went to the candidates' forum for the SUNSCAD election, and finished the day off with a floor meeting at my res. The forum mostly consisted of introducing ourselves and having an open discussion about what we want to see happen at NSCAD. One of those things is more co-operation and community between the different media and students from different studios. NSCAD has two issues that complicate meeting people from other studios: unless you have class at one or other of the campuses, you can't get your access card to work on the door to that campus--you have to have a real reason to be there. Some of the studios have a similar situation: unless you're a student in that studio, you can't enter. I understand why it's set up that way (safety and, in the case of the studios, protecting the equipment), but it makes meeting people from other media more difficult. One of the solutions that we came up with is to have a voluntary directory listing students and their skills so that we can collaborate and pool our knowledge.
Tuesday: Yet another rundown of photography history. We also talked about our ideas for our next project, which is our first concept-y project (NSCAD's big on conceptual art). Two of us, including me, hadn't come up with ideas for ours, so we had to come up with ideas by the end of class. I came up with several and settled on one. The project is self-portraits depicting stereotypes. Mine will be about homeschooling, which has a lot of stereotypes (homeschoolers are either right-wing Christians or hippies, they're either really smart or really dumb/mentally-challenged, they don't know what the latest fashions are, they are unsocialized, etc.), some of which I've been exposed to.
Wednesday: We finally started putting together the Coptic binding book! The stitching is a bit complicated, but easy once you get the hang of it.
I spent the rest of the day working on my scholarship essays (I'm applying for three scholarships, two of which require essays, and which are due this week--for the other, I just have to put together some photos and submit them online by mid-December) and getting prices of course supplies (one of the scholarships requires that info).
Thursday: Up and at 'em! Bob met me and a couple of my classmates in the photo dept. that morning because, as transfer students, we didn't have access to the university's photo printers, which photo students learn how to use in the second year--and all three of us are third- or fourth-year students. Much of what he told us wasn't new to me, but it was good to get a refresher--and either way, as a fourth-year I need that access.
At noon, I met with the financial aid and student counselling director, Bernadette Kehoe, as I desperately need a job if I'm to afford photo paper and film (which is where most of my money is going)--and not starve.
During class, I presented the second version of my most recent project (the slide-show). The critique was much better. Bob also talked about the next project, which is solidly a concept project: "choose an object that retains some unique value to you--an object that you might not want to part with. It can be anything. Ideally, this object has an implied intimacy in your life, even if it is a found object that you choose only for this project.
"This object will form the basis and starting point for the next project. The object does not have to be the exclusive subject of the work you produce. You may take an idea, memory, feeling, formal characteristic, metaphor, etc. and develop that into your next project. In other words, I am not asking you to photograph your object. You could, but there may be other options to explore as well. [...]"
Friday: That day was FVA Panel Assessment Day at NBCCD. I usually write a letter to the FVAs around that time, but this year I totally forgot. Oh, the joys of not being immersed in the culture of your alma mater anymore.
We learned how to use the Dynalite studio flashes--something that NBCCD students don't learn until the second semester in the first year of Photo. I don't see either way as good or bad--just different. The lights are a bit different from the Speedotrons, AlienBees, etc. Up until this year, the AlienBees were the smallest flashes that I've ever used. The Dynalites are tiny in comparison, especially to the WhiteLightnings.
Afterward, Adrian met with us individually. My meeting wasn't until 4:30, so because I had about an hour, I worked on designing a poster that I'm going to put up at NSCAD and my residence because if I'm elected--I'll probably get in, as there's no one running against me--I want to get to know my constituents, and as a new NSCADian, I want to make sure they know who their rep is. I was so engrossed in designing the poster that I was surprised when I looked at the clock on the computer and discovered that my meeting was in one minute. So I quickly saved my project, closed Photoshop, ejected my hard drive, grabbed my stuff and headed down to Adrian's office. My meeting went very well: he asked me about adjusting to NSCAD and Halifax (both he and Bob know that I'm a transfer from NBCCD), my own assessment of what I've produced for his class (we also looked at said work), his assessment of my work, and we talked about my ideas for the self-portrait project, which I'd written down. He called it an "informal meeting," but I'm still speaking NBCCD-ese to an extent, and an assessment by any other name is still an assessment right now.
