2014
Ca sl er Ma tt
Welcome to my portfolio
Personal Portfolio of Design, Photography and Writing
Matt Casler 1510 WOODLAND ST. ORLANDO, FL 32806
mcasler1@ME.com
407-318-4360
@MCASLer1
May 16, 2013 Renee Burke Journalism Advisor William R. Boone High School 1000 E. Kaley St. Orlando, FL 32806 Dear Mrs. Burke, The 2014-2015 Legend Yearbook staff is in search of a leader to assume the position of co-Editor-in-Chief. The position of co-Editor-in-Chief, the position for which I am applying, demands strong leadership skills and diligence to the continued merit and quality of the book. Attached is a copy of my resume for your review for the prestigious role of Editor-in-Chief. I have had a passion for photography and digital design as early as the age of seven, when I was first introduced to digital and print publication development. I led the yearbook of my middle school as Editor-in-Chief, and I have known since that age that I wanted to advance in journalism in my future. The journalism department at Boone High School, specifically the Legend Yearbook, has offered me such an opportunity, and my first year on staff has only further nurtured my passion. I have a strong history in leadership, as well as extensive prior experience in the design of print and digital media. The position of Editor-in-Chief demands extensive knowledge and skill in the use of digital design products, such as Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. As I learned to use these programs at the age of nine, I have approximately seven years of experience in these programs. Through the additional instruction in Journalism 1 and one year as a Legend staffer, I gained extensive knowledge regarding the layout and design of yearbook spreads in InDesign as well. I can intuitively develop designs and integrate them with a digital component. I can effectively cooperate and work with other staffers and editors, and I work to maintain the ethical value and quality of the yearbook. I believe that these skills are values are necessary to become the leader of the Legend staff. Regardless of the merits contained within my resume, I believe that an interview could better allow me to portray my passion for the position and to exhibit my expertise in design and leadership. I would be grateful to have the chance to meet you at your earliest convenience. Thank you for reviewing my enclosed resume. I look forward to meeting with you soon to discuss my interest in this position. Best regards,
Matthew Casler Enclosed: resume
Matt Casler 1510 WOODLAND ST. ORLANDO, FL 32806
mcasler1@ME.com
407-318-4360
@MCASLer1
Objective: to develop my skills in writing and design as the co-Editor-in-Chief of the 2015 Legend Yearbook Experience and Skills: Legend Yearbook Staffer (2013-present): performing interviews; writing and editing stories and captions; photography; experience in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Bridge; creating and publishing web stories; collaborating with others to develop a quality publication; advertising and ad sales; learning the operations of a publication Physician Associates IT Intern (summer 2013): worked with a team to develop server systems, collaborating with government agencies to process patient records, developing company webpages with other interns Editor-in-Chief of Pawprints Yearbook (2011-2012): designed and edited pages, cover and theme copy; led staff in photography and design lessons; publicized the book and led sales efforts Education: Completed two years at William R. Boone High School Graduation date: May 2016 Unweighted GPA: 4.0 Weighted GPA: 4.95 Relevant high school studies: Journalism 1, Journalism 6 Honors, English Honors 1 and 2, Spanish 1-3 Honors Honors, Awards and Certifications Adobe Certified in Photoshop CS6 (2013-present) Certified in HTML5 by the Worldwide Web Consortium (2014) Certified in CSS3 by the Worldwide Web Consortium (2014) Certified in Javascript by the Worldwide Web Consortium (2014) Spanish Honor Society Member (2014) Model United Nations President (2014) Mock Trial Team Captain (2014) First Place in Advanced InDesign with Illustrator at Camp Orlando (2013) National Junior Honor Society President (2011-2012) Student Body President at The Christ School (2011-2012) Activities Mock Trial (2012-present) Math Club (2012-present) Model United Nations (2012-present) Spanish Club Member (2012-present) Key Club Member (2012-present) References: Mrs. Jennalyn Patton: Gifted English 2 – 407-893-7200 ext. 6014229 – jennalyn.patton@ocps.net Mrs. Christina Bykov: AP World History – 407-893-7200 ext. 6014236 – christina.baybay-bykov@ocps.net Mr. Menish Dewani: IT Intern Advisor – mdewani@paof.com
SeLF-ANALYTICAL ESSAY I have grown up a photographer and graphic designer. My father, a photographer himself, had me taking pictures with his original Canon 5D when I was about seven years old. He spurred my original passion for the print publication. He inspired me to always be on the horizon of graphic design trends, to analyze every aspect of every work I look at, and to always have a camera with me. My always-on-me camera right now is my iPhone, but I never miss a moment because of what my father taught me. When I came to sign up for classes at Boone High my freshman year, I knew I wanted to be involved in publications. My sister was a newspaper staffer and loved it, so I wanted to follow in her footsteps. Yearbook was what I had my heart set on. I wanted to design. I went in and the first elective I chose was Journalism 1. Almost two years later, I have finished my first year as a yearbook staffer, and throughout that year, I have learned more than any other class could have taught in one year’s time. First and foremost, I have learned the importance of working ahead, whether on deadlines in yearbook or in other work in other classes. Deadline seven, the track and field page, was the best deadline I had ever completed. My partner and I had