Alaskans and visitors from all over come annually to celebrate the festival of Fur Rondevous, participating in carnival fun and saluting the start of the Iditarod Race. Hoping to capture the emotion and excitement of the festivities, we were assigned to take portraits during the course of the events.
This winter UAF Frisbee Club sponsored its first indoor Goaltimate Tournament in February as a supplement to outdoor play. The bring-your-own team tournament ran from 10p.m. to 3:30 a.m., starting off with Round Robin style play, progressing to an intense single elimination playoff sequence, and culminating in a double-over time, sudden death final match favoring visiting Eagle River over Fairbank’s home team. Full of spirit, fun, and competitive indoor goaltimate, all those who ventured to play in this all night saga hope that this event will become an annual tradition. A special thanks to all those who organized the tournament and participated in its success!
For part of our final portfolio this semester, we were assigned to take environmental portraits of people in their “natural environmental,” hoping to capture both elements of their personality and interactive aspects of them in their environment. Since I work at Jitters in Eagle River, this provided the ideal setting to break at the camera and capture some of the regulars in action…
The Morning Gentlemen
Alex “Big Al” Richie
Samantha Jo Ferguson
Nathanael Ray looks out over beautiful Hiland Valley from the east peak of Arctic Valley on Monday, April 20, 2009 after skinning back from the Alpenglow Trailhead. To some, late April may conjure up long-awaited images of spring, but Ray still hopes to pack in more ski days before the winter fully retreats into the mountains (Photo: Bethany Ray).
Well worth the skin up, Nathanael Ray ascends Marmot Peak in Hatcher’s Pass on Tuesday April 14, 2009 planning to ski one of the many chutes plummeting off the backside of Marmot (Photo: Bethany Ray).
Harrison Alger prepares for another beautiful day in Turnagain, taking in the fresh winter morning (Photo: Bethany Ray).
The sunrises over Turnagain Arm burning off early morning low clouds and fog, bringing the promise of yet another spectacular winter day in Alaska (Photo: Bethany Ray).
John Marc Dunaway enjoys the sheer elation of deep-powder skiing in Turnagain, taking his turn to play in the endless powder snow that Tin Can offers (Photo: Bethany Ray).
In Eagle River, Jitters, Where Coffee is an Art, is the hub of local activity and community. Throughout the course of an average day, baristas make hundreds of cups of coffee each day, each specially made for each customer, yet each made with the care of a pulling the shot, steaming the milk, and flavoring the drink to taste (Photo: Bethany Ray).
The key element to any coffee drink, from an americano to a caramel white mocha breve, is espresso. Jitters uses Kaladi’s Trieste blend for its espresso blend, using the grinder and handheld tamping technique to pull each shot (Photo: Bethany Ray).
200 degree water is the forced through the finely ground coffee to create a concentrated two-ounce espresso shot (Photo: Bethany Ray).
Depending on the grade of the grind, ranging from extremely fine to very coarse, and the compression of the tamp, the shot will take a different amount of time to extract the espresso. Ideally, shots should pull between 18 and 21 seconds (Photo: Bethany Ray).
While the shot is pulling, the barista then steems the preferred liquid to approximately 155 degrees, aerating the liquid to obtain a silky, smooth texture (Photo: Bethany Ray).
With careful attention and practice, the shot and the milk finish at the same time, and are then quickly poured together to create the desired, delicious creation (Photo: Bethany Ray).
And just like that, the same simple process, slightly altered depending on preference, produces the hundreds of steaming cups of coffee for Eagle River’s eagerly awaiting customers. Dark, rich, and bitter, or light, creamy, and sweet, the combination of these elements transforms simple coffee into a deliciousn form of art (Photo: Bethany Ray).
First of all, throughout the course of the multimedia project, I learned a lot, both in terms of compiling a story—whether it was a picture story, an audio slideshow, a video story, or some combination of these elements—and my strengths and weaknesses as a “photojournalist,” or at the very least, a story teller.
This project forced me to integrate a variety of different media sources, programs, and applications that I had either never used before or else only had only occasionally encountered prior to this instance. My limited knowledge and understanding of these programs posed a technical problem in terms of becoming proficient in operating these systems and manipulating them to work for me, rather than against me (as it felt at the onset of the project). I ended up using Audacity for the audio and iMovieHD for the editing and picture components of the project to relative success. It was very frustrating trying to learn the finer points of iMovieHD in particular because I had no working knowledge of any type of movie building program prior to this project. Once I figured out how the program worked, however, the compilation was significantly easier to manage.
Perhaps the next biggest obstacle was deciding what audio and pictures to use in the final project, and how to integrate them. When I set out to collect the audio, I wanted to control for the fact that I kind of already had an idea of where I thought the movie was going to go, and simply, where it would be easiest for the movie to go. After encountering this same problem with my picture story, however, I made a concerted effort to remain as unobtrusive in the formation of the story as possible and just let my speakers determine the course the story would take. As it turned out, this presented its own set of problems—mainly, that the interviews somewhat lacked a focus or specific theme. I then set out on the laborious task of coding over 30 minutes of audio. Having to limit the audio, edit the clips, and then find the pictures that best aligned with the audio and were of a quality I wanted to use was quite a task indeed. Maybe this is a personal problem, but I think that after spending an excessive amount of time in the zone of a project, my view becomes slightly altered. By the end of the project, I could no longer look at it with “fresh eyes” and view it objectively. Knowing what I had and then what I had included skewed my view of the final product.
