el perro

el perro, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Just at home for break. INSANELY BORED!! Sisters b-day was yesterday and xmas tommorow. Then it's back to school on January 4th. :) Umm, haven't taken many pictures over break. Wanted to go to Central Camera in Chicago. Apparently, it's pretty big so maybe after the holidays. Either way, I gotta get downtown and take some pics or at least find some events around the suburbs to shoot.

Oh yeah, got my other Cactus reciever 2 days ago :D so now I'm completely wireless! Can't wait to try it out. I got 3 flashes but the Canon 430EX doesn't work with em. hmph. EIther way, should work our pretty well with sports. Just need another light stand ($20)

Got 2 more knee injections and then its back to Macomb.


later

The Catwalk.

SB-80, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

I always feel special going up there. I don't think I'm too afraid of heights but I do get a little nervous up there the first few times of the year.

This parts actually past the catwalk where all the cables and wires are. Tried to put a flash up there for some spotlighting but it didn't really work out. Had it full blast max zoom and everything. It showed a little bit but maybe if I changed my settings. Either way, didn't have enough flashes on the ground. Only my 430EX on a 15' PC cord to work with.

Just gotta keep trying new things till I get it right. Oh yeah, need to try that tip where I turn the flash around so I can see the refresh llight. That is geinus.

In other news... might be heading over to the track meet at Eastern on Saturday. Should be able to try some cool stuff. Realized I only have limited range since I'm stuck with the PC cord. Hoping for another reciever for x-mas.

But then....radiopoppers are comming! I guess they're better than the triggers I got now but not as great as PW's of course. Might invest in those. I think those come out in January 08 so maybe i'll wait. Maybe just get another flash till then.

It's snowing here in Macomb. Only a few inches but its tricky on the bike. Knees' starting to hurt again so I might go back to driving. Well I got finals next week, gotta study.

Last SGA Meeting of the year

Last SGA Meeting of the year, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

First time shooting a student government association meeting with strobes. Lighting came out a lot better and didn't have to shoot at ISO 1600 like usual.

Pictures were pretty boring. I just wanted to get my flash placement and power right. Once I get comfortable next semester, I'll start trying to find the little things that make 2 hour Student Gov. meetings so exciting.

Still need another flash besides my 430EX (doesn't work well with the V2 Cactus triggers) and another reciver so I won't have to be tethered to my flash with the 15' PC cord.

Either way, happy with the lighting, still got work to do. Just hope I didn't blind too many people.

P.S.- Any tips of critiques ( positive or negative) would help. I got a lot to learn.

trophy

trophy, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

It's been a while....


Mostly just been doing Strobist stuff. Got a light stand and some cactus triggers. Been having a ton of fun with that. Trying out the gels too.

Everythings only worked out at home but haven't gotten any luck on assignment yet.

I was surprised how much range I got with the tiggers. Must've been like 50 feet! Only thing was the canon 430ex would fire randomly and it was annoying the hell outta me. Definitely can't use that for basketball.

Now I got a Nikon flash from the office and so far, no problems. :) Next game is Saturday so I'll try out the tigger then. Not sure how it'll do with Larry's strobes going off but we'll see. I need to figure out some placement too. maybe each side of the court. I'd need to tether that down too. Don't want anyone knocking down the lightstand. Tons of kids running around too. I'll try it out during warmups and pregame. I'm looking forward to it.

1 more week till finals...

Been a while since I wrote, figured I should.

I got back in Skokie on Sunday.

Been pretty bored since.

Anywho, get to head downtown tomorrow morning. Not for the typical crazygonuts shopping like other people, just want to hit up Calumet Photographic for some equipment. I'll be there at around 8:30 am so all the crazies i'll probably already be on their 3rd or 4th store by then. Probably try to get some pics while I'm down there. No idea how much I'll spend, hopefully not much.

Heading back to Macomb on Saturday. Got an article and photo assignment to finish. Yeesh.

Later

XC post meet

XC post meet, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Another busy weekend of sports. Not XC, just haven't uploaded any pics in a while. Had a doubleheader basketball game Friday and a photo assignment in between games. Then just soccer today.

Just finished up my 5 page paper for Mass Comm. Only took a few hours. Need some editing though.

Rosa Parks March

Rosa Parks March, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Someone came into the office last night and said there were people marching down Adams Street. Having my camera, I ran out and shot it. Must've been a little after 8pm.

Spotted the police lights and had to run down to Western Ave. (1 minute run) to catch up with em. There were a lot more people than I expected. Had a police escort and everything. I asked one of the men marching and he told me it was the African American Students Association or something similar. Not sure why the march was about Rosa Parks. If this was a real assignment, I'd do my resarch of course.

I think this is one of the only shots that came out. Color wasn't too great so I desaturated it. Tried some panning stuff but don't think it would've fit with the event. Focusing with that 50mm f/1.8 is brutal in low light. Can't wait for that 430EX Flash to come in!

Anyways, basketball double header tonight starting at 6 going to about 10 or 11 tonight. Gonna be a busy one. Better get my cards cleared and batteries charged.