Saturday: Hello, productivity! I read the handout that I was supposed to read last week for Bob's class, went to NSCAD and picked up my camera and tripod from my locker, booked time in the lighting studio for Monday, bought film and started shooting for the assignment for Bob's class (I'm photographing details of my old computer, it's power cord and the USB keyboard that I bought). That evening, I got an email saying that the campaign posters had to be taken down by 11:00 PM on Sunday. So because I planned to not go anywhere on that day, back I went to NSCAD. The election takes place Monday through Wednesday, and the results will be announced on Thursday at the latest.
Sunday: Because much of the part of my loan that was issued to me went toward paying for my university residence, I desperately need a job this year. So I did a résumé blitz, emailing my résumé and cover letter to as many places as possible, mostly arts-related places from a list that Bernadette gave me, though I also applied to a photo store that I'd come across. I proofread my scholarship essays and chopped a bunch of words from one of them. That evening, I called Mom because I hadn't talked with either her or Tom in about two weeks. Among other things, we discussed life after Acadian Lines goes kaput at the end of this month, and why Acadian is going. My theory, based on news articles: corporate suicide, caused by cutting service to places that weren't making them money and caring more about money than the people who would be stranded without bus service in the Maritimes (Maritime Bus is picking up the slack, and will probably offer better service than Acadian did). These problems were exacerbated by the labour issues that led to this year's strike.
Just because this is awesome:
Sunday, October 14, 2012
art festivals = best thing ever
Just when I think I can't fall any more deeply in love with Halifax, I do. Also: the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival has some serious competition in terms of awesomeness.
Monday: Tom helped me upgrade to Photoshop CS6, which was complicated by the fact that I hadn't done a proper uninstall when I lost access to the beta version of CS6 (oops). Photoshop = tons of files that are hidden all over your computer. I eventually found the uninstall application for CS6, uninstalled the beta version, and everything went smoothly after that.
Tuesday: We did a critique and then disappeared into the darkroom. I'm proud to say that I'm becoming more comfortable with the NSCAD enlargers with every day that I spend in the darkroom.
Wednesday: We started on another book, a hardcover one this time. We put together the cover in class, and we'll finish our books this coming Wednesday.
I spent the rest of the day printing for Intro Photo and listening to CBC Radio 2 (102.7 FM in Halifax).
I planned to go to that evening's dance club meeting--a belly dance class--but because I'd been coughing a fair amount for a day or two and my lungs were rather dry, I didn't think it'd be a good idea to do the class.
Thursday: I'm interested in teaching a ballet class for the NSCAD dance club, so I Facebook messaged the dance club's founder, Hannah, that morning. Because my first teacher, who taught me for six years, taught according to the Royal Academy of Dance's (RAD) method, and I only have a year of another method (Cecchetti, which is more difficult than RAD), I'll teach according to the RAD method.
That afternoon was a crit for our projects for Bob's class. The theme was documentary and documents, and I did my project on my experience of NSCAD thus far. My critique went well, though Bob wanted me to add to the project and play around with the slide show settings in Lightroom.
After class, I put up election posters.
Friday: Before class, I had a look through one of the binders of scholarships in the OSAS office. I found one that I can apply for and have enough time to do it (the deadline's in December). I'm also applying for NSCAD's two general scholarships, and the deadline for those is in eleven days. However, I don't have to do a portfolio for the NSCAD scholarships: I just have to fill out the form, photocopy a page from my student loan and write a statement about my eligibility for the scholarships. After doing the artsnb scholarship twice, the lack of a portfolio--and therefore stress--feels weird.
We spent most of class critiquing each others' work. Mine went very well, though I had to reprint one of my photos.
Saturday: I spent a large chunk of the day working on my essay for the NSCAD scholarships.
