Inverted Pyramid

I couldn't choose one because I thought that both of these were very helpful.

Interview: Student of the Month (My First Interview)

20 Questions

1. How do you feel about being chosen for Student of the Month?
2. What after school activities are you involved in?
3. If any, what sports are you involved in?
4. What are your favorite hobbies/past times outside of school?
5. What clubs or organizations are you a part of?
6. What got you interested in (sport, club, organization, activity)?
7. What's your role in (sport, club, organization, activity)?
8. What are some memorable moments you've had at school?
9. What job do you have outside of school?
10. If you don't have a job already, what job would you pursue during high school?
11. What are your plans after high school?
12. How do you contribute to your community?
13. Do you do any tutoring or would you consider tutoring someone?
14. Who has inspired you? Who is your role-model?
15. What has inspired you to do well in school?
16. On a basic average, how are your grades in school?
17. What are your best classes?
18. What's one accomplishment in school that you're proud of?
19. Do you see yourself as a leader or a follower and why?
20. Do you have any advice to give to students who are struggling in school?


THE INTERVIEW

The interviewee: Rami Altai

Warm-up
What's your full name?: Rami Altai
How old are you?: 14
What grade are you in?: 9th grade
Why do you think that you were chosen for Student of the Month?: "I was chosen because I have such amazing skills, obviously."

THE REAL BIZ

1. How do you feel about being chosen for Student of the Month?
"I feel great. I feel more proud of myself to keep working hard."

2. What after school activities are you involved in?
"I hang out with my friends a lot. I also go the the Game Design Club occasionally."

3. If any, what sports are you involved in?
"I play on the Bowie tennis team, but if I had the chance, I would like to pursue swimming and soccer as well." 

4. What are your favorite hobbies/past times outside of school?
"My favorite hobbies are playing video games and reading books. Well, not really playing video games. But I like reading books."

5. What clubs or organizations are you a part of?
"The Game Design Club."

6. What got you interested in (sport, club, organization, activity)?
(for Tennis) "The feel of the sport, [tennis], is great."

7. What's your role in (sport, club, organization, activity)?
(for the the Game Design Club) "I'm a programmer. I try to do the best as I can as one of the club's programmers."

8. What are some memorable moments you've had at school?
"My most memorable moment at school was breaking the world record for being the best at everything." (Comment: This is obviously definitely most certainly the reason he was chosen for Student of the Month.)

9. What job do you have outside of school?
"I don't have a job."

10. If you don't have a job already, what job would you pursue during high school?
"I would like to be a programmer. I don't have any idea where I would become a programmer though."

11. What are your plans after high school?
"I want get a college education, preferably at UT. [To be a programmer]."

12. How do you contribute to your community?
"I do some volunteer work, but not as often as I should be. I also contribute to the community with my great presence."

(Question added during the interview): What kind of volunteer work do you do?
"I volunteer with Keep Austin Beautiful. Basically I pick up trash from the streets." 

13. Do you do any tutoring or would you consider tutoring someone?
"I don't do any tutoring, but I would consider tutoring someone who needed help."

14. Who has inspired you? Who's your role model?
"No one really inspires me except for myself. I look to my dad as a role-model though. He knows a lot about useful things and how to fix things."

15. What has inspired you to do well in school?
"I'm more forced to do well in school. I guess my motivation is my income at school and the expectations my parents have of me."

16. On a basic average, how are your grades in school?
"Mostly A's and B's. I make mid-A's and high B's."

17. What are your best classes?
"Math and Science are my best classes [grade-wise]...They're also my favorite classes."

18. What's one accomplishment in school that you're proud of?
"The accomplishment that I'm most proud of in school is saving the school from a fire." 

19. Do you see yourself as a leader or a follower and why?
"I see myself more as a follower because I get too shy...Even if I did save the school."

20. Do you have any advice to give to students who are struggling in school?
"Study, stop watching youtube, and don't procrastinate."

(Question added during the interview): Do you have any final comments before the interview ends?
"I think I'm gonna be the student of the month for the next 12 years."

Interview: School Uniforms

My sources: The school's principal, the school's staff members (teachers), and the school's students.

