Capstone Reflection.

I had a wonderful time not only creating this ePortfolio, which I believe will be hugely helpful to me in the future, but learning skills I believe will be necessary as business moves with technology, as it always has. Making this ePortfolio has helped me to organize my skill set, recognize what I have accomplished and more importantly, what I still need to accomplish and work on.

I believe that the skills I have listed here will not only come in handy for any company I work for, but prove to be a true asset along with my tenacity and problem solving skills. Something I have learned about myself is that although I am young, I have yet to come across a problem or technological advancement I couldn't solve with a little time and clever thinking.

One of the hardest challenges for me in my projects was not always being able to conquer every aspect of the project I was faced with, and having to deal with the technological glitches that seem to pop up from time to time, but realizing that you have to let go a little control when technology takes a hand. Then sometimes, there were so many great options to take with my projects, it's hard to know exactly what you want and not get distracted playing with every one of the million ideas at my fingertips.

Photography in New Media.

 
I really had fun using iMovie. I'd used it once before a few years ago, but with a friend who was in the TV Production class in my high school, so I didn't really get to understand the finer points of constructing a video.

I would probably say that iMovie is the application I will use the most in the future. It was easy to use, although it was really difficult to upload some of the videos from my camera, and I never figured out why it would accept some and not others, but it ended up working the way I wanted. I had a lot of fun with iMovie, and I will definitely utilize it in the future. I love how easy it is to use media from iTunes and iPhoto.

Comm 486 video by Courtney Eckerle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/abby-bird/.

iMovie, Project 5 Prep.

Form: Movie created on Mac's iMovie application 
Audience: Photographers and others interested in the effects of photoshop and new media on the art of photography.
Topic:Discuss the changes, good and bad which have come with the infiltration and reliance of photography today on the "gifts" of new media.
Purpose: To inform, to ask a question which provokes thought.

Mindmap:

For a "flowchart" of sorts, I decided to create a power point presentation instead, as I believed that would help me more, and give me a more concrete idea of the direction my movie would take, and make the transition easier. I've uploaded it to slide share.

Backup of photography

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Script:
 Some memories are important to capture... and some, are just for fun. Some cameras can even video a moment to preserve it forever.

In photography in new media, we're going to be looking at the effect new technology such as photoshop has had on photography.

But with all the new media available today, when does a camera stop being a camera, and a photograph stop being a photograph, and become something else entirely?

This is a question that renowned photographer Elliott Erwitt asks. Born in Paris in 1928,  Erwitt traveled the world from a young age.

In my own representations of Erwitt's work, you can see his talent doesn't rely on the crutch photoshop can sometimes be. He    is a photography purist, and had frequently expressed his distaste for digital manipulation in photography, believing that a moment captured should stay pure and un-photoshopped.
   
"Digital manipulation kills photography, it is enemy number one," said Erwitt. Was he right?

Where does the new technology of digital media fit into the world of photography?

Without photoshop, this picture wouldn't be possible.

What would this girl even look like?

With Picnik and Photoshop it's becoming easier than ever to manipulate photographs. Creative Commons and Flickr are poised to do for photography what YouTube did for video sharing.

What will photography mean in the future?

POB Final Product!

For some reason I can't get the audio to embed with it, so click this link to check out my screencast!

POB

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POB Slidecast.

FATP
Form: Slidecast
Audience: Photographers, those curious about social media's impact on photography.
Topic: Photography and social media- impact on the profession.
Purpose: To inform on the changes in photography, dangers of becoming too reliant on digital manipulation. Possibly persuade against too much reliance on digitial media.

Click to make bigger and zoom in!




Script:
Welcome everyone to my first podcast, on July 7th 2010. I’m your host, Courtney. I’m currently a junior at St. Mary’s College in Indiana, where I am a English Literature and Communications major with a film studies minor.  and the title of today’s show is “protect our beach” , a movement born through social media.

Erin started for her family, lived at the beach her whole life, raising two young kids here, hated the idea of oil coming to our beach, needed to do something.

She really didn’t do much to start the group, within two weeks she had over 100 followers, had an event organized.

Used conventional methods, contacted city halls, updated people on social media, combined.

Was able to organize her event using conventional and social media methods, not even a week beforehand, contacted businesses, happy to help.

Talking to people in person and using social media, able to make it a success.

By combining it, she was able to make it a success, would not have been able to make it a success if she used social media alone.

Combined to make super movement to reach anyone, even people who don’t use the internet, and people who are very active on the internet.

Able to create this wonderful way for people to get together in the community, collaborate.