That evening was Nocturne, which was about as much fun as Harvest Jazz and Blues--but compressed into six hours (6:00 PM - 12:00 AM). I started at the Granville Campus, and worked my way down to the Port Campus, where Bob had an installation piece called Sea Wall. Much of what I went to was very avent-guarde, which I loved.
I then worked my way down Barrington, stopping to watch dancers perform in the windows of Serpentine Studios, three circus shows (one was a street-style show with fire-eaters, the other two were more polished shows by Halifax Circus: one featured juggling, balance acts and contortionists, the other was a silks routine), a show that was a combination of music (which was sometimes melodic and sometimes a cacophony), modern dance, writing, spoken word--that was more about the sound than the words themselves--and drawing, and see ViewPoint Gallery's Indivisible show, which is based on prime numbers. I then headed down to the Port Campus and Sea Wall. I walked around the piece--and then discovered that you could walk through it! So I did, and I walked through it no fewer than three times. Bob was there, chatting with festival-goers, and I stopped to say "hi."
By that point, it was almost midnight, so I went home.
Sunday: I spent the afternoon in the senior darkroom (NSCAD has two darkrooms, BTW), reprinting that photo for Intro Photo.
I also took some more photos for my Beyond the Frame project. I plan to put the slide show together tomorrow.
Monday: Tom helped me upgrade to Photoshop CS6, which was complicated by the fact that I hadn't done a proper uninstall when I lost access to the beta version of CS6 (oops). Photoshop = tons of files that are hidden all over your computer. I eventually found the uninstall application for CS6, uninstalled the beta version, and everything went smoothly after that.
Tuesday: We did a critique and then disappeared into the darkroom. I'm proud to say that I'm becoming more comfortable with the NSCAD enlargers with every day that I spend in the darkroom.
Wednesday: We started on another book, a hardcover one this time. We put together the cover in class, and we'll finish our books this coming Wednesday.
I spent the rest of the day printing for Intro Photo and listening to CBC Radio 2 (102.7 FM in Halifax).
I planned to go to that evening's dance club meeting--a belly dance class--but because I'd been coughing a fair amount for a day or two and my lungs were rather dry, I didn't think it'd be a good idea to do the class.
Thursday: I'm interested in teaching a ballet class for the NSCAD dance club, so I Facebook messaged the dance club's founder, Hannah, that morning. Because my first teacher, who taught me for six years, taught according to the Royal Academy of Dance's (RAD) method, and I only have a year of another method (Cecchetti, which is more difficult than RAD), I'll teach according to the RAD method.
That afternoon was a crit for our projects for Bob's class. The theme was documentary and documents, and I did my project on my experience of NSCAD thus far. My critique went well, though Bob wanted me to add to the project and play around with the slide show settings in Lightroom.
After class, I put up election posters.
Friday: Before class, I had a look through one of the binders of scholarships in the OSAS office. I found one that I can apply for and have enough time to do it (the deadline's in December). I'm also applying for NSCAD's two general scholarships, and the deadline for those is in eleven days. However, I don't have to do a portfolio for the NSCAD scholarships: I just have to fill out the form, photocopy a page from my student loan and write a statement about my eligibility for the scholarships. After doing the artsnb scholarship twice, the lack of a portfolio--and therefore stress--feels weird.
We spent most of class critiquing each others' work. Mine went very well, though I had to reprint one of my photos.
Saturday: I spent a large chunk of the day working on my essay for the NSCAD scholarships.
That evening was Nocturne, which was about as much fun as Harvest Jazz and Blues--but compressed into six hours (6:00 PM - 12:00 AM). I started at the Granville Campus, and worked my way down to the Port Campus, where Bob had an installation piece called Sea Wall. Much of what I went to was very avent-guarde, which I loved.
 |
| Chaos and Co., which performed at the Granville Mall. They also had a guy playing a drum kit, and two other drummers playing djembes. |
 |
| Antic Art/Instar Variation. These performers danced all through downtown. |
 |
| Dance at Night at Serpentine Studios |
 |
| Sea Wall |
 |
| Sea Wall with the Port Campus. |
Sunday: I spent the afternoon in the senior darkroom (NSCAD has two darkrooms, BTW), reprinting that photo for Intro Photo.