I had the subjects of the slideshow, as well as friends and family members view it and weigh in, which was helpful to some degree, but each opinion came with a bias. After making the corrections you recommended, mainly adding the skinning and skiing audio, I was ready to present it. This ambient noise did far more for the project than I thought it would, and while initially I was not too enthralled with the idea of laying that track, I think that it helped the project overall.
If I had lost my clear sense of the project, it came back quite clearly when we watched it in front of the whole class. Without a doubt, if I had to do it over, I would not have included my introduction, which ended up being sort of a second intro, and definitely out of place, cheesy, and incongruent with the rest of the project. There were also some technical adjustments that I would have made, playing with the title slides and audio levels a bit more, but toward the end of the project, I felt as if I was making the ever-shrinking Valentine’s heart than ends up just being cut red paper at the end, so I decided to call it. Looking back, I place a lot of value in this assignment. I learned a lot, I am generally pleased the product, and now I have a working knowledge and understanding of audio and video editing programs that will doubtless come in useful in the future.
Eager to welcome the immient spring and Easter holiday, church goers offer their collection of flowers as a joyous contribution to the new and promising season (Photo: Bethany Ray).
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The set of multimedia productions including the Wood Bison Disease Testing video, the good luck charms and reflections of the United States soldiers in the Middle East, and the Boy in the Moon, comprised a wide range of styles and subject matter to varying success.
The first video depicting Wood Bison was only marginally successful, and could have been significantly bettered with a few compositional and tactical alternations. Shot on the following caption:
“Wildlife biologist Cathie Harms describes the scene as wood bison are corralled for handling and disease testing at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Wednesday March 18, 2009 in Portage. About 80 of the animals underwent testing this week as preparations continue by the state to eventually release the animals and restore wild populations to Alaska, where they roamed until disappearing sometime over the last few hundred years. The wood bison were imported from Canada.”
the story, at least initially, had much potential and promised to be a fairly rowdy show. Yet, in actuality and execution, the production was lacking in various aspects, both in terms of composition and subject material. First, the story was too long for the collected material, and probably should have focused more on the boisterous nature of the wild bison rather than merely on the premise of animal testing. Even with my limited knowledge and experience at creating and viewing multimedia productions of this sort, it seems a common trend that the story, or at least the angle, changes from the conception of the idea to the completion of the project. After beginning the shoot, it seems apparent, almost immediately, that the real story lies in dealing with these wild creatures. The story would have been significantly improved if it included interviews from the bison boys and the dangers and details of their job. At one point in the video, there are some good sequence stills of one of the bison boys being mowed over by the bison, but the voice over is inconsistent with the shots, and indeed does not even reference the event. A better approach would have been to refocus the dialogue to expand upon this sequence, bringing light to the reality corraling and testing these beasts.
In short, the story as it stands is too long, not captivating enough to merit the length, and (subjectively) mis-focued. The footage of the bisons in action was the highlight of the video, and yet was hidden past midway through the video after over a minute of dry dialogue. The video lacks compositional variety, interest, and excitement that would have taken this video from rather drab and purely informational to enticing and educational.
The second video, which captures the reflections of a number of soldiers deployed in the Middle East, was artfully composed to an emotional degree. While there was some redundancy in the selection of stories, and in this way, could have been shortened by a couple of accounts, it adhered to high compositional and content standards. The combination of stills, videos, and audio created a dramatic and touching tone throughout the piece. Further, the use of black and white shots contrasting the color video segments distinguished between the real life moments and the harshness of combat. The portraits were particularly impactive and well-done. The combination of detail shots, wide-angle shots, and personalization of the subjects through video gave a complete and multi-dimensional feel to the production.
As impressive as the slideshow was, however, there were a couple of areas that could be strengthened to improve the overall quality and impact of the piece. Some degree of ambient sound, rather than exclusive voice-overs, would have helped drive home the fact that these men are thousands of miles away in the middle of a war. Adding this extra sensory detail would strengthen the narration of the men, as well as complete the intensity of their reality. Again, while each story was adequately personalized and revealed the character of its narrator, there was some overlap in content and theme which should have in some way been addressed. Still, even with these considerations, the piece was produced to great effect.
The final selection, the Boy in the Moon, held a number of strengths, but suffered from a few key weaknesses as well. The emotional context, that “For eight years, every night is the same. The same routine of countless details, connected in precise order, each mundane, each crucial,” sets the stage for the multifaceted and chaptered story in the life of Walter Brown. The first segment, 1001 nights, consists largely of narration by Walter’s father, Ian, as he establishes a background for the piece and reflects on the joys and hardships of parenting a handicapped child. Immediately, one of the strengths of the piece is that it is set in black and white, which brings the focus to the subject of the story and creates a somber atmosphere worthy of the content. The soft instrument enhances this feeling, building to show Walter intently watching the player strum. The alternating stills, interviews, and video communicates the whole story. The combination of the very detailed account of Walter’s behavior, the reality of his disease, and the support of the photos helps create an all-inclusive picture of what it means to be part of Walter’s life. The choice of transitions, generally to (or from) a video from (or to) a still has the interesting affect of emphasizing the routine of Walter and Ian’s life, how they all seem to be the same, but are all individual moments to remember. Further, the story from Ian’s perspective, contrasting his life with Walter’s, how they are separate and yet intertwined, brings a real and emotional element to the story. In those respects, the composition furthers the content of the story.
Even though the first chapter alone is more than eight minutes, the length does not really bother me or detract from the story. Perhaps because it is comprised of multiple chapters, or because of the mellow and yet dramatic subject material, if anything, the length contributes positively to the piece as a whole. This selection differs from the others in that it is an ongoing account, and thus does not have the finality of the other pieces, but even as a self-contained piece, 1001 nights does a good job of building interest and resolving (sectionally) Ian’s reflections by the end.
With midterms freshly passed and finals looming close, this student is taunted by the sunlight of the early spring. Instead, she succumbs to the pressure of the semester, pouring over her books amid the the hustle and bustle of Eagle River’s Jitters coffee shop on Monday, April 6, 2009 (Photo: Bethany Ray).
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Bethany Ray
JPC 342
March 31, 2009
Picture Story Review
Prof. Nowers
Overall, I think I succeeded in telling my desired story—a day-in-the-life-of approach to skiing in the Alaskan backcountry. Compositionally, I made a point to vary the pictures that I used, which was a rather difficult task considering the immense volume of photographs from which I could choose. Going into the project, I already had some of my photos accumulated, and all of my work cut out for me. I had a fairly good idea of what types of pictures would fulfill the various requirements ranging from a wide-angle shot, to a portrait, to a climax, and a clincher. In some ways, having this rather stringent idea of what these pictures should be inhibited my ability to take in a wider-range of photographs. Luckily, since skiing is a large part of my life and one of the major things that I do, I had numerous opportunities to correct this complication. As I started to compile pictures for the story and progress through the story telling phase, I was able to be more selective about some of the pictures that I took while I was out and about, making sure to intentionally capture those less active and exciting moments that would build details and texture throughout the story.
Perhaps the most significant complication that I encountered was getting the exact pictures that I wanted and needed. This dilemma, however, was two-fold. One facet being that I was so immersed in the act of skiing, it was hard for me to remember to stop and take the pictures that I needed. Most of the time, skinning and skiing take priority, so having to stop and set up my shots was a bit laborious. Admittedly, the stops ended up being more of short pauses, or else they coincided with intermittent water breaks and periodic snow tests. Looking back, trying to compile, sort, and arrange the photos into a story after a day of skiing required me to be very selective and intentional.
The second complicating factor of taking the desired pictures was the weather—issues from lighting, to wind, to simple chill made getting good pictures somewhat difficult. I remember a few instances, both in Valdez and Hatcher Pass, when the wind was howling so fiercely and the effected temperature was so cold that I settled for whatever picture I took—simply based on the fact that I could not hold the camera steady with my shaking hands. The issue of lighting was easier to manage because I have taken a lot of pictures in the snow, and really it just requires patience to fix. Some conditions lend themselves to more clarity, definition, and quality—such as sunshine—when taking a picture, while others—such as flat light—do not.
Once I had taken all the pictures I needed, I had the enormous task of limiting my selection to eight to 12 pictures. The hardest part about that is being rational about what the story needs, and what is just fluff. Being out there, you develop a sense of attachment to photos based not only on the picture itself for what it is, but also because of what it represents or reminds you. There were so many “pretty pictures” that I had to cut. I went through at least five sessions of eliminating photos before limiting my selection to twelve. After going through that, it is inevitable that one would feel that the story has elements or pictures missing. To deal with this, I asked my brother (who was one of the subjects) to offer input as to whether the pictures told a story. Even with added perspectives, it is hard to accurately assess the congruity and quality of 12 pictures based on a context of hundreds if not thousands of other possible choices.
In the end, I tried to pick pictures that captured the desired elements of a typical ski day, while still maintaining some degree of continuity between the pictures. The final cut really only showcased two or three discernable trips from Valdez and Thompson Pass, Turnagain Pass, and Hatcher’s Pass. Looking back on the story with fresh eyes a week later, I think these pictures accurately tell the story. If I had it to do again, I would take the extra second to make sure I could capture those precise moments so I would not have to choose from so many. At least for me, I can tell pretty much right away whether the shot is going to be good or not, and if getting exactly what I want means withstanding the cold and taking an extra pause or two, then I would make those opportunities.