P.S. - Off camera flash is freakin awesome!! Still learning it...

pre-game

pre-game, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

ADAM SACASA/WIU ATHLETICS The angle I'm working on. I shoot this without looking in the viewfinder so it's iffy. Got a doubleheader this weekend so it should turn out nice in the mens game if there's some dunks.

So I calculated it out. I need about $1297.86 to break even by the end of the year. With my jobs and work with the Summit League, I think I should be okay but until then, I'll be trying to live like I'm near broke for a while. Cut back on driving unless I have to. Look for something else to do besides getting movies at Family Video on the weekend. I mean, it's a dollar, maybe two but there's gotta be something free thats fun around here. Just gotta look.

I'm not in debt or anything. Guess I just want some financial security.

This weekend was crazy. Guess working near 20 hours helped, plus one freelance job. 2 vball games, football and basketball.

http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2007/11/04/sports/22043490.txt

I need to get more assertive and find more jobs with visiting schools. Start finding local papers and making calls. I need all the income I can get. Next purchase I plan on getting is a remote trigger from Adorama. It's $100 and theres a ton of applications I can think of but I'll wait on buying it till I'm sure I'll have enough money in May.

Going to photoshop a pic real quick, then back home for a quick dinner, then that Mock election all night.

bah.

pre-race, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Shot the Summit League Cross Country Championships today. Went better than I expected mostly because I forgot my charger and spare battery at the Womens Soccer game yesterday and I was freaking out thinking all I had was a half dead battery to shoot with for the entire day. Don't know how I keep losing that thing. Anywho, picked it up this morning in the office. A grip for the 20D would be nice but I'm abuot $200 short. Plus I just got a 430EX flash off Ebay so that'll set me back about $230.

Before the races began, had to go to Walmart to buy another 2 GB card becasue my other one had Womens Soccer from the day before and I had nowhere to dump. Waking up at 7am wasn't too fun either but didn't do much the night before so whatever.

Anyways, it was rough having to shoot all the teams instead of just Western but I did the best I could. Ran back and forth across the field a few times and was winded after that.

Had to do some interviews after the race with Western runners since the Courier has me doing the article. I'll probably type it up tommorow. 400 words.

Also got some portraits with the men's and women's teams after the race. Tried to get some variety. They turned out okay.

I think I spent about 2, maybe 3 hours burning CD's to clear my card and get the pics to the Summit League Rep.

Well it's 7pm on a Saturday Night. 'Bout time to get out of this Library...

adios

Miller

Miller, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Trying to make different layouts. Just picked a pic from this mock hip-hop trial we had. I guess it was about whether hip was guilty or not of being a negative influence or something.

Since then, been busy as usual. Football team lost big to UNI this weekend. They (UNI) are the #1 AA team in the nation but a win would've been awesome for pics.

I got XC to shoot this weekend. My first "major" job. Making a lot more than the $15 or $7.50 an hour I usually make. I got 5GB to work with and with the amount the Summit Leauge is paying me, I plan on using every byte. Just hope I give em something nice. It'll probably be more general stuff and not too creative but it'll be of EVERY school so I'll be busy.

We got the photo meeting tommorow at 6 like every other Tuesday but I think I might stop off at the writers meeting to see if I can write something. Since I am journalism now, I need to get comfortable with it.

MOCK ELECTION

Aparently, it's thje biggest in the nation on a college campus. Since most people around here don't seem to care much about politics, don't know how big it'll be. They got the freshman forced to come so should be a few people at least. I need to email some other guy about getting my press pass as a photographer. Starts tommorow...goes for a week or so.

Indiana State

_MG_2902, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Trip was good. Had a good time with the media people. Pictures were weak becasue they pretty much ran the ball every time. Before the game, the media people and I ate at TGI Fridays. I got this stain on my shirt so I ended up buying this clearance shirt when we were walking around the mall.

For the Youngstown game in Ohio, found out I'm not going. Bummed about that. Next travel will probably be when conference rolls around for the fall sports.

Womens Soccer is kicking butt. They beat Iowa State last weekend. Probably head up to Michigan for the conference games. Mens team has been struggling.

I LOST MY BATTERY CHARGER!! FRIG. I left it on the power strip at the soccer game so someone with the TV channel has it. Now I just have to find it. REALLY need it becasue one of my batteries is already dead. Just hope nothing major happens. Guess I might get a new charger at CameraLand if it doesn't show up in a few days.

I got a Geography quiz to take. So sick of these gen-eds. Guess thats what I get for going through 4 majors. Loving Journalism though and that's all that really matters. Just hope I can get a job one day. Oh yeah, need to get those internship apps filled out soon.

im out

I need to write more in this thing. I guess I'm a writer for the paper now. Only every now and then. It's fun. Still mostly take the pics.

Heading over to Indiana tomorrow, gotta get packing. Should be cool getting football pics somwhere besides Western. First time traveling in a long time. Looking forward to it. Probably post some mobile pics on facebook.

I got journalism hw to finish up. Im out.