I also took some more photos for my Beyond the Frame project. I plan to put the slide show together tomorrow.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
yay for productiveness!
Who knew it would be so difficult to get a copy of the poster version of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms? None of the government websites mention where it's available, and I had to do some serious hunting around before I found out where to contact. This is our constitution--hard copies should be easier to find.
Monday: That day, we didn't really have a class: just meet with Linda to talk about our current project. I used most of that time to finish off that week's blog post, as I'd finished the rough draft for my assignment and didn't want to go any further without talking with Linda first.
As I'd expected, she suggested that I use fewer colours (I went a little nuts and used six or so different colours in the first draft). She also suggested moving a couple of the elements around--and making sure everything was straight.
Tuesday: As of about noon, the important "if I lose these files, I'm screwed" parts of my external hard drive were officially backed up onto my school account. It took three hours--all of my Photoshop class--but it was worth it. Those parts are 1. my Olympus RAW Files, 2. the photos I took with Tom's Nikon (the original NEFs, plus multiple sets of DNGs in various stages of editing), and 3. my school assignments. So now I just need to remember to update every week or so. However, I won't do a Big One again: next time, I'll just transfer individual folders (assignments, etc.).
This week, Photoshop class was all about adding effects to video in that program. Photoshop isn't the most powerful video-editing software in the world, but when it comes to adding effects, it works really well.
That day, we didn't have Still to Motion: the first-year Photogs had a field-trip to Saint John, which meant a visit to Rod's studio. Rod usually has a full day of classes on Tuesdays, so because he didn't have his usual morning class with the first-years, he cancelled the afternoon class. Some of the other Photogs griped about that move, but although I was disappointed that I didn't have class, I could see his point.
But no matter how disappointed I am when class is cancelled, my second thought is always, "more time to do homework!" And that's exactly what I did that afternoon, after running around, trying to find out where I could get a copy of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I tried Service Canada first, and then they referred me to Justice Canada. They didn't have any copies, but the librarian at the law library took down my contact info and said she would look into where I could get a copy. About an hour later, she emailed. The result: the Heritage Canada Foundation is the place to contact.
Wednesday: Happy eightieth birthday, John Williams! (Music to follow in a bit.)
That day, we had a guest come to our Gallery as a Market Place class: Sarah Petite, who has worked with CARFAC Maritimes almost since the beginning, and is about to retire. She talked about CARFAC, and the couple of organizations that are part of it, like the Copyright Collective. Among other things (like making sure galleries pay the artists who show there), CARFAC is a lobby group, and is currently fighting to have various parts of the Copyright Bill (Bill C-11) changed, to benefit artists (ever heard of "fair dealing", Harper?).
In the afternoon class, we talked about where we were in our current research projects. Drew also showed us some of his research techniques, including sites where he gets materials, ebooks, etc. He and I also talked about the Photoshop plug-ins that I was having problems with, and checked them in my computer. They were working without any problems, so I have no idea what was going on when I downloaded them and they didn't work. Hmm...
Thursday: I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm pretty much finished my current independent study project for Peter's class. That means I'm finished early by a couple of weeks. In our meeting, we talked about some of the improvements I could make, and he suggested that because I haven't really had anything to present to the class, due to the nature of my project, that I do the first ten minutes of the course that I've designed as a presentation/demo.
After my meeting with Peter, I met with Karen to go over the essay part of a scholarship that I'm applying for (the RBC scholarship). Tom and I wrote the answers together over Christmas break, and while Tom's a good writer (I know where I got my writing skills), it sounded more like him and the way he speaks, than it did me and the way I speak. I tried to make it sound more "me" a little while ago, but I failed, so I asked Karen for help as she's also a good writer.