Thanks to everyone for tuning in, and thanks to all the Creative Commons artists who lent their work.

REFLECTIONS:
With this project I feel like I was able to better take advantage of mindmapping, since this project was looser than the last, and I wasn't quite sure where I was going with it. I wanted to say things that I really couldn't fit into my plain screen cast, and able to better able to express myself through audio.

I really enjoyed this process, because honestly I have always wondered how to use GarageBand and always been too lazy to really learn it. So this was a great project for me, and something I'm sure I will use in the future. GarageBand was so easy to use, it was a cinch once I took the time to really read the "How to" that was up on the Comm website.

Podcast Review.

The Culture Catch is a podcast that is in a interview format. It's hosted by Dusty Wright, who interviews important and creative people from the world of music, movies, theater and other venues. 

The great thing about The Culture Catch Podcast is that Dusty Wright interviews people in a setting they're comfortable in. When he's interviewing a musician, for example, the latest episode I watched is with guitarist Derek Trucks, there are guitars hanging on the wall behind them, and they're in a Gibson guitar store. It gives a really comfortable feel to the interview, and has a conversation-like feeling. That for me is the best set up of the podcast- it's a window into something the audience would otherwise never get to experience.

The other thing I like about the set up is that it is broken up by the musician playing, or a clip from the actor's movie.

I think the idea for the Culture Catch is to have smart, intelligent creative professionals on, and to have that caliber of a conversation with them, and they really nail it right on the head. The host is so informed and articulate, and every celebrity I've watched on the show is worthwhile and loves what they do, and is good at what they do.

Here's a clip of the podcast just so you can get a hint of what I'm talking about (it takes a minute to start up):

Slide Share!

Making this slide share was a really great experience! I love the technology. The mind mapping wasn't so helpful this time around- I didn't feel I really needed it, the power point process is so...linear. It just didn't work for me this time.

While I kind of feel like the process is restrictive, I like power points, maybe for that reason- you don't really have to worry about being flashy or doing really crazy things. Power point is more about presenting the facts, but in a visually pleasing way.

I didn't like the flow chart for the same reason- it felt so much like the power point, very linear. So it would have taken me less time to think quickly about how I wanted the power point to flow, and some possible rearranging, which is very easy with power point, than it did to make the flow chart. In the future for this kind of a project, I wouldn't use it. Maybe if it was something very intricate and detailed. I did however, find the flow chart much easier to use, and possibly more valuable for the future than the mind mapping.

FATP:
Form: Slide show!
Audience: Comm class, those concerned over oil spill response.
Topic: A group formed through social media's response to oil spill. 
Purpose:To inform on the viability of combining social media with conventional tactics.

Flow Chart:

Mind Map:

 Final product!

POB

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Before/After.

Ok so for my before/after, I used Picnik, because I just did my screencast on Gimp, and to be honest I've never really used Picnik before, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about-- and now I get it. I really like it!

First, I messed around with the exposure. I gave the picture more contrast, because it was so bland looking. I also nudged the exposure to make it a little brighter, but not so much that it would look overexposed.

Then I saturated it just a twinge, and made it look a little more tan, away from the blue-ish color.

After that, I was pretty much finished with it, I just did the before and after framing. I didn't want to mess with it so much that it looked weird or very, very digitally handled.

(double click this picture to reach my flickr account)


Making the photo a Creative Commons was so easy, I did it just like it showed on EdVibes. Very simple. Also sharing it and getting the HTML was self explanatory. I chose the attribution-non commercial- no derivatives CC because  I didn't want anyone to be able to use derivative works based upon my work (even though there are currently none) and I certainly didn't want anyone using it for commercial purposes. And of course I wanted credit for my work. I figured out which I wanted to use by looking at this.

Gimp Screencast.

I really liked Gimp, especially as a less expensive version of Photoshop, which I'm spoiled with since the SMC computers in Trumper have it. When I'm at home, I really only have the basic, basic photo editing software, so Gimp is a nice thing to be able to mess around with and have fun with.

The only thing I didn't like so much about Gimp was that it felt kind of bulky if that makes any sense, it wasn't super easy to use right off the bat- a little slow to change the photo (although that could just be my computer) and manuvering the paintbrush is difficult. It's hard to use with any sort of precision.

But Gimp has some really great aspects, and I love love love the flip tool. I can't tell you how many times it's saved me when I was working on something journalistically-minded.

Don't mind that my screencast gets cut off at the end, I wasn't saying anything important! Haha and if you were wondering, I used Jing for the screencast, which I also really liked! It was difficult to get the dimensions right, so that was the downside.

You can click on the link to make the screencast bigger and easier to see!