Oh yeah, typed my first article. It's 300 something words. Rough but its a start.

my hamster is dying as i write this on my pda. other one seems fine. i think its been 2 years since i got them at the pet shop. this sucks.

well she struggled to take her last few breaths and it was over. just by looking in her eyes, could tell shes gone. i know its probably insignificant but never really lost anything close. i raised these hamsters. its wierd i guess. gonna be different with one.

Motorcyclist injured in Q-lot crash - News

Motorcyclist injured in Q-lot crash - News

Covered a motorcycle crash yesterday in QLot. May get my first article in the paper. Its really short now but I'll keep working on it.

The Square

The Square, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

It's Labor Day. CameraLand is closed, I'm in the library.

Got a 5 minute presentation to give on Wednesday and 3 photo assignments, no 4 by Thursday. Been editing for the past hour or so, Got to get this presentation going.

XC

_MG_0400, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Been insanely busy lately. Working for the sports department and the Courier is a little harder than I expected. Just happened to be shooting the longest football game in conference history so I didn't get out of the office until 1am. Then the people @ the Courier were calling when I was trying to get the pics up and yeah, that night sucked. Yesterday, just shot XC and then womens soccer tommrow.

Might be getting a flash for $99 this weekend. I'll be checking for a telephoto after I get that credit card bill paid.

First paycheck from the Courier... $15. I'll need to get that fixed.

Anyways.... busy.

http://mpex.com/Strobist/StrobistKits.htm

probably getting one of these. Don't know when but this year.

street

sox2, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

I didn't get out of the house till about 3 in the afternoon on Sunday. Usually, when I go downtown, I go late morning or early afternoon but shooting later in the day gave me some good light. I shot RAW but edited some of the pictures too dark. It was a good day, just wish I started this earlier.

Well it's back to school next weekend. Can't wait to get out of here.

STRIKE, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

ADAM SACASA/ SKOKIE,IL For three days now, members of Ceramic Tile and Terrazzo Local 67 have been on Strike with Banter Floors for a new contract.

They got this big rat inflated rat behind them.


This is my last weekend here and then its off to Macomb. :) I'll be starting my first semester of Journalism so I have no idea how the year is going to turn out but all I can do is hope for the best. I've wanted to do this for a long time so we'll see.

As for the knee, the tears in the meniscus mean surgery but since I'll be going back to school soon, might not be till Thanksgiving. This blows.

Downtown tommorow, I'll find something.

Summer was ok.

bored

, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Went to an Art Fair over in Evanston. I rode my bike down there and just kept riding till I found it. Got to be careful on those streets with the potholes and such. Wasn't really too much going on at the fair. I just kinda walked around, check out a few things and got out. It was right near the lake. It'd be nice to sit out there and read or just chill.

I rode back but the knee wasn't feeling so great so it looks like I'll be driving for a while. Hope theres no more surgery. I hate it.

Sunday, I was supposed to check out a clown funeral but ended up going to my sisters new apartment with the parents. Worked out well, I got a free lunch. Also got to take a few pics too so I'm happy.

Only a few more weeks till school. 2 to be exact. I can't wait to get back. I have no idea how things are going to turn out but I'm hopeful.

Newberry Library

_MG_4249, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Horizontal tears in the lateral and medial meniscus. Looks like photos might be taking a break in a few weeks...

A new year

, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

I was at the CTA Oakton Street information meeting last night. Nothing special, went alright. Just trying to stay busy.

When this school year starts, I'll try to only be posting my best work instead of just dumping things everytime. It'll give me something to look at and be proud of. I really can't wait to get out of here and get this semester started.

I found out I have a wedding to shoot October 20th so that should be nice. I'll need a telephoto but I may just rent one.

Bob

Bob, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Been busy trying to find assignments. For the most part, I've been doing alright but I could always get more. There's a few village hall type meetings in the Suburbs that I think I'd want to go to. I'm not really sure how I'd shoot it but wouldn't hurt to try. Other than that, I just google events and try to find what I can (and try to keep my camera on me 24/7). Speaking of which, I still need a few things but decided I probably won't be getting that telephoto anytime soon. I decided I'll invest in a 70-200mm f/4 from Canon or the f/2.8 by Sigma. That'll run between $400 and $700 when I do get around to it.

Anyways, for now, just want a battery and this Adorama remote. It's nice becasue it's got a 100 foot range. I've got a ton of ideas but I'll try em out first and see how it goes. It's $100 so not sure when I'll be able to get that. After I save up after books, I'll think about it.

Think I'm just going to buy the battery today. No use in having a camera if there's a dead battery in it....

Less than a month till school!! woot. I can't wait to get out of this place. I'm starting to hate being here. There's a few things to do here but it's no Macomb. As much as I'd like to take August off, I need the money so I'll stick around till the Friday before school.

Probably go to Chicago this weekend. Just walk around town and maybe hit up that Art Institute. Venician Night with the lit boats Saturday night. Might check that out too.

hasta luego.

yo

speed

speed, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Yeesh, where do I start. Saturday, went over to the Lake to take pics for Janelle and the Aids Marathon runners. While we were there, there was a press conference on the lakefront dealing with BP dumping into Lake Michigan. Never been to a "real" press conference outside the insanely boring podium shots at school. It was cool to see all the News channels there with thier cameras. Really should have done some networking. Really need a new business card too.

