Senior Project #25

April 27,2011 2:20-4:20 PM

Time spent: 2 hours
Time spent editing pictures: 2 hours
Total time: 36.5 hours

After Mr. Arias' photoshoot, we went back to Emily's house to do our own photoshoot. Nick and Brendan weren't there, though, so we will have to do their photos some other time. Emily had white sheets that we could use as a backdrop, but it was wrinkled, so we tried to iron it.

 

We didn't really know how... and we didn't have an ironing table, so we ironed on the glass.

 Finally, we finished ironing. It was still wrinkled, but better than before.

 

Here is our setup for the shoot.

Before Editing

After Editing

Before Editing

After Editing

Before Editing

After Editing

After the photoshoot, Matt and I went back to his house to wait to meet with Andy at Stanford. We started messing around on lightroom again and tried to achieve a uniform style for the photographs.

I edited the photos after we met with Andy at Stanford.

Senior Project #24

April 27,2011 1:30-2:15 PM

Time spent: .75 hours
Total time: 32.5 hours

Matt and I met up with Emily and went to Mr. Arias's room to do his photoshoot. We did the interview first just like last time. I was really interested in his story because he remembers the details so well despite it being 21 years ago. Mr. Arias wants to know when our presentation is so that he can come in and watch.

Anyway, the pictures above are two of the pictures that we are going to edit and use. Matt is going to be in charge of editing those and Mrs. Werner's pictures while I edit Mrs. Yee's and our photoshoot pictures.

Senior Project #23

April 27, 2011 12:30-1:15 PM

Time spent: .75 hours
Total time: 31.75 hours

After the mentoring with Jason, Matt and I decided to try using Lightroom and to practice our skills. It was kind of difficult at first because I wasn't used to the tools and the setup since I used to use Paint.net for quick editing. However, Lightroom is more flexible and easier to use than Paint.net and gave me better results.

We also talked about the shirt design. Matt came up with a design on his own:

On the back, we decided to use a quote from a survivor. We really liked Mrs. Yee's quotes, so we are probably going to use this: "Every step I take is a step against cancer".

Senior Project #22

April 27, 2011 11:00AM-12:30PM

Time spent: 1.5 hours
Total time: 31 hours

Today, I went to Matt's house and had a screenshare session with Jason. We used a program called Teamviewer so Jason could show us how he processes his wedding photos after a job.

Jason showed us using something called Photomechanic. Most of his photos were shot using natural light or one flash. He sends 600-800 of the 1151 photos to his client. Before he does his editing, he chooses his favorite pictures for his blog.

Jason uses Lightroom to catalog his pictures. Unlike photoshop, it is useful for multiple image editing or quick edits. He showed us how to use the gradient tool to recover detail. Lightroom is useful because the histogram has a function that can show warnings of where there is no detail. After Lightroom, Jason uses Photoshop. He made a bunch of droplets, which consist of actions, to make it faster to edit. Then, he uses levels or curves to make the picture brighter or darker. He even showed us how to use the liquify tool to manipulate pictures. Overall, Jason doesn't really do a lot of heavy editing.

Senior Project #21

April 22, 2011 8:00-11:00 PM

Time spent: 3 hours
Total time: 29.5 hours

Nick, Matt, Emily, and I went to Nicole Werner's house to interview her mom. This time, we recorded the interview, but the lighting wasn't as good. However, we did the best we could.

Once again, we tested the lighting to see what the pictures would look like. Then, we did the interview.

Interview:

 

 Photoshoot time. The lighting was not working out very well. I was already on 1600 ISO and the pictures were still underexposed. The large ISO also made it more grainy.

 After the photoshoot, we went back to my house to work on t-shirt designs. We tried different designs such as the phoenix image inside the lettering, just plain blocky letters, slanