Describe your reflections on your Co-Op work/project. What went well? What would you do differently? What stands out to you? Originally, I wanted my project for this Co-Op Experience to be a full website portfolio of all of my photos and jobs that I have taken on so far. However, as the weeks went on I realized that I was taking on a shoot almost every week, which kept me busy. In all of these shoots, I got to practice different techniques and styles from classic portraiture to fashion to editorial work. This experience allowed me to have the time that I needed to practice different shoots that I was most interested in. I feel like with each shoot, I have grown in my directing skills because that really is my biggest struggle. Working with different models for different purposes helped me with how to communicate with people that know how to pose in a natural way, or others who struggle a bit more.
I am happy with all of the shots that I got over these past few weeks and I can see myself continue to grow in the work that I'm producing. I feel like I still need to work on my time management because up until this point I have had someone else telling me when things are due and where I need to be at what time, and I would have allotted time at school to work. However, now that I'm on my own schedule, I found myself overwhelmed with all of the freedom that I had over my day-to-day schedule. I'm excited to continue to develop my time management skills in a real-world setting and find different tactics that work best for me.
0 Comments
What advice would you give a junior in high school who wants to pursue a career in the field of your Co-Op?For anyone interested in going into the field of photography, my biggest piece of advice is continue to explore new styles, genres, and techniques. It took me years to figure out the my style of editing, the compositions I liked the most based on my subject, the camera set up I found worked best for the type of jobs I was taking on. When I interned with Hale Production Studios last year, they had be take 100 photos a day, this was a really helpful exercise to practice different angles, compositions, editing styles, and different genres of photography. I got really serious about photography at the end of my sophomore year. Up until that point, I was only really taking pictures of my friends whenever I felt it was convenient. My photos consisted of candids of my friends or strangers with basic compositions and no crazy editing, or the classic pictures of the San Diego sunsets. As time went on, I realized that I didn't need to shove myself into a small corner because in photography there aren't really any rules. I started to practice travel photography when running around the city with my mom, taking "artsy" photos of the buildings and scenic drives. At the time, I was living in Hillcrest, right next to Balboa Park, so I started walking there on my own and practicing my street photography, shooting strangers. I worked on A LOT of nature photography, taking pictures of the crashing waves, beautiful flowers, and towering trees. Over time, I found that I really liked to work with color and texture the most and eventually I fell in love with editorial, fashion, and portraiture. I started to put my focus in those particular genres in the last year and have produced some of my favorite photos I've ever taken. Finding your style in the photography world takes time, so be creative and adventurous. Look to the people and aesthetics that draw you in or inspire. Be confident in the work that you produce and understand that you bring something different to the table in every encounter. 2018 2019
Who benefits from the work that you do during Co-Op?I think I am benefitting the most from the work I am producing over my time during Co-Op. Before Co-Op, I was confident in putting my photos out on social media, there was no fear or hesitation when it came to posting my work, but I fall into a less confident mindset when it comes to putting a price tag on my pictures. During our class with Joon on Tuesday's it's been really helpful to put me in an "entrepreneurial mindset." Coincidentally, every week of Co-Op I have had a shoot scheduled that I am able to look forward too, while also being able to make some money off of them, and continue to help my clients with their photo needs. I recently did an e-commerce shoot with Sarah and Yulianna for their vintage clothing company's (@lildawncollective) new website they are building. It took me a bit to really solidify the final price because they had around 70-80 pieces that they needed and not the biggest budget. I finally decided to charge them $50 for a 2 hour shoot, getting all the pieces with different angles and some head shots thrown in. It was a really fun experience because I was able to make a set in my room and I had never done anything like that before. It was a learning experience for all of us and it got me some exposure to fashion photography. Here are some of the final shots that I posted on my Instagram Story to tease the new project. Describe how experiences at HTHMA have prepared you for your experience at Co-Op.Over the past 4 years, I have been pushed heavily in my communication, collaboration, and leadership skills and I think those are very crucial skills that everyone needs to solidify for life after high school. I have identified my strengths and weaknesses in those three categories, allowing me to consciously highlight the strengths and continue to work on the weaknesses. I have always been extremely good at time management, but I think HTHMA has done a really good job at allowing me to continue to push that skill in a real-world setting. In high school, time management has meant that I get to class on time and turn in my work before the deadline, but in a real-world situation, time management has so many different meanings. It can vary from getting to an appointment/meeting on time to planning out my day and sticking to it to only staying in the grocery store for less than an hour because if I don't I will spend way too much money on food that I probably won't eat. Having an entrepreneurship/internship Co-Op experience has really helped me flex that new skill and help me transition from high school to life after very well.
