I have a whole blog post set aside for a time later today when I’m not as heavily drugged and when I feel coherent enough to passionately hash out my feelings about Quran burnings/Sept. 11, 2001/Muslim centers being built near Ground Zero…

But for now, enjoy some of the more visual work I’ve done over the last six months. As a reporter in this new media world (and a student in a major that requires me to take on storytelling in every multimedia platform available), I’ve had to learn how to take and edit photos and video in different projects, as either part of a published work or a school assignment. I fought it at first, rationalizing that I was a writer and reporter and not a photographer, and that photographers and journalists and videographers and the like are not meant to cross paths in their work. Of course, that’s not true. Mostly I was just scared of the technology involved. Nobody likes to be a n00b.

After quite a lot of practice shooting and editing video and photos, I’m still definitely a n00b. It’s something I really enjoy doing and sometimes flatter myself that I’m passable at it — but no, that’s not true. I’m a writer, period. I can DO all the other stuff, and I wish I had an eye for it, but I don’t, even though I’m getting better. So here is a small sample of some of the stuff I worked on for my New Media Visualization class with Todd Kesterson.

I’ll follow this post up later with some quick reporter videos I put together for the Capital Press this summer. Thanks for viewing!

This thing -- which I am told was once a coconut -- sat by my desk at the Barometer for more than two years. One evening I decided to photograph it for a project for my NMC 351 class to prove that I could use the idea of gestalt and take a decent photo.

While doing the same project for NMC 351 that evening (clearly I did it the night before it was due), I was searching around the Baro for inspiration. I found many red items that had a distinct Barometer flare to them. The Stylebook, the wings, and the fire extinguisher case were tied together nicely by copy editor Allie's effortless sass.

More NMC 351 project, but this photo was taken at my house that night at about 2 a.m. I got lucky with the shadows and the color of the wall behind the chair. The flowers and the blanket made it all very cozy.

Same night, same procrastinated project. These are my favorite things and my little elephant trinket looked perfect on its doily in the jewelry box I've had since I was three. It's like a glimpse into an Indian in the Cupboard kind of world.

For this project, we were supposed to demonstrate that we could use light, shadow, color and placement in each photo to evoke a certain emotion or feeling. Here is a very well-lit photo of some adorable, innocent-looking stuffed animals tucked away into bed. And then....!

...BAM. Change the lighting and the shadows and they're creepy, Chucky-like monsters waiting patiently in your bed to go bump in the night! Especially that Ugly doll. He's clearly up to no good.

This chair can always be found around Snell Hall, either propping open a door or sitting in creepy light. I liked the color, and I wanted to prove that I could use the Rule of Thirds... sort of... even though I don't think I quite understood what that meant at the time. I still like the photo. It's Baro-reminiscent.