Here's the link.
 

Google Docs.

So in the interest of full disclosure, I have used google docs before, but only with people sending them to me. The previous photo editor at The Observer used them all the time to list out our assignments. So that is as far as my Google Docs knowledge went before this assignment.

http://docs.google.com/

So, since I didn't really know too much about Google Docs, I headed to (where else) wikipedia. The entry says the site is, "a free, Web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, form and data storage service offered by Google. It allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users."

One of the things I really liked was that google docs offers a mobile phone application that can be accessed from, for instance, an iPhone. Also it's very organized- documents are easy to arrange as you will and easily found with the search function.

I really like how you can create the document through the site, and you don't have to create it on your computer and then upload it. You can create it and then save it to your account.

Not only can you create free form documents, or you can use a template to create a family budget, a resume (which could be helpful for us- they have like four different kinds) a personal budget (which I KNOW would be super helpful for me) an invoice, a research paper and a to do list.

All of these are great options for Google Docs to have, because the ability for multiple people to be able to see it and add to and change all of these could potentially be very helpful, and very easy.

Now the thing I didn't like about it is that is wasn't quite as easy to use as it could be, kind of awkward in some tools...if that makes sense.

Also Google Doc's...doc's are easy to use, but not completely a replacement for word or powerpoint. But really good to use if you just want to do something simple with them.

All and all I really enjoyed getting to know Google docs more, and it's really easy to use and share- you can invite others, or simply get the link to email them your document.

ePortfolio, Complete.

My ePortfolio is finally complete. It was a pretty easy project, I had most of the essentials done very quickly. I did get tripped up on a few things- it wouldn't upload my picture files straight from my computer, so I had to take them from flickr or facebook so the file size wasn't so large. I think this ePortfolio will really be a valuable tool to me in the future, and something I will most definitely keep updating.

As much trouble as I had with mind mapping, in the long run it really did help me get started on my ePortfolio faster, and know exactly what I wanted to accomplish. It tripped me up at first on how to make pages (such as schools, resume, etc.) link to my main subject (education, work experience, respectively) but well worth it once I figured it out. It made the page feel fuller.

I also love the ability to feature a sampling of my photography work. Even if I one day use this site for job searching, I think it is good to show I have a hobby I am dedicated to, and it would allows an outside viewer to connect and understand something about me.

ePortfolio Mindmap.

Form: A website form using graphic design, photography and video.

Audience: Friends, family; mostly future employers, looking to learn more about me and my work experience.

Topic: About myself,my work and life experience.

Purpose: To inform employers about me, my creative ventures and previous work experience.

Click the popout icon in the bottom right corner to expand and view my mindmap.


Figuring out my ePortfolio ideas wasn't too difficult, since with previous assignments I have figured out what I want to display to the internet public. The link to previous student's pages helped immensely, and I'm sure it will in the creation process as well.

Understanding about mindmaps was easy. It's such a great, simple concept, and basically something I have already been doing in my writing for years. The Maximize the Power of Your Brain video with Tony Buzan was very helpful as well, and figuring out if I am left brained or right brained was very interesting as well- (one test said I was left brained, and one right. I guess I'm a good mix of both?)

I did however, find XMind mind mapping hard to use. It took me a while to understand how everything went together, and the control buttons were so small I kept accidentally clicking a different one. I was very frusterated and had to keep erasing work and starting over until I started over again. I didn't think it was very self evident to use, or easy even once I knew how to do it. I probably wouldn't use it as a tool after this class.

Setting Up Social.

Setting up my Diigo, Linkedin and social bookmarking websites has been interesting. It led me to the questions of "what is interesting enough to save?" and "What kind of things to I put up about myself that people will want to know?"

They were all easy enough to set up, and all the articles and media we read certainly showed us how easy they are to use and how to be best used, but it's tougher to decide on the information you want to include.

I decided to keep it organized and concise. That's the best way to keep track of things and clean cut always looks the best on websites like Linkedin.

Social (Networking) Studies.

Social networking and I have a complicated relationship. Some days, I just want to chuck my cell phone out the window, let the battery die on my computer and let the internet go. Pretend like it didn't happen while laying on a beach somewhere, or out in nature, out in the world actually talking to people. Face to face, not facebook to facebook.

Then of course, there are days where I check my facebook every five seconds, or inbetween every youtube video and tweet that says something like, "Man I love Starbucks frappuccino's!" or "I've watched five straight hours of Deadliest Catch! The Bering Sea is so BA!"

Needless to say, the world can survive without my constant useless updates and bizarre impulses to watch a baby panda sneeze over and over again.

