Rein's senior shoot

I often find it difficult to create senior portraits for young men. The photos always come out cheesy and goofy. I was happy to have to opportunity to explore a little with my cousin, Reiner. I used to babysit this guy and he's more like a little brother than a cousin. The benefits to this being we had amazing communication on the shoot, me asking him if this was a stupid pose, him taking a few risks and climbing up the old dilapidated building that we shot at. It was fun and the photographs were HIM. He was so excited when he saw the site I brought him to, which was a really cool feeling for finding the perfect location.  

So, here are my favorites from the shoot. I'd be happy to take your senior photos as well and make them fit your personality. I'm loving these new challenges and explorations with my camera.

Visiting Front Page Africa

Day 3

It was a day of relaxation. (sort of) We woke up around 11 and got ready to go out. We walked to a hotel and had some food from there. I had a kebab and it was different from the kebabs in Germany and Austria. Jess had hummus and it might be the best hummus I've ever had. I also had mango juice and Ken and Jess had this Lebanese coffee or something like that. apparently it was really good.

This is our new kitten friend. we take turns tossing him french fries. So sweet!

We hung out there for about an hour and a half until we found out they don't have internet. So we walked over to Dona Maria's, the pizza and ice cream shop.

We did some research on the journalists and picked people we will be following around and getting more of their story. I have Mae who is incredibly famous in Liberia. She's had to go into hiding a few times because of the controversy of her stories. We had "ice cream" at Dona Marias, but it looked like gelato and it tasted like the most fake strawberry thing I've ever had. like a lip balm and ice cream mixed together.

At around 5 we left to go to Front Page Africa and meet people and take a look around.

We met Rodney Sieh and Wade Williams, another journalist. We got to see the printing presses and shake hands with a lot of people who work there. We got an idea of what their days are like by talking to Wade. She's an awesome and inspiring woman who raises two daughters and works 10-14 hours a day a few days a week. She likes to do stories on governmental issues. Rodney has gone to jail a few times for various stories as well. Both are really inspiring.

After we stood and talked to them for a few hours, we left and stopped at a place for some food. They got my order wrong, so I'm not sure what I ate but it was chicken and potatoes and garlic wrapped up. it was delicious. We ate with David, our driver. Dinner discussions ranged from religion to New Narratives. This is a really good, insightful group that I'm with. After we got back to the hotel we went through our audio gear and tried to figure things out and synchronize everything.

Fingers crossed I don't screw up the audio. I'm a year ahead of the other two in school despite me being younger, so I definitely feel like it's on my shoulders.

We have stereo mics, zoom h4ns, lav mics, and a shotgun mic. We have the stuff, we just have little to none training. So I guess we'll see how everything goes.

Mr and Mrs Frisino

I am finally back to Syracuse. Excited to be back to routine and scared of what comes next; but I'm ready.   Christmas break was an intense time and I spent the majority of it in a camera shop helping my boss and coworkers. I had projects galore, and I was finally able to finish the wedding photos from this fall.   Now, no offense to my other clients, but this past wedding was one of my favorites. Everything fit the bride and groom. It was a relaxing and beautiful wedding for them. They had one of their best friends marry them, their vows were catered to them, and their love was palpable. I think I loved this wedding because it made me feel... at home. I stayed at the grooms parents house because it was a few hours commute to the wedding. The house had such a nostalgic feel to it. It was gorgeous and open and at night there was a perfect view of the stars.   I also had a feeling this wedding would happen like this because I photographed them for an "engagement" shoot.

It was a way to get to know them and for them to see my work a little more. It was also a way to get to know the groom more. I had been friends with the bride, Tegan for a couple of years and we had been in a few classes together. Eric was still a mystery. I love getting to know people and feeling comfortable around them, and these two made it easy for that to happen.

So a big thank you to this couple and their families for making me feel at home.

And the ceremony.

Felted flowers.

Day Dieciséis

Today is the last day at Cerecaly and with the kids. It's a bittersweet day. All of us are exhausted yet so amped for the kids to see their hard work. As you know, last "night" ended around 5am. We awoke in the early morning light with no electricity, a noon deadline, and the men missing because they were off in town getting gasoline. We stumbled out of bed and quickly went downstairs to set up our stuff. The generator was hooked up and we went to work. While I worked on the video, Oscar took the musician outside to record the music for our movie. Esme was upstairs vigorously cleaning the area we had spent the last two weeks teaching the kids. It was filled with posters, markers, and our teaching outlines. She set to making the place presentable for the kids and their families. Melissa was helping set things up as well. However, she was also running into our work area asking if we needed anything, bringing us breakfast (hotcakes!), coffee, tea, anything we needed she was willing to get us so we didn't have to get up. It was truly lifesaving.

© Esme Brandon

©Esme Brandon

Sarah was putting the ending touches on her video. At around 9 some of the kids came. They surrounded around our work area and were a huge distraction. They were chatting to me, which I really don't speak Spanish still. They were talking to Oscar who was my main helper at this point with last minute touches and listening to the audio. His job was putting it into the movie. Melissa grabbed the kids and put them to work putting out the red carpet. Meanwhile I went outside in the rain to make some sound effects for the movie. We needed a sharp crack and a scream. I ended up wetting a towel and pistol-whipping the side of Cerecaly until it cracked. The scream wasn't going to happen because I was losing my voice, but we were pretty sure we could find something in a group of default sound effects.

