WESTSIDESTORY IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL
2901 MELROSE AVE.
IOWA CITY, IA 52246
WSSPAPER.COM
VOLUME 44 ISSUE 1
FEBRUARY 2015
Due soon photos by Mason Wang
2 FEBRUARY 2014
Pages 4-5: Framing Pages 6-9: Shutter speed, aperture, ISO Pages 10-11: Portraiture Pages 12-13: Lines Pages 14-15: Light Pages 16-17: Perspective Pages 18-23: Free form FOR MORE COVERAGE GO TO WSSPAPER.COM
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Framing Above: Colin Waldron ‘16 peers curiously through the stream from a water fountain near the gym. Waldron is amazed by the amazing liquid-like quality of the water. This digital camera auto-focused as if Waldron was framing the water fountain. Silly camera. Left: A door on the lowest floor of West High shows the silhouette of a tree and one during class.
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Iso, Shutter speed Above: Mysterious lights from a computer emit through the dark of my father’s bedroom. I assure you this didn’t misprint. ISO 6400. Left. The blur of my ceiling fan, waiting to decapitate intruders of my room riding pogo sticks. Taken at 1/20 exposure.
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Aperture Above: The strangest red plastic flower I have walked by at least a thousand times. What king of buds are those? The manufacturer was not expecting someone to look so closely at one of their plants. It sits in front of the fireplace. Taken with f/3.5 aperture. Right: The wooden poles supporting the railing of a staircase in my home. They mean the difference between life and death. No illegal climbing was used to take this photo. Taken with f/3.5 aperture.
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portraiture Above: Christian Zirbes ‘16 examines the photos he just took, unknowingly standing in a closed hallway. Left: Kavir Ramos ‘16 looks up at my camera in slight confusion. His face here is 100% natural.
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Lines Above: A staircase leading to the commons on the ground floor, hiding a caution sign and laughing maniacally inside as it waits for students to miss the sign and slip. Left: Lockers in the ninth grade wing of the first floor here at West. Shortly afterward, I was detained by an assistant principal for taking a shot while lying in the hallway.
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Above Right: The shadow of a hand in the light of a window, shining on the second story hallway of West. Above Left: My neighborhood at night, at a slow shutter speed. The cause of the glow on the curb has yet to be confirmed. Right: The sun through the window above the staircase directly in front of the West High commons.
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light FEBRUARY 2014 15
Above: The first floor hallway of West High reflects sunlight into the pit by the outdoor staircase. This was originally a framing photo, but I don’t remember how I thought this would count as framing. Left: Ryan Stark ‘17 snaps a photo of me from above, as I capture him from the stairs below. Above Right: The American flag near the staircase by the main entrance. Not very inspiring today, as there is no wind and the sky is cloudy.
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perspective FEBRUARY 2014 17
free form Above: Students work at the Iowa City Public Library, nodding their heads both at the music in their earbuds and consenting me to take their photograph. Right: A bird nest lost in the parking lot of Hotel Vetro downtown. This would almost make it to the amazing “aperture� section in this portfolio, but the aperture was not set wide enough.
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free form Above: The most detailed photo you will ever see of a light switch board at West. Looking closely enough, almost every lasting part of west shows damage. Electrical sockets are almost all yellow, and walls have invisible tape marks. Left: You still have 3 seconds to cross Washington Street downtown. Everyone else is already on the other side, but you are here standing to take a photograph. How long will it take until your next chance to walk?
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the Water Fountain Why is it so prevalent in photo portfolios? Is it because in some way, everyone copies someone else? Or maybe, given the convenient location of most water fountains at our school, taking a picture of a water fountain in action is just something every Intro to Newspaper student does at some point. This photo portfolio was first named “WATER FOUNTAINS AT FAST SHUTTER SPEED” in satire, but the author in his infinite wisdom decided “WATER FOUNTAINS AT FAST SHUTTER SPEED” seemed unoriginal. After all, the average Intro to Newspaper student sees about 3 new photos of water fountains at high shutter speeds every day! The real reason, I think, that so many students take photographs of water fountains at fast shutter speed, is not because it’s an A+ shutter speed photo, or that they were inspired by previous photo portfolio. The water fountain represents the sweet relief of being let out of the classroom.
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