Vivien Ho Photo Portfolio

WEST SI DE STO RY IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

2901 MELROSE AVE.

IOWA CITY, IA 52246

WSSPAPER.COM

VOLUME 50 ISSUE 1

SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

BY VIVIEN HO

FR AMING

Alison Kenaston ‘21 (City High) finds it hard to keep a straight face. Our friends try to laugh quietly as they joke around, but their sounds are only amplified by the towering ceilings of Voxman Music Building in downtown Iowa City.

(Cover ) Badra Kalil ‘21 (City High) walks down the hallway of the Voxman Music building in Iowa City. She pauses with her parka coat hanging half off her shoulders, an act she does to poke fun at models but an act that looks ironically good.

I pace around the Voxman Music building, looking for different backdrops. I stumble across a unique yet completely ordinary location: a stairwell.

LIN

Aditi Borde '21 strains to keep her mouth closed as I position the angle so her profile lines up with the line of light.

The sun was out but snow bla temperatures dropped to the s warm colors of this photo war

NES

anketed the ground and single digits. Regardless, the rmed the day up.

In my pursuit to make my friends look even more amazing than they already do, I position Aditi in front of a large metal door behind the West High Arganbright auditorium.

(left) Most people don’t notice this ceiling fan spinning as they busily shop around IKEA in Minneapolis, MN. (below) I sit on the floor of my bedroom, experimenting with camera settings. The slow shutter speed and quick movement of my head create a blurred effect. (right) Snow is falling fast and heavy in Minneapolis. My family quickly loads up the car with newly purchased furniture. There is still a 5 hour drive to home in the storm.

SHUTTER SPEED

Aditi Borde ‘21 gives me one chance to take this picture. I snap it and together we run back inside, away from the 20°F January cold.

Badra Kalil ‘21 (City High) smiles as she spins around for the camera before hurrying to a nearby restaurant to meet her family for lunch.

SHUTTER SPEED

Beng Ho pauses at a traffic light, close to his son Louis Ho’s ‘16 Minneapolis apartment. He needs to drop his son off and then complete the 5 hour drive back to Iowa City.

(I explore downtown Iowa City with my friends on a bright Saturday afternoon. The warm sun bounces off The University of Iowa School of Music’s Voxman building. Spring feels just around the corner.

APERTURE

One year after the inauguration of Donald Trump and one year after the historical Women’s March, Iowan women gather at the Pedestrian Mall in Iowa City to show their support.

Our dad is impatiently waiting at the IKEA checkout, but that doesn’t stop me and my brother from pausing so I can take this photo. I wonder how that pig got there.

PERSPECTIVE “ IT F E LT R EALLY GOO D TO CUT MY HAI R B ECAU SE I K N EW IT WAS FO R A G R EAT CAU SE ”

- JILLIAN PRESCOTT '21

AFTER DONATING 8 INCHES OF HAIR FOR THE WHSDM HAIR DRIVE.

Good angles for pictures are hard to find. The railing of a West High stairwell presses uncomfortably into my side as I take a picture of Aditi Borde’s outstretched hand.

Badra Kalil smiles in the warmth of the sun as I snap the is picture.

While she isn’t in focus you may see the in-focus reflection in the window behind her.

POR TRAI TURE A nervous laugh comes out of Badra Kalil ‘21 (City High) as a group of her friends weave around her snapping pictures.

I shout out a series of odd commands before Badra Kalil tilts her head just the right way.

(Below) The beautiful Voxman Music building provides a simple but visually pleasing background as Alison watches her friends take photos.

“ [TAK I N G PI CTU R ES] WAS R EALLY F U N . [VIVI E N] WAS R EALLY GOO D AT POS I N G M E AN D BADR A . IT ’S ALWAYS R EALLY N I CE TO HAVE A PH OTOG R APH E R THAT K N OWS WHAT TH EY WANT.”

-ALI SO N K E N SATO N ‘21 (CIT Y H I G H)

My friends and I are hungry. We debate on where to eat as we walk the streets of downtown. They decide on crêpes while I stop in front of this neon Jimmy John’s sign.