© Esme Brandon

The time flew by really quickly, and the closer it got to noon, more and more people were showing up, coming into our room, chatting with us, and marveling at the fact we weren't done. For once in my life, I wasn't worried. It wasn't like we were slacking off at any point. The power going out was a freak accident, and we started working as soon as we possibly could once we got electricity. I know some of the others were getting frazzled but we all kept telling each other to keep going! I know I mentioned this before but this was such a positive place to be in. There were so many things that went wrong, but in the end, no one freaked out, everyone got everything done, and we were all really mature despite the circumstances. I can't tell people enough how great this group was.

Around noon, people were asking us to give them a time. This is the hardest part, in my opinion. I've had renders take hours, I've had them take minutes. There are a lot of factors that decide the fate of time. As Oscar looked over the other groups and finished checking our movie, I finally hopped in the shower and dressed up in my "formal dress." Oscar showered after me and I worked on credits, which was actually really hard. All the kids had four names, and the spellings were all different from what i'm used to, I was using a mac that has spanish symbols and the keys are slightly different. I didn't even finish half of the cast when Oscar came back and took over this as well. Sarah went to shower and dress up then, which left Oscar and I to export.

We put the Akosia bumpers in the video and did a few final touches. I think I reexported the video at least four times due to little things I had to add into the other teams video. FINALLY we were exporting.

© Esme Brandon

Meanwhile upstairs, Esme and Melissa were entertaining maybe 60 people that had turned up to watch the movies. It was past noon at this time, they had already had people talking, musicians playing, maybe some jokes, etc. Everyone came downstairs to eat as we were working on putting the exported videos through one more program to get them ready for the tv. The two sisters were incredible at keeping everyone entertained and in good spirits. I applaud them because that isn't easy to do.

After everyone finished with their snacks, we all went back upstairs to watch the movies. We handed out papers so the audience could vote on their favorite actors, movies, directors, props, etc. Some people stood up and talked and introduced us all, and then we started watching the other groups film. I filmed the audience reactions while watching. I think everyone was just surprised at everything the kids had accomplished. They did it all. They learned about storytelling, started creating stories and characters, storyboarding, casting everyone, directing, acting, videographers, makeup artists, location scouts, everything. I am still in awe of everything they accomplished and it was incredible seeing the audience's reactions to the first video. There was a roar of cheers and we brought that group up and introduced the characters and everyone's roles.

© Esme Brandon

Next was Oscar and my video. I stood in the back so I could stand next to him and soak up the moment. I swelled with pride at everything we had accomplished. I couldn't help but feel so blessed to have met Oscar and for him to be a part of this project. I learned so much from him, we all did. We stood as we watched our video play and the audience was horrified when the murders happened and laughed at some other parts. It was SO successful and so emotional to have it finally finished. We gave everyone a chance to fill out their votes and collected the papers to tally up.

The five of us went into the bedroom to get the "oscars" we made to hand out to the award winners and tally up the votes. About 15 minutes later we emerged. We told everyone we were so incredibly proud to work with these talented kids. Then we gave everyone a certificate for participating in everything. This came with a handshake of all the kids and a photo with each one. Some of the older guys came up and kissed us on the cheek, which got a lot of the kids in the audience hollering for their moxy. A few of us got emotional, not saying any names but it rhymes with jezme...and me of course.

© Esme Brandon

We finally got really for the other awards. We called out a lot of the specific roles from Esme and Sarah's group. They showed the most knowledge of the techniques and equipment. It was incredible watching the growth from those who really were interested in their roles. Although their team had most of those specific roles from their groups, our horror movie won most of the movie awards. Our main actor was the best actor, niño padré, and we also won best picture. It was so amazing seeing the kids' faces light up once they won their awards. At the very end we were thanked by FAI and we were presented with these wonderful presents. They were baskets with fans, some homemade remedies from Chuy, some amazing soap that has lavender in it, and a pen. It was so sweet of them to put something together like this to help us remember (though I don't think we'll forget their kindness soon).

And suddenly, it's over. We're filing downstairs outside and waving goodbye. We stopped to take some photos. Most of the little girls wanted a photo with me. I switched from being photographed to photographing and filming as much as I could. I wanted to stop time and have a second to talk to each of them, encourage them to keep creating, hug them, photograph everyone. Unfortunately, time doesn't work that way. I had a tough time saying goodbye. We promised them we'd stay in touch, and then they were gone.

© Esme Brandon

© Esme Brandon

  © Esme Brandon

The people of Cerecaly called us in for lunch and we met people from FAI and friends of Mauricios. But mostly, us five stayed together talking and laughing. We knew there wasn't much time left and there was finally no pressure of lesson plans, spanish lessons, or video editing. (I'd like to add that the power came on around this time, of course). We ate Chuy's delicious food and I was sure to give a lot of love to my love, Orpheus.

© Esme Brandon

© Esme Brandon

After "lunch" we all went up to our rooms to pack. People kept coming in and saying goodbye to us. Mauricio came by before he left and we said a really hard goodbye to him.

© Esme Brandon

About an hour later, Oscar came in to say goodbye. We all said how grateful we were to have met him and got to know him. I think it's safe to say I was the closest to him during this trip. I couldn't stop the tears because I knew it would be a long time until I got to see him again. He just cocked his head to one side, smiled, and said "Don't cry, we'll see each other soon." One last hug and he left.

© Esme Brandon

The rest of this post I want to just say I was depressed. Esme hugged me and slipped me some tissues and I didn't even want to think about saying goodbye to these incredible woman, although I'm more confident my future holds more adventures with them.

We finally had everything packed and we packed up the car. I chased Andrea around and hugged her. We found Aender, napping, and said a sad goodbye to him. We went to Chuy to tell her how much she meant to us and how important she was to us. I wish I could have communicated it better.

© Esme Brandon

© Esme Brandon

It was probably 5 when we left to go back to Maria Jose's apartment in Mexico City. For some reason, I wasn't that tired so I offered to start driving. We grabbed snacks and started our way trading everyones ipods to listen to their top 25 songs. The view was just as gorgeous as the ride down here. As always you can look around and see at least one massive rainstorm in the distant mountains. I am still in awe of Mexico's beauty. Probably 2-3 hours into me driving, I started getting REALLY tired. We waited in a toll line and Melissa and I quickly jumped out of the car to switch and she drove. It wasn't long after the switch that I hardcore passed out. I fell asleep for the rest of the car ride in the best sleep possible. Melissa safely (and impressively) got us back to the apartment and this time it didn't take 8 hours!

We got into the apartment, grabbed water, and pretty much went to bed. It had been such a long day and a long week, all we could really do was sleep.

Day Catorce

Today was a busy day and I was actually able to eat a little. We jumped right into work, Sarah and Esme actually took some of the kids who always arrive early and reshot some scenes while Oscar and I waited for our whole team to arrive. The kids started doing makeup again and as soon as we could wrangle them all up we started shooting for the day.

Now, it was mentioned that the other team had most of the older kids in it. They were amazing at their jobs and worked really well with one another. One of the challenges we had was in storyboarding our piece. It was really well drawn but there seemed to be some parts missing. So Oscar and I had sat down the night before trying to fix some of the problems. It worked out in the end but it also gave us more work to do.

The scenes we were shooting today were some murders and the green screening of the ghost. For that we brought out a blue table clothe and we took it outside in the brightest light we could find. We got a few kids (and myself) holding it taut against the wall as the ghost was filmed doing all sorts of things. (Later on in post-produciton Oscar would drop him into a scene that was already filmed using aftereffects.) This inspired me to take an aftereffects class this fall!

So the point of today was to get as much filming done as possible. The day involved sewing a head back on, helping the kids remember different camera angles, scratching dogs' ears, and filming, Filming, FILMING galore. It was at the end of this day with that kids that I was starting to see everyones capabilities for this project. Sarah and Esme worked with their group efficiently and confidently. They communicated with the kids well considering their spanish wasn't perfect. Their kids are really starting to get into their roles and the director is realizing that her job is more than just saying cut and action.

As for our group, I am continually in awe of Oscar. He's incredible at giving direction. The way he communicates is amazing because he knows what he's talking about but it's the way he talks with the kids and laughs with them that inspires me. Sometimes I feel useless because I can't speak and I'm still so new to all of this video stuff; but then Oscar gives me the reins and I make a few decisions. His confidence in my abilities moves me to be confident in myself. We continue working with one another and learning from everyone. I am still amazed at this experience. I'm writing this now, and it's been a month since we've been home and I am still enthralled.

After the kids left, we all had work to do. Melissa continues to do the paperwork each night, writing down our successes and stories for the day. The rest of us had editing to do. However, today we were to take a day trip to San Miguel de Allende. We were also supposed to meet with a member of FAI to discuss our experience working with their members.

Note: FAI is an organization that promotes sustainable development of water and natural resources focused on the active participation of those children. FAI and Akosia worked together to make this project a success.

We had to leave early to meet with the people from FAI. We got into the city around 4 and looked for a parking space. Oscar drove separately because he was taking Mauricio's friend in with him and there wasn't enough space in our little car. We decided to meet him somewhere in the town. While looking for a parking space, we pulled over to ask someone where we could park. Sarah rolled down her window, spoke the best spanish she could muster, AND... was pleasantly ignored. While we were laughing, a woman came out of a shop and told us that she owns apartments down the road and that we could park there. She then ran back into the store, grabbed her bags and then hopped into our car so she could show us (and she wouldn't have to walk back in the drizzle). This kind of thing happened to us where ever we went. We always randomly met people who somehow were able to fill our needs.

We walked around the town and found ourselves in this square. The square was filled with people, things being sold, and an interesting twist to a well known snack. There was a snack stand that was selling a bag of doritos, opened, with mayo, butter, corn, hot sauce all mixed in; it is eaten with a spoon then. It was such an odd mixture we spent a lot of time marveling at this concoction. We met with Oscar then who was with the two woman from FAI. After a quick cup of coffee we walked to the FAI offices and they basically asked us about the people at Ceracaly and any suggestions for the future. We talked about how accommodating everyone is. There wasn't really anything we could complain about.

