The End

This post marks the end of my internship with Baylor Photography. It's pretty crazy to think the summer is rapidly coming to an end, but I definitely was able to make the most of it.

At this point, the multimedia project I'm working is still labeled a work-in-progress, but here's some scenes so far... (Sorry in advance for the abrupt ending)



So far, I've only shot the 'behind-the-scenes' footage from inside Katie's Custard, which surprisingly very secretive about their ingredients and recipes. I wasn't aware the 'frozen treats' industry was so competitive. Who knew?

But, once the Baylor crowd comes back to town, I'll be sure to head over there and give it another go, focusing on the people eating the custard.

After reviewing the time-lapse I shot yesterday of the sign out in front of the Ferrell Center, I discovered I didn't have a the rotation on the sign timed right. As a result, I ended up with too many pictures not of the temperature slide. I'll have another go at that in the near future.

The sunrise was shot this morning overlooking Lake Waco. While one camera was shooting the time-lapse, I was using another to shoot some of the pictures seen below...

The color really is beautiful at that time of day.

I'm very thankful to Robbie and Matthew for giving me this opportunity. And thanks to those who checked out this blog and came along for the ride. Now, with the Fall semester just around the corner, I'll be shifting my focus to working with the Lariat. Daily issues of the Lariat can be found on our website at www.baylorlariat.com.

-Daniel

Hot Day

I'm still in the editing process with my 'Hot Day' project, but here's a still frame from a time-lapse I shot today of the thermometer outside of the Ferrell Center.

After looking at Weather.com, today marked the 10th consecutive day with temps in the 100s. And if everything goes according the weather forecast, then we're good for another 8 more. Awesome...

See you tomorrow for my last post of this Summer Internship.

-Daniel

A look back at August 6, 1945

Here's a link to the Denver Post Blog showing a collection of photos relating to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. There's no doubt that this single event had an irreversible effect on the warfare as we knew it.

I got the chills after looking at and reading the caption in the first picture. To have a picture of the watch "frozen" in time is quite eerie.

The other thing that caught my eye is how you can see the vast amount of destruction that took place. Very rarely do see anything more than rubble in the background of the images -- all of the buildings have been completely destroyed.

-Daniel

Fish!

As my internship winds down and the end of the summer closes in, I read the book Fish! as one of my last assignments.

While not relating directly to photography, the book contained principles applicable to every aspect of life. To take a quote from the book that sums up what it's all about, "you can't always do what you love, but you can always love what you do." Put another way, sometimes what you're doing might not be because you love it, but rather for some other reason like trying to make ends meet. But, even in that situation, it is still your choice to enjoy what you're doing.

This is the principle the book is centered around and in the book they illustrate how this way of life can be achieved (in a work environment) via the Fish Philosophy.

It was a refreshing reminder about the importance and power of positive thinking and a good attitude.

The way the book was written made it a very easy read. With its fast-moving plot, it was certainly hard to put down. I can appreciate a book that says what it needs in just over a 100 pages, rather going on and on, just to fill pages.

Verdict: Two thumbs up

-Daniel

LA to NY in 4 minutes

Via time-lapse. I've been looking at different time-lapses on the internet and here's one that caught my eye.

First, it was nostalgic seeing scenes from roads I've driven on before in the LA to Las Vegas portion of the trip.

Second, I think what captured me most about the video was that I felt more connected to the car than the guy driving the car. Mainly because of the fact that the car never left us in the whole film, as opposed to the guy when he'd stop for the night.

The fixed position of the camera compared to the moving background certainly gave the illusion that this whole thing was done using a green screen

And, here's a beautiful HDR image time-lapsed. The layering in the clouds gives the image so much dimension.

-Daniel

BSB @ sunset

Just finished up another time-lapse. This one is of the Baylor Science Building as the sun sets and the shadows creep in. I'm definitely still experimenting with the different variables involved. One thing I've learned so far is that this takes a lot of patience.



More coming soon...

-Daniel

Time-lapse (continued)

Ok, so I took my images from yesterday to a computer with the correct software, and here's how it looks...

I also started on one today that I'll try to fit into my 'hot day' project I mentioned yesterday. The setting is the Mr. Snow snow-cone hut off of New Road. I was hoping I had picked a time of day when they'd be really busy, but I made due with what was there.



What I'm realizing really quickly with time-lapse is that there are a lot of moving parts and variables. From the amount of frames are in each second of video to the number of seconds in between taking each picture, these all can have a different effect on what the video looks like.

So, on a technical note, the Tidwell video was at 15 frames/second, while the Mr. Snow video was at 60 frames/second.

More to come...
-Daniel

Time-lapse (test run)

Today I had my first go at creating a time-lapse. My goal is to incorporate this into a multimedia project I'll be starting centered around the theme of just how stinking hot it is here in Texas right now.

Step 1 was to just go out and get my feet wet in how this sort of thing works. I decided on the Tidwell Bible Building as the sun was setting. After loading these 368 images (that's an image shot every 5 seconds for nearly 30 minutes), I came upon a glitch. What I found out was the version of photoshop I have on my computer doesn't allow me to import all of these photos.

So, as an abbreviated version, below are 5 images from the sequence to show the effect I'll be going for.