I eye the lights hanging over Whittaker’s smartboard as she explains the lighting photo assignment. As soon as she dismisses the class, I jump at the chance to use them, grabbing a random bucket on the way out as well. A low depth of field allows me to have Aditi in focus while the string of lights, which sit on aforementioned bucket, add a blurred ‘bokeh’ effect.

LIGHTING

Having siblings in college is fun whether they’re around or not, but it’s never fun when they leave. The Ho kids enjoy a pint of ice cream on their last night together, “This [photo] looks like a mixtape album cover” Louis Ho ‘16, the oldest and the subject of the photo, remarks.

WOMEN'S MARCH 2018

The cold of winter was very much present the morning of January 20, but the sun made an appearance as it shone brightly on the marchers.

" I AM MARCH I N G B ECAU SE I B E LI EVE I N TH E CAU SE ."

-ALI SO N K E NASTO N ‘21 (CITY H I G H)

“ I DO N ’T CAR E I F [TH E PR ES I DE NT I S] B LACK , WH ITE , MALE , F E MALE . TH EY J U ST N E E D TO K N OW WHAT TH EY ’ R E DO I N G AN D TH EY J U ST N E E D TO TR EAT ALL PEO PLE WITH R ESPECT. RI G HT N OW, WE DO N ’T HAVE THAT. IT ’S TI M E FO R PEO PLE TO STAN D U P, IT ’S TI M E FO R U S TO PROVE THAT WE WI LL N OT B E TH E S I LE NT T YPE ."

-AU B RIAN NA , AG E D 11

“ TOO M UCH PROG R ESS I S B E I N G DESTROYE D. TH EY ’ R E TRYI N G TO TAK E U S BACK TO TH E START,”

“ WE DO N ’T LI K E TH E D I R ECTI O N OU R COU NTRY I S GO I N G AN D DO N ’T WAN NA SE E TH I N GS DESTROYE D THAT WE SAW AS POS ITIVE PROG R ESS. IT ’S HAPPE N I N G, [AN D] WE N E E D TO B E DO I N G SO M ETH I N G,”

-VI CTO RIA LE H MAN (LE FT)

- BO B LE H MAN (RI G HT)

Ruthina Malone talks about her run for Iowa City School Board, “I wanted to be an agent of change to ensure all women had a voice,� she stated in front of a cheering crowd.

Hundreds of people showed up for the march despite the 9:30 am chill. I wiggle my numb toes inside my thin, slush soaked sneakers. I should have worn better shoes.

“ I ’ M MARCH I N G FO R WO M E N ’S RI G HTS, I ’ M MARCH I N G FO R EQ UALIT Y, I ’ M MARCH I N G FO R WO M E N TO TAK E M O R E LEADE RSH I P RO LES I N TH E U N ITE D STATES AN D TO TAK E OVE R .

WE ’ R E ALWAYS I N TH E BACK , [I N TH E] S I DE LI N ES, AN D WE WAN NA B E I N TH E FO R E F RO NT, TO MAK E MAJ O R DECI S IO N S I N TH E U N ITE D STATES.”

- CYNTH IA U K AH

People of all ages attend the march. These kids may not fully know what all the signs say or what’s up with the pink hats, but they look ready for the stroller ride/march.

A couple links hands as the march moves across the downtown area. It is a physical representation of the love and support that connects all of the marchers.

(top left) My dad ended up buying too much cream, so there’s enough left for me to bake with. I decide to infuse the cream with rosemary and snap a photo before simmering it down for 20 minutes. (bottom left) So focused on getting the right angle, I accidentally add twice amount of cream called for in the recipe I’m making. (above) Months ago, I pointed out this large bottle of vanilla extract in a friends fridge. She told me to take it, and that she didn’t use it. Now I pour out the last bits of it into the batter.

FREE FORM

The photo is lit with the help of a lamp and some tissue paper to diffuse the light. My dad tells me to not burn anything and sets a cup of water on the table next to me, just for good measure.

(right) Using a slow shutter speed, I sprinkle liberal amounts of flour over the dough in the hopes that it doesn’t stick. The dough proceeds to stick to the counter.

By now, the sun has set and the scones are finally done.

I tiredly pull them out of the oven and resist the urge to scarf them all down.