Introduction
When I first began this unit on photojournalism in
FOJ, I was nervous; I had never thought of myself as a photographer. However, I was inspired after watching a documentary on street photographer Vivian Maier. I loved the portraits she took of pedestrians in big metropolitan areas, and I was determined to capture those same candid photos in Iowa City. One Saturday afternoon, two of my friends and I headed downtown to take pictures for the project. In a moment of inspiration, I saw my opportunity. I spun around to snap a photo of a woman walking across the Ped Mall, her auburn hair contrasting the austere gray background. The result was phenomenal. It was then I realized how amazing photography really is. I hope that I continue taking photos after this project, as it captures the emotions of life in a unique way. COVER PAGE: The river rushes over the dam and crashes down below by the Iowa River Power Restaurant on Jan 20. I got this shot by leaning over the bridge and looking directly below to capture the mesmerizing color of the water.
Aperture
DIRTY WHITE NIKES: After a slushy walk through downtown Iowa City on Jan. 18, I snapped this photo of my once-clean white shoes.
Vivian Maier
A woman optimistically walks through the blustery Intrigued by “365 of the Stupidest Things Ever air outside of the Java House on E Washington Said,� a customer at Prairie Lights inquisitively picks Street Jan. 18. the mini-calendar up to take a closer look.
Outside of the downtown liquor store Sauce, a woman smokes a cigarette while scrolling through her phone.
A pedestrian adjusts her scarf as she walks across the snowy Ped Mall on Jan. 18.
Following an intense storm, a determined man scrapes the thick ice off of his car on Jan. 18.
A pedestrian rushes across the icy Ped Mall, desperately searching for a haven of warmth.
Vivian Maier
Bottom Left: With the plethora of books for sale at Prairie Lights, it is no surprise that there are so many security mirrors to deter unwanted burglars. Above Center: This is definitely my favorite photo that I took during this project. My friends and I were meandering towards the Old Capitol Mall when I spotted an intimidating woman walking in our direction. In a flurry of movement, I spun around to snap this photo. Above Right: My attempt at a Vivian Maier-esque selfie in the reflection of a downtown shop window.
Free Form
Left: A lone duck preens its feathers on an ice sheet by the Iowa River Power Restaurant Jan. 18.
Right: The dashing duck admires his own reflection in the brilliant blue water.
Left: The duck calmly glides across the freezing water, undisturbed by the pesky Iowa weather.
Free Form
Top: A group of geese take off from the water adjacent to the Iowa River Power Restaurant, inevitably flying towards the Burger King across the street. Bottom: Four geese congregate on a melting ice cap while their colleagues navigate the bone-chilling river Jan. 18.
Perspective
Laying on my back upon the brittle snow, I snapped this photo from inside a secluded downtown alley. My favorite part of this photo is the contrast between the brick building and sky, both in texture and color.
Whenever I walk through downtown Iowa City, I always enjoy looking at the historical architecture. This building is the former Jefferson Hotel on S Dubuque Street. It resides over the Herteen & Stocker Jewelers on the Ped Mall.
Leading Lines & Lighting
Left: Peering down the railroad tracks over Mormon Trek Boulevard Jan. 20. Ever since I was little, I always wanted to climb up and walk along the railroad tracks. After 16 years of waiting, I finally achieved my goal!
Right: Soomin Koh ‘22 softly smiles as she gazes down the railroad, light shining across her face. I love how the light is broken up across the railroad and Soomin’s face by the vast tree branches along the sides of the tracks.
Left: From the same vantage point as the top photo on this page, but looking towards a dense thicket. Soomin and I walked down the tracks for a quarter mile or so before turning back for the sake of avoiding frostbite.
Shutter Speed
Shutter Speed
Above left and right: After a few minutes of my nagging, Grace Huang ‘22 begrudgingly agreed to model in a few experiments with shutter speed.
Above center: Shrouded by the darkness in a practice room in the Voxman Music Building on Jan. 18, Grace Huang ‘22 illuminates Zoey Guo ‘22 by casting a flashlight from various angles.
Framing & Portraiture
Bottom corner: The cashier at the Silver Spider boutique shot me a suspicious look as I made several attempts to snap a picture of myself in the mirror. Truth be told, I was most likely thinking of the pair of five-dollar silver dinosaur earrings that I could not afford, as I only had $3.43 in my bank account. Top left: Grace Huang ‘22 experiments with camera settings inside the Voxman Music Building Jan. 12. Top right: Zoey Guo ‘22 thoughtfully reviews a photo on the Ped Mall Jan. 18.
Canine Portraiture
Left: Perry the corgi intently watches as children sled at Hunters Run Park on Jan. 18. Right: In spite of the relentless winds and freezing temperatures, Perry the corgi enjoyed his time outside in the snow.
Left: Perry (owner Caroline Mascardo ‘22) playfully jumps around in the snow with Mocha (owner Soomin Koh ‘22). Right: Perry the corgi greets Mocha the terrier mix with several boisterous barks Jan. 20.
Aperture
Free Form
WHSDM8
Above: Misha Canin ’22 and WHSDM kid captain Lucy Roth play a game of beanbag toss in the cafeteria. Canin has been involved with the WHSDM committee for the past two years and enjoys every part of it. “I love the feeling [of] coming together with a big group of people and working so hard on something so much bigger than all of us,” said Canin.
Above left: The hallways are decorated with posters commemorating children who lost their battles with cancer. The WHSDM committee spent countless hours preparing for the big event on Jan. 19 to raise awareness for the cause. Above right: The decorations of the 8th annual WHSDM included photos of the committee showing why they dance to end childhood cancer.
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1. Grace Miller ’23 cheers as the WHSDM begins on Jan. 19. 2. The WHSDM dancers recover during a transition between songs. 3. Heather Grieser-Yoder leads the dancers in an upbeat tune. 4. Bralyn Bigley ’23 jumps to the beat of a song. 5. The WHSDM dancers enthusiastically clap to the music. 6. Austyn Goodale ’20 (left) and Kya Yacopucci ’20 (right) dance to raise money for WHSDM to help fight childhood cancer.