Also, before posting the photos, I'll share a couple of things I learned right off the bat.
1) Bring a book. 30 minutes takes a long time while you're just standing around.
2) Bug spray. I guess I've learned nothing in the 3-plus years I've been here in Texas. Mosquitoes are everywhere at that time of day!
3) For a proper, widescreen movie format, I'll be shooting horizontal, rather than vertical, in my next attempts.

-Daniel

A Look Back

Although only visiting New York on a few occasions, the absence of the Twin Towers from the city's skyline is clearly evident. The lack of the towers in the skyline has become a symbol of the post-9/11 world we live in.

Here's a gallery with pictures taken of these iconic buildings before 9/11. I particularly enjoy photos 8 and 3. Photo #8 does a great job of putting you (the viewer) there in the scene. And then in photo #3, the color and composition are beautiful. With a building this tall, it would almost only make sense to choose a vertical composition, but the horizontal 'slice' of the tower in this image proves to be quite compelling visually.

-Daniel

Line Camp Outtakes

I was going back through the Line Camp images I shot over the week, and came across some more I'd like to share.

First, here are a couple of colorful images shot in the Independence Baptist Church...

Window light shines through during a Sic 'em.

I particularly liked how it was the green color from the window that shined on the bear.

A colorful Independence landscape.

And an outtake from Goodnight Growl...

There are definitely reasons why I think this image doesn't work -- largely due to me bumbling around with the strobe -- but I liked the motion blur of the Sic 'em.

-Daniel

A condensed baseball game

Now I consider myself a fan of baseball, but I'm all for anyway that shortens the action to a 3 minutes and 24 seconds. That's what photographer Robert Caplin did with this time-lapse of the Yankees beating the Phillies in last year's World Series.

I love how this time-lapse reminded me how there's so much to a baseball game that happens away from the diamond. From the turnstiles to the hotdogs, all of this goes into a true baseball experience.

What's weird to me is how it's not necessary that this be the series-clinching game of the World Series. After going back and watching it again, I noticed that there was less than 10 seconds of celebration on the field, which is what would set this game apart from the others.

Overall though, I thought the shots leading into the ballpark were my favorite. It definitely conveyed the feel of just how many people attended that game.

-Daniel

Last day of Line Camp

The week has come to an end, and with just over 3 weeks before the Fall semester begins, I think it's safe to say that a lot of these freshman are eager to come back and officially begin their time here at Baylor.

These first images are from a segment called "Bearing the Elements," which ironically was moved indoors because of the rain.

Let's play dodgeball!

Reaction in an intense game of knockout.

I had better pictures of this tug-of-war sequence, but I liked seeing how I wasn't the only one who sticks out my tongue when I'm really focusing on something.

Line Camp leaders cheesing for the camera.

And lastly, here's a quite moment of worship during the send-off gathering this morning.

-Daniel

Line Camp (continued)

Line Camp rolls on as another group nears the end. On their last night, groups put on a show with Sing performances.

-Daniel

Giving Back & Goodnight Growl

To start the day, the incoming freshman were sent off-campus for a service event -- cleaning up trash along the Brazos River.

Now, the Brazos is one of the foulest rivers I've seen, but as you'll see in the next few images, that didn't stop them from getting dirty.

And to the end the night (starting at 11:59 p.m.), all of the line camps going on this week (totaling over 600 freshman), gathered for the Goodnight Growl -- a spirit rally with some milk & cookies at the end.

-Daniel

Independence, Texas

Today was my first trip to the historic Independence, TX, the birthplace of Baylor. Still going through the editing process, but here are a few...

Four columns remain from the original campus.

The Line Camp leaders take a moment to pray before welcoming the new freshman into the Baylor Line.

The freshman were greeted by alumni on the other side of the columns' archway.

-Daniel

Decisions, Decisions

Today was the first day of the Line Camp group that I'll be following throughout the week. I'll be going at this project a little differently than I did Orientation. Rather than pick a subject at random, I tried to survey the crowd in action before focusing in on a subject to follow.

So, at the end of today, I've narrowed it down to a few people. Here are some highlights from each person...

Option A - David

Option B - Jessica

At this point in the process, I've got some pluses and minuses for both of them, but I'll be trying to choose the person that'll give me the best set of pictures for the duration of the week.

-Daniel

Spraypaint

I got another chance to take some pictures of Jose working on a mural, but this time was on a wall in the back of the Croft Art Gallery in downtown Waco.

-Daniel

The Decisive Moment (x10!)

"The decisive moment," an idea/phrase coined by famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, is a crucial principal to learn in the world of photojournalism. It's the idea that a split-second difference can be the difference between capturing a great photo or not. And once the moment passes, it's gone forever.

Well, earlier I came across a series of photos by Ian Martens of the Lethbridge Herald that clearly illustrate the "decisive moment." The photos show the crash of a plane during an air show, with the pilot narrowly ejecting in time.

In the series, I'd have to go with #2 as the best. The slight separation of the plane from the ground, with the pilot in the top of the frame with his parachute open, just makes for an awesome photo. 

-Daniel

Lego Party

Today I took pictures of a Lego Party at the Mayborn Museum.

And lastly, a Ken Starr sighting.

-Daniel