I was wondering about how to make effects appear and disappear in the video I was editing for my Photoshop homework, so I asked Drew. This week, the Photo Studio has been crawling with FVAs, as they've been doing photograms (ah, fond memories). Drew was in charge of the whole thing, so he wasn't able to help me until around four that afternoon. Because he didn't know whether or not what I wanted to do was possible, it was a learning experience for both of us. But in the end, we got that effect to work.
That evening, I skyped with Helen. This time we talked about art, and I showed her the rough draft of my drawing homework.
Friday: For the last couple weeks, I've been noticing the change in the quality of sunlight that can only mean one thing: SPRING ISN'T FAR AWAY! I always get really excited when that happens--when the light becomes softer and colours start to look richer. My walk to school that afternoon was nothing short of wonderful, and I didn't put my gloves on once.
It was so nice out that I wanted to do my homework outside. But when I tried, the wind picked up and forced me back into the college. That day, I focused on doing the final draft for Imagery. As I was doing transfers, and the ink in the transfer pens stinks like you wouldn't believe (it's worse than Sharpies), I needed all the ventilation I could get. For the rough draft, I transferred the images onto paper from a sketchbook that I then glued onto cold-press watercolour paper using gel medium. But when I did the final version, I did the transfers directly onto stonehenge and then painted over it, using watercolours in a very nice shade of red.
Saturday: I managed to be out the door and on my way to the college before noon. The reason? The Met's broadcast this week was Götterdämmerung, which is the last opera in Der Ring des Nibelungen. That opera is probably the longest one I've ever heard, as it is a whopping six hours long, including two intermissions (so the actual run-time for Götterdämmerung is five hours). As a result, the broadcast started at one AST--an hour earlier than usual. Although I'm not the biggest Wagner fan (though I appreciate his music and respect him as a composer), the opera was worth it. And the ending was spectacular. I found out afterward that there were ninety-eight musicians in the pit. Wow (according to the BSO's roster page, the symphony maxes out at ninety). That number included ten French horns(!), and a larger-than-usual violin section (no numbers were provided).
Because I was at school about an hour-and-a-half earlier than usual, that meant that I was doing homework an hour-and-a-half earlier than usual. That meant that I was extremely productive, to the point that I hardly had anything to do today, homework-wise. My homework level was already fairly light to begin with.
Sunday: I spent today putzing around, watching a documentary, doing the last of my homework, thinking about going over to the college--and then deciding not to. I skyped with Mom and Tom, but none of us had anything to say.
And now for the music.
And the grand finale, conducted by the Bangor Symphony's conductor, Maestro Lucas Richman:
Because it's so awesome, I decided to toss in the finale from Götterdämmerung. The good stuff starts at the eight-minute mark. This is the Met's old production, which was designed by Otto Schenk. Go horns!
Monday: That day, we didn't really have a class: just meet with Linda to talk about our current project. I used most of that time to finish off that week's blog post, as I'd finished the rough draft for my assignment and didn't want to go any further without talking with Linda first.
As I'd expected, she suggested that I use fewer colours (I went a little nuts and used six or so different colours in the first draft). She also suggested moving a couple of the elements around--and making sure everything was straight.
Tuesday: As of about noon, the important "if I lose these files, I'm screwed" parts of my external hard drive were officially backed up onto my school account. It took three hours--all of my Photoshop class--but it was worth it. Those parts are 1. my Olympus RAW Files, 2. the photos I took with Tom's Nikon (the original NEFs, plus multiple sets of DNGs in various stages of editing), and 3. my school assignments. So now I just need to remember to update every week or so. However, I won't do a Big One again: next time, I'll just transfer individual folders (assignments, etc.).
This week, Photoshop class was all about adding effects to video in that program. Photoshop isn't the most powerful video-editing software in the world, but when it comes to adding effects, it works really well.
That day, we didn't have Still to Motion: the first-year Photogs had a field-trip to Saint John, which meant a visit to Rod's studio. Rod usually has a full day of classes on Tuesdays, so because he didn't have his usual morning class with the first-years, he cancelled the afternoon class. Some of the other Photogs griped about that move, but although I was disappointed that I didn't have class, I could see his point.