After that, I headed home, got a movie and called it a night.

The next day, decided I'd try and find something to shoot. I checked online and saw Evanston was having an Art Fair so I headed out. Also saw a bike race but it started at 7am so I figured it was over by noon. When I got there, the streets were closed off and the bike race was still going on and ended up going on for another few hours to my delight. Never been to one of those and it was pretty awesome. First few shots were pretty bad but with the racers doing up to 40 laps, I had plenty of time to work on it. Did some panning, low angle and high angle. I liked how the pics turned out but since I've never shot a cycle race, I have no idea if they're really that good. I ended up staying at the race for a few hours and rode my bike back and edited pics for a few hours.

Definitely need to buy more memory. I got 3 GB right now but had to start deleting all the bad pics to make room towards the end.

Well it's Monday now and I just happend to come across an artist hanging up her work in the Library on my lunch break so I took a few shots there. For not having an actual photojournalism job, it was a pretty busy weekend and I loved it. I can only hope next weekend is just as busy if not more. I still have race pics to edit and then I'll try and submit the pictures to Geoff @ the Pioneer Press.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

ADAM SACASA/ CHICAGO,IL Illinois Senator Dick Durbin answers questions regarding Whiting, Indiana's BP Refineries' plan to dump more waste into Lake Michigan after the Refinery implements its $3.8 Billion expansion. Senator Durbin, along with US Representative Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and others are asking the company to stop.

Under BP's new state water permit, the refinery will be allowed to dump 1,584 pounds of amonia and 4,925 pounds of sludge per day into the lake.


In March 2004, the plant recieved a $58,687 fine for violations of the Clean Air Act.





Really like using this 50mm f/1.8. Felt a little restricting at first but I'm getting used to it. This was my first press conference in Chicago. I just happened to be down there with Janelle and her Aids Marathon traning group and they told me about this.

Anyways, I'm out to Evanston. Heard they got something going on over there.

cap

cap, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

I got home at around 5:30 to find the 2 boxes sitting on the bench inside. It's like christmas all over again. Went up to my room, opened the boxes and there it was. The most expensive camera I had ever owned. As much as I wanted to play around with it, I knew I had to charge that battery up first. The 50mm lens didn't look as flimsy as I thought it would so that was a relief. Since I couldn't really do anything with it, just went to dinner with the parents (it was actually my dad's birthday dinner) and just read the manual.

Since then, just been taking pictures of random things out and around the house with the 50mm. With the 1.8 apeture, the depth of field is really shallow. Can't wait to see how it does shooting sports or news. Hopefully don't expect too much and get dissapointed but either way, just about any picture is going to be better than my Panasonic Lumix FZ-20. It's so nice to have my own DSLR for once.

So far, I've bought a few things:

50mm f/1.8- $100
Circular Polarizer- $31
Neutral Density Filter- $9.99
UV filter- $9.99
Step up ring- $4.99
Extra lens cap- $5.99

I think thats it. Comes to a total of about $162 in addition to the $765 on the camera for a total of $927 if my math is right. Yeesh. Things I still need would be:

100-300mm f/4.5-5.6- $210
Canon BP511A 1390mAh Lithium Ion Battery- $40.00


After that, I think I should be set with my kit. I've got a $50 gift certificate for Amazon.com so that'll probably go for my camera sling bag. It's nice because you can just swing the bag from your back to the front, unzip and start shooting.

Lowepro Slingshot 200 All Weather Backpack - $86.18

So pretty much what all that means is that i'll be living like I'm broke. I mean I do have money right now but Thats going towards rent, bills, books, and food.

If Ramen didn't exist, I don't know how I'd make it through college.



And a few more things I'll be saving up for (maybe for next semester or year)

Canon 430EX Speedlite Flash- $223
Sto-Fen OMEW Omni-Bounce Diffuser- $13.35
Canon BGE2 Battery Grip - $148.85
Camera Armor for Canon 20D- $44.95

drummers

drummers, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

4th of July Parade was Wednesday. That's pretty much the only thing I went to for the holiday. Didn't really feel like going out to the fireworks. The parade was alright. Wasn't really too exciting but I just kept moving around trying to find something. I shot this parade last year and didn't like the pictures too much. This year, pics were a little better but still nothing special. I saw some good shots but couldn't get them becasue my camera is too freakin slow. arg.

I tried to get them to the photo editor but no luck. I just want an assignment before I head back to school.

Summer is blah. TGIF.

photo spot

photo spot, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Went in for the interview with Geoff, the photo chief for the Pioneer Press. Went pretty well. The only camera I have now is my Panasonic Lumix FZ-20 but he's okay with that. Really want that Canon 30D but doubt I'll be getting that anytime soon.

My earliest assignment would be 4th of July so I'll be looking forward to that.

woot :)

RELAY5KFARMERSMARKET

relay0004, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Had a pretty busy weekend. Started off with a Relay for Life on Saturday night. (ended up not going to Great America) It was nice. There were less people than I expected. Just one of those nights when I really wish I had a DSLR but whatdaya gonna do...