We didn't stay there long, and afterwards we needed to find a place with internet so that we could start editing our videos, which was going to take a lot of time. We found a place that had a restaurant on the roof. So we walked upstairs, turned a corner, and saw the most amazing view. It literally might be the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. The one wall most mostly just glass, it looked down some mountains and on them was the city of San Miguel. To the right was a giant golden church; and to make it even more beautiful a storm was rolling in on the left of the scene as the twilight sky changed colors. I stared at it in awe as massive lightning bolts struck and I watched the rain downpour across the valley while the sky stayed dry above us. Everyone else was checking facebook, emailing, and Sarah had even started editing, but I just couldn't take my eyes off that scene.

Eventually I did get to work. I watched, still in amazement, as Oscar zigzagged around in AfterEffects trying out different things and creating the "ghost" in our movie. It was really amazing watching it transform and I was thankful to be able to watch someone who confidently navigated that program.

Much later the woman who let us park in her apartment area came to the restaurant we were at and introduced us to her husband and chatted with us for a while. They asked if we were staying in the town and offered us a room with them. We told them we were driving back, (I was driving and had passed on a drink). It's sort of funny but they kept pushing us to stay, they didn't think it was safe to drive at night. Of course we were perfectly fine and we had to go back to Ceracaly to teach the ninos in the morning.

We thanked them for their generosity and then made our way back. Everyone here seems anxious to drive at night, but we don't understand why. When we got back Oscar and I planned what we needed to shoot the next day and then we all went to bed.

Day Trece

Today we were back with the kids. It was a day we had planned to be full of filming, and since we were behind schedule from Friday we decided there should be no english lesson. Once everyone came, we split into the two groups and instructed everyone to finish storyboards, handing out roles, sorting out props, and location scouting. Things got really chaotic with people running to the bathroom, girls changing their outfits for the films, kids running around looking for places to film. It was nuts.

Around 11 everyone was mostly ready to shoot, and all of us coaches were very eager to start shooting because we know how long it really takes. Esme and I talked about working with both groups and basically having Sarah and I switch back and forth with Oscar and Esme so we would always be with someone who spoke Spanish really well. In the end, Oscar and I went with the group doing the horror movie. Once we got working with this group however it was really hard to switch to the other groups. We knew what things needed to be shot and we knew the story really well. Therefore Oscar and I became the producers of the terror movie and Sarah and Esme worked with the kids on the drama movie.

It took a little bit of time to get started shooting because we were working with a much younger age group. They had shorter attention spans and a lot of the young girls wanted to draw on the white boards or wander off. Eventually we set up a policy that if they weren't directly active with the movie scene, they were to go help Melissa with the signs and CD cover drawings.

The first day we actually got a lot of shooting done, as in 9 scenes. It was amazing doing the very first scene though. With the silent films, they kids pretty much shot each scene once. However, with these films, we did the first scene once. Then we did it again at a different angle. If something was off, we did it again. It the acting wasn't perfect we shot it again. I think the kids appreciated the amount of work that goes into filming that first day.

We finished with the kids on time and sent them home. We went to eat and I believe I went to go take a nap. I hadn't slept the night before. Today was the day we were supposed to go horseback riding. Unfortunately I talked to Fernando at lunch and he told Oscar and I that the only horses available were race horses, therefore we wouldn't be able to ride them.

Which ended up being a good thing because I was still sick.

There were some things that we needed from town, so the girls went out. I stayed in. Esme and Sarah's group needed a time lapse of the sunset and there was no guarantee I'd make it back in time so I stayed, set my camera on a chair overlooking the countryside and did a time lapse. I'm actually mad that I didn't do this sooner, or for more days. By the time we thought of it, I really only had one night to do it and sometimes it can be hard to guess what area is going to have the best lighting, clouds, colors, etc. It was such a beautiful 'moment,' the sunset. I'm glad I captured a piece of that night.

(Photos with myself in them were taken by Sarah Wann © 2012)

Post Script, I'll post the time lapse when I get a computer that can edit video, which should be soon!

Day Nueve

Today was one of the most beautiful days I've ever experienced, but first, the kids. The kids came at all different times in the morning, so we played games waiting for everyone to get there. The california boys were back as were all the new kids from yesterday so we had a ton of people today. While everyone went into their english lesson, Sarah and I set up for teaching the kids about the flip cameras, setting up the TV to watch short clips, and teaching them about storyboarding.

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The kids came upstairs and we brought them together by playing a quick game that would allow them to practice their acting skills. It's called 'Wink Murder.' Basically a murderer is chosen at random and without anyone knowing. Then their job is to look around the circle and wink at people. If you've been winked at, you have to act out this dramatic death. The kids had some trouble with this game and most of them just knelt down on the floor when they were murdered. So Melissa was the murderer for the second round and she sort of let me know that she was so she could wink at me and I could demonstrate what a good murder was. So she winked at me, and I was strangled, and cried out, and fell to my knees just before completely keeling over. There were a lot of laughs, but people didn't really get anymore dramatic (and to top it off I had some pretty spectacular bruises blooming on my knees).

i wish that game would have worked more, I think we should have done more acting lessons with the kids. Other acting games were trying to keep a straight face while someone else was making you laugh. This one was really successful and I think a lot of the main actors were people who were good at this game.

