Life in the Valley

A waitress at Poncho's Mexican Restaurant in McAllen fills a bowl with salsa from a molcajete for her table.

The sun sets low in the sky behind a windmill built in front of the South Texas Museum of History in Edinburg.

An angel ornament hangs in a tree overlooking the head stones in Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Edinburg, Tx.

A kapok tree stands by the side of the road in Edinburg, TX.

A tortilla maker works away in a Mexican Restaurant located in McAllen, TX

The light from a sunset bathes the steeple of Sacred Heart Church in Edinburg, TX.

The Nuevo Santander Art Gallery in McAllen, TX 

The First Methodist Church in McAllen, TX.

A field of cabbage in Edinburg, TX.

An angel stature stands in the middle of the headstones in Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery.

Critical Lenses -Looking Closely at Photographs

The Iran Elections

By Ben Curtis

1. This photograph gives me a feeling of hope because of what it represents.
2. It tell the story of the people in Iran who are finally being given a chance at democracy.  It would be difficult to get the same effect through words because this photograph gives a face to the people of Iran.
3. The woman's hand and the markings on it are the subject of the photograph.
4. The lighting is natural.  By the shadow on the woman's face, it looks like it is sometime towards the middle of the day.
5. The colors on the woman's hand and the green and red of her head scarf stand out. 
6. The woman's face is somewhat out of focus in order to make her hand the primary subject.
7. The camera is probably about two feet away from the woman but closer to her hand, taking out all of the unnecessary clutter of the area around her and focusing only on her.
8. The rule of thirds is followed.  Both the woman's eyes and her hand are off center.
9. The photo is slightly impersonal.  By not really showing the woman's face, it generalizes the experience and makes her one of the many Iranian people who voted instead of one particular person.  
10. The colors strike me most because they are so bright in contrast to the darkness surrounding the woman in the picture.  It is very symbolic of her actual surroundings.
11. Her face can be considered the background and, behind her, everything has been darkened out.
12. I think this photograph was taken to give meaning to the elections in Iran and bring the unsteady situation in that country to people's attention.
13. This does qualify as photojournalism because it tells this woman's story and her country's story.  I think this qualifies as art photography because of its simple beauty and abundance of detail.
14. This photo is relatively recent.  It probably will not be timeless because it focuses so much on a current issue.  It may become iconic for its political and democratic symbolism.
15. I also notice the woman's face.  While her stance is proud, her expression almost looks anxious.  It shows that, although she was able to vote, there is still an element of danger in her country.

Displaced people line up as they wait for their daily food ration during a sand storm at the Chota Lahore refugee camp, at Swabi, in northwest Pakistan, Wednesday, June 3, 2009.
By Emilio Morenatti

1. This picture evokes a feeling of sadness and hopelessness in its viewer.
2. This tells the story of an abundance of refugees in Pakistan and the circumstances that they are facing due to the war in their country.  I think it could be conveyed in words, but would not have as much of an impact.
3. The line as a whole is the subject of the photograph.
4. The lighting is natural.  It looks like dawn because of the light behind them, but it could be distorted because of the sand storm.
5. The beige of the people's clothing and the landscape is almost the only color in the picture, which makes it seem even more depressing and lonely.
6. The part of the line towards the right of the photo is out of focus, making it seem like the line goes on forever.
7. The camera looks like it is pretty close to the subjects, but far enough away to show more of the line instead of focusing on the individuals' faces.  
8. The picture shows repetition, but does not follow the rule of thirds.
9. This photo is personal in that it shows the struggle that these refugees are going through but impersonal in that the elements of the photo (the clothing and setting) are not familiar at all.
10. The lighting strikes me most because it seems so gloomy and isolated, which is mostly because of the effect of the sand storm.
11. Both the background and foreground are completely plain.  All that shows is the sand that is surrounding them.
12. I think this photograph was taken to bring awareness to the other side of the wars in the Middle East.  These people are being affected by it far more than we are.
13. This definitely qualifies as photojournalism because it is concerned with current events.
14. The photo is recent and doesn't really have a timeless quality because it only makes sense in the context of today's issues.  I also don't think it could become iconic because it isn't striking or personal enough.
15. I also notice that almost none of the people in the picture are even acknowledging the photographer, which adds to the sense of distance and isolation. 



