Revolt (Vol. 1, Issue 1) by Thunderground

S E P TE M B E R 2 017

NEARLY

COME TO CAMPUS

Inside This Issue

s t n e t n o C Secede, organize, revolt: a letter

missionary stories from abroad

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Visual art submissions from suu students

Back-to-school fashion

Inside This Issue

Almost 2,000 students join T-Bird nation

tips for dorm decorating

Outdoor recreation opportunities

Nature photography tips and tricks

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Introduction • From the Editor

from the editor Since my freshman year of high school, I’ve been studying and practicing journalism. Within the four walls of my favorite class, I encountered censorship for the first time. Sitting at my computer in the back of the classroom during my junior year, I found out that the school’s administration didn’t like a classmate’s article on LDS missionaries. It talked about alumni from our school in a non-preachy way, but they were afraid it was “too religious.” We eventually got it published, but it took a lot of work. This first experience with censorship stayed with me, and the number “1” has been important ever since. It’s so important to me that on the next page, I wrote an article similar to the almost-censored one. In my first year at SUU, I became the Editor-in-Chief of the University Journal. My first controversial opinion piece got the ball for Thunderground rolling.

REVOLT STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Billy Clouse JACK OF ALL TRADES: Julia Attridge FASHION EDITOR: Kimberly Hodson WRITERS: Eric Liebhardt, Peyton Carter Revolt is an affiliate of Thunderground, which is published by and for collegiate students in Cedar City. All content created by Thunderground and its affiliates, including but limited to Revolt and thethunderground.net, is free from censorship or prior review. The views expressed in Thunderground and its affiliates are those of the bylined author. © 2017 Revolt

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“He’s talking about foreskin.” “He’s calling me a bad parent for my decision.” “I’m glad I was circumcised.” These statements floated around campus and on our website. And to clarify: yes, I wrote about why parents shouldn’t circumcise their infants, and no, I didn’t write it to criticize or body-shame. A former member of that year’s Journal staff told me that high-ranking members of the university’s administration and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences wanted me not to publish the rest of the series, mainly because the articles might offend the alumni. It is not the job of student media to make the university look good — that’s why the school has a Marketing Communication office. The two should remain separate for the sake of journalistic integrity. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only time we experienced attempted censorship. Adm--inistrators — or students speaking on behalf of them — tried to block opinion articles that discussed uncomfortable topics or leaned too far left. I was able to fight against these attempts at violating the Freedom of the Press because the Operations Manager stood with me. However, she was not rehired for the job even though she helped increase the Journal’s print readership between three to four times what it was at the start of the year. Given the increased likelihood of censorship — a professor in the Communication Department told me that pieces similar to ones we wrote that year would be blocked going

forward — and the likelihood of the Journal ditching the print newspaper, I left the organization. As fate had it, I heard about the original Thunderground from a friend, and reviving it felt like the right thing to do. Seceding was easy, but organizing was tough. I’ll spare you the details and jump forward to today. Our message, our movement, our values — they have a home now on a website, through social media and in a digital magazine. They tried to silence us, but we have a message for them: we are here to stay, and we are going to talk. I won’t call out the people who tried diligently to violate the Constitutional rights of student journalists on campus, because doing so would help no one at this point. I do, however, want to end this announcement by speaking directly to those people, all of whom know exactly who they are. You almost killed my love of journalism. You tried to silence the voices of students. You came close to having total control over all content produced by SUU journalists. Thank God that didn’t happen. Thunderground will continue to fight for the Freedom of the Press. The fact that Thunderground exists says a lot about the current state of affairs on campus. Just know, you forced the hand of those who work openly with us and those that must do it in secret. Do you want to know more about the history of Thunderground? Go to thethunderground.net.

Missionary Stories • Feature

THAT ONE TIME ON MY

MISSION by Billy Clouse

Flickering candles cast shadows on the walls of the wooden hut. Sounds of crying can be heard from outside as men speak Kiribati, an island language. Despite the waves crashing against the moonlit beach, peace can be found inside. Scot Carrington, a former SUU student, has been home from his mission to the Gilbert Islands for a year, and although he said he is glad to be home, he will never forget the two years he spent as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Carrington left his home of Layton for the isolated archipelago to bear his testimony of the church. While away, he learned Kiribati, met new people, tried new foods and changed his outlook on the world. Although he preached for his whole mission, in the final weeks, he met a man that he had a special connection with. Tekekee’s daughter had recently passed away, and Carrington talked to him about families and the beliefs of the LDS Church. “He asked what would happen to his daughter, and I said, ‘In this Church, we believe — and I can testify to you — that you’ll see her again after this life. The expression on his face just knowing that he could see her again was profound. When he heard that, he started to cry and we did, too.” This was the most powerful experience of the mission, according to Carrington, but he had other memorable moments.