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Then Sarah, Oscar, and I talked about different kinds of shots, how it's important to do different angles, and try new things with the cameras. We showed them my demo reel that I had made last fall which demonstrates a ton of different things you can do with a camera.

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Sarah then went through the specifics of wide, medium, and tight shots. After that we went over the specific camera buttons. I'm not sure if you've ever used a Flip, but they are the size of a point and shoot camera and they are VERY simple. Basically there is a small digital zoom (which should never really be used), a record button, a playback button, and a delete. Everything on it was super simple and it was really easy for the kids to pick them up and start recording.

We kept the technical stuff to a minimum before their eyes glazed over. I know the older ones took away more from this teaching than the younger ones but we also were ready to work hands on training with the Flips once they started filming their stories.

The kids had the task to split into groups and film one object at all different angles. This way everyone was able to hold and play with the camera and we could show them all the different types of shots and angles.

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We were also able to show the kids storyboarding and a video made from my storyboard. In Syracuse, I worked as a group of three creating a super simple story. We had about two hours to storyboard, shoot, and edit these stories. Luckily I was working with two very talented women, one who was a great actress and the other who was a wizard at Final Cut 7. We storyboarded a story about a girl who has to use the bathroom and there wasn't one open on campus. We had a subject, a problem, and a solution. I drew out the storyboard and then we set to shooting it, thinking of different angles and different positions. We showed the kids the final product so they could see what it would become.

https://vimeo.com/30031503

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Then it was everyones jobs to form 4 groups and write and storyboard a story and then shoot it. It was really chaotic, and it was even more difficult that I couldn't communicate with the kids. I ended up helping Melissa explain to a group that even though they wanted a truck in their video, it might be better to act one out. The other groups worked with Esme and Sarah and did really phenomenal jobs because they made them shoot it several times and get a bunch of angles so we had more to work with as editors.

Today was a really difficult day and we had more problems with the california boys, but it was still incredibly productive and we were all proud of them.

The girls wanted all of us to ride home with them so we did and Esme, Melissa, and Sarah got to see the beautiful countryside. About halfway there, we got stuck in this GIANT lodo (mud) puddle. We all jumped off and I took off my hoodie, shoes, and nice shirt, stepped barefoot in the mud and tried pushing it out. A few others joined in but it was super deep (something I found out when I took a step to my left and my entire leg went under. (Good thing I wasn't wearing my white shorts, oh wait). I also was the dog rescuer because one of the Ceracaly dogs had gone with us, gotten tired, and was in the truck. When we got stuck he was too scared to jump off. So I lifted him up and carried him off (and then back on when he was being too silly to get in the truck). After everyone got to the front of the truck and pushed, we finally got it out of the mud. Needless to say it was a very interesting afternoon, I ruined my white shorts, and we got the entire thing on video! So worth it! (screenshots from the videos)

Yes, we did do this on the way back home...

Later on after lunch and planning, we were invited to a friends house to swim. He lives about a mile down the road and was trying to explain he had these hot springs in his yard. Then he said he had a pool. So we changed into our swimming trunks and drove down there. It was this gorgeous place with an elaborate stone entrance and a massive empty pool. Fernando was just starting to fill the pool up with crystal clear bright blue water. It was gorgeous. After laying in the sun for a bit the pool was finally full. I dipped my toes in and it was the most glorious temperature of probably 100 degrees. It was like a massive bath tub which felt amazing seeing as the air has only been around 60 to 70 degrees. It was a glorious way to spend the evening, swimming in this Godly water, which was all natural, sipping refreshing tomato juice and spices, and hanging out with my amazing friends. (Pool photographs by Sarah Wann ©)

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We went back a few hours later and drove around because we were locked out of Ceracaly. Esme and I watched the sun set over the mountains riding on the back of the truck and talking about our traveling. The rest of the night Oscar and I edited the silent films while everyone else did the work for tomorrow's lessons. It was such an intense day, but it was also one of the most beautiful ones I've ever experienced. I love seeing the beauty around me and one hundred percent appreciating it in it's entirety.

Day Ocho

Today is Wednesday which means the first week was almost halfway over. I just want to keep reminding you that we got less than two weeks with the kids, because it's much more impressive to know that they did this in literally seven days. Wednesday was the day that Sarah and I were teaching about storytelling. We drew them a story arc and taught them the key elements of storytelling. I was able to show them five minute clips which demonstrated the character, the problem, and the solution. They were able to identity each part of the story and I think that impressed the five of us.  

I mentioned yesterday that the "california" boys wouldn't be here for the second day. However, we got 10 new kids today. We were only supposed to have 25 at the most. We're all wondering what's going to happen tomorrow when the "california" boys are back and the rest of these kids come back as well. We'll have 32 kids then! We just decided to see who comes on Thursday, and those people who don't would just miss too much information to be allowed back.

Before we let them break for lunch, we wanted them to start writing a story. So we brought out these amazing dice which had characters and actions on it. They split into teams and then each team had to roll the dice and create a story using each one of the dies. The groups did a great job working together and actually writing out the stories.