all of our interviews finished at least a week before our body copy was due, so the writing was finished days in advance and we could focus on photography and caption writing. We finished a day early. Also, yearbook is the class in which I had the greatest hardships I have had to overcome in my high school career. On deadline four, I came down with the flu, which caused me to miss both of the workdays and two days of class. Such a setback would have delayed me by a whole week on deadline, but I didn’t let that hold me back. I spent every second in class and after school working on the publications page. I overcame that setback and finished the page only a day late. I am most proud of my deadline four page because of the quality of the page despite the circumstances under which I finished the page. Additionally, goal setting was an integral part of the lessons I learned on staff. Oftentimes, I did assignments by the skin of my teeth and at the last second. But on yearbook, I learned how to effectively set goals and work ahead on deadline. Deadline four was also when I learned the true value of setting goals. Before I returned to school after catching the flu, I made a list of everything I still had to do for my page, and then I defined the dates on which I had to complete each task. Using this goal setting technique, I managed to finish the page even after such a large setback. Lastly, working as a staff member within the greater unit of the staff was initially quite challenging. At the beginning of the school year, I was a highly independent, classic type-A individual. I did everything alone and refused to accept other’s ideas. On deadline one, I had a partner, and I dealt out the orders and told her what to do. It was a highly ineffective way of working. We quickly fell behind and catching up was no easy task. On deadline three, I had a partner again, but this time, my partner and I acted as a unit and we mutually delegated duties. I had previously had a hard time making deadlines, but with this teamwork method, my partner and I made our first deadline. Following deadline three, I was much more receptive to working with others and receiving constructive criticism, which resulted in greater success in subsequent deadlines. I hope to use my newly attained and improved skills of working ahead, overcoming hardships, goal setting and teamwork as the co-editor-in-chief of the 2015 Legend Yearbook, as well as in my future career in corporate law, in which dedication and interpersonal relations skills are vital. I believe that I produced well-done, high quality work for the 2014 Legend. Specifically, I think that my deadline four and seven spreads were my best quality work. The photography was the best of any of my spreads, and I believe that contain some of the best photos in the book. I also have gone to shoot photos for events such as Prom and National Honor Society inductions which have been used in both the newspaper and on hilights.org.
Reflection one My deadline four piece, the publications page, is what I consider to be my most significant piece of work. It represents my ability to work past the most difficult of circumstances and still create a top-quality spread. The publications page was not only my most difficult deadline on yearbook, but it was also the largest challenge I have faced in high school thus far. I came down with the flu during deadline four, and it hit me fast and hard. I fell behind immediately and was left panicked for the two days that I was out of school. Upon my return, completing that page was my top priority. I finished the page in three days, and I was not only proud of myself for finishing in such a short period, but I was also proud of my work. The final page was more than I had hoped for when I began the deadline. The photos I selected were high quality, the body copy evolved into an interesting look into publications, and the dominant photo is one of my own pictures. When I started, I assumed that page would be a cinch to finish early, considering I was surrounded by publications kids every day. I was quickly proven wrong. Firstly, finding a story angle took me days, and it continued to evolve from its earliest version to the final. All the red in on the first draft below is from my copy editor, which just goes to show its evolution. The biggest struggle for the page was actually the timeline at the bottom. Selecting the photos took me days, and I was only able to finish after my editor came and helped me. Also, I thought I had lost all the photos from the publications Christmas party, which is the last photo in the timeline, which would have set me back even further if I had not found them on my own laptop. Once I finally had everything on the page, I went through editor after editor without any substantial issues or hiccups along the way. The finished product was something in which I truly could take pride. The number one lesson I learned from deadline four is to ask for help whenever I get stuck. If I hadn’t felt the need to be completely independent on this deadline and I had asked my editors for input more often, I probably would have been ahead of deadline when I got the flu, and I wouldn’t have been so behind when I cam back. Also, I learned the true value of journalism ethics on that spread. I accidentally manipulated a quote from one of our staffers and it fully changed the meaning of what she meant to say. The copy editor caught my mistake and I was able to fix it, but if no one had caught my mistake, I could have sent a page to press that twisted someone’s words. I’m not one to lie to my readers. My favorite part of the finished piece is the use of my photo of my two editors-in-chief as the dominant photo. It took me almost an hour to get the perfect photo of the two of them, and I was more than proud when I saw my photo printed as the largest photo on the page, photo credit in tow, on yearbook distribution day.