Mostly shot from the ground since I didn't feel like carrying around the tripod. Shots went well, just grainy.

Next morning was a 5K in Evantson at 8am. I rode my bike out there which meant I was up way earlier than usuall for a Sunday morning so I was pretty tired the whole day.

I rode back but my knees hurt so I drove over to the Farmers Market and shot some. Happy with that too. Wish the day wasn't so cloudy but whatever.

I like making my own assignments. There's always something going on here in the suburbs. Just need to know where to look. I make sure I carry my business cards too. Hopefully I can get paid too. Speaking of which, downloaded this watermark program. Just some cheap thing but it does the job.

As for the job search, still nothing.... I 37.5 hours a week but I need a job for nights and weekends if I ever plan on getting this camera. Hmph. It's gonna be a while.

eh...

P1780261, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Thinking it was Friday today, whoops. Work is okay. Things are kind of crazy right now and I guess I'm getting kind of stressed out. I'll get by.

I finally got around to calling the photo editor for the Pioneer Press but haven't gotten a call back. I'll try again Monday. I think I've filled out about 4 job apps online today. I just want something for AM, nights or weekends. If I do get this job, might save up enough for that Canon 30D. If not, it'll be rough. Speaking of that, trying to decide if I should get the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. It's only about $80 on Amazon.com. Then theres this higher quality one thats 50mm f/1/4 thats around $300. That ones metal while the other ones plastic. If I do manage to get that 30D, I'm pretty sure I won't have enough money to buy any $300 lenses. hmmm...

Six Flags on Saturday. Kinda want to go, kinda don't. Haven't really had much fun lately but it is pricey at around $50. Still don't know what the deal with the Coke Can is but I'll check that out.

BBQ was today, good food.

Summertime

P1780148, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Just about every time I go to the gym, there's this girl that starts arguing with people. Her problem is there's this bike that she wants to use every day and refuses to use any other one. She signs up for it which technically gives her the right but I mean seriously, use the next bike over! (which is almost always open and the same type of bike).

She gets pretty aggrivated and just sits there behind whoever happens to be on "her" bike and complains about them until they leave. Sometimes I stay and stretch to listen but for the most part, I got better things to do... like work out.

A few weeks back, some guys and I went to SoundBar in Chicago. WAY different from the bars in Macomb. First off, cover was $10! INSANE! I hear it went up as the night got later too. The people seemed very umm... upscale from what I'm used to. Only got 1 beer which was $4. Talked to a few girls, danced with one. It was an ok time.

Anyways, I get to the bathroom and as I'm leaving after I wash my hands, there's a guy sitting in the bathroom handing out the only paper towels with his little tip basket. One of those people that I guess, you're supposed to tip. He handed me the paper towel, I tossed it and left. The idea of tipping someone for handing me a paper towel just seems downright idiotic. Maybe I'm just a cheap bastard, I don't know. It just didn't seem right. If they placed paper towels near the sink, I would have been more than capable of geting one myself.

Well about the picture, had a bbq over in Wilmette with some people from high school. Took forever to find the place and the parking was horrible but it was a good time. Just a whole lot of eating. Speaking of which, I was at 160 lbs last night. That was after dinner and everything so hopefully I can get up to 165 by the end of the summer. Mostly shot the BBQ in b&w. Desaturated a few. Used some slow sync flash. All shot with my Lumix FZ-20.

As for this weekend, should be at Great America with some people from the track team. Should be a good time. I'll probably take pictures and just try not to get my camera wet. Hopefully the weathers good for Saturday.

Lately, I've been trying to find a digital voice recorder to get so I can add audio to my pictures. Also, it would be good for journalism for recording speeches and interviews and such. It's about $102 on Amazon.com.

Maxxum 50

Maxxum 50, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

I like this picture. I should probably do some more macro work. I usually play basketball on Fridays so I might bring my Lumix (that I shot this with) and take some pics. The problem with that camera is the noise is HORRIBLE but when the lightings good, I get really sharp shots like this.

Well I'm bored at work and I guess I just need something to write about. hmm.......

Workouts.

Workouts have been going well. I'm in the gym just about everyday except weekends switching off from Arms on Monday, Wendesday, Friday and Legs on Tuesday Thursday. They've been going well and I'm starting to look like a track athlete again. It's nice, I'm happy.

I remember, about 2 years ago, sitting in Nutrition class with Rita Kaul and hearing it was harder for skinny people to GAIN weight than it was for Fat people to LOSE weight. I'm not sure if I really belived that but after years of trying to gain weight, I'm still around 5 pounds of where I was when I started college, sometimes less. I mean, there are factors like my active lifestyle that if I eliminated, maybe I can start packing on the pounds but thats just not me.

The least activity I ever get during the year is during school when I'm working for the newspaper and shooting a gazzilion photo assignments. I spend most of my time either taking pictures or editing. Didn't really do so much actual studying for my major ( Ex. Sci.) so I had plenty of time to play with the pictures. Even during all that, I stil rode my bike to and fro partly becasue I knew that was probably going to be the only exercise I got for the day and also, I needed to save gas money so I could save up for trips to track meets and take even more pictures.

