Around Campus

Last week the Photo Media class was out on campus working on photographing strangers, getting caption info from them, and getting over their nervousness. It gave me a chance to walk around campus to make some of my own images in the late winter light.

 

Xavier attempts to photograph down on Mia’s level.

Xavier and Maddy interview Herman Garcia and his dog Mia.

ISU Photo Media “Zip Code Project”

Once again the ISU Photo Media class traveled to Lava Hot Springs to conduct field work resulting in their “Zip Code Project”. The purpose of this project is to visually capture a sense of place and is patterned after a similar activity conducted some years ago by the National Geographic.

A Sense of Place

This week our Photo Media class was conducting field work at Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, a small tourist town built on year-round mineral hot springs. Warmed by the same lava activity that powers the famous geysers of nearby Yellowstone National Park, Lava Hot Springs is conveniently nestled in the Portneuf River valley in Bannock County. Photo students were here replicating the ZipUSA project, which had been done several times in the National Geographic magazine. This field work gave photojournalist students the opportunity to hone both their photo and interviewing skills on a lovely spring day in the Rockies!

Here’s some shots of the students about town and my own B&W interpretation of Lava Hot Springs:

Amy Millward, a photography student at Idaho State University, practices her interviewing skills with local residents of Lava Hot Springs, during a recent field work assignment.

Left to right: Mike Ritchie, Stefanie Call, Dustin Nicholas, and Andrew Simmons on a recent photo trip to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. Photo Media students were photographing and interviewing local residents of the community in order to capture a sense of place.

Corey Bridges (left) hands off a stack of menues to the waitperson at the Chuck Wagon Restaurant in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho on April 10, 2014 while Ed Ritterbush ponders his order of sizzling fajitas. Photo Media students from Idaho State University’s photography program were replicating the National Geographic’s ZipUSA Project that investigates small communities in order to visually record a sense of place.

Ed Ritterbush, a photography student at Idaho State University, finally gets to savor his sizzling fajitas in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.

Outside the Arcade in Lava Hot Springs, sits an incredible 1957 Chevy “Nomad” Bel Air station wagon.

Hot mineral baths at the Home Hotel & Motel in downtown Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.

Mineral Baths available at Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.

Modifying the Light

Photo Media students recently practiced diffusing light for environmental portraits while using a 5-n-1 reflector kit. Amy Millward adjusts the diffusion disc to soften the harsh Idaho sun on Dustin Nicholas.

Amy Millward holds a diffusion disc during a portrait session with Dustin Nicholas.

Breaking the Ice: Photographing and Interviewing Strangers

Photo media student, Ed Ritterbush, walks across campus while on assignment, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014, in Pocatello, Idaho. Ritterbush engaged strangers on the street as part a journalistic exercise at Idaho State University. (ISU Photo/Terry Ownby)

Photo media students, Amy Millward, left, and Jody Lopez, center, interview three male Idaho State University students returning from their workout at the campus gym, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014, in Pocatello, Idaho. Both ladies practice their interviewing techniques during a recent in-class exercise on street portraits. (ISU Photo/Terry Ownby)

Photojournalist Amy Millward, left, practices her interviewing techniques with English professor Jessica Winston, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014, on the Idaho State University campus in Pocatello, Idaho. Millward was participating in an applied exercise for her photo media class. (ISU Photo/Terry Ownby)

English professor Jessica Winston, right, and son, Robert, enjoy a liesurly stroll and wagon ride across Idaho State University’s lower campus, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014, in Pocatello, Idaho. Winston, who specializes in early modern literature and directs ISU’s graduate studies in English, exclaimed she “felt like a celebrity with paparazzi following” when she encountered several photo media students working on their class assignment. (ISU Photo/Terry Ownby)

Skateboarder Ian Brown, 19, aciddrops off the stairs near the entrance to the Pond Student Union Building, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014, in Pocatello, Idaho. Brown stated he recently moved from Arco, Idaho to live near the ISU campus. (ISU Photo/Terry Ownby)

Nineteen year old Ian Brown talks about his job options, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014, in Pocatello, Idaho. Brown, who considers himself an artiist, takes a break from skateboarding, which helps him relieve stress. (ISU Photo/Terry Ownby)

This past week our Photo Media class had its first outing and their assignment was to photograph and interview strangers on the street. Sometimes this can be intimidating, but, often times in this business we need to professionally engage people we don’t know. Hence, this exercise. Below are shots of some students I caught up with on campus doing their project and there’s a few shots of my own. Occasionally, I need to challenge myself with the same exercises I give my students!