Spinning steel wool

Playing with steel wool comes down to knowing how to effectively paint with light. After all it's just a long exposure. Anyone can do it.

Memory cards: why bigger isn't always better.

The most common question I get from my students (other than "What kind of camera should I buy") is "What kind of memory card do I need" In this post I will be explaining why there's really no need to go after the larger more expensive memory cards and give you some recommendations as to which ones, in my opinion are best. 

First of all, I am confident to say that the average photographer probably doesn't need more than 32 or 64GB on an SD card. Now a days any photographer can more likely than not get by with a 16GB or even 8GB card if you really wanted to.

It's been my experience that when it comes to SD cards, bigger isn't always better. Larger SD cards are more expensive and even unnecessary. Instead, I encourage photographers to make it a habit of format their card after ingesting the photos to their computer. To learn more, read this post about learning to format your card and making it an essential part of your workflow. 

Do yourself a favor and put the money you save from purchasing the smaller size cards toward the buying the faster cards instead. Personally, I recommend SanDisk. I've been using these memory cards without any issues for more than 10 years. They come in various speeds and sizes but 16GB seems to be the sweet spot for most photography applications. At only ~$8 a pop (at the time of this post), these cards are fast, reliable, and fairly affordable. So much so that you may even want to consider purchasing more than one. Obviously, there are other alternatives out there so feel free to shop around to make sure you get one that best fits your needs.

16 GB San Disk Extreme

At this point you are probably wondering "then why are there 128 or 256GB versions of these cards?"

The size of those cards are typically reserved for recording video or large format photos.
Unless you are shooting everything in RAW and 4K and have hundreds of TB of space to archive this media, its quite pointless.

(Since most camera's now a days take SD cards, that's what I have referenced throughout this post. Please keeps in mind, that not all cameras take the same type of cards. Some take CF's instead of SD's. Other's even take both. If you need further clarification as to the types feel free to leave a comment below.)

Cheat like no one is watching

You've been shooting in auto mode for a few months now and you are ready to take the next steps in your photographic adventure. If that sounds at all like you, then, I encourage you to read on.

Photopea.com makes Photoshop dispensable

As many educators are looking to find innovative ways to teach students during this new era of "distance learning" one of the questions I had to ask myself was:

"How will I continue to teach our photography students if they don't have access to the software or hardware they need at home?"

Simple Project Timer/ Tracker

One of the most useful tools I use as a freelance photographer is not a camera or a lens.

Rather, the most useful tool in my photography arsenal as of late has been a simple project tracker which I developed using Google Sheets. This tracker allows me to keep track of how much time I spend working on a project either in the field or in front of the computer.

Whether you are learning to budget your time or making sure to provide clients with accurate billing information a resource like this can prove especially helpful.

Why formating your card should be an essential part of your workflow.

I remember the first time I saw the message on my camera.

"Format card all data will be lost!"

I freaked out. I was hesitant to press okay and with good reason. I had a lot of valuable photos stored in that one SD card. The reality is it was a horrible way to store my photos and here is why.

Photo Competitions Calendar

One thing I encourage my students to do before they leave my class is enter a photography contest. Not only is it beneficial for putting their work out there, but there is always the chance they might win big.

I will be the first to admit, however, all the research and prep work associated with entering any type of contest can sometimes discourage ones desire to participate.

So to make life just a little easier for myself and others, I have created a calendar with contest deadlines and links to the official contest websites. Though entry fees vary by contest I have also taken the liberty of labeling those that are free to enter with the color green.

Misaellaneous Blog Relaunch

I have neglected my blog long enough...

This neglect, however, was not without reason. In the last five years I've kept myself busy winning an Emmy Award, working as a staff photographer at The San Diego Union Tribune, getting married, going back to school and earning a teaching credential, having a kid, quitting my job at the newspaper, becoming a photography teacher, starting a Youtube Channel, traveling around the world and gathering experiences to share with all of you.

Through the Lens 2014

Kenya Cruz, 4, finds comfort in her mother's bosom on the back of a pick up truck as they head home after a long day of working the bean fields of Nayarit, Mex.

iPhonography 2014

2014 was the year I bought my first iphone and the year I finally gave in to the Instagram craze. (Feel free to blame my very good friend Oscar Jacobo for that one). I'm growing fonder and fonder of this little device with each passing day so here is a small collection of some of my Instagram photos from 2014.
Happy holidays and thank you for your continuing support.

