Feature News: Beyond the Bounds

Las Tías (The Aunts)

The Identity: Dixie.

Shoot to Illustrate - Job Dilemma: Over Qualified, Under Expirienced

UPDATE: When I inquired on how my "memes" looked I was advised that the words were suppose to be part of the image. So that is when I decided to add an image with cardboard and a help wanted sign. Hopefully this completes the illustration of a Graduate being Over Qualified, Under Experienced.

Update: I received some advise to add words and this is what I came up with. I also edited the focus on the saturation a little bit to bring more focus on the face and dim the bright reflections surrounding parker. I showed it to my sister and her response was that it made her want to cry. (She is graduating in a month). Let me know your thoughts of this updated image.

This is what we have to look forward to as a new college graduate. The Accenture 2014 College Graduate Employment Survey Statistics will have you believing that previous statement. 

Here are two of their findings:

• 46% of recent college graduates consider themselves underemployed or in a job that does not require their college degree.

• 41% of recent college graduates are earning $25,000 or less.

My own experience validates those statistics. I am currently on the job hunt, as I prepare to move to Phoenix for Grad School. In the last 30 days, I have applied for more jobs than I care to count (50+). Of the few that have returned contact, the common response has been, "while your skills are great, we have decided to pursue other candidates that better meet our experience requirements." Yes, it is true, I do not have 10+ years Social Media Marketing experience, and that is mainly because that field was not relevant 5 years ago.

With that in mind I decided to do an illustration of the job dilemma with which new graduates face. I call it:

Over Qualified, Under Experienced.

In composing this shot I considered a number of ways to illustrate the dilemma. Original thoughts consisted of a graduate job hunter, walking out of a business with a "now hiring" sign in the window. The graduate would be looking down, disappointed, and rejected. I thought about taking it at McDonalds. Later, the image of a graduate, dressed in his graduation robes, in front of a building, begging for money came to mind. We went through a couple of positions and this one spoke to the issue the best. 

Black and white. I chose to use black and white because the color was distracting. While the contrast was good, it still distracted from the pain, suffering, and real intent of the image. The black and white allows us to experience empathy more so than when viewing the color image.

Lighting: In finding the right lighting, I choose the north side of the burns arena. There was nice fall off light and big bay windows. I used a reflector disc to direct light directly on to Parker. Later in the digital dark room I adjusted the blur and lighting a little bit to better direct our eyes onto Parkers face.

The depth of field was determined by my 55-220mm lens. I had to stand back a ways. It also worked well to avoid any unnecessary refection in the windows. It also offered a compressed wide shot. I took this shot to the right of parker to get a longer image and to cut the frame in half with the wall and bay window.

The focal length was 104mm. My ASA was 320, shutter speed was 1/250 and the f-stop was 7.1. I wanted to have a balance of light, but a focus on Parker and the focus to have more depth that included the cap and loose change in front of Parker.

5 Contexts of the Image:

Physical: This image was shot in front of a business like place. The clothing was specifically chosen to represent a recent college graduate. The cap on the ground with loose change is representative of being hopeless and jobless. The wind picked up and blew the cash out of the hat. It made the image all the better. 

Psychological: The reflection in the windows provides a wavering, uncertain undertone of confusion. The facial express is one of exhaustion, pain, and confusion.

Social: He is a young man, a typical graduate that is facing a future that is not as bright as he was lead to believe. His shoes and jeans are indications of his younger age and is something that is relatable by all ages, but especially the young graduate. 

Cultural: This was an interesting section to consider. Parker is in the middle of the rising Millennial generation. Millennials, are often depicted as being consumed by some form of technology, disconnected from the world around them. There is no technology in this image. Parker is alone and at the end of his rope. It goes against the fluffy story that higher education tells it's future adherents, that after graduation you are employable and will have the life you have always dreamed of.

Temporal: This context can be twisted in a number of ways. It can be taken as literal. Parker graduated and that same day went out with his robes to beg on the streets. It is meant to be looked at metaphorically. Parker graduated, went through many job applications, and interviews, but still, with his degree and lack of experience, is pushed to his limits. That limit can mean anything from accepting that job offer from Mc. Donald's, to moving back in with parents, or living in the streets.

Bonus Meme: 

Hard News: Red Hills Desert Garden

Red Hills Desert Garden - St. George, Utah

Red Hills Desert Garden. What is the story? The garden is suppose to open in the spring of 2015. March is over in a week and summer is fast upon us. Still not sure when they will have the grand-opening. The purpose of the garden is to help locals learn about the red hills desert and how to conserve water through dessert landscaping. 

Certainly, water features are a more conservative way to go, than lets say, watering your grass. This garden is right at the one of the entrances of the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve. What I found interesting is that this garden, intuitively, drew attention away from the red cliffs and moved it towards the St. George. You will see that in the images of the swings and view points.