Go to the next page to read about his experiences

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Feature • Missionary Stories said. “Everybody would come out of their That one time on my That one time on my house to see the white people biking down mission, I experienced the street, and it was funny because the mission, I ate a dog. Food is part of every culture, and when kids would chase you down the street.” culture shock. For a while, the children were hesitant you’re in the middle of the ocean, familiar Over 2,000 miles aways from his home, Carrington said he was out of his element when he arrived. With no electricity or running water, and a diet consisting mainly of fish, rice and coconuts, many missionaries got sick soon after arriving to the Gilbert Islands. “First stepping off the plane, it was so hot and so humid,” Carrington said. “(The airport) was just four cement walls with no security checks. The dirt roads were really bumpy; honestly, I don’t know if I would compare them to mountain roads — they’re just awful. The house we lived in was four log pillars for the corners and a stick platform that you slept on.” His experience was different than most missionaries because he and his companion served alone, with no district meetings except when they were occasionally on the mainland. For much of his stay, he had to mail letters home because internet was rare. Some of the people Carrington taught had never seen missionaries or white people before. “You’d bike down the street and the kids would all gather around and yell ‘Imatang,’ which means ‘white guy,’” he

food can be hard to come by. Dog is a common food at parties, and Carrington said that although it may sound sad at first, the dogs on the islands are feral. “They’re not house dogs, and they’re not nice by any means,” he said. “We got chased several times on our bikes at night. You kick at them and they still come back and try to bite you, so whenever I got to eat a dog, I would think ‘Yes! One less dog to try and bite me in the forest.’” Another popular food was worms, which were either smoked on a stick, dried out, made into a soup or occasionally eaten raw. Carrington said he hated the taste of the clams, but he “never thought (the fish) would taste so good.” Although Carrington said the foreign food was usually bland, this made him appreciate his first meals as a Returned Missionary. “I got a cheeseburger from Burger King at the airport in Fiji, and that was the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had in my life,” he said, laughing. “Oh man, and I hate Burger King, too. When I got back with my parents, they got me a Baconator or One Sunday after church, Carrington something from Wendy’s, and oh man, and his companion had to get home from that was over-the-top! It was so good.” the island of Ribono. Despite the clouds in the sky, the two received permission to ride a boat with a man to the other side of the lagoon in the middle of the island. Rain began to fall, and because it was low tide, they had to avoid coral reefs After two years away from home, and rocks. The man’s son walked in Carrington said he had mixed feelings on front of the boat to see if they would hit the way home. anything, and soon gave the all-clear. A “It was like being torn apart in a bunch few moments in, however, they rode a of different ways,” he said. “Part of me large wave, and as they descended into was ready to go home; I’d been out for the trough, the motor hit rocks. two years. Then again, during that last “We couldn’t get (the motor) back on and year, I grew so attached to that place and all we could see was that we were in deep the people. It was like leaving my family water and were slowly getting pushed back there to go to my family back home.” toward this big rock that was on the shore,” On the plane, Carrington talked with Carrington said. “Everyone jumped out those around him to take his mind off of of the boat and into the water. I couldn’t the emotions. touch the bottom for a while, but I thought, “It’s like that saying — once you’ve ‘there’s no way I’m dying today.’” visited another place and made so many Everyone got out of the way in time, new friends, your heart will never be in and they navigated the boat back to the one place again,” he said. “When I got sand. The motor wouldn’t turn back on, home, I was content for the first week or so they stayed the night and walked back two, but ever since, I’ve at least wanted to in the morning. go back for a little bit.” around the missionaries. “A big group of kids would come up to a house with you,” Carrington said, “and the adults would say, ‘What are you guys doing? They’re just like people. Get out of here go play or something!’ and they’d all scream and run away.” As time went on, though, the children talked to the missionaries about the U.S. “They’d ask you weird questions, because if they see a movie, they think it’s real,” Carrington said. “They’d say, ‘Back in America, do people really run around with guns and bazookas and blow each other up?’ and then you joke around with them and say, ‘Yeah, I got a bazooka at my house.’” Carrington said that despite all the jokes, the islanders were always friendly to the missionaries. “They’re so keen in giving hospitality to anybody who’s not from their island,” he said. “They’re such a kind and loving people.”