By Michael Appleton

1. This photo sparks the viewer's interest more than anything else.
2. It tells the story of one side of life in New York and the atmosphere of the city.
3. The skateboarder is the subject of the photograph.
4. The lighting looks natural, but since there is no sun or sky in the picture, it is hard to tell what time of day it is.
5. The photo is very colorful, with all the colors of the artwork on the wall drawing the most attention.
6. Everything in the picture is in focus, which might imply that the wall behind the skateboarder is just as much a part of the story as the skateboarder himself.
7. The camera is pretty far away from the subject, which allows room for a better picture of the background.
8. Although the subject isn't exactly centered, the photo does not show the rule of thirds.  It is taken at eye level and without any real composition techniques except possibly for leading lines.
9. The photo is impersonal because it doesn't show the skateboarder's face or expression.  He is just another person in another street in New York.
10. The position of the skateboarder strikes me most because he looks like he could almost be a part of the scene behind him.
11. The background of the picture is the wall behind the subject.
12. I think this photo was taken because it was a good action shot with an interesting background.
13. This could qualify as photojournalism although it is difficult to determine the actual story behind the photo.  I also think it could qualify as a commercial photo because of the action.
14. This photo is recent and probably could not be considered timeless because the landscape of the U.S. is always changing and, for that same reason, I don't think it could become iconic.
15. What I mostly notice about this photograph is the artwork behind the subject.  Adding him into the picture just made the background more interesting instead of vice versa.

Top Ten Businesses the Smartphone Has Destroyed

1. With the exception of PCs, watches and remote controls, I think most of these products are already on the verge of being completely replaced.  Many of the people I know have reduced the number of devices they need by getting a smartphone.  
2. I think it is an advantage.  It reduces the amount of money you would normally spend on devices.  It also makes it more convenient because it is much smaller than many of the devices it is replacing and easier because many people use its functions in conjunction with each other.
3. Smart phones have made it easier to get things done.  With email, internet access, word processing capabilities, etc., people are able to get their work done much more efficiently while they are away from their offices .  
4. I think the most important invention of my lifetime was MP3 players and iPods.  Without the technology used in the digital media market, many of the other devices that have been made using that technology would not exist.  I think the difference between the most important invention in my lifetime and in past generation's lifetimes is that, nowadays, the focus of technology is in the entertainment industry whereas, previously, new inventions were focused more on basics such as cooking (the microwave) and cleaning (washing machines).  
5. At this point, I don't think smart phones are good enough to replace PCs.  I personally get frustrated by the smaller screen and keyboard and the fact that they have much less memory than an actual computer.  While they have some of the same capabilities as PCs, they are completely different types of devices. 
6. I still use TVs, radios, and other devices because, no matter how amazing the smart phone becomes, watching a TV show on a 3" screen will never be the same as watching it on a big screen, HD TV and listening to music using phone speakers will never be the same as listening to it with a stereo system.  While being able to watch shows and movies and listen to music on your phone is more convenient on occasion, the quality of entertainment is just not the same. 

Looking Closely at Photographs

1. This photo makes me feel like laughing because of the way one of the soldiers is dressed.
2. I think it tells another side of the story of the war, making it somewhat humorous while still conveying the serious side.  I think it would be hard to get the same effect from words.
3. The three soldiers, but particularly the soldier on the left, are the subjects of the photo.
4. The lighting is natural.  It looks like early morning because the sunlight isn't very bright.
5. The pink and red of the soldier's outfit stand out because everything else blends in.
6. The landscape in front of the soldiers is kind of out of focus in order to focus more on the soldiers.
7. It looks like he's pretty close behind them and somewhat above them.  
8. They are following rule of thirds and also include repetition.
9. The fact that the soldier is in his boxers makes this photo very personal.
10. What strikes me most about this photo is that the soldiers are performing their duty despite the fact that they apparently had almost no time to prepare.
11. The background of the image is the landscape below them and whatever target they are aiming at.
12. I think the photograph was taken because it was an unexpectedly funny found situation in very serious surroundings.
13. I think this does qualify as photojournalism because there is obviously a story behind it.  I would consider it art photography because of the stark contrast between the different elements of the photograph.
14. It looks recent but could be considered timeless.  It could become an icon of the dedication of the soldiers. 
15. I think it was pretty dangerous to be fighting in a red shirt.  The purpose of the uniforms is to blend in and a red shirt definitely does not accomplish that.