For a complete story on the Red Hills Desert Garden click here. The link takes you to an article by KCSG television posted in January 2015. 

Natural Light Shots Indoor/Outdoor

Indoor North Light Shots 2:1/1:1

f/5.6 shutter 1/80 ISO 400 lens 139mm

f/5.6 shutter 1/100 ISO 400 lens 132mm

f/5.6 shutter 1/100 ISO 400 lens 132mm

Outdoor Shots 2:1/1:1

f/5.6 shutter 1/250 ISO 200 lens 147mm

f/5.6 shutter 1/250 ISO 200 lens 94mm

f/5.6 shutter 1/250 ISO 80 lens 147mm

Glamour Shots 3/16

This is the shot. It happens to be very zoomed in. The reflection in the eyes are nice, the light off the forehead circles down to the light under her right eye and you are drawn into those Lily eyes. 

f/4.5 Shutter 1/100 ISO 400 lens 64mm

Bonus shots:

f/4.5 Shutter 1/100 ISO 400 lens 64mm

f/4.5 Shutter 1/125 ISO 800 lens 64mm

f/4.5 Shutter 1/125 ISO 800 lens 64mm

Wednesday Lab

I have three different rembrandt's. The first is 5:1. You see the triangle and a little bit of the eye lit up to complete the face but the shadow is over balanced.

The second image is a 2:1 ratio. The eyes are very visible and the reflection of the lights off her iris brings the image to life. What I would change is I would have her turn her head a little more towards the main creating a more looped rembrandt and also creating more movement with the eyes. 

The third image is just under a 1:1 ratio of light. The same principles that I stated in the second image applies to this one. I must have been in a hurry because these images were not very well focused. So many things to think of, I just need to get some of them to be automatic so I can focus on the variables that change.

f 5.6 Shutter 1/50 ISO 400 Lens 50mm

f 5.6 Shutter 1/50 ISO 400 Lens 50mm

f 5.6 Shutter 1/50 ISO 400 Lens 50mm

1st Studio Shots

Disclaimer: I did not have my camera so I borrowed a camera from Emily. Thank you Emily. Having said that, I took a few photos with my iPhone. The other photos were taken with a Fuji film camera unfamiliar to me. At the bottom I have an analysis of my experience.

Enjoy!

iPhone Shots: BW followed by Original Color.

iPhone 6: ISO 32, lens 4.15mm f/2.2, shutter1/15

iPhone 6: ISO 32, lens 4.15mm f/2.2, shutter1/15

iPhone 6: ISO 32, lens 4.15mm f/2.2, shutter1/40

iPhone 6: ISO 32, lens 4.15mm f/2.2, shutter1/40

iPhone 6: ISO 32, lens 4.15mm f/2.2, shutter 1/15

iPhone 6: ISO 32, lens 4.15mm f/2.2, shutter 1/15

These are the photos I shot with Emily's Fuji film. Original first and then BW.

ISO 100, lens 50 mm f/6.4, shutter 1/40

ISO 100, lens 50 mm f/6.4, shutter 1/40

ISO 100, lens 50 mm f/6.4, shutter 1/10

ISO 100, lens 50 mm f/6.4, shutter 1/10

ISO 100, lens 50 mm f/9, shutter 1/10

ISO 100, lens 50 mm f/9, shutter 1/10

ISO 100, lens 50 mm f/5.6, shutter 1/15

ISO 100, lens 50 mm f/5.6, shutter 1/10

ISO 100, lens 50 mm f/5.6, shutter 1/15

ISO 100, lens 50 mm f/5.6, shutter 1/15

ISO 200, lens 50 mm f/5.6, shutter 1/10

ISO 200, lens 50 mm f/5.6, shutter 1/10

Analysis of my experience:

First of all, I learned to always have my camera with me. As it turns out, taking pictures is really hard to do with out a camera.

The second things that I learned is that the iPhone actually does a decent job. Not nearly the quality but for photojournalism it is a nice alternative to not getting the take. 

The third thing I picked up was with the iPhone I have very little control over the wide angle, and I had to either zoom in a lot and pixelate the photo or step in very close, which may be kind of awkward depending on the person/situation.

The forth thing I learned is that using a camera that you are unfamiliar comes with a learning curve. So the majority of the photos that I took at first either had too much exposure, under exposure, or the shutter speed wasn't fast enough and the picture turned out blurred. I think after you have enough experience in certain areas of photography you will have a good idea of what exposure, speed, and aperture setting you need and will be more adept at taking photos with any camera. But the hole thing was new and that took some time to figure out.

I'm excited to see what I do with my camera on Wednesday.