That one time on my mission, I almost died.

That one time on my mission, I made a new family.

Carrington enjoying the weather on his mission. PHOTO COURTESY SCOT CARRINGTON

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Missionary Stories • Feature

Souvenirs from

Left: Because electricity was rare in the Gilbert Islands, missionaries studied by lamplight after nightfall. Right: Carrington was exposed to the elements for most of his mission. Most structures didn’t have walls because the heat and humidity would become overwhelming without air conditioning. PHOTOS COURTESY SCOT CARRINGTON

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Arts • Student Work

Featured Artists

“Now You See Me”

The purpose of this image is to show the progression of two states of self: the state of self that you show openly, and the state of self that is more vulnerable and hidden. I aimed to create an image that shows that there is more than meets the eye. “Now You See Me” sets out to expose that layer that may be hidden, and show that there’s more to a person than the mask they wear every day.

Drew Jensen “Civil Twilight”

I’ve always been fascinated by twilight, especially in cities. A feeling of isolation descends as the city goes to sleep. Empty streets create a feeling of abandonment. The final blue and cyan of the setting sun contrast with the red of passing cars and the orange of streetlights creating one of the most beautiful, recurring scenes to behold.

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Kathryn Bjorling

Student Work • Arts

Anthony Di Donato

“Salvis Faciem”

In this series, I occasionally ask students at SUU if I can paint or illustrate them. The series has resulted in many interesting conversations and experiences, even a few new friends; and so far, over 50 pictures of SUU students.

Stephanie Smith From top to bottom:

“Alligator mississippiensis” Oil on canvas, 2017

“Mau”

Relief print, 2017

“What Lies Beneath” Oil on wood, 2017

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Campus Life • Fashion

Back-to-school

Fashion by Kimberly Hodson

Well, it’s here again — back-to-school. Everyone knows that back-to-school is when everyone pulls out all the stops to look their absolute best. The beautiful thing about fashion is that it’s not hard. With just a few basic items that you probably already have in your closet, you can totally rock your back-toschool look. Here are just a few examples of how basic items can totally transform your look. All of these outfits can easily be recreated and morphed into your own personal style.

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Fashion • Campus Life

Amazing Accessories

Black and denim is a classic pairing. This skirt with buttons all the way down works with any top, but putting it with a plain black top allows you to accessorize.

MODELING: KRISTEN COLEMAN PHOTOS BY BILLY CLOUSE

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Campus Life • Fashion

Classic

I won’t lie, this is one of my favorite looks for back-to-school. The shirt is a DIY project, and can so easily be swapped for a band or graphic tee if you’re not crafty. Ripped jeans are a staple and go with everything. I highly recommend you invest in a bomber or letterman jacket. They immediately take your jeans and t-shirt look to a whole new level. Pro tip for this outfit: pair a ballcap with it.

Copy the looks Edgy shoes Striped blouse

Ripped jeans

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Fashion • Campus Life

Bralette Bombshell

Millennial pink is IN! This velvet top with a strappy bralette under it is the perfect pairing for those stillhot early fall days. This can be paired with shorts, jeans of any color or a skater skirt.

Graphic tee

Ball cap Jacket

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Feature • Thunder U

WELCOME

NEW T-BIRDS

1,900 freshmen begin their collegiate journey at Thunder U by Billy Clouse As she emerges from the tunnel of the Centrum Arena, her hair catches the sunlight. Surrounded by parents on both sides, Lauren Robb follows the path to the Bell Tower. As she moves closer to the monument, she can hear the bells ring to the sound of drums. Robb, a freshman biology major from Las Vegas, was one of almost 1,900 new T-Birds to participate in the Bell Tower Tradition during Thunder U. “It was nice having all the parents there because it’s like a final goodbye,” she said. “It made me feel official.” One of the main organizers of this year’s Thunder U was Heather Garcia, a Master of Public Administration candidate from Taylorsville. As the Coordinator for Orientation and FirstYear Experience, she was involved in the decision-making process. This year, the orientation groups were separated by interest instead of major. “We realized that just because two people are chemistry majors, they might have nothing in common,” Garcia said. “We might want to go into the same field, but you could like books and I could like hiking.” Last year, Garcia and others in the FYE Office put together a list of 400 hobbies. They asked current students which ones they would sign up for and narrowed the list from those results. “We originally had a team captain over LARPing and cosplay, but no student selected that as their first choice, so we dissolved it,” Garcia said. “We thought ‘The Hunger Games’ would be a hit, but it wasn’t. Grey’s Anatomy wasn’t a hit, either, but general sports and hiking were popular.” One of the interests that surprised Garcia was “reading.” She thought it would get few students, but there were over 15 groups dedicated to the interest. Of all the groups, “hiking” was the most popular, followed by “general sports.”