But no matter how disappointed I am when class is cancelled, my second thought is always, "more time to do homework!" And that's exactly what I did that afternoon, after running around, trying to find out where I could get a copy of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I tried Service Canada first, and then they referred me to Justice Canada. They didn't have any copies, but the librarian at the law library took down my contact info and said she would look into where I could get a copy. About an hour later, she emailed. The result: the Heritage Canada Foundation is the place to contact.
Wednesday: Happy eightieth birthday, John Williams! (Music to follow in a bit.)
That day, we had a guest come to our Gallery as a Market Place class: Sarah Petite, who has worked with CARFAC Maritimes almost since the beginning, and is about to retire. She talked about CARFAC, and the couple of organizations that are part of it, like the Copyright Collective. Among other things (like making sure galleries pay the artists who show there), CARFAC is a lobby group, and is currently fighting to have various parts of the Copyright Bill (Bill C-11) changed, to benefit artists (ever heard of "fair dealing", Harper?).
In the afternoon class, we talked about where we were in our current research projects. Drew also showed us some of his research techniques, including sites where he gets materials, ebooks, etc. He and I also talked about the Photoshop plug-ins that I was having problems with, and checked them in my computer. They were working without any problems, so I have no idea what was going on when I downloaded them and they didn't work. Hmm...
Thursday: I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm pretty much finished my current independent study project for Peter's class. That means I'm finished early by a couple of weeks. In our meeting, we talked about some of the improvements I could make, and he suggested that because I haven't really had anything to present to the class, due to the nature of my project, that I do the first ten minutes of the course that I've designed as a presentation/demo.
After my meeting with Peter, I met with Karen to go over the essay part of a scholarship that I'm applying for (the RBC scholarship). Tom and I wrote the answers together over Christmas break, and while Tom's a good writer (I know where I got my writing skills), it sounded more like him and the way he speaks, than it did me and the way I speak. I tried to make it sound more "me" a little while ago, but I failed, so I asked Karen for help as she's also a good writer.
I was wondering about how to make effects appear and disappear in the video I was editing for my Photoshop homework, so I asked Drew. This week, the Photo Studio has been crawling with FVAs, as they've been doing photograms (ah, fond memories). Drew was in charge of the whole thing, so he wasn't able to help me until around four that afternoon. Because he didn't know whether or not what I wanted to do was possible, it was a learning experience for both of us. But in the end, we got that effect to work.
That evening, I skyped with Helen. This time we talked about art, and I showed her the rough draft of my drawing homework.
Friday: For the last couple weeks, I've been noticing the change in the quality of sunlight that can only mean one thing: SPRING ISN'T FAR AWAY! I always get really excited when that happens--when the light becomes softer and colours start to look richer. My walk to school that afternoon was nothing short of wonderful, and I didn't put my gloves on once.
It was so nice out that I wanted to do my homework outside. But when I tried, the wind picked up and forced me back into the college. That day, I focused on doing the final draft for Imagery. As I was doing transfers, and the ink in the transfer pens stinks like you wouldn't believe (it's worse than Sharpies), I needed all the ventilation I could get. For the rough draft, I transferred the images onto paper from a sketchbook that I then glued onto cold-press watercolour paper using gel medium. But when I did the final version, I did the transfers directly onto stonehenge and then painted over it, using watercolours in a very nice shade of red.
Saturday: I managed to be out the door and on my way to the college before noon. The reason? The Met's broadcast this week was Götterdämmerung, which is the last opera in Der Ring des Nibelungen. That opera is probably the longest one I've ever heard, as it is a whopping six hours long, including two intermissions (so the actual run-time for Götterdämmerung is five hours). As a result, the broadcast started at one AST--an hour earlier than usual. Although I'm not the biggest Wagner fan (though I appreciate his music and respect him as a composer), the opera was worth it. And the ending was spectacular. I found out afterward that there were ninety-eight musicians in the pit. Wow (according to the BSO's roster page, the symphony maxes out at ninety). That number included ten French horns(!), and a larger-than-usual violin section (no numbers were provided).