With as hilly as the campus of WIU is, I'd say I got quite a workout and I guess it did enough to keep me in shape and counteract all that Burger King I was eating.

And thats another thing (just rambling...) I forgot where I heard it but skinny people can be fat too meaning high amounts of internal fat which in some cases, can be even more dangerous because of the fact that it's not visible and therefore, people don't worry about it. Reminds me of that guy from supersize me that would eat a big mac every day. Don't know if he got regular checkups but I'd imagine he's got some fat on him.

One of the reasons I try not to eat too much fat isn't so much I'm watching my weight (well I am but trying to gain) but that if my body fat is too high, I won't be cut and that means no six pack. I guess it's common knowlege to exercise science majors that everyone has a six pack but the main problem is that no one can see it because it's covered by a layers of fat.

And another thing, I think low carb diets are dumb. Athletes know how important they are and if you do any research on the basic fundamentals of nutrition, (i.e.- fat, protien, carbs) you'll know the importance of each. Carbs help supply the energy to work out so if you cut them out and then try to exercise to lose weight, you'll end up a lot more tired than you should. Of course there's different kinds of carbs. Good ones like in whole wheat bread and fruits(complex) and bad ones( simple) like in candy bars. People group the whole thing together and all of a sudden, they're all bad. I try to make sure my mom knows the difference. (Although, that bread used with burgers at fast food isn't that great for you since its white bread and doesn't have any nutritional value since all the nutrients are stripped from the whole grain and processed.

15 more minutes of work...

but yes, my opinion is low carb diets are dumb. Complex carbs help provide sustained energy that you need when working out. Speaking of which, went on a 12 mile bike ride yesterday. I was bored.

It was actually very nice. The weather was around mid-70's and a little cloudy. I wasn't sure how far I'd go but just rode till I was half way to Botanical Gardens. Next Sunday, might go all the way. There were so many cicada's lying around, some half dead, others crushed. At some points, the noise was almost deafening. It souded like hundreds of cicadas in the woods. Oh yeah, forgot to mention I was in a forest preserve on the bike trails. Rode by a lake and a river. Sure would like to go camping some time.

I thought my legs were going to be a lot more tired on the way to work but they actually felt better than normal and I cut 10 minutes off my 25 minute ride to work! Granted I was sweaty when I came in but I'm fine by my first break. I like riding, so much less pain.

Well thats about it. Cookout on the beach next saturday, need to figure out a fathers day present too.

booya.

memorial day

memorial day, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

There was a ceremony that Janelle told me about here in Skokie. It was the Monday after I got back from the Baseball tournament. I really didn't feel like going but went to check it out anyways. Got a few decent pics but wasn't expecting much with the Lumix FZ-20. The DoF was a lot better than I expected. Might have been becasuse I was shooting in Apeture mode at 2.8. I tried to get this one in the pioneer press (local paper) (Skokie Review) but I guess it didn't make it. They mainly want nature/ animal shots.

That brings me to another thing. It might just be that I'm not that great at it but I just don't like Nature shots (i.e.- flowers n such) I just find them so boring. I know some of them might be "beautiful" but I guess i just don't apreciate it. Shooting sports is my favorite but if I get a news event with good lighting, I'm happy too. I may be switching to Journalism this semester. This'll be major number 3 I believe? Yeesh, just want to get out. Hopefully I can learn how to write well becasue after this, don't know what I'd do. Photojournalism would be nice but I don't think my skill level is high enough to make it yet. Still trying to save up for that Canon 30D. Got a long way to go...

Mid-Con Tournament

_1018344, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Had my first major assignment shooting the baseball tournament for the Conference. I guess one word to describe it would be frustrating.


I left work Wednsday and headed over to Macomb. Got in town about 11:30pm to find Torinn sitting on the couch watching a movie. All the stuff from his car was in my room (which was aprently everything he owned so I slep out on the couch.


The first day of shooting the next day with the Olympus E-Volt 500 was horrible. I had maybe 5 usable shots but nothing great. I want to blame the camera but I mostly blame my inexperience shooting baseball vs. other sports such as track or basketball (still need some work on that basketball). Track of course is my fave.

The second day of shooting went a lot better. Got a lot more action shots but still nothing great. In between games, I had to drive over to the library and put the pics on CD's. Had about 30-40 minutes. I got the CD's finished but the mid-con rep never got them so the sports department has to mail him the 2 CD's. Arrrg. Really wish I burt 2 copies so I could have some pics. I'd say day 2 was my best day.