 

After lunch we broke them into groups again and passed out "Kristina's cards." These were pictures I had drawn and colored that they were then to take and draw out a story. Oscar went around and sort of split their papers into 6 sections to start out storyboarding. The teams did amazing with this task and we were able to see some really great artists and watch their personalities slowly come out. Each day we meet with this kids feels like an incredible accomplishment. They are slowly coming out of their shells, especially the girls.

After we finished with the kids for the day, a huge crowd of girls gathered around me and were spouting off spanish to me, for which I awkwardly smiled and said politely, WAT?

Oscar told me they wanted me to ride with them in the truck back to where they live. I agreed and hopped in the truck. I asked Oscar to go with me so I wouldn't be alone and I might understand what the girls were all trying to say to me. They are the cutest things. I sat with my legs hanging over the back of the truck as everyone started pointing around the area and saying what things were in spanish. The scenery around us was stunning. Cerecaly is a place where it's flat but 360 degrees around you, you can see the mountains in the distance. Today there were blue skies, the grass all around us was green, and there were dozens of farm animals out grazing. Because of all the rain, parts were flooded and it definitely made the ride interesting, if not bumpy. My camera could not do the beauty justice.

Oscar and I got back and we had lunch and all of us got right into reports and planning. We're all pretty exhausted by night and we all sort of fancied a lazy night to just relax and watch a movie. It took about three hours though to set up one of our movies on our computer, to hook it up to the tv, and after ALL the trouble that it took we ended up watching a chick flick that basically no one liked (all while i convinced everyone it was a pretty good movie). Oscar said he liked it though.. kidding.

Also, meet Jerry's daughter, Allondra. She's the sweetest little thing.

Day Siete

Today marks the first day with the kids. We have been planning so much and there is nothing else to do but to put everything to action. Basically the point of today was to register people for the program, introduce everyone, and talk about what we were there for. I had Oscar translate a small speech explaining who I am and what I would do. I also mentioned the fact that I know little Spanish. Naturally all the kids flocked to me with their questions in Spanish.  

We have a group of older boys who seem pretty close and they might be trouble. They don't seem to want to be split into separate groups and one was separated and sulked the whole time. The girls are all really shy. They barely even utter their names. When it came time for me to speak I felt a confidence in myself and talked nice and loud and smiled at the kids. I think that's why people liked me. The first few days everyone was a little nervous, so I think smiling was a good way to communicate with them that this is supposed to be a fun project FOR THEM.

Some of the kids are the cutest little things. We're teaching about 20 kids that range in age from 6 to 15 years old. The six year old is so tiny, and his name is Jose. There was another little girl who was 9 years old and she was so tiny. Most of the kids were shorter than me, which is a nice ego boost for someone who's 5'4''. Kids in the US at their age are taller than me by age 13.

I think the most important part of this day was making the Akosia map with the kids. This is where all had to brainstorm good qualities that we all supported and agreed upon. For example, respect, responsibility, confidence, courage, etc. All these words were rules. If anyone wasn't respecting someone else, all we had to do was point to the map and remind the kids what they had agreed upon. It was amazing watching them come up with the right words and share their thoughts on the map. After we wrote down all the words the kids were meant to sign the agreement which would be their agreement to come back every day and be a part of this project. There was a group of boys who won't be able to make it tomorrow but they have agreed to come back the day after.

At two it was time for the kids to leave. The five of us worked out some rides for some of the kids for the time they were going to be spending with us. There were boys from California which is a 40 minute dive or a 4 hour walk. There is also a group of 10 girls that were about two miles away and we arranged for them a ride back and forth so they weren't walking those two mile every day.

After everyone left, we ate our lunch. Generally, we eat breakfast in the morning, snack when the kids eat lunch, eat our lunch around 3pm and then have a really light dinner around 9. But I'm not used to eating a ton of meals a day so it feels like we're eating nonstop.

Afterwards we like to plan for tomorrows lesson while sitting on the roof and catching a few minutes of sunshine. The rest of our day is filled with planning while Melissa types up the reports for the day. This day we went back to Dolores Hidalgo to download some movies to demonstrate video making to the kids. The cafe we went to has guacamole that's to die for!

Day Seis

Around seven we got dressed and ready to Fiesta. It was raining again, so we dressed warm. However everyone else there was decked out. The girls were wearing fancy dresses and getting their heels stuck in the mud. Smaller girls were wearing beautiful white communion dresses.

Boys were dressed up in hats and boots. There was music, food, friends, things for sale. It was an event to see.

Men were coming up to us and chatting after they had a few drinks for courage. Melissa met a man named Gus who chatted with her for a while. Later Esme and I were approached by a guy.

He started talking to us about our cameras. Then he mentioned how he was from Texas but lost his passport. He got into trouble with the law and now he needs to stay in Mexico for 10 years before he can reapply to go back to the states. He kept telling us how privileged we were. How we are so lucky to live where we live and to travel around. We were privileged to be beautiful.

It wasn't the last time we would hear this.. but it's still running through my head today. Every time I feel lazy or I don't really want to work I think about this guy and realize that not everyone has the blessing of a job, or income, or strength. I've been able to open my eyes on this trip.

