Jiame Sr Robles, American Hero

For an assignment last spring semester, we had to photograph one of our classmates for our portrait class. I was starting to get to know Jiame at this point, and we became good friends. I wanted to photograph Jiame in a way that one could look at him and know exactly who he was. As you can see in the image, Jiame is a patriot, serving in the Special Forces from 1981 to 1995. I desired to show that Jiame has seen a lot in his life as a soldier, things that I could not begin to try to understand. I am honored to have a friend like Jiame, and we are honored as a country to have people like him who have fought for our freedom.

Red Shelby Mustang

This image was the result of many backup plans. In successful photography, I am learning that it is held together by the glue of backup plans. Last spring semester, we were given the assignment to do a window lit photograph. In my true nature of shooting for the moon, I ended somewhere in a cow pie. Originally, my idea was to photograph a piolet with his plane in a hanger, while the warm evening sun was illuminating him. A sort of romanticized image of aviation. Though, it was not how things panned out. After the piolet back out on me, I was left to come up with other ideas. Long story short, I did not get a window lit image. However, I did get this image of this Shelby GT Mustang, with its racing stripes. It almost was an unsuccessful night, until this Mustang rolled up.

Portraits

           

Angela Sloan poses for me to have her photograph taking for the school magazine. For an assignment my class has been given the jobs of doing some of the portraits for the Randolph Community College magazine. I am learning that portraits can be a fun relaxing form of photography. It allows me as the photographer to get to know the subject on a somewhat personal level. The fun comes in trying to to capture them that reflect who that person is, kind of like Arnold Newman, the greatest environmental portrait photographer in my opinion. Also it can be fun to be the light shaper, like setting the mood.

"I fight with my camera" - Charles Moore

          This week was the most eventful week I have had in a very long time, possibly in my entire life. Humanity is a funny creature, possibly the most unpredictable creature to walk the face of the earth. Maybe just because of the things that we as humans are capable of doing. We can build each other up and we can tear each other down. My calling is to tell stories through images that otherwise could not be told any other way. This week has been an attention-grabbing week for our state. First was the presidential candidate, Donald Trump, who came to High Point University on Tuesday for a rally.

            Three of my classmates and I went to High Point Tuesday morning and after a media bus and security checkpoint, we were denied access to the rally. However, after walking around campus we found a group that was trying to counteract Trumps hate with love. This body of university students gathered and voiced their opinions with an open mic setting. Lastly, closing with the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. As I hummed and sung along with it in my head I just watched how this group just laid aside their differences and the hatred and came to a commonality, to show love, not hate. Though my views might be different than most of the participants, it was heart warming to see such friendship and love in a crowd that large. On the contrary, I was unaware what was going on in Charlotte.

            I didn’t find out about the shooting of Keith Scott till Wednesday morning. Immediately as soon as I saw my photojournalism instructor, Jay Capers, I asked: “would it be worth going?” After he explained the magnitude of what was possible to come of this, a classmate and I decided that we were going to go and document what unfolded.

Pulling into Charlotte that evening the sunlight hit the tops of the towers as the sun began to beautiful city, leaving nothing but destruction and hatred behind. Tear gas filled the streets as revulsion came from the mouths of rioters and unity of protesters as they voiced their opinions.
set. It almost had a cinematic look to it. I don’t think anyone could have predicted the chaos that was about to come in this city. Protestors lined the sidewalks getting denser as we were reaching closer to Marshall Park where protesters would start their march. Everything started peacefully and then the crowd started marching to a church. However, a group split off and we followed them, they marched to the Charlotte police department. Here they pounded on the front doors demanding “justice” by chanting, “If we don’t get no justice, you don’t get no peace.” Cheers abruptly rang out as they brought down the American Flag and had it resting on the ground to show humiliation to this great nation. And from there the chaos unfolded very rapidly. As the group went further into the heart of this

Like I said earlier I am fascinated with all that the human race is capable of. In the aspect that we can encourage and build each other up or we can build walls and attempt to destroy others. The human race is a powerful creature we are capable of accomplishing magnificent things and also terrible things. Which one will you choose to do? 

Deep Rooted Legacy

This is a portrait that I did last summer of a man named Wade Foust. Mr. Foust owns a farm in Liberty North Carolina, there he raises chickens and cows. He also has produce such as corn, tobacco and beans. I did a book on Mr. Foust and his family titled Deep Rooted Legacy because the Legacy that Mr. Wade along with his wife Mrs. Judy have implanted into there two boys. This book was important to me because this same legacy has shaped the agricultural landscape. There is something that goes much deeper than the vary roots that these farmers plant it goes through many generations. This Legacy of hard work Blood Sweat and Tears and nothing in life is free you have to work for it is a legacy that we should hold true to. That nothing less than hard work will get you anywhere in life. I am still grateful to the Foust family for allowing me to photograph them.

B-ball

Driving around Asheboro I found two guys playing basketball I asked them if I could photograph them for my photo of the day blog. They agreed. I pulled out my light stand and the schools camera an amazing Nikon D4s. At Randolph Community College we are super privileged to be able to use some of the finest equipment out there to the photographic community.

I put my flash on about half a stop because the ambient light was pretty strong and I couldn’t get my light too close do the basketball players and I also didn’t want it to be straight in their face. The  issues to overcome for me was the background part of the background had the city with the water tower sticking up and I wanted a clean background or as clean as possible so I got down low to keep the sky in the Back. It is kind of hard to freeze motion because you have to shoot at 500/second to freeze motion however with the flash you can only go up to 250/second. But that’s okay because Flash can freeze motion so I used it to freeze the motion of him playing basketball. Again I would like to say thank you to these young men that let me photograph them I appreciate their help and not laughing at me too much.

Sticky Fingers

My youngest son, Nathaniel, reaches for my camera during a photoshoot. After photographing my oldest son, Troy, for his birthday on Sunday. This is Nathaniel's personality coming out in a photograph. He is always happy. But he is at the stage where he is walking and nothing is off limits.