Because I was at school about an hour-and-a-half earlier than usual, that meant that I was doing homework an hour-and-a-half earlier than usual. That meant that I was extremely productive, to the point that I hardly had anything to do today, homework-wise. My homework level was already fairly light to begin with.
Sunday: I spent today putzing around, watching a documentary, doing the last of my homework, thinking about going over to the college--and then deciding not to. I skyped with Mom and Tom, but none of us had anything to say.
And now for the music.
And the grand finale, conducted by the Bangor Symphony's conductor, Maestro Lucas Richman:
Because it's so awesome, I decided to toss in the finale from Götterdämmerung. The good stuff starts at the eight-minute mark. This is the Met's old production, which was designed by Otto Schenk. Go horns!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
time to play catch-up
This is the first time that I've fallen behind with my blog this year (breaks don't count). Let's see...
First and foremost, the photography studio has decided on the theme and title of it's Spring show, which will be held at Fredericton's City Hall. The name escapes me, though. We're also going to have a show in Saint John next Fall called "Shallow," and we can interpret the word however we like, e.g., shallow depth of field. All this was decided by Karen this past Thursday, which made for a very exciting morning, as she was coming up with ideas left, right, and centre.
I've been working on my application for the ArtsNB scholarship (the submission deadline is Tuesday). If I win, the scholarship would cover all but a hundred bucks of my tuition for next year. Unlike the other scholarships that I've applied for, this one is juried, which means that I have to submit samples of my work and get two people to write recommendations. I've been working on it almost nonstop for the last week--I even chose to stay in F'ton this weekend instead of going home, which was the original plan. I will be so glad when the whole thing's over with (dance party, anyone? How about the Hunter's Chorus as performed by the MOO's horn section?). However, I've had a lot of help and encouragement from my teachers, especially Peter (who's one of my references), which is wonderful because at times I've been unbelievably stressed--to the point where this past week could challenge my stress levels in FVA. Yikes.
Speaking of Peter, in Re-Presenting Ideas (my Wednesday morning class) we're having a competition: a week and a half ago the class was split into several groups, given a list of words, and told to brainstorm three and shoot two. My group shot mystery and discovery with one of the Surface Design students at the Old Government House. During the shoot we bracketed each photo (mine were -1, 0, +1) and then opened them in PhotoMatix Pro, which is an application that makes HDR images (Photoshop does HDR, too, but apparently it sucks). This past week we submitted our first set of photos. ...and after we looked at all the photos from all the groups during class, my group has the best chances of winning. Yippeee!!! We did a second shoot this past week, again at Old Government House. We've offered to give the staff a copy of the final photos.
Oh, yeah: the prize. It's a really good point-'n'-shoot film camera (35mm) (and again the name escapes me--grrrrr). Yes, you read that right: a FILM camera. And yes, that was me swooning. It's up to the winning group to decide what to do with the camera (who gets it/how we're going to share it, etc.).
On Friday I found out that I've officially been switched to the morning Design: Shaping Space class. Previously I was in the afternoon class, but that class was huge, so some students moved to different classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, some of us (including me) wanted a Friday morning class. And although I knew that I would eventually be switched, I didn't hear about it until I sat down in the Design Studio that afternoon. Greg was cool about it, though.
I spent this weekend studying up a storm because due to all the time that I spent working on the scholarship application, I hadn't done as much homework as I usually do. So I was stressed out about that, too. Though I think listening to Tosca helped--there's nothing quite like a weekly routine to remind me to take a deep breath and relax--and get 'er done. Thank you/grazie, Metropolitan Opera!!!! And BRAVISSIMO (this particular performance was incredibly beautiful)!