Day 3- I finally got some knee pads. It was cloudy and rain was going to be comming soon. The championship game was pretty uneventfull. Oral Robberts is in a whole other league compared to the rest of the Mid-Con teams so they won as expected. Can't remember if it was day 2 or 3 but both benches cleared on this one play where a guy didn't tag up. Unfortunately, I have no pics. :\

Overall, think it could have gone a lot better. Would much rather have shot the track conference (which I was at too) but whatever, got some experience and that's what matters. Maybe It'll go better next time... if there is a next time.

so much sand...

so much sand..., originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

From the Wisconsin Twilight Invitational. My first meet all year. Had no training and ran like it too. It's been fun.

kyle.jpg

kyle.jpg, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Illinois State is tomorrow and I'm stuck in Macomb "volunteering for the Senior Olympics. They already say they're swamped with volunteers but I got to stay for classes. This really blows. Illinois State is probably the closest meet but I'll be at conference (5 hour drive to Kansas City).

beer.

beer., originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Nightlife in Macomb was fun. About half of the pics were in the afternoon since my subject started around 4. I ended up turning most of the pics I edited black and white but left this one becasue of the beer. Just didn't look right in b&w. Got home around midnight and realized most of the pics were from the afternoon so drove out to the square and shot around. Got a bunch of drunk people wanting pics and then just general things like cops, hot dog and pizza guys and so on. Got back home around 3:30am. It was my first time trying to get a photo essay together and I definitely need a lot more work.

D'Souza

DSC_8257-01.jpg, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

This guy came to Western yesterday. I guess he was controversal becasue there was a lot of security and bags searched before entering.

Lee Calhoun Memorial

DSC_4732, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Got there at 8:50 for the start of Javelin but covered the Hammer instead. The meet finally ended at about 6 with Discus but overall, I would say I had a pretty good day of shooting. My photo editor was supposed to be there but he had other assignments. I mostly messed around since I had no experience shooting an outddor meet with a DSLR except Thursday and Friday. I wouldn't really call most of the stuff I did creative but I'm happy with how some of it turned out.

The meet was moved to Sunday and the weather was great. Nice and sunny too which made for crisp pics. Anyways, I edited pics till 11 and I really should get some sleep. Hope I get to more outddor meets.

PS- also submitted my pics to Hope from MID CON(our schools conference to try and get to shoot the conference meet but since its so late, I doubt it.

I hate school.

Jr. Heather Wetzel, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

We had the first 2 days of the Lee Calhoun Invitational. Shooting with a DSLR is SO much easier. If I had more than a kit lens, might be able to get less DOF and better pictures but I'll work with what I can get. The meet was supposed to be today but got moved to Sunday because of weather. I need to get the 2GB card sometime tonight or else its going to be rough shooting tommorow with the 512. Hope its not too cloudy!

Karlos Kemp

DSC_2774, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Just got in from shooting Karlos Kemp. He's a junior transfer on the team and probably the top hurdler. I was actually supposed to do it yesterday but completely forgot after I got that call about that last assignment. Worked out okay since practice was at 3:30 Had him do a bunch of runs over the hurdle but that wasn't working so just used a stretch. Only had the 70-300 so couldn't get that low angle over the hurdle but whatever.

Got a biomechanics test to study for plus photo meeting at 6 and SGA at 7. 4 assignments today! yeesh. I love it though.

DSC_2461, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Got this call from one of the writers about this political dicussion in Morgan Hall yesterday. I had no idea what it was about but by the time I got there, it had already started. I got a bunch of general saftey shots from up close and different angles and such and then just shot peoples heads becasue I got bored and wanted some more interesting pictures than them just sitting up there talking.

I believe these were the Republican and Democratic Representatives for this Macomb district. There were only a few maybe 10-15 people in the room.

DSC_2075

DSC_2075, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Stopped off at practice becasue it ends up there wasn't any softball game. Plus that other one was cancled. I decided to focus on the pole vaulters and try some new angles. It ended up pretty good. I burned the background in 2 of them and just left it in the rest. Lighting was ok.

Got a call from my photo editor telling me there was a gathering for the announcement of the Student Governement elections so went and shot that.

Heading home for the weekend, looking forward to it.

.

It's Tuesday which means...... SGA! Another exciting meeting as usual. I had to shoot with the 70-300mm lens because the 28-70mm lens is broken. The lens still works, it just came off the track so I can't adjust the zoom. Just locked at 35mm now.

I went to CameraLand in the Square and they estimated the original cost of the lens to be $2500!! Had my photo editor look it up and says it was about $1300 or something. That's more than twice I ever paid for a camera! Used to not really like that lens but I got used to it and got some good pictures out of it. Just hope it get's fixed soon.

Other than that, got my papers filled out with the Macomb Eagle. They pay $5 per picture. It's only half of what the Courier pays but I'll try it out. Made $10 from that last assignment at West Prairie.

DSC_1889, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

I had a GREAT night of shooting. My photo editor called me after I got home from Subway with Dave and told me there was a large crowd of people over at the Dairy Queen (which happens to be about 2 blocks away from my house).

When I first got there, thought it was just going to be another assignment. I mean, I've always wanted to shoot the place becasue I liked the lighting but never gave myself a good enough reason to get out there.

When I got there, I was kind of just standing around, not doing much. Decided to call my mom and talk to her for a little, something I'm supposed to do on Sundays.

I ended up seeing a few people I knew and chatted with them. Some of these other guys saw what I was doing and wanted to try to get they're pictures in the paper so I shot a bunch of them. Overall, the people over there were pretty cool. Had a great time. Also, I made sure I explained that these pictures may or MAY NOT be in the paper. I'm sure a lot of people expect to be in the paper after I take thier picture but I guess theres not always room.

