Week 4 – James Corgan

1-

While my family is not one of many sentimental moments or places, my brother-in-law, who was recently welcomed into the family, has been a much-needed addition to the family’s sentimental feelings. While our local tavern in Winthrop, Maine, is nothing compared to the authentic hole-in-the-wall establishments that he is used to back in the great land that is Ireland, it still does that job for our small town, bringing together a community with live music, billiards, and the Irish people’s favorite pastime (according to my brother-in-law), “A nice cold Guinness” – Alex Fogarty. While at first I did not understand why he loved being at this run-down bar so much, after going with him on multiple occasions, I see why he visits so often. To make friends and have a connection with the town and its people, because to him the town is his family. He knows and is known by every patron and operates as almost a family member to all. I think this place and the people he gets to know along the way are a very important part of his life and add to the larger culture of the town. He now knows people on the board of the YMCA and the School Board. He is the assistant coach of a football team (soccer in the USA) and has made strides by being a shining presence in the town.

2- Based on the video we watched in class – 
Make a list of changes that would improve your photographs:

1. Start taking photos for yourself and not for other people’s enjoyment.
2. Focus on the moment of the photo because that is what creates a story (however, you can still just take photos of beautiful places)
3. Find what your subject is (Don’t take photos like a tourist)
4. Don’t be safe and predictable; be bold and experimental

3- If you can take new photos, do so for Project 1C.  And post a few and explain the changes & how they will improve your story
If you can’t take new photos, explain at least three changes you would make to your photos that could improve them. Then keep this in mind for your next photos.

1. The first main change I would want to make to my photos is not to stop shooting head-on or perfectly level. I would like to get more experimental to spice them up and make them more interesting. I often find myself just pointing and shooting with the subject right in the center, and this gets boring, so I would like to use more leading lines and frame within a frame to add something more.
2. The second change I would like to make is capturing the real living space around me (trees moving, animals running, clouds changing). Instead of taking a picture of just a building, for example, you could add some blurred bushes in front of it or a strong lens flare to draw the viewer’s focus.
3. The third and final change that I would like to make is not a change to my photos but a change to my attitude about how I take photos. Going forward, I would like to finish shooting with at least 2 photos that I am very proud of and that feel professional and fun. I often find myself being very self-critical and deleting photos if they are not absolutely perfect, and I feel this could end up with me getting upset, so I want to end the photography session with two photos that I am proud of, even if they are not perfect photos. Maybe the picture is just pretty or just has a good angle, or maybe it’s just a picture that captures a funny memory; it doesn’t matter. I just want two photos to be proud of before I put down the camera.