Only Vertical Photo Essay

Senior Celina Garcia works during Mr. Garza's Animation class.

Mr. Wedde asks BPA members to pick cards with items to donate for medieval fair.  

Senior Amber Rosas looks straight ahead at her computer during Ms. Roge's class.



BPA members Kari Kimball and Ronita K. look through index cards with items needed for medieval fair.

Senior Elizabeth Wills talks to her classmates during Ms. Pratt's Accounting II class.

Junior Jose Martinez looks bored during Mr. Garza's animation class while borrowing his teacher's glasses.

Photo Composition

Curves:  "Picking Tea Leaves" 
By George Mobley
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com  

Framing:  "Tarpon and Silversides, Grand Cayman"
By Mike Sutton Brown
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com

Leading Lines:  "Peacock, Sarasota"
By Phil Pummell
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com  

Repetition:  "Black-Browed Albatross"
By Frans Lanting
http://boston.com/bigpicture/

Birds Eye View:  "White Pelicans"
By Annie Griffiths
http://boston.com/bigpicture/

Rule of Thirds:  "Boy from Mayanmar"
By Damir Sagolj
http://boston.com/bigpicture/

Selective Focus:  "Foil Quarterfinal"
By Christophe Ena
http://boston.com/bigpicture/

Worm's Eye View:  "Zebras in the Kalahari Desert"
By Anup & Manoj Shah
http://boston.com/bigpicture/

Life in the Valley Photo Essay Ideas

For this photo essay, I have to look for things that are unique only to the Valley.  That mostly means the Mexican culture, including food, parties, music, death, church, etc, and the ranch life that, for me, would be most easily accessible north of Edinburg.  I have to go to places that will show these elements of Valley life, such as cemeteries, parties and ranches.  Early in the morning or at sunset would be the best times to take these pictures.

Veteran's Day

Although Veteran's Day is considered a holiday, it isn't like most other holidays.  People still go to work, kids still go to school and the world keeps going at its usual pace.  It isn't necessarily a day to spend with your family or to eat a huge meal, but it is just as important.  It is a day set aside on the calendar to make everyone who has ever been affected by war remember what they went through and be proud and to make those who have not been affected appreciate, at least for one day, what thousands of individuals have done for them.  This cartoon in particular shows a family taking time out of their schedule "to say 'thanks.'" In my opinion, letting veterans know that their efforts did not go unnoticed is the most important thing that anyone can do for the men and women of the armed forces.

Editorial Cartoon: Election Day

In the context of yesterday's election results, with an overwhelming amount of Republican candidates gaining office, I would say that this cartoon is indicative of the American public's goal of expressing their disapproval of President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic party in general through their ability to vote.  Because many people think that Obama and Pelosi have done nothing to improve the economy and may, in fact, be hurting it, they decided to vote for Republicans across the board.  This is the same thing that happened two years ago in the race between Obama and McCain.  Besides their political platforms and strategies to win the public's vote, one of the main reasons that Obama was voted in was because the public was extremely anti-Republican after the eight year rule of President Bush.  I personally think that this tactic of choosing political figures gets our country in more trouble than we realize.  Blindly voting for one political party regardless of what each individual politician stands for is extremely irresponsible.  Maybe if we paid attention to the details instead of letting our anger decide for us, we might finally end up with a president that we like.  

Life at BETA

Senior Kassandra Granados stares out the window of the bus on a school trip to San Antonio.

Senior Mario Leal rests his head on the desk during a Calculus lecture in Mr. Reyna's class.

Senior Elizabeth Scoggin lays down in the hallway of the Sheraton Gunter Hotel in San Antonio to take a picture of the light fixture hanging above her.

Freshman Sylvanna Cerda is in her own world of music and texting during lunch.

Mrs. Nilda Camarena writes a pass for a student during her AP Chemistry class. 

Brandonn Melchor stares off into space during chemistry class.

Seniors Danika Moran and Maleny Leal relax in the Sheraton Gunter Hotel in San Antonio while their sponsor registers them for the TAJE scavenger hunt competition.

Senior Kassandra Granados poses for a picture in front of the Gateway to the World Library after senior portraits were cancelled.

