SNAPSH TFebruary 2016

DIRECTORJulia Hester

FACULTY ADVISORAlexandra Silverthorne

PHOTO COORDINATORSMeriam SalemAnna MoneymakerMatthew Stebenne

DESIGNZachary Porter

February 2016

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S M T W T F S

Submission Drive: The Melodic MomentFebruary 1st - 14thSubmit your photos for this years photo book

Director Open ForumFebruary 9Stop by the Photo Collevtive Office to ask our director Juila any questions!

Student Workshop: Concert PhotographyFebruary 13th

Workshop: Printing your PhotosFebruary 17th

SOC Week EventFebruary 23th

Movie Time!February 25thCome watch a movie with us!

Calendar of Events

Faculty Advisor Alexandra Silverthorne

AU PHOTO COLLECTIVE PHOTO BOOK:

The Melodic Moment

DEADLINE: FEBURARY 14th (11:59 pm)

Criteria - Photos based on Song Lyrics - Can submit up to 3 images - Each images should a .jpg or .tiff, at least 300 DPI - Both film and digital photos are welcome - Open to American University students - Submit photos, name of the song, and the artist to by email to auphotocollective@gmail.com

Have you ever been inspired by your favorite song to take a photo? Or looked at a photo you’ve taken and thought of a song lyric? Or maybe, the mood in a particular photo reminds you of what you feel when you listen to a particular song.

This spring, we are publishing our second annual photobook and the theme is The Melodic Moment, photos that remind us of and are inspired by songs. It’s completely open to interpretation and there are many different ways to approach this whether it’s a literal take, a feeling you get from the song, a similar subject matter, etc.. Maybe you already have

a photo you shot that works, or maybe you have a new favorite song and are up for a good photo challenge. Whatever your take is, we want to see it.

To apply: e-mail up to three high-res images (.jpg or .tiff, at least 300dpi and 10 inches wide) to auphotocollective@gmail.com. Be sure to include the name of the song and the artist as well as your name, school, and year. Both film and digital photos are welcome.

The Melodic MomentFebruary 2016

February 2016

Last semester, PhoCo moved off campus for our annual exhibition. This semester, we are headed out of the city with a weekend trip to NYC for April 2nd and 3rd. We’ve lined up a busy and exciting weekend full of gallery hopping, meetings with photographers and curators, city wanderings, a throwaway camera contest, an evening of room karaoke, and more.

Details: Bus will depart DC at 8am on Saturday, April 2nd and return by 11pm on Sunday, April 3rd. Cost is $25/student and includes bus fare, hotel, and all entrance fees. Students are responsible for meals. The trip is limited to 15 students and we’ll have an application drive open in early March.

Suggestions/Questions? Get in touch with Alexandra Silverthorne at silverth@american.edu

SPRING TRIP TONYC

Photo by: Cole Doyle1/60th, f1.4, ISO1600, on camera flash

Photo of the Month

February 2016

Meet the Photography Staff

Cole DoyleOffice Hours: Wednesday 3:00 pmYou can usually find me making my way through busy crowds getting yelled at by strangers for taking their photo. Mirrorless and film are the way to go, so I shoot with a Fuji X-E2 coupled with a 35 f/1.4 and a Leica M6 with a Voigtlander 35 f/2.5.

Matthew StebenneOffice Hours: Thursday 5:15-6:15 pmBorn and raised in Vermont, I am a sophomore studying International Communication and Arabic Language. After getting my camera in 2013, I began focusing mainly on portraiture. My favorite thing to shoot is acting headshots because of the shallow depth of field and opportunity to show someone’s character through a single image.

Nickolaus MackOffice Hours: Monday 4 pmIf every day was a Burger King day, meaning I could have it my way, I’d be easily found in downtown DC with a chai tea latte in one hand, a pastry in the other, and my cam with 18-55 mm lens hanging from my neck.

Meriam SalemOffice Hours: Thursday 12:30 to 1:30 pmHi. I am Meriam. I like to photography. Let’s photography together on the pathway to success

Anna MoneymakerOffice Hours: Monday and Wednesday 12:00 -1:00 pmHi my name is Anna Moneymaker. Yes Moneymaker is my last name. I enjoy most all photography, especially photojournalism and concert photography.

STOP BY MGC 252 TODAY!

In the time that I sat alone in my room over Winter Break, because of the abnormal blizzard that hit my hometown Albuquerque, I spent a lot of time on different photo blogs, particularly reading about concert photography. It is something that I have always admired. I knew that with the coming new year, that I wanted to pursue more opportunities where I could take pictures of concerts. When I set my goal, I was clueless as to how I would attain it. After searching through some of my favorite concert photographer’s blogs, such as Adam Elmakias, and even emailing a local D.C., photographer, I now have a clearer vision of how I can get more opportunities to take picturesof concerts.

