Personal Essay
I have learned many things over this year. I believe the area
I learned the most in was in photography. In photography I learned how to effectively us the camera. Instead of using the default settings, like I had in previous years, I learned how to use the manual setting. The manual setting allows one to adjust the shutter speed of the camera along with the aperture. I plan to use these skills I learned to help me as Photo editor next year.
Another place I have learned new skills is in the use of the
overall adobe creative suite. This year I have learned to use the basics of Adobe Dreamweaver. I plan to use Dreamweaver to keep up a constant digital portfolio. I have also learned to do new things in Photoshop and Indesign. I learned these skills while interning at my dads office. The skills that I learned there allowed me to more effectively work throughout the year.
Reflection One
I believe that the most significant piece of work that I did
for the book this year would have to be the Then and Now/ “LIFE AS THEY KNEW IT” page. I believe this because it is unlike any other page in the book. In a regular yearbook page the page shows history from the year. In contrast this page shows the history of the school, which makes it unique.
Another reason this page was significant to me was be-
cause it was the page that I got the most creative control. Because there had not been a page done like this before there was no real “template” to go off of. As a result of this the original drafts were at best ruff.
At first this page had no real direction. I was clueless on
what I was going to write the story on and what I was going to use in the timeline. The timeline was the hardest part of the page to complete. This was because of the sheer time that was required for the research portion of it. It was so time consuming because I had to go thru every yearbook since the schools founding in 1952.
Reflection Two
The piece that I believe could still use work is the “Then and
Now� page. While this was my most significant piece I still believe that it needed work. I feel that the timeline is the weakest portion of that page. It seems very compacted chronologically because most of the events on it occur in the 80’s. If I had more time with it I would of tried to find more varying things to put along the top timeline. This was my only problem with the page, besides that I still like the page and the over all effect that it portrays.
Reflection Three
This is my favorite series that I took this year. It is of the girl’s varsity goalie, Logan Graves, saving a Penalty Kick. I am proud of these pictures because it captures one of the most difficult jobs the goalie has to do; when there is a PK kick in a game it is one of the most tense moments. The picture has a center of visual interest, which is Logan, and she is framed by the goal.
This is another photo that I took while shooting soccer. This is of the JV goalie, Bailey Jackson standing in the goal. I like this picture because it captures what a goalie goes through every game. It shows the isolation of the position. It does this by using depth of field; Bailey is in focus while the rest of the field is out of focus.
This photo was taken during the mock DUI. I love the expression on the lead firefighters face he seems to show genuine concern for the person who is on the backboard. The photo does follow the rule of thirds as the subject is in the upper left third of the photograph.
Reflection Four
I believe I was an asset to the staff this year. I believe this
because I was in the room for three periods so it enabled me to help others during those times. One example is that of the headshots. For the book this year one of the main visual elements that is the black and white COB-ed headshot with the watercolor background. To do this required several steps that most people did not know how to do. As a result I spent many days helping the rest of the staff with their headshots.
Another way I was an asset is that because I was in the
room during seventh period I could help and do interviews for the rest of the staff during that period.
The last way I was an asset to the staff was that I was the
“strong person� for staff. Whenever anything needed to be carried up to the room I would always be the person to push, pull or carry whatever it was up to the room. The heaviest being the 1,620 lbs of books I push up the wheel chair ramp.
Reflection Five I haven’t faced many hardships this year. I think that this year has been the smoothest year for me. The only time I did have troubles was during the third deadline. During that deadlines workday I lost the sheet of paper that I had done all of my research on. This caused me to be severely set back because I had to back track and redo my research. That was the only time during the year that I had any severe hardships in publications.
Reflection Six
During the midterm I stated that my biggest weakness was
my time management skills. I do believe that I did improve on them over the year, however I still think that I need work on them. My last deadlines were an improvement compared to the deadlines that were before but they were still not perfect.
My biggest struggle was in writing body copy, specifically
that in sports stories. I plan to try to stay clear of sports pages next year until the last deadline. During the last deadline I plan to make the story the number one priority in order to get it done in a timelier manner.
Reflection Seven Part A:
Y20: Dominant Photo on page 76”BBC” I would use that photo because it is one that shows the energy of the people on the BBC crew. I think it really captures Charles Babirs excitement for being on desk for his first time.
Y16: Top Photo on page 50 “JV Girls Soccer” I would use this photo because of how clear it is. I like how it captures Sloane’s expression so well.
Y39: Page 112-113 “Then and Now” I chose this spread because it is my favorite one I did in the book. I love the contrast of the color top portion and the black and white bottom. I think that it shows how much our school has evolved
Part B:
I think that I have grown allot in this year design
wise. My two previous years are very different from this years. My freshmen year there was no design; all there was was words and no physical design elements. My sophomore year showed some growth, as there were multiple design elements however they were only traces from pictures so they lacked any real creativity. This Year’s portfolio I feel is one of my best because it brings in an abstract design of the background with he grounded design of the coke bottle.
Resume
Thomas Boyd 2875 Marsala Ct. Orlando, Fl 32806 Tomboyd@bellsouth.net (407) 325-5795
Objective: To gain a better understanding of journalistic skills by remaining on yearbook staff
Education: Pre-k thru Second at St. James Second thru Eighth at Blankner Ninth thru Eleventh at Boone
Experience: Three years on legend yearbook staff Summer internship at Engauge creative services
Honors, Awards, and Memberships: Boyscouts of America Eagle Scout with one Bronze Palm Three year Quiz bowl member Three Presidential Volunteer Awards
Deadline One
Deadline Two
Deadline Three
Deadline Four
Deadline Five
Deadline Seven
Reflection One & Two