Senior Diana Cedillo leans over the second floor railing to look down on the lobby and dining room in the Sheraton Gunter Hotel in San Antonio.

Senior Elizabeth Scoggin peaks out from inside a cabinet in her hotel room at the Sheraton Gunter Hotel during some free time before the awards ceremony at the TAJE convention in San Antonio.

Tips for Taking Better Photos

Out of the 10 tips for improving your photo-taking abilities, I would say I could use improvement in #1:  Looking the subject in the eye and #10:  Be a picture director.  As far as the others, I think I have a pretty good command of photo composition, lighting and angles, although I do need to work on my creativity.  When it comes to looking the subject in the eye, I haven't taken that many pictures of children, so I have not really come across a situation where I got a bad picture because of eye level.  However, I know that if I had, I probably wouldn't have taken that into account when setting up the picture.  For #10, being a picture director, I need to work on my ability to visualize exactly what I want a picture to look like before I take it. I am pretty good at picking locations, but posing, when it is needed, is another story.  Luckily, the primary difference between regular photographs and photos for newspaper is that most of the ones we take for newspaper are not posed.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds 

Chilean Miners Rescue Photo

Although not the most emotional of the photos from the rescue mission, I think this one is the most interesting.  It uses the rule of thirds and conveys how this event affected people all across the world.  If you look in the background, you can see that there is a whole line of people reading the same newspaper.  Furthermore, the picture within the picture is also very good, showing one of the rescued miners directly after he exited the capsule, surrounded by family members and rescue workers.  In that picture, everyone is smiling, capturing the relief and joy that was felt by everyone who followed or was connected to this story.

Column Activity

"The Life Before Her Eyes" is a drama released in 2007 starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood.  Anyone who has seen this movie is probably thinking that if this is my favorite movie, I must be a deeply disturbed person.  Although this may be true, the truth is that it isn't my favorite movie.  I am simply obsessed with it.  I have seen this movie about 4 times now and will probably see it many more because, every time I watch it, I notice something new.  The entire 90 minutes is filled with tiny clues that, to the most unbelievably observant audience member, would completely give away the ending and ruin the movie.  Luckily enough, I don't think there exists a person who could notice all of the tiny hints, much less string them all together to come up with the right result.  Honestly, the first time I watched the movie, I did not understand it at all.  I sat there, in front of the blank TV screen, for about 10 minutes after the movie ended trying to reason out what the ending meant.  This, in my opinion, is what makes an interesting movie.  There are as many different interpretations as there are different personalities of viewers.  Everyone who watches this movie will walk away with a different life lesson.  My only advice is to watch it more than once and, if you are squeamish about blood, with an empty stomach.

Editorial Cartoon

This cartoon is referring to the group of miners who have been trapped underground for several months as the result of a cave in.  The miners have survived this long thanks to the safe room that had been set up in the mine with enough provisions to keep them alive for the duration of their time underground.  The people above ground have been doing everything they can to dig the men out without causing further structural damage.  It has taken them this long to create a tunnel large enough for the men to go through.  The tunnel is supposedly only two feet wide, a very tight squeeze for the men trapped underground.  They have been communicating with the outside world through cameras and wires being fed into their enclosure.  Through the use of this technology, one miner was able to see the birth of his daughter even though his wife delivered the baby during his time underground.  As it seems the process of preparing their escape route is finally finished, hopefully the miners will all be able to come above ground for the first time in months sometime this week.

Stephane Peray

Photos of the Day

Photojournalism is capturing stories and emotions in one frame.  It is different from other types of art, commercial or personal photography because it is about issues of importance.  It is a type of news that is just as important as the words in an article.  Photojournalism is a type of art because several types of artistic techniques are used when taking photojournalistic pictures.  It has to be visually appealing in order to get people's attention and bring awareness to whatever issue or person it is depicting.  Memorable news photographs are important if they are about an event or problem that hardly any of it's viewers even knows exist.  They are memorable if they truly convey the emotion of that moment and appeal to the viewer's emotions.

http://steviedubose.blogspot.com/2008/11/war-photography.html

"I have been a witness, and these pictures are

my testimony. The events I have recorded should

not be forgotten and must not be repeated."