Earlier this evening I had a look at my planner--and found out that I'm ahead in my assignments. All I have to do for the stuff due Monday through Wednesday is (get ready for this) submit it!!! (Though the stuff for Lighting: Professional Lighting Studio--due Tuesday morning--has to be made into a web gallery in Adobe Lightroom and then submitted. But these days I could do that in my sleep.) Hello, FREEDOM!!!!!
Personally, I think this calls for a little celebration. Here are two versions of one of my favourite pieces: Franz von Suppé's Light Cavalry Overture. Enjoy. And I dare you to not dance during the speccatto parts.
First, the not-so-traditional version (Adya Classic):
And now, the traditional way:
First and foremost, the photography studio has decided on the theme and title of it's Spring show, which will be held at Fredericton's City Hall. The name escapes me, though. We're also going to have a show in Saint John next Fall called "Shallow," and we can interpret the word however we like, e.g., shallow depth of field. All this was decided by Karen this past Thursday, which made for a very exciting morning, as she was coming up with ideas left, right, and centre.
I've been working on my application for the ArtsNB scholarship (the submission deadline is Tuesday). If I win, the scholarship would cover all but a hundred bucks of my tuition for next year. Unlike the other scholarships that I've applied for, this one is juried, which means that I have to submit samples of my work and get two people to write recommendations. I've been working on it almost nonstop for the last week--I even chose to stay in F'ton this weekend instead of going home, which was the original plan. I will be so glad when the whole thing's over with (dance party, anyone? How about the Hunter's Chorus as performed by the MOO's horn section?). However, I've had a lot of help and encouragement from my teachers, especially Peter (who's one of my references), which is wonderful because at times I've been unbelievably stressed--to the point where this past week could challenge my stress levels in FVA. Yikes.
Speaking of Peter, in Re-Presenting Ideas (my Wednesday morning class) we're having a competition: a week and a half ago the class was split into several groups, given a list of words, and told to brainstorm three and shoot two. My group shot mystery and discovery with one of the Surface Design students at the Old Government House. During the shoot we bracketed each photo (mine were -1, 0, +1) and then opened them in PhotoMatix Pro, which is an application that makes HDR images (Photoshop does HDR, too, but apparently it sucks). This past week we submitted our first set of photos. ...and after we looked at all the photos from all the groups during class, my group has the best chances of winning. Yippeee!!! We did a second shoot this past week, again at Old Government House. We've offered to give the staff a copy of the final photos.
Oh, yeah: the prize. It's a really good point-'n'-shoot film camera (35mm) (and again the name escapes me--grrrrr). Yes, you read that right: a FILM camera. And yes, that was me swooning. It's up to the winning group to decide what to do with the camera (who gets it/how we're going to share it, etc.).
On Friday I found out that I've officially been switched to the morning Design: Shaping Space class. Previously I was in the afternoon class, but that class was huge, so some students moved to different classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, some of us (including me) wanted a Friday morning class. And although I knew that I would eventually be switched, I didn't hear about it until I sat down in the Design Studio that afternoon. Greg was cool about it, though.
I spent this weekend studying up a storm because due to all the time that I spent working on the scholarship application, I hadn't done as much homework as I usually do. So I was stressed out about that, too. Though I think listening to Tosca helped--there's nothing quite like a weekly routine to remind me to take a deep breath and relax--and get 'er done. Thank you/grazie, Metropolitan Opera!!!! And BRAVISSIMO (this particular performance was incredibly beautiful)!
Earlier this evening I had a look at my planner--and found out that I'm ahead in my assignments. All I have to do for the stuff due Monday through Wednesday is (get ready for this) submit it!!! (Though the stuff for Lighting: Professional Lighting Studio--due Tuesday morning--has to be made into a web gallery in Adobe Lightroom and then submitted. But these days I could do that in my sleep.) Hello, FREEDOM!!!!!
Personally, I think this calls for a little celebration. Here are two versions of one of my favourite pieces: Franz von Suppé's Light Cavalry Overture. Enjoy. And I dare you to not dance during the speccatto parts.
First, the not-so-traditional version (Adya Classic):
And now, the traditional way:
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