20 Questions

1. Why do you think that the uniform policy was put into place?
2. How will staff members (teachers) react to this policy?
3. How will students react to this policy?
4. How will uniforms be distributed?
5. How will uniforms affect students who come from low-income families?
6. Do you think that the district should offer financial aid to students who can't afford the uniforms and why?
7. Do you think that the school should offer financial aid to students who can't afford the uniforms and why?
8. How might the district's income be affected by the uniform policy?
9. How might the school's income be affected by the uniform policy?
10. Should students be allowed to decide how the uniforms look?
11. Should schools require students to wear the uniform outside of school at school-related events? (ex. games, fairs, fundraisers, bake sales, ect.)
12. How will requiring uniforms impact the school?
13. Do you think a school's performance is affected by a uniform policy?
14. Have schools who require uniforms been successful in the past?
15. How would required uniforms increase a school's performance?
16. How would required uniforms decrease a school's performance?
17. How will schools benefit from required uniforms?
18. How will uniforms negatively affect schools?
19. What are your final thoughts on the uniform policy?
20. Are you pro-uniform or anti-uniform?

Architecture Photos

Light

Shapes and angles

Details

Surroundings 1

Surroundings 2

Patterns

Portfolio Analysis - How judges pick winning portfolios and sports photos

1. Runner-up Videos

Nick Adams
The general focus of the portfolio are the people and the story behind the photo. While many of the photos include sport shots, the majority of the photos are centered on the story.
Dislikes: The judges note that many of these photos do not have much originality, often times the judges have to read the caption in order to understand what the photo is conveying and the photographer does not correctly use elements and many of the photo's composition, framing, and balance is off.
Likes: The first photo displays a severely disfigured man and one of the photographers notes that it would have taken a strong-willed person to take this photo and a strong-willed man to be comfortable for the photo to be taken. They also note later on that a photo of a girl reaching up towards birds in the sky is "okay", though it lacks composition.
To me, the photographer seems a little sloppy and lacks creativity that causes his photos to come off as mediocre and amateur. There are a couple of photos that were visually appealing to look at, but many of the photos weren't interesting and didn't draw me in.

Sam Adams
The general focus of this portfolio are sports.
Dislikes: According to the judges, one of the photos (of a man who is sitting on a pier next to a duck boat) does not convey feeling or emotion like the photo seems to be intended to be doing. The judges are also not fans of a recurring theme in the photographer's photos, which is to show a silhouette against the a simple background, and they also comment that there is a lack of variety in the photos and that most of them compose of a group of men sitting on bikes and looking away from the camera.
Likes: The judges particularly like one of the photos where three woman are bracing themselves as a ball hurtles down on them, but they do not give further comment about the photo. Later on, the judges comment that some of the photos are visually appealing.
I liked this photographer much more than the last one. The photos seemed more creative and well-shot, and many of the photos were just visually appealing to look at. I didn't like how some of the photos just seemed random and that they were trying to convey emotion, even though it didn't work out.

Daryl Peveto
The general focus of this portfolio are stories.
Dislikes: The very first photo is not well-taken and is not clear, which confuses the judges straight off. It doesn't help that the photo is paired with the wrong caption. This happens again in which the photo is confusing and the subject is not clear. Many times, the photos are just not interesting and do not capture the judges' attention. The judges frequently comment that there is a lack of interest in the photos and some, again, do not have the proper caption.
Likes: The judges note that some of the photos have very nice lighting and visual elements and later comment that one photo has a nice color balance that contrasts the two sides in the photo. They also agree that many of these photos were well-taken and have very good composition.
I actually really liked this photographer. A lot of the photos were visually appealing and quite a few caught my eye. The photos were shot at a creative angle and many of them appeared to convey a dramatic mood, though that might have been the black and white film.

2. The Winner

Dustin Snipes
a. The judges commented that many of the photographer's photos were well-taken and visually appealing. They liked that in some of the photos, everyone in the photo was doing something which conveyed a certain emotion or mood in the photo. The photographer took many creative shots that really got the judges' approval, and all the photos showed the subject's reaction to what was going on in the photo.
b. I saw a lot more strengths than weaknesses. Compared to the runner-up portfolios, and the photos in this one were very creative and very interesting. Many of the photos were appealing to look at and some were chaotic but in a way that made the photo very appealing to look at. The photos conveyed emotion and expression which was another thing that really stood out to me. No two photos were exactly the same and I really liked that.