I wish i lived this close to the beach! #beach #ib

A photo posted by @misaelvirgen on Jul 7, 2014 at 9:32pm PDT

My 'Best of 2012' Collection

It has been a year since I started this blog. Here is a look at some of my favorite assignments of 2012. I look forward to what 2013 has in store. Happy New Year!

[JOURN 495BJ] Border Angels- The Power of One

Since 1994, 10,000 people have died trying to cross the border between the United States and Mexico, according to Enrique Morones founder of Border Angels. Among those who attempted the journey are men, women and young children. Due to harsh weather conditions, tough terrain and often the expensive price migrants must pay to smugglers, however, many do not make it across.

Founded by Morones in 1986, Border Angels is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to undocumented immigrants. After bringing food and water to migrants who were living in the canyons of North County San Diego, Morones and the Border Angels expanded their operation by going out to the desert to place water near the recently constructed wall dividing the United States and Mexico, also known as Operation Gatekeeper.

“Before Operation Gatekeeper, one or two people died every month,” said Morones.

“After Operation Gatekeeper, one or two people die every day.”

Border Angels is also known for attending to a cemetery in Holtville, California to pray and place crosses that read “no olvidados” (not forgotten) on the graves of the 700 unidentified migrants laid to rest there.

[JOURN 495BJ] Storyboard- Border Angels

Storyboard for Backpack Journalism 495BJ Final Project.

[JOURN 495BJ] VII: Ed Kashi for multimedia advocacy

Ed Kashi
Instructions: Each couple will prepare a 5-10 minute presentation, during which they will post on their blog sites, and then share with the class.

www.edkashi.com
www.viiphoto.com
www.talkingeyesmedia.org/about/ed-kashi

1) The name, origin, and essential purpose/philosophy of the individual or organization.
VII (Seven) is a photo agency dedicated to shedding light on the environmental, social and political injustices of the 21st century. The agency was founded by seven of the worlds leading photojournalists in 2001 (Alexandra Boulat, Ron Haviv, Gary Knight, Antonin Kratochvil, Christopher Morris, John Stanmeyer and James Nachtwey.) Among the group of elite photographers signed to the agency is Ed Kashi, who joined in 2010.

Kashi is a widely recognized photojournalist, filmmaker, and educator. His images have been published and exhibited worldwide. Kashi's most recent work includes Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta, THREE and Photojournalisms, a combination of journal writings to his wife done over a 20-year period from locations all around the world. In 2002 Kashi and his wife founded Talking Eyes Media, a non-profit company that has produced short films and multimedia pieces exploring important social issues.

"Designed from the outset to be an efficient, technologically enabled distribution hub for some of the world's finest photojournalism, VII has been responsible for creating and relaying to the world many of the images that define the turbulent opening years of the 21st century... But this is not merely artfully captured, neutral observation; nor is it the doctrinaire elaboration of a political or social position. Each photographer is inspired by an array of often very different motivations, and it is from this breadth of reference that the agency draws its originality and strength." -viiphoto.com

New York Times interview with Ed Kashi

OTHER VII PHOTOGRAPHERS
Lynsey Addario, Jocelyn Bain Hogg, Marcus Bleasdale, Stefano de Luigi, Venetia Dearden, Jessica Dimmock, Adam Ferguson, Ashley Gilbertson, Ron Haviv, Ed Kashi, Gary Knight, Antonin Kratochvil, Joachim Ladefoged, Christopher Morris, Seamus Murphy, Maciek Nabrdalik, Franco Pagetti, Stephanie Sinclair, John Stanmeyer, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Tomas van Houtryve, Donald Weber

2) Show an example of multimedia work produced by the individual/organization.


A Vietnam pond has been contaminated from the U.S. Military spraying some 12 million gallons of Agent Orange herbicide from 1962-1971. A toxic chemical in Agent Orange, Dioxin, has been associated with cancers, diabetes, birth defects and other disabilities. Vietnam Red Cross estimates more than 150,000 Vietnamese children have been born with birth defects associated with Agent Orange.

[JOURN 495BJ] Group Project: Family Fun Arcade

After 39 years of business, Family Fun Arcade (FFA) located in Granada Hills, will be closing on December 31, 2012. Many local gamers have found fun, comfort and competition at the arcade.
We spoke with professional gamers Loren Riley (AGE Fanatiq) and Ray Ruballos (AGE Knives) who expressed their gratitude for the arcade.
“I’m really grateful for this place,” said Ray Ruballos.
“A lot of the time I felt like I took it for granted because I always had a place to play.”
With growing popularity for online console gaming, the arcade scene has seen a significant decline in clientele in the past years. FFA was able to make a short comeback with events, such as, the world premier of Street Fighter 4 in 2008. Come December 31, 2012, however, it will be game over for this local arcade. Insert coin(s).