There is a lot to be said about balance when it comes to social networking. It's definitely achievable. You have to find the sharing in it. There really is nothing like finding a hilarious youtube video and just sending it out in every possible direction.

A friend of mine calls this Twitter therapy. Taking feelings and just sending them out there, not knowing where they're going to land, if anyone is going to care, but just knowing that they're out, and you've expressed yourself is enough. Maybe it's as simple as an "AGHHHHHHHH" tweet or facebook status. Maybe you keep retweeting about the oil spill in the Gulf because you want the world to know how angry it makes you. Friends and family are no longer enough- everyone has to know. You are making a statement about yourself, and you don't care who finds it. Here I am, here are my thoughts.

Social bookmarking is interesting this way. I have a feeling that someday psychological studies will be done on what we think is important enough to save, rescued from the cast aways of the thousands of web pages we look at in a given week. Almost like a diary, really. You could go back to a certain day and know exactly what you were worried about, or what actress you thought was important, what youtube video made you laugh.

So called "Folksonomy" is part of this too. Our lives are expanding so that even our organizational systems have to change. We can no longer file things under one subject, because things have different angles and views now. It isn't just "photography", it's "California", "retro", "new age", "photoshopped", "polaroid"...you get the idea. Our worlds are expanding to fit our needs. Each one of these labels could be just as important as the most obvious of "photography".

It is so much easier for me to tag like this, because my mind works like the above diagram from the EdVibes article "What Why and How to Tag". Folksonomy is a perfect for me, because I constantly catagorize things in this web-like way.

The Long Tail.

I live in Jacksonville Beach, FL which is consolidated with the main city of Jacksonville, FL but remains semi-independent with it's own municiple government, although we citizens are able to vote in both city elections...and technically have two mayors, two police departments, etc. It's a strange system that no one really understands, but it works for us. 

Living and working in a beach town you have a whole different way of living and interacting with people than I've seen in a lot of cities. Maybe it's a southern thing, maybe it's just about living in a small community where everyone has something in common- the beach. 

Here I observe an almost tide pool- like examples of the Long Tail. For instance, we have so many thriving small, unique businesses here, doing very well selling their art, crafts or even food. Just out of farmers markets, and our once a month Art Walk, but doing very well. They don't sell their designs to chain stores, and yet people still know about them.

You'll hear things like, "Oh yeah, that guy who carves frames out of driftwood? We got one from him last week out at the art walk." It's more common than hearing, "Oh yes! We have that same lamp from Target!"

There's a craving here for unique, handcrafted products that I think a lot of beach towns have, since they supply the artists. The people you see thriving in this niche area of farmers markets and art walks are those who put the most unique and interesting twists to their product. They are selling more than the women with the hand mixed sand candles that seem to be so popular.

Another example would be the Moonlight Movies we hold here once a summer. There are only four every year, and they have become more and more popular since they began five years ago, causing a huge influx of people now. The reason? Well, they're always popular movies, but nothing special that anyone couldn't rent and watch from home. The uniqueness that draws people in is that they are shown from a big screen on the pavilion right by the ocean, which is unmatched anywhere in Jacksonville. We don't even have a drive-in anymore. They are reaching a huge amount of people with a unique, hard to find product.

I don't know if these examples help anyone else, but thinking about the Long Tail idea in these terms that are familiar to me has really helped. At least, if I understand it the way I think I do.

Blogging is a great, more relatable example. For instance- Perez Hilton's blog. It supplies mass doses of hard to get inside information on celebrities to the masses, and it has created this niche success that is really unreplicated.

Anyways, I found this video on Youtube that shows the Jax Beach Pier, a beautiful spot where around where you can always find the interesting, unique people (and animals) who make us the town that I love so much and am so fascinated by.

Starting Out.

Setting up this blog was pretty easy for me since I have set up a couple before, and have helped my friends to do the same. I know that the real difficult part of having a blog isn't setting it up- they make it pretty user friendly. The difficult part was deciding what I was going to make this blog about, and then sticking to it.

Getting to the part that asks you for the title of your blog...it's always the place I always choke. I could only come up with horrible play-on-words and puns that I can't even share because they are just too desperately lame to repeat.

So I decided to keep it simple. Sun Blog. Since I am working for a local paper at the beach where I live, I decided to try to integrate what we're learning in this class on a more personal level with coverage and a viewpoint of what I'm doing in my hometown. The best part about my job is that I am discovering new places and talking to new people in the place I've been almost my whole life, and it's a way I'm trying to find blessings in the boring.

I want to share with others and document for myself the journey I am taking into the "known".