3. The Judging Process

In order to decide the winner, the judges first viewed all the photos altogether to decide whether or not the photos were appealing at first glance and then if the photos had variety and were not repeats of the same thing. If the judges liked what they saw, they would zoom in to view the photos separately and comment on the photos and if the photographer accomplished what they intended to do.

Part 2. Individual Images

1. I agree with the photographers on one photo where a woman is looking away as a goose impacts with her arm. The photographers praise the photo for being interesting, humorous, and spontaneous. Additionally, the photo itself is telling the story and you don't need to read the captions to figure out what's going on in photo. The photographer also gets a lot of credit for taking the shot, since a moment like that would have been fast paced and not so easy to shoot.

2. When the judges are choosing the photos for the Photos of the Year category, I think that there were a lot of choices that would have been better than the ones they chose (except for the goose photo). I liked that the judges considered the goose photo and the escalator photo, however I think that the other two photos could have been better chosen and might've even been better than those two photos.

Sensory Overload + Architecture Preview

Sensory Overload Warm-up

1. "I believe that more and more, we are defining our environments not as the spaces themselves, in terms of the buildings or architecture, but rather by the objects and devices that we buy and surround ourselves with. ... I would like that message to carry through universally," Seymour said.

I agree with that statement. The objects and devices that you buy and surround yourself with can reveal the sort of person you are because you're essentially surrounding yourself with belongings that are familiar or comforting. For some people, that might be books or electronics or lava lamps. 
This quote makes me think that when I am taking portraits of myself or of other people, the background can be just as important as the subject, because the objects and devices around them can reveal their interests, their occupation, or their personality.

2. All the pictures were visually appealing and so unique, and I feel as though I am only seeing a tiny fraction of all the booths that were in Commodity City. I definitely would want the opportunity to travel there and view the booths and take photos of them

3. A child would feel right at home at a place like that. Children are already so hyperactive that they wouldn't necessarily be affected by the sensory overload. As a child whose parent is working there, I don't feel as if they'd ever get tired of it. The booths are always changing and there's always new booths and treasures to discover. Plus, a lot of the booths include toys and colorful decorations. It's like a children's paradise. 

4. My favorite photo by far would have to be the photo of the seller surrounded by teddy bears and stuffed animals. As a child, I was always surrounded by stuffed animals from my siblings and my parents before me, so in a way, it's giving me some kind of comfort. I love how the seller is smiling too. It just adds to the cuddliness and friendliness of the photo.

Architecture Preview

(Casa Mila) La Pedrera, Spain

1. The architects of this building are Antoni Gaudi and Joseph Maria Jujol.

2. The building began construction in early 1906 and finished construction in 1910. It took approximately 4 years to build.

3. The building was built in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. 

4.  The building is open to visitors and some rooms can be reserved for meetings and conferences.

5. There is no information on how much it cost to construct the building.

6. The house was originally built for a wealthy business, Pere Mila and his wife, Roser Segimon, who intended to rent rooms out in the grand building. When Pere Mila died in 1940, his wife sold the property and continued to live in the main floor of the building until her own death. Even after the original owners death, the building continued to rent rooms out, however many of the building's decorative elements designed by Antoni Gaudi were lost throughout the years as installations were added to the building. In 1969, the building was declared a "historico-artistic Monument", and the building was restored and had its colors resorted. The building was named a World Heritage Site in 1984 to recognize Gaudi's works.

7. I remember reading about this particular building when my mom and I were planning to visit Europe. The unique and curvy architecture fascinated me and so did the building's extensive history. My mom, who had visited Spain before, had a particular interest in Gaudi's works in Barcelona. Aside from that, the design of the building is very beautiful and not at all like the common architecture in the early 1900s. The interior of the building is also just as grand as the exterior.

Nautilus House, Mexico

1. The architect of Nautilus House is Javier Senosiain from Arquitectura Organica. 

2. The house was designed and constructed in 2006.

3. The house is located just outside of Mexico City, Mexico.

4. The house is privately owned by the family that the home was built for, however they are willing to  make arrangements with photographers who want to visit and photograph and house.