-James Nachtwey-

Memoirs of a Bullied Kid

The story shared by the author of the article called "Memoirs of a Bullied Kid" was a very real and relevant one.  Bullying is a serious problem right now, with more and more stories in the news about violence and suicide that was the result of constant bullying.  According to the author of the article, all of the problems come from not loving yourself enough.  Bullies have this problem and feel the need to make others feel it to.  Unfortunately, they sometimes take it to such a level that the person they are bullying can't handle it anymore.  The solution is simple.  If one person who witnesses bullying would realize that it is their responsibility to do something about it, whether it be a parent, a teacher, or a friend, huge differences could be made in the lives of both the bullies and the bullied.

Senior Moments

So far, my senior year has been about as memorable as the other years of my high school career.  There have been sad moments, funny moments, boring moments, and nerve-racking moments.  As far as school work goes, I have had to worry my way through my first Calculus test, two Economics tests, two experiments in Chemistry 2 with semi dangerous chemicals and several essays for English IV.  As far as accomplishments, yesterday I found out that I won the election for NHS Treasurer, which I was really hoping for.  The fun moments have been hanging out with my friends.  Since my friends and I make up the TSA film team, we've been spending A LOT of time together planning everything out for our competition piece this year.  We've been to the UTPA library and several fast food restaurants until about 8 o'clock on weekends discussing all the details for our film.  It's hard and it takes a lot of work, but some of the things we come up with are hilarious.  If the rest of the year is similar to what it has been like so far, that definitely wouldn't be too bad. 



http://www.squidoo.com/Class-of-2011-TShirts

A generation of nincompoops?

I think people's opinions of today's younger generation depends on who you ask.  Some people from previous generations think that we are missing out on learning the most basic of skills.  Others admire us for our extensive knowledge in other areas, such as technology.  From an objective point of view, I would have to say that, while I do believe that technology is important, I also think that it is being taught at the expense of other important life lessons, such as how to address a letter, how to write a check or even how to do simple calculations in your brain instead of relying on a calculator.  However, from the point of view of a member of the generation being targeted, I would have to say that the older generation also has some changes to make.  They have to accept that some things from their time are being replaced.  There isn't a need for ice cube trays anymore, so why should we know how to use them?  Eventually, the entire postal system may be old and outdated, so why do we need to know how to address an envelope?  Furthermore, there are a great number of people from the older generations who have no idea how to send an email or put together a powerpoint presentation, skills that seem just as important to us as the previously mentioned ones do to them.  Ultimately, there are two sides to every opinion, and this one is no different.

Photo by Patrick Whittemore

Wheelock College student Sheena Witkum uses her laptop to access the laundry room’s Web site, which indicates when the machines are in use and sends e-mails and texts when loads are finished.

For the full article, go to:  http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2009_05_16_Get_a_load_of_college_s_wired_laundry_room!/ 

What's Good on TV?

I have several TV shows that I watch obsessively and I pretty much have a favorite for each category of TV shows.  First of all, the only reality show I watch is Dancing with the Stars, which is on ABC on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Secondly, my favorite doctor show is Grey's Anatomy, with House coming in as a very close second.  My favorite law-related show is Castle, which premiered on Monday night, and my favorite sitcom as of right now is Melissa & Joey on ABC Family, but I've only seen about two episodes of it.  Sadly, local and national news programs come in last on the list of programs I like to watch.  I usually only watch them early in the morning or late at night when I have free time, which hardly ever happens. Then there are all of the new shows coming out this week, which I don't really pay attention to because I already watch too much TV.  I'm looking forward to all of my favorite shows starting again, but it might not be a good thing in terms of my school work.  Luckily, I have a DVR, so I can record all of my favorite weekday shows if I have too much homework and catch up on them on the weekends.  My advice to you if you don't have a DVR is to GET ONE!  It's the best invention ever.

Photographing Concerts

I would like to see and photograph a Brad Paisley concert.  I've been to two of his concerts before and there was so much to see.  He has dozens of guitars, all specially designed for him, he puts together animations that are put up on the screen behind him, and does a lot of different types of tours.  For example, he was here a couple of months ago on his H2O Tour, which involved a mobile water park set up outside of the State Farm Arena.  After getting these photographs, I would probably just keep them for myself.  However, if I was able to, I would like to create an online photo gallery or even post them on my blog so I could share them with whoever wanted to see them.

http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/