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Jonas Lungstrass, a junior communication major from Cologne, Germany, served as a TAVI Group leader for a second year, this time over the travel interest group. “I just wanted to improve from last year,” he said. “I wasn’t happy with my personal performance, and I’m doing international orientation anyway since I’m an International Student Ambassador, so I might as well.” Lungstrass traveled to McCarran International Airport to meet students as they arrived on August 19 and 20. After this, he helped out with the students’ orientation, which began the following Monday.

There, newcomers to the U.S. were assisted in opening bank accounts and transported to Walmart. “Since I first arrived here, orientation has changed 360 degrees,” Lungstrass said. “I was supported by everyone, but there’s more help now. It amazes me how much it improved in two years.” Many of the events from last year were reused, such as Chalk Campus, Lightning Rounds, RHA Campus Tye-Dye Party and the Torch Run. However, there were some new events, such as “Connect your nation to campus.” This involved planning a two-hour event for each group that was related to their interest.

Thunder U • Feature 1. Chalk Campus, a popular event at last year’s Thunder U, was held again this year. Students worked in their TAVI Groups to create artwork on a square outside of the library. The drawings were supposed to be related to the group’s interest. 2. The sun stayed out for this year’s Bell Tower Tradition, and for the first time, the First Year Experience Office invited parents to line the path from the Bell Tower all the way to the Centrum Arena. 3. Chalk Campus was held on the last day of Thunder U so the art could be present in front of the library for the first week of school. PHOTOS BY BILLY CLOUSE

1 “People who said they loved eating, they went down Main Street and got samples of Bulloch Drug’s ice cream and other things,” Garcia said. “People who loved paddleboarding were bussed to the Lake at the Hills. People who loved cooking went to the kitchen on Upper Campus.” Madi Maynard was in charge of planning this event, and Garcia said this was the hardest one to plan because they had to coordinate the movement of almost 2,000 students. Another change to Thunder U involved move-in day. Last year’s events started in the afternoon after move-in, and Garcia said that many students were stressed about unpacking and starting

3 their orientation the same day. This year, students moved in on Wednesday, and the main events started on Thursday. To improve on last year’s organization, the FYE Office planned overlapping events so students could choose which they wanted to do. “Research shows that students love late-night programming, and we tried to do an extrovert option and an introvert option,” Garcia said. “This incoming generation loves options, so if they can choose what they get to do, they’re less inclined to feel like they’re forced to go to something.” Robb said she enjoyed the late-night extrovert options.

“‘T-Birds After Dark’ and the Grand Finale Concert were my favorite activities,” she said. “I really enjoyed walking around with my new friends and trying the oxygen bar and dancing in the living room. I love live music, no matter who it is, so the concert was a great way to jump around and have fun with everyone and sing along to our favorite songs on the last night!” Garcia said that no one person made Thunder U a success, but rather a team of students and staff. “The incoming class and the captains were just the perfect match,” she said. “The ACEs worked their tails off, and the students had so much fun because they brought that energy with them.”

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Feature • Thunder U

3 1. After walking beneath the Bell Tower, students high-fived parents and professors who lined the walkway. 2. Kevin Martin, one of the TAVI Group leaders, contributes to his group’s artwork. 3. The Bell Tower Tradition can be an emotional time for both parents and students. 4. At the event “GRIFOLS Taste the Outdoors,” the ROTC monitored a rock-climbing wall for students to try out. 5. Because every group’s interests were different, the drawings they made varied. 6. More freshmen attended Thunder U this year, so they couldn’t all fit next to the library for “Chalk Campus.” Many groups spread along the side of the Sharwan Smith Student Center. 7. Students prepare for a fight using padded equipment at “GRIFOLS Taste the Outdoors.” PHOTOS BY BILLY CLOUSE

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Thunder U • Feature

What did you think of Thunder U?