Luckily, I have taken pictures of concerts with the bands that come on campus and even going to the Global Earth Citizen concert last year on the Mall. I heard from many photographers that basic practice and building up a portfolio is what anyone needs before contacting a music publication for photo passes or the band’s PR themselves. Having a strong portfolio is really useful. With a strong portfolio a photographer can easily be hired or taken seriously by bands. After getting a portfolio, a photographer can send that portfolio to any music publication and apply to be a contributing photographer. Or a photographer can do freelance work and contact a band’s PR. Often times photographers get a lot of no’s, but I learned that it is

Concert PhotographyAnna Moneymaker

Thoughts From the Photo Coordinators

February 2016

Thoughts From the Photo Coordinatorseasier to get the opening bands to give you photo passes, because those are the bands in need of pictures for their own publicity. Once you have gotten confirmation that you will be allowed to shoot the concert, pat yourself on the back and be prepared for a hectic night.

When you go to a show that you are shooting, you will likely pick your pass up at the Will Call office. When you have picked up your pass you will go to the photo pit which is right in front of the stage. Unless you are touring with the band, most photographers are only allowed to take pictures of the band for three songs. This is so, because security does not want too many people in their way while catching crowd surfers or looking out for concert goers that may get too rowdy. The three picture rule is also in place, some say, because

the performers become more and more unkept through out the concert, and don’t want unattractive photos of them sweating. That reason is just a rumor.

When you’re taking pictures at the concert, be aware of your surroundings. Come into the show with an ISO about 800, or depending on your camera, higher. Your shutter speed should be fast as well, to capture the motions of the performers. Unfortunately with concert photography, there is not much time to frame your shots. The thing you have to do is just keep taking pictures. Try to get, at least, a few good pictures of every member of the band. Once you have them, you are golden. Concert Photography is not for an exclusive group of people and can be done by anyone who takes the right steps and are prepared for the intensity.

Growing up in Vermont, I was able to have plenty of practice taking photos in every type of winter-relat-ed situation. This past blizzard provided a wonderful backdrop for photo opportunities. There’s a few key things to factor-in while taking photos in the snow.

1.During the SnowPlease make sure you have some sort of weather proof-ing on your camera. Some Canon cameras are a little more waterproof than others (as the price goes up, so does the build and security of your camera body)

In a fierce blizzard, the lighting might be scarce, so shoot at a slower shutter speed, and compensate a little more for the lack of light with a higher ISO. Be careful with the focus, because snowflakes will confuse the autofocus. To help this, you can select exactly which autofocus point within the lens you would like your camera to focus on.

2. It will be bright! When the snowing stops and the sun comes out, you will find it hard to shoot with a large aperture of f/2 or

Pictures in the SnowMatthew Stebenne

even f/4. The white reflection off of the snow will cause most photos to be surprisingly overexposed. In this situation, always drop the ISO to a low setting (100 or 200), and enjoy shooting with a very fast shutter. Use it to your advantage! Sometimes the pairing of midday light mixed with bright snow can can pro-vide extremely bright light that will be able to fill your subject’s eyes when lit correctly. Find an area of shadow that will allow the subject to looking directly into the light, without being in the light. This will create amaz-ing lighting onto their face.

3. Don’t forget White BalanceWith this type of weather, auto white balance will cause the white balance of your camera to create very “cold” images, which make the final photo extremely blue. Select a higher White Balance of around 6000 or 7000 (which in your camera is called Shade or Cloudy) this will help skin tones be more realistic and create a nice happy and warm photo.

February 2016

1. Crank that ISO! ISO is artificial light- if you don’t have light: crank it up! However, caution is important. Sometimes you don’t need a higher ISO as you do a lower shutter speed or a wider aperture! Low-Light photography is all about balance.

2. Follow the light! Position your subject in front, behind, or next to the light source, so that they are properly exposed

3. Shutter Speed! Be conscious of your subject’s speed- especially in low light. If your subject is moving a lot like in a performance than you would want to raise the shutter speed and your ISO to balance the light. If your

Low Light Photography TipsMeriam Salem

subject isn’t moving you can lower your shutter speed (be sure to steady your hand) and the ISO.

4. Camera Capabilities! Not every camera can han-dle low light situations as gracefully as others. Photo Collective cameras can, so if you find yourself indoors or in a low light situation come and borrow a camera. Some cameras can go up to ISO 3200 without lowering the quality of the photograph and others ruin the quali-ty at ISO 1600. Know your camera.

5. Flash.. Don’t, unless it’s an external flash with a dif-fuser. None of these photos were taken with a flash.