5. There is no information on how much it cost to build the house, but the home would go on sale for $218,000. 

6. The house was built for a family of four who had recently moved out of Mexico City out of a conventional house. The parents wished to move into a new home that incorporated nature into its design. The home's design was inspired by Gaudi's and Frank Lloyd Wright's works, and the house itself had been renowned for its "bio-architecture", in which buildings are based off of natural designs from organic forms. 

7. I chose this house as one of my five because I really liked the exterior shape of the house, which was modeled after the shape of a snail shell, and the rainbow stained glass at the front of the house. The colors and uniqueness of the home sparked my interest, and so did the innovative and natural design of the building. The interior not only has the uniqueness of the house's exterior but incorporates a sort of indoor garden as well, and I really liked that.

Eden project, United Kingdom

1. The Eden project was designed by Nicholas Grimshaw and the engineering firm, Anthony Hunt and Associates. 

2. The project was designed and began construction in 1998-1999 and took 2 1/2 years to build, finished in May 2000 and opening in March 2001.

3. The Eden project was built in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

4. The domes are open to the public and welcomes visitors.

5. The Eden project cost 140 million euros to build, including the cost of the site, the greenhouses, the plants, services, exhibits, and the 83,000 tones of soil needed to grow plant life. 

6. The biomes, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw and Anthony Hunt and Associates was inspired by J. Baldwin's Pillow Dome. The structure was built over a china clay pit that had been used in previous years to shoot film for movies and tv shows. When the project began and was completed, the site was used as a filming location for the James Bond movie, Die Another Day. The project is open to visitors and is home to over 1,000 plant species, which are maintained by artificial climates.

7. The Eden project was a structure that I had read about a while ago for a past environmental project. I already knew a little bit about the project before this assignment, and I wanted to research more when the opportunity came up. Aside from that, the botanical gardens within the dome and around its exterior are appealing to view, and the design of the buildings are innovative and "green". 

Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE

1. Burj Al Arab was designed by architect Tom Wright from WKK Architects.

2. The hotel began construction in 1994 and took 5 years to build, opening in December 1999.

3. The hotel was built on the old site of the Chicago Beach hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

4. The hotel is public, but it costs about $24,000 to stay one night in a room in the hotel.

5. Burj Al Arab cost about $2 billion to construct.

6. The hotel has very little history. It was built on beach that was previously known as Chicago Beach on the site that previously housed a former hotel, Chicago Beach Hotel. The design of the hotel was modeled after a traditional arabian vessel called a dhow. Today it is one of most iconic symbols of Dubai other than the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world and one of the  most expensive hotels in the world.

7. I chose this building because the design really caught my eye. Just as the building was modeled after, the hotel looks like a massive sailboat on the horizon, and this is especially reinforced by the location of the building, which is which right on the beachfront so that the hotel looks like it really is floating on the open sea. I remember seeing photos of this hotel a lot too, since it's one of the most iconic buildings in Dubai, and so I also wanted to find out a little more about it.

National Centre for the Performing Arts, China

1. The architect for the arts centre was Paul Andreu.

2. The structure began construction in December 2001, was completed in July 2007, and opened to the public in December 2007.

3. The centre was built in the Xicheng District in Beijing, People's Republic of China. 

4. The site is open to visitors and hosts exhibits and shows in the Theatres, Concert Hall, and Opera House.

5. It cost about 300 million euros to construct. 

6. Having been built in recent years, the art centre has little to no history. The structure itself was modeled after an "egg floating on water, or a water drop". The intention of the design was to make it iconic and unique so that the structure would be something immediately recognizable (like Big Ben, the Sydney Opera House, or the Eiffel Tower). 

7. I chose this building because the design of the building and the photography I found of the arts centre was just beautiful. I particularly really liked the photo above, which was taken in the late evening. The reflection of the sky on the dome makes it seem like the dome itself is a part of the sky, and the dulled part of the dome has little lights on the exterior to purposefully imitate stars. The structure, combined with its reflection, sort of looks like the yin yang symbol too and I really liked that. 

Action Photography Finale

Photo 1: Subject running at the camera

Photo 2: Subject running across plane of the camera

Photo 3: "Panning"

Photo 4: "Bur" 

Prompt Shoot - Twisted Fairytales and Other Terrors of Growing Up

Please DO NOT submit.

Newspaper Page Design 2