How do you see yourself growing or changing over the course of your Co-Op experience?I can see myself growing as an entrepreneur because of the combination of the business workshop I'm taking and having consistent shoots throughout my experience. For the past few months, I wouldn't give an upfront starting price for any shoots, I would just take what the client gave me after the shoot. However, now that I have the time to understand that it costs money for my time and experience, whether the client thinks otherwise or not, I am more comfortable giving prices. I realized that in the photography industry, I am able to put prices at whatever I feel my work is worth. This particular service is more of a pride situation because if I'm not confident enough in the work that I'm producing, the client won't believe that I'm worth what I'm telling them. When working with Hale, I am with them for strictly shoot-based need as a production/photo assistant. I don't do much other than help move things, wipe sets down, and have creative input from time to time. However, just being apart of different kinds of shoots and observing is the most beneficial for me. I am able to see how to interact with clients, models, equipment, etc. I am also able to see the different kinds of jobs that the crew take on from shoot to shoot, especially with the wide variety of lifestyle and commercial shoots. How does your Co-Op experience connect to the path you see yourself in the future?For the next four years I will be attending Portland State University, going in for Communication Studies, however I might switch my major to visual arts depending on the interests that I discover while there. As of right now, the nest 4 years college is all I think about because anything past that gives me a lot of anxiety and it's very overwhelming. Communications is a broad major that will help me wether I decide to go into photography, film, social media management, or journalism. Those are the main fields that I am considering currently, however, I gravitate more towards photography because it is my passion. It's a way for me to be creative and think critically, but also pushes me to be more social which is perfect for me. If anything, this experience will help me in a more progressive working environment and help me understand the business side of the world a bit more.
Describe your hopes and fears for this Co-Op experience. Consider your job description, project/goals, coworkers, site, and how this experience relates to your plans after graduation. Post a picture that is connected to this idea.As for this experience, I am interning with Hale Production Studios around 3 days/week for strictly shoot-based need and on the other 2 days I will be working on my own freelance photography business plan. I am planning to build a website portfolio in order to have a place to put all the pictures from my projects/jobs. In my case, I do run a social media account for my photography, but I feel like it's time for me to take a step in the right direction to further my business. Though I don't know if this is the route that my life will take, career-wise, I feel that it is a smart idea to begin to set myself up for success as a side passion, if anything else. I have plans for at least 2 paid jobs during this 5 week experience, however, I will continue to pick up more as the time goes on, as well as producing a few personal, creative endeavors as well. If you organized an entrepreneurial Co-Op experience or hybrid experience, describe how you hope to grow from the various components of your weekly schedule.I hope to grow in the business aspects of my photography journey because I am currently just starting to make a profit from this independent endeavor. Within this first week, I already have 2 upcoming jobs booked that I will get paid for which is really exciting. I want to really hone in on the pricing situation in order to help me start to practice having these business interactions. One of my biggest goals throughout this experience is to hopefully obtain a more permanent spot on Hale Production Studio's team as either a photo assistant, production assistant, or possibly behind the scenes photographer.
|
Marina!For my Co-Op experience, I am interning with Hale Production Studios part time and taking on an entrepreneurship experience for the rest of the time. I will be building my own website as a portfolio for my work and another place to book me for jobs. ArchivesCategories |