[JOURN 495BJ] Multimedia Project Proposal: Group 4

Group 4 collaborative multimedia project proposal
Danielle Hale, Sigournee Grondin, Ken Scarboro,
Misael Virgen, Jeffrey Zide


Story summary:
The spread of online console gaming has made it difficult to find the face-to-face competition of arcades. Luckily, on Balboa and Devonshire there is Family Fun Arcade for the gamer looking for an arcade experience. Unfortunately, Family Fun will be closing its doors by January 2013, joining many other arcades rendered obsolete by in-home gaming. We plan on focusing our multimedia project on Family Fun Arcade as one of the few remaining arcades, and record its history of 38 years in the Valley. The interviews with the owner and regulars will be video, b-roll will feature video, photographs and ambient audio. We are also planning a map showing locations of arcades through several decades, and a graph or other chart showing the growth/decline of in-home consoles and arcades.

Team roles:
Photo: Misael
Video: Jeffery, Sigournee
Maps: Danielle, Sigournee
Web layout: Ken
Graphs: ken
Each team member will be responsible for editing their own respective medium and collaborating when medias are combined for final versions.

Deadlines:
Oct. 15: Story board, project proposal
Oct. 22: Raw photos, b-roll video and research information due
Oct. 24: Interviews, completed maps and graphs and photo galleries due
Oct. 27: Finished multimedia video component
Oct. 28: Final web presentation for posting on blogs

File storage summary:
Completed group files will be stored on the photojournalism lab servers. Misael will create appropriate folders for team members to store their files for access by other team members.

[JOURN 495BJ] Gabriel Ivan Orendain-Necochea: Personality Profile

PersonalityProfile JOURN495BJ from Misael Virgen on Vimeo.

Gabriel Ivan Orendain-Necochea's, 25, is a theater major at California State University, Northridge where he also works as Visual Editor for the Daily Sundial.

After being nationally recognized for his news reporting and editorial cartoons at The Sun at Southwestern College in San Diego, Orendain-Necochea transferred his talent to the Daily Sundial at California State University, Northrige a year ago. Despite a knack for news reporting, however, Orendain-Necochea insists in following his dreams of stardom.

His artistic talent and creative attitude inspired him to peruse a career in acting.

"Creative freedom is everything to me," he said.

Music and drawing also help feed Orendain-Necochea's creativity.

"My heart is not in it [news reporting], it's in acting, " he said.

"Id rather be in the headlines, as oppose to writing them."

[Journ 495BJ] Exercise: Afghanistan Touch Down in Flight Multimedia Analysis

What is the focus of the story?
Afghanistan: touch down in flight is a multimedia piece delivered in a short video format by Lukas and Salome Augustin. The video challenges people’s perspectives of an otherwise misunderstood nation.
“As each of us have our own impressions of Afghanistan, predominantly marked with pictures of foreign forces, explosions and terror, we were privileged enough to have access into the daily life of the Afghan people,” said the authors.
“We hope the pictures you know will merge with the pictures you see and will enrich your views of the country.”

What story forms where used to tell the story?

Zoo Photography Tips: Top 7

A lion paces back and forth as the sun sets on his den at the
world famous San Diego Zoo.
This summer I spent a generous amount of time visiting my hometown zoo, the San Diego Zoo. My girlfriend and I got our year memberships in early April. Zoo’s are unlike any other environment. The variety of exotic animals all existing in the same place, can make animal photography very rewarding. But shooting in such and enclosed environment can present itself with its own set of challenges and difficulties. So here are a few zoo photography tips for you.

San Francisco, the City by the Bay

A view of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Point.

During summer, my family and I visited San Francisco for the first time. During our stay, we visited Alamo Square, Pier 39, the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park and of course the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

We made the trip from San Diego by car. I can remember being on the freeway for hours admiring the rural-like landscapes along the way. Our 550 mile journey was long and tiresome. Meanwhile I had that photographer’s tingle in my fingers wishing I could get shots of the scenery before me but knowing we had to stay on the move.

Finally, we ended up making a stop in Patterson, CA to visit family. Only then, was I able to take a moment to photograph the apricot groves under the starlit sky.