Day Cinco

Day Cinco We slept in a little bit today and went downstairs for breakfast of eggs and sausage with tomato salsa, and beans on the side. Everything Chuy has made us has been delicious. After breakfast we dove right into work and planning. We found games to play and tested them out. We planned schedules, correlated our notes, and I drew up some flashcards. I learned a ton of Spanish but I’m not sure what has actually stuck yet. After a while we stopped and had some lunch. It was soup, rice, and more beans. The food is healthy here despite the cheese and carbs. It’s like China’s cuisine, better in the country than its version in the states. We went right back to working on stuff and planning. There’s so much to think about when teaching kids.

At around 8 we left to visit a town and get some dinner. We drove to Pozzo, this town that was supposed to be filled with art and museums and a great view. When we got there it looked more like a ghost town. There was no one out, it was already dark out, and nothing looked like it was open. We drove around and through the town and finally Oscar hopped out of the car and asked someone if anywhere was open for food. They said it was Sunday, and pretty much everything was closed.

We chalked that up for experience, saying that perhaps Sundays are better nights to stay in. Still we forged ahead and drove into another city, San Luis de la Paz, that was 100 times more lively than the last. Everyone was out, there were stalls selling cakes and corn on the cob, and everyone stared at us like we had stepped out of a space shuttle.

So the girls bought some cake and we walked around, still looking for a place to sit and eat, while taking photos of this lively little town. It was getting later and later with no luck, so we stopped at the grocery store and picked up some food to take back to Ceracaly.

Day Seis

Today is a long day and I actually took a ton of photographs. So I decided I would split the two events even though they are from the same day.

We thought that Monday would be our first day with the kids, but Mauricio mentioned that Monday was a fiesta day. We spent the morning continuing with planning for the arrival of the kids tomorrow. Part of today was also communicating with the people of Ceracaly why we were there. Six weeks ago I skyped into London and talked to Esme, Melissa, and Sarah. We trained on dealing with people and different thoughts and feelings. We all talked about our fears, hopes, and times we were brave. As a thank you for trusting one another, we all received a bracelet to remind us how courageous we all can be.

We were supposed to do this training with them, and I will respect everyone by not mentioning what they talked about. I do want to say that I was the youngest person there; and I'm not saying I've had a good or bad life. My life is what it is, but talking to these people opened my eyes to others problems and priorities. It made me reanalyze the hardships that people go through and it made me realize how much shit people can deal with. Everyone will have something go wrong in their lives, but proof that someone is a good person is all about how someone deals with those hardships and overcomes them in the end. The best thing about this project was asking some questions and having the people say "no one has ever asked me that." It made them think about themselves and reflect everything they have accomplished.

I loved watching the emotions on their faces. This trip is awe-inspiring. I can't believe I get to work with these people and be a part of this project. I hope the people that take the time to read this realize the hardships others go through to get where they are. I hope you see that the things you go through aren't stronger than you.

*Note: I am still sorting through my photos. I know I took photos from Day Cinco, but I just haven't found mine yet.

hola mr Macro,

On it's own little note, I recently was able to obtain an incredible lens for an incredible price. I work in a little camera store, and someone traded in a 105 mm f/2.8 Macro lens. I was ecstatic and snatched it up before anyone could take it. It's an incredible lens because of the long focal length and the fact that it's macro. It's amazing for portraits as it compresses people and doesn't make them look wider than they are. You, as the photographer, are also not in their face taking photos which can cause the subject anxiety (unless you're taking photos of peoples eyes, then it's terrifying).

Esme's 

Sarah's

My eyes (taken by Esme Brandon ©)

Obviously distance is a factor in depth of field (DOF), so the closer I get to an object, like a flower or a bug , the less is in focus. I had to learn that the hard way when I photographed an object at school close in and didn't realize that some of the object would be out of focus. I needed to close up my aperture if I wanted more DOF.

In mexico there were a few really massive bugs we would see during the day, and I got really excited the day there was one right outside our room. So I got this lens out and got right into this giant bug's face as it climbed around the stairs. I think I really ticked him off because he tried drowning in a puddle.

Anyways, if you're a Nikon user, and you need a macro, I would HIGHLY recommend the 105 f/2.8 Macro lens. You won't have buyers remorse.

Mexico Day Dos

Day Dos Today we woke up and looked out off the balcony onto the grey day. We dressed in somewhat warm clothes. Now, literally a day before this trip I was told that it wouldn't be as warm as we thought it would be. I had flown out to visit my parents before this, so all my pants and sweatshirts were back home in NY. I went out the day before this trip and bought a hoodie which saved me so many times.

Anyways, we walked around Mexico City this morning looking for a place to eat. We settled on a place called condesa Origenes. It was a healthy natural place. I ordered biscuits with mushrooms, spinach, and cheese melted on top. It was so freaking good. Meals during the trip ranged from 50 pesos to 250 pesos, so everything was actually really affordable.

After breakfast we had marked a couple of places that we wanted to see in the city so we started walking around, exploring. We passed shops that sold anything and everything. Eventually we came across a giant square that hosted a MASSIVE flag, the metropolitan cathedral which is the oldest and largest church in latin america, and some other great architectural buildings. The church was like a regular catholic church, massive, gorgeous, and filled with natural light. We were able to climb on the roof and get a tour (in spanish) on the bells and bell tower. The view at the top was incredible.