D4: FIRST DRAFT
Reflection One
D4: FINAL DRAFT
Reflection One
Reflection TWO
Y18. Feature photo 2014 Legend Yearbook pg. 92 I would like the photo above to represent me in competition because it truly captures the emotions of the two subjects and provides insight into their relationship through their interaction. As they are the two editors-in-chief, they are both professionally and personally very close, so I think this photo portrays this relationship. In terms of composition, the subjects are in focus and depth-of-field is shown through the softness in the flame and the marshmallow. The two subjects are both on third in the image and the flame draws the readers attention to the image, then to the primary subjects.
Y1. Feature writing: Student Life 2014 Legend Yearbook pg. 66 I chose the story above for competition because it is one of my best writing pieces in the book. As I am not a strong writer, I put a lot more effort into making this story one my best. It contains both playful and factual elements related to the subject matter to entice and inform the reader about the events during the days of homecoming week. It also is one of my longest and most well-organized pieces, so I believe it is my most competition-worthy piece of writing for CSPA.
DM27. Single feature photograph http://hilights.smugmug.com/Events/Prom-2014/iV4gX9vW/A The photo to the left is the best photo I have published online. The silhouette of the subject creates an artful and dramatic effect on her as she performs at prom. Also, considering the Hollywoodinspired prom theme, the lighting compliments the overall feel of the evening. In terms of composition, the lighting adds a halo to the subject, thus drawing attention to her; the direction of the light also points straight at her. The subject is perfectly in focus as well, and her hand falls on the upper left-hand third of the image, which helps emphasize the action and dramatic feel of the image.
Welcome to my CLIPS
Samples of Writing, Photography, And Design
What’s Mine
Student Life
November
Writing
066-067
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Writing
What’s Mine
Clubs
September
Writing
026-027
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Writing
What’s Mine
Index
Writing
Year in Review 436
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Writing
What’s Mine
Index
Writing
Year in Review 427
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Writing
What’s Mine
Index
Writing
Year in Review 430
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Writing
What’s Mine
Clubs
December
Writing
024-025
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Writing
What’s Mine
Academics` December
Writing
092-093
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Photography
What’s Mine
Theme
Writing
Closing Page
440
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Photography
What’s Mine
Sports Spring
Writing
020-021
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Photography
What’s Mine
Student Life
Writing
February
118-119
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Photography
What’s Mine
Clubs December
Writing
090-091
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Photography
What’s Mine
Clubs
Writing
Reference
372
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Photography
What’s Mine
Writing
People 157
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Photography
What’s Mine
Student Life
November
Writing
069-070
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Photography
What’s Mine
Student Life
December
Writing
086-087
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Photography
What’s Mine
Student Life
Spring
Writing
002-003
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: Photography
Pubs Christmas Party
Published: yearbook pg. 92 publications This photo, the dominant photo on the publications page, captures the relationship between the two editors-in-chief when they’re together. Both of their faces are perfectly in focus, so their emotions are easily interpreted, and the fire is falling out of focus, creating plains of focus and a strong depth-of-field. Also, the girls’ heads fall on the two vertical thirds (rule-of-thirds) and the fire falls on the center of the lower horizontal third. Also, the fire pit and the darkness surround the two subjects creates a frame of sorts that draws direct attention to the subjects. Lastly, the fire acts as a strong center of visual interest due to its bright color and large size, and draws the viewer of the page directly into the photo
Polyester Paradise
Published: yearbook pg. 440 closing The photo above is one of my favorites because it shows the true mood of the Polyester Paradise dance. The subject, Sam White, acts as a strong center of visual interest due to his bright clothes and because he is fully in focus. His facial expression is exciting and interesting and he is actively dancing in the picture. He is essentially framed by all of the other dancers around him, who are darker or out of focus. He head is also close to the upper right-hand grid intersection. Also, the lesser focus behind White creates depth-of-field and draws additional focus to the subject.
Mr. And Mrs. BHS
The photo above is one that I wish could have been published, but the book had sadly gone to press prior to Prom. The two subjects are perfectly in focus and the king’s face is visible, looking at a silhouette of the queen’s face. The lens flair from the backlighting adds an artful element to the photo and the light exposes the shadows on the dance floor. The floor in front of and behind the subjects is slightly out of focus, creating visible depth-of-field. The subjects also stand along the right third of the photo, and their held are in the upper right-hand third.
What’s Mine
hilights.org
Sports
Writing
March 16, 2014
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: MULTIMEDIA
What’s Mine
hilights.org
Sports
Writing
April 20, 2014
Captions
Photography
Design
Clips: MULTIMEDIA
Welcome to my Designs
Samples of Design, Photography and Writing
Yearbook SPread
Design One
Brochure: Outside
Design TWO
Brochure: Inside
Design TWO
Matt Casler