I think it’s great to just be involved and get completely thrown into something that might be scary at first. You’re surrounded by thousands of kids that are floating in the same boat as you. They’re going through the same things as you, feeling the same things you are. It’s something that’s scary, but you really feel at home.

What are you most excited What was it like walking about going into college? under the Bell Tower?

Q&A WITH FRESHMAN

AUDREY TRAN

Honestly, it’s a clean slate, it’s a new start. The only expectation is to be the best I can be. I feel like I have no limits, I can go into this year and start these new classes and start this new experience and get to know new people and it’s all what I’m going to make of it.

There’s been so much buildup to it because it’s the only time you’ll do it before graduation. Being there and surrounded by everyone cheering you on and knowing they’re there for your success and want you to be happy, it was thrilling.

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Campus Life • Dorm Decorating

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Dorm Decorating • Campus Life

Ten tips for

decorating your dorm room by Billy Clouse Oh, dorm rooms. It may suck to have to cram your entire life into a tiny little space, but it’s also a creative challenge. In most cases, you can stuff as much as you want into your room without a problem. Making it look good, however, takes some effort. We’ve all seen those perfect dorm room photos in magazines, and although this is technically the same medium, it’s a little more down-to-earth. Instead of throwing hundreds of dollars at the room, I’ve compiled some cheap ideas to make the most of your small space.

Go to the next page to see the tips

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Campus Life • Dorm Decorating Balance these personal items with quirky pieces. Unicorn figurines, geometric This may seem like an unnecessary terrariums or brass pineapples can show off step in designing your space, but it will just as much, if not more, about you than pay off in the end. A mood board is a your photos can. place where you put together the theme for your room — the color scheme, styles, decorative elements. For example, if Part of being a college student is seeing you’re going with an ocean theme, you how much you can buy for virtually no would likely want to avoid buying bed money. Although this usually applies to linens that are red and green. food, most students want to save money When making a color scheme, however, you should make sure it’s on decorating. Art fills up walls nicely, but it can be flexible. Keeping with a nautical idea, expensive. Creating your own can drive you will likely want to work with down the cost significantly, and everyone multiple shades of blue. This way, you has some type of artistic ability. If you don’t have to make sure everything is aren’t a gifted painter, draw something. the exact navy swatch you picked out originally. Adding an accent color, such If you aren’t a talented graphic designer, as orange, coral, yellow or red can give craft with paper. If none of these seem the scheme more life. Make sure to like good options, you can find websites include some neutrals in your palette to with free art online that you can print. break up all the color. If you plan to decorate a lot for the Although the idea of a fully-furnished holidays, you might want to consider neutral colors for everyday items so the and decorated space is desirable, the new decorations don’t clash. While an costs can add up quickly. Start with orange hamper might be a nice pop of items you already have and buy a few color, it’s difficult to work it into Christmas complimentary pieces. As the semester progresses, you can find fun and unique and Valentine’s Day decorating. items around town. TJ Maxx and Ross have discounted items, and there are a No matter how much you decorate, number of thrift shops in Cedar City. your room won’t feel like home if you Bulloch Drug is also a good spot for don’t have anything personal. Photos unique finds.

1. Make a mood board

3. Do it yourself

4. Work on it over time

2. Add personality

of yourself and friends can breathe life into a space.

5.Make the most of the bed

Depending on your dorm or apartment, your bed needs to double as a place

Quirky items can make a room. This dinosaur terrarium combines an eclectic sculptural piece and a succulent, providing fun and life. PHOTO BY BILLY CLOUSE

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to sleep and a place to sit. Serving both purposes is easy if you arrange the bed correctly. Most people think to put pillows near the headboard, but few use the side of the bed against the wall for body and accent pillows. By placing them there, you can make a temporary couch that can easily be transitioned into a place to sleep at night. Beds are also a great way to establish a color palette or theme. If you don’t have a specific color palette that you want to keep the whole year, use neutral linens. This way, you can add pillows and throw blankets to create a pop of color or establish the theme.

6.Bring in life

Unfortunately, most dorms won’t allow you to have a pet, even if it is the most adorable thing the world has ever seen. Because of this, you’ll have to settle for the second-best thing: baby plants. They are relatively easy to take care of, especially if you have succulents. All they really need is sunlight and a little bit of water. Having them also gives you an excuse to buy terrariums and other succulent holders, which can add some personality to your room. If you don’t want to deal with anything living, faux plants are a better option. More often than not, these plants look real and require absolutely no upkeep, which is perfect for someone with a busy schedule.