We also spent a good portion of the day trying to figure out our phone situation and trying to get a working phone with minutes on it. (the best part is we got one, and once we were in Ceracaly, it didn't work there. HA)

We viewed another building that was adjacent to the church that was filled with art murals of when the europeans overtook the land. The murals were huge and it was amazing to see the representations of the european culture. They painted them deformed looking to emphasize their evil-doings.

At this point we had walked a ton so we searched for a place to eat. I fell into a hole in the concrete on the way, falling onto my camera (thankfully it was okay), and it was shortly after this that we just found someplace to sit and eat. I opted for pasta and learned what chorizo is (sausage).

The rest of the time here we spent walking around the city, trying to get back to the apartment. We walked through an incredible market browsing for gifts and making plans to come back to buy our souvenirs. We took the underground which was only 3 pesos and was applauded by some locals for trying that experience; but honestly it wasn't bad at all. I was quite impressed with our navigators, Sarah and Melissa.

For dinner we got dressed and met with a friend of Melissa's who's going to grad school with her in the fall. He brought his friend, I tried a strawberry margarita made with mezcal (to die for), and we ordered some food. FINALLY, at long last, I met the last girl from our Akosia group, Esme.

After we got home we all wondered what would happen next, what the place we were staying at was going to be like, and how this journey was going to fold out. Tomorrow, we set out for Ceracaly.

Mexico Day Uno

So, I've had the opportunity for the last two weeks to embark on a journey to teach kids about multimedia storytelling. I came across this opportunity from a facebook post on my schools facebook and applied on a whim. Sure, I know storytelling, of course, I can edit. Do I know Spanish? no. So now that I have internet and to soothe my sadness of leaving, I'm going to be posting about my journey, posting photographs, and trying to illustrate the amazing experience of Mexico.

Days Uno

My trip started with me leaving my parents house in St. Louis and flying to Texas. The flight was slightly delayed so I rushed right onto my flight for Mexico without even a second thought. Our plane took off and it was about halfway to Mexico when I realized I didn't have any address for the place I was staying at, no excuse for being in Mexico, and I wasn't entirely sure I was going to find Sarah, who was scheduled to meet me in the airport.

I got to customs and told them I was just visiting Mexico, and like magic, I was let in. After fumbling around because my knowledge of Spanish is non-existant, I finally found my bag and the exit. Luckily Sarah found me right away. Glad she knew what I looked like because I didn't recognize her at all.

We took a cab to our host house in Mexico City, took one step into her apartment, and fell in love with it. It's a one bedroom with two bathrooms, an entire wall that's a glass door and leads outside to the small balcony. It was gorgeous, in a fantastic neighborhood, and was modernly decorated. We all fell in love with the place.

Sarah and I then went out for my first taste at real mexican food. We each had a few tacos, I had one with mole sauce, pollo (chicken), and a third one. The difference was the corn tortillas instead of flour. After we asked for the bill, the waiters brought out complimentary rice pudding. We paid, and they brought out six small cups each containing a different liquid. One was fermented oat juice, another was fermented cactus juice, one tasted like mud, two were fruity. They were really odd but it was great tasting all these new things.

Finally they brought out one more free thing. It was a margarita but it was made from mezcal and not tequila. I couldn't even bear to take more than a few sips it was so incredibly bitter and weird tasting. We left with barely drinking it, and left a good tip for the guys who brought us all the free food we tried. I know they got a kick out of our attempts at spanish too.

Sarah and I went back to the apartment and met person number two on the trip: Melissa. She had our leftovers and we enjoyed her overabundance of energy because she napped for her whole day flight into Mexico.

Melissa on the left and and Sarah on the right showing off their courage bracelets.

Vintage photos

It's been pretty crazy lately in school, plus Easter just happened and I got to go home and see some family, which was pretty amazing. I wanted to talk a little about vintage photos and over-editing. Now I am a person who has been immersed in photoshop for a good five years. So I know some really cool things and I'm actually learning a lot more things at Newhouse. For one assignment we have to design a workbook whether it's for a specific company or a made up one. The topic is anything we choose. My partner, Ashley, is really into vintage things and old photo frames. I really loved the idea, plus I can get inspired on pinterest or flickr.

So I took some photos of a girl I went to high school with, Caitlin. She had brought a lot of different clothes to choose from and even had a dress that emulated the 1800's. I took photos of her in the studio for almost 8 hours straight and it was playing with the lighting on her. It was also nice to see an old friend and meet her little dog, Harvey.

After I took these photos, I edited them fixing her hair and her skin a little, and then posted those on facebook. After  two weeks, I finally found a tutorial on how to make photos look vintage. I tried it out and really liked it.

http://veerle-v2.duoh.com/blog/comments/photoshop_vintage_effect/

Here it is, if anyone wanted to try it. I think the photos change a lot, and I think for this project, it works. However, I got a lot of comments on how the vintage effect really took away from her blue eyes. I'm still not sure I would choose to do this to a normal photo of mine, but for a project, or to go with a theme, I kind of liked how these came out. Thoughts?

This weekend should be vintage still lifes to finish up the project. Excited to try some different lighting techniques that I learned last semester.

For now, I should get some sleep. I haven't slept since Monday night! Crazy grad school.