Focus on Photographers; Tuesday, First Period [02/04].

[hashtag_chocobro]

"A couple of classes ago," said Prompto, with a bit of an apologetic smile for just how many classes ago that had been, "when we talked about Ansel Adams, I mentioned two other photographers contemporary to him that utilized color to solid effect while he was mostly leaning on black and white photography, and today, I want to talk about one of them, and that's Ruth Orkin."

A photo of the photographer showed up the board behind Prompto and he grinned a little bit as he continued with his lecture.

"Ruth's mom was a star of the silent movie silver screen way back at the beginning of the last centry," he said, "so she sort of grew up around cameras, and, in fact, also worked in film as well as photography. She also took a lot of portraits of Hollywood starlets," and a series of some of those continued on behind him as he spoke, "and, if Adams' focus was capturing the beauty of nature, Orkin seemed mostly focused on the beauty of humanity. Lots of portraits and candids or structured scene that really took the little things about humanity and capture it through her lens. And, like a lot of other photographers, she got her first camera as a child, but she really started to lean into the photojournalism of life when she was seventeen and decided to ride her bike across the country, from California to New York for the 1939 World's Fair. The trip took her three weeks, and she took photos all along the way, and as someone who one spent a whole weekending doing almost nothing but riding my bike aorund the island before, that's impressive. And I didn't even get any good photos out of it!

"And while Orkin's most famous photo, An American Girl in Italy," which, of course, was now on display behind him, "is in black and white, and, in fact, the bulk of her work is in that style, she also started working to great effect with color, especially with her print and magazine work, with photos like this one, of a woman at the grocery store, which really lead the way in color in magazines, especially covers. And I love the story behind this photo, too. Orkin knew exactly what she wanted: a beautiful woman engaged in an every day activity that the readers of the magazine could relate to, highlighting a sense of normalcy after the end of World War II. Like, the strawberry in her hand? With just a bite taken out of it? So good. And the vibrancy of the color of the groceries really gives it that vitality that wouldn't really be there in a black and white photo, if you ask me.

"So," he said, winding down to his conclusion, "we're going to take a look of more of Orkin's work, both black and white and color, and then I want that to open up a discussion: do you find one style more evocative than the other? Which do you find more effective? Are they both effective in different ways? What do you like or dislike about some of this work, and what do you find more compelling: Ansel's sweeping shots of nature or Orkin's focus on people and their lives? Let's get into it!"

Friendship is Magic!, Tuesday, February 4, 2025

[sith_happened]

Today's classroom was filled embroidery floss and plastic beads. "Friendship bracelets," Anakin intoned, looking long-suffering.

"They show up throughout most cultures that have any kind of widespread fibrecraft," Ahsoka's fingers worked as she spoke, threading beads onto cord and knotting it "A symbolic gift not because of how valuable the materials are, because they're usually not, but because of the thought and effort put in."

"It's not that much effort," Anakin muttered.

"They're also most often made by younglings still practising their fine motor skills," Ahsoka added, as, for no reason at all, her bracelet started resembling her old Padawan braid.

"And when they are made by younglings, it's not appropriate to point out the flaws in their handiwork," Anakin added.

"Just to accept them gracefully."

"You, however, are not younglings, so please put some effort into your bracelets," Anakin said. "I have numerous examples that my daughter made for you to learn from."

Bettering Your Community & Yourself, period 3

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Class today had been asked to meet at Portalocity, where Jon greeted them with a nod. "Today we're heading into Baltimore again, to volunteer at a women and children's shelter. My Sister's Place offers food, showers, and other services to help people get on their feet." He grimaced. "It's run by a religious group, as many charities are, but they seem to be doing a decent job regardless."

Look, Jon had feelings about things. This should come as no surprise.

"We'll be working the lunch shift to help out - serving, cleaning, and so forth. If you can stay for the full two hours, that would be the most help, but I've got a portal back after the first hour for anyone that can't; whatever help you can give is welcome."

He led them through the portal to an alley a little way off, then over to the shelter. "Please be respectful of the people we're serving; they probably get little enough of that, unfortunately."