7. Use decorative storage

Especially in small spaces, storage is one of the most important things to include when decorating. However, you don’t want to just throw a bunch of cardboard boxes on a bookshelf. Crates, boxes and bins can add color and pattern to your space, or you can go with something more plain and let them blend into the background. Either way, these items allow you to toss a bunch of notso-appealing things out of sight while still having easy access to them. Bed risers are another idea to provide more storage. They’re available in many stores, and some options provide builtin outlets. Since you won’t be able to see underneath the bed in most cases, you can use whatever containers you have on hand.

Dorm Decorating • Campus Life

9. Decorate in unexpected places

Most people are used to seeing the bed and walls decorated, but you can add some punch by adding it in not-socommon places. For example, if your closet doesn’t have doors, consider organizing it in a visually-appealing way, such as by color or by style. Although a closet full of clothes doesn’t look inherently awful, it can look better if you organize it. Another place to consider is the bathroom. Most people tend to leave these empty, but adding some art or color-coordinated towels can breathe life into this often-forgotten space. Something as simple as adding throw pillows and blankets to a couch can add to your dorm’s overall wow-factor.

10. Use vertical space

Furniture normally takes up floor space, leaving the walls relatively bare. Even with art, the room can look offbalance. One way to remedy this is by thinking vertically. Tall pieces, such as bookshelves or dressers, can add height to the room. These stand out especially when they’re placed next to long pieces. Another way to add flare to pieces that aren’t large is by decorating with tall objects. For example, on a dresser, you can use a tall, thin lamp or vase to add height, and it looks even better if you have some smaller pieces next to it. This can make your space more dynamic and interesting.

BONUS. Focus on function over fashion

A stack of books can look nice by itself. Later on, a sign can be added for a more-completed look. Finally, it can be topped off with a stuffed animal. PHOTO BY BILLY CLOUSE

8. Find creative ways to not break rules

Most apartments and dorms have strict rules, and many of them are for good reasons. However, there are ways around them. Very few places will allow you to put nails or pushpins in the

walls, but you can use Command hooks instead. This temporary option, as well as mounting putty, allow you to decorate walls without damaging them. In addition to nails, most places won’t allow you to burn candles. To get around this, you can find flickering tea lights for the look and air fresheners for the smell.

The appeal of having the trendiest apartment may be tempting, but there’s no point having it if you can’t do anything when you’re home. It’s more important that you can actually use your space than to have a good-looking one, because paying rent to show off your decorating skills is a waste of time and cash. Don’t misunderstand this to mean that you should buy a hideous but functional desk. It means that you might not want to go with the item you fell in love with, but instead find one that looks nice and also can serve a purpose. A dorm room is useless to you if you can’t actually use it for anything.

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Outside of Campus • SUU Outdoors Trips

free trips from SUU Outdoors Fall 2017 Every semester, SUU Outdoors hosts trips that are free for students. There are currently 28 adventures planned. If you would like to go on a trip, you must register two weeks before at the SUU Outdoors center in the Sharwan Smith Student Center.

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SUU Outdoor Trips • Outside of Campus

Backpacking

• September 29-30 — West Rim, Zion National Park • October 20-24 — Grand Canyon National Park • November 17-18 — Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (this trip includes hiking)

• November 18 — Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park • December 1-2 — Valley of Fire Nevada State Park (this trip includes camping) • December 2 — Zion National Park

Bouldering

Kayaking and camping

• November 10-11 — Joe’s Valley, Emery County (this trip includes camping)

Canyoneering

• September 16 — Yankee Doodle, Leeds • September 30 — Benson Creek, Parowan • November 4 — Birch Hollow, Zion National Park

Caving

• September 23 — Mammoth Caves, Cascade Falls, Cedar Breaks (this trip includes hiking) • October 13 — Bloomington Caves, St. George • December 09 — Bloomington Caves, St. George

Climbing

• September 23 — Graveside Matter, Cedar Mountain • October 28 — Pocket Rocks, Cedar City

• September 8-9 — Servier River, Marysvale

Mountain biking

• September 8 — South View, Cedar City • September 9 — Navajo Lake, Cedar Mountain • October 27-28 — Bootleg Canyon, Boulder City, Nevada (this trip also includes camping) • November 10 — Three Peaks, Cedar City • November 11 — Wire Mesa, Hurricane • December 9 — Church Rocks, St. George