Another reason I'm happy is becasue I'm learning more about photoshop. Most of these pictures, I just increased the white on the levels and slightly darkened the blacks and they looked completely different. It's the slightly high contrast look I was looking for but couldn't find. I just uploaded these pics tonight so I'm not really sure if they are any good but I like them.

Well it's 1am. I should get to bed.

Yeah..... I'm an idiot.

WestPrairieGirlsTeam, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

Had to go over to West Prairie High School, about 15-20 minutes away from campus and take some team pics of the boys and girls track teams for the Macomb Eagle. I had never taken a large group picture so I had no idea how it was going to turn out.

I guess it was ok but I forgot to drop my ISO. I mean, who takes a portrait at ISO 1600 in bright sunlight?!? I was already at home when I noticed how grainy the pictures were. Tried to save them in photoshop. Other than that, the girls kind of just got in 2 lines. I think the girl on the top right should have moved over so I could get the face. I also should have told them what to do with thier hands and have them sit up straight instead of slouching. From what I remember from my track team pics, the photographer always had us facing slightly to the left or right.

The lighting was horrible too. I was thinking about using flash but opted out. The background is okay. Nothing too busy. I was also thinking about having them do something creative rather than the same old bleacher shot. If I had more time, and maybe more experience, I would.

As for the Eagle, I emailed them the pictures and talked to thier sports guy who told me to call the publishers to figure out how much I get paid. Probably should have done that first. I just hope they don't think I'm doing charity work. If they paid me in gas money and food, I guess I'd be okay though.

Live and Learn...

DSC_1740.JPG, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

I had no idea what to do on this. Theres going to be a new building here and the paper needed a picture. I tried a few angles but all the pictures looked pretty boring. Then I tried to use the DOF to do something. Not really much there either.

btw, the baseball game was cancelled today. I was dissapointed. There was no rain so I guess it was just too windy. Might have my first shot at shooting Tennis this Saturday.

I finally got around to calling the editor of the Macomb Eagle. I talked to her at a Police discussion that I was covering and asked if her paper needed any photographers. I don't want to hog all the assignments for the Courier and I'm always looking for work anytime, anywhere.

I was planning on calling yesterday but didn't get home till 9pm after uploading all the baseball pictures in the library. I just left a message but hopefully get a call back sometime during the week. It's just spot photos and little things here and there but hey, its work and I can use it.

I looked into Columbia College in Chicago because I've seen the school on some photojournalist's sites. Plus it would be a whole lot cheaper than going to Brooks in California. As much as I want it, it's just not going to happen.

Somewhere in all this photo mumbo jumbo, I shouldn't forget I'm going to school to be a personal trainer. hmph....

ejected, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

This is the 3rd base Coach for Chicago State. He was mad becasue he thought his batter got hit by a pitch but the umpire didn't call it. He got angry, threw a fit for a minute or 2 and got ejected. Chicago State went on to lose both games of the double header. There were a TON of errors at the end of the game for Chicago State.

Finally got the 300mm lens. It was pretty nice. One thing I need to work on is focus. When they were running the bases, I focused a second behind them. Thats a problem I had when I first started shooting track. With track, its a lot easier but in baseball, everythings sporratic. Theres another game today so I'll work on it then. Should just take some practice. I'll get it. Hope the sun stays out today!

baseball, originally uploaded by blazinhispazian.

I finally got my chance to shoot baseball with a DSLR. Only had a 70mm lens so couldn't get any good, close action shots but I'll probably talk to Martyn, our other photographer, and see if I can get the 300mm lens back for a few games.

At the begining of the game, I was just shooting like any other game but decided I'd try and freeze the ball since I couldn't get any decent shots from how far away I was with the lens I had. Since I was the only photographer there and I wasn't really assigned to the game, I just took some useable shots and just messed around trying new things.

Getting the ball in the frame was SO MUCH easier with the DSLR rather than the Panasonic Lumix FZ-20. Didn't have to worry about that horrible shutter lag and guess everything. Plus it was really nice to see what I'm shooting through the viewfinder.

I got the ball pretty frozen in a few since I just bumped the ISO up. I think the shutter speed was 4000 or 1250 or something. I've seen a few shots where the balls in focus with a head on shot from the pitcher. I'd like to get something like that. Not sure if the D70 can do that but I'll try once I get that 300mm lens.

Some other things I was doing was this shot, just getting some of the batter on deck warming up. This one, I'm pretty sure I bumped up the ISO so I could freeze the ball right in front of the batter (22) Decided it looked better in black and white. Honestly, I never know what really looks better. My personal preference I guess. I guess it just looks different. I took a few more like this from a few angles. Thing I hated was the sky. I had the shutter speed up pretty high and the sky kept comming out overexposed so all the sky is white.

Before I got kicked out of my spot near the visitors team dugout, I took a few of the sky using P mode (whatever that is) You can see the sky pretty well. I guess I just need to wait for a nice sunny day with a few clouds. Weather sucks this week. Nothing but overcast and rain. If I could zoom in closer, wouldn't have to worry about the sky. Probably up the angle too and get more field and less sky.

Maybe a track meet this weekend but not likely, probably just more baseball.