Rappelling

• October 13 — Thunderbird Gardens, Cedar City

SUP

• September 15-16 — Sand Hollow State Park (this trip also includes camping) • October 7 — Quail Creek State Park

Hiking

• September 23 — Mammoth Caves, Cascade Falls, Cedar Breaks (this trip includes caving) • October 7 — Delano Peak, Beaver • October 20-24 — Arches and Canyonlands National Park (this trip includes camping) • November 3-4 — Capitol Reef National Park (this trip includes camping)

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Outside of Campus • Nature Photography

e r u t c i P Utah photographer Ryan Young talks about five ways to take outdoor photos to the next level by Billy Clouse, photos courtesy Ryan Young In two years, 19-year-old Ryan Young went from a new photographer to a professional with almost 14,000 followers on his instagram account. The Vernal native used his mother’s camera as a child, but ever since he got one of his own, he began to pursue the art. Like many Utahns, Young loves the outdoors, and it is where he takes most of his photos. From two years of trial and error, he has come up with five tips to help amateur photographers make their nature pictures look professional.

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Nature Photography • Outside of Campus

t c e f r e P

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Outside of Campus • Nature Photography

1. Focus on lighting

Light is essential to photography, and it’s not all the same. Young usually starts his photo shoots at 7 p.m., which gives him half-an-hour to get comfortable before what he calls “Golden Hour.” “It’s the best light to shoot pictures with, but it changes depending on the time of the sunset,” Young said. “I always like to see what time it is starting and ending at so I can time my shoot accordingly.” When taking photos at sunset, silhouette shots, such as the one to the right, are easier to take because the sun is in a prime location to backlight a model. Any subject, not just people, work for silhouettes. Young suggests waiting until the end of “Golden Hour” to get the best photo. To determine when “Golden Hour” is, as well as work out other lighting issues, Young suggests the app “PhotoPills.” It costs $9.99, but he says it’s worth the money.

2. Try night photos

Away from the lights of Cedar City, thousands of stars illuminate the sky. The views are close, but they can be difficult to capture on a camera. Young suggests using the “PhotoPills” app to check for weather conditions. To be an ideal night, the moon and clouds should not be present. On the technical side of things, he uses a shutter speed of 20-30 seconds, an ISO of 1600-4000 and an aperture lower than 2.8. “I sometimes will use a very, very dim light and shine it on the foreground to light it up,” Young said. “Since they are long exposures, the smallest amount of light will be very bright.”

3. Change your perspective

Many amateur photographers take photos from eye-level, but because this is how people normally see the world, it doesn’t always make for an intriguing image. Young said that one way to find unique points of view is to plan ahead. “I always like to scout the area in the daytime before I go out and shoot it,” he said. “When I go out looking for locations, I like to step back and try to see the bigger picture. I always will try looking for unique angles whether it’s shooting the

26 • Revolt • September 2017

Nature Photography • Outside of Campus Milky Way or doing sessions for people.” Young said that he enjoys shooting extreme perspectives. Worm’s-eye-view, which involves placing the camera on the ground, is one of his favorites for photos with people in them because “it gives a really cool foreground effect with a slight blur.” At the other extreme, he enjoys taking bird’s-eye-view shots because they are a more uncommon way of presenting a subject. He suggested that students look into the DJI Spark Drone because he thinks the company is reliable and it’s their cheapest model.

4. Use blurriness to your advantage

The aperture setting on the camera controls how much light reaches the sensor, but it also controls the depth-offield, or how much of the photo is in focus. “If you want more of that professional portrait look, then you need to use around an F2.8,” Young said. “The lower the number, the more blur you will get. Be careful as you get into F1.8 or lower because you can get blurry edges.”

5. Edit your pictures

Like most professional photographers, Young edits his photos. His program of choice is Adobe Lightroom, and he edits every photo a little differently. “The best thing is to understand the adjustments you are making to your photos and then edit until the picture looks good to you,” he said. “Every photographer has their own style, so it’s important to find what works for you. I typically like to keep my photos looking as natural as possible.” The adjustments he normally makes are to lighting, contrast, white balance, highlights and vibrancy. Check out Ryan’s Instagram account to see the tips put into practice.

@ryoung.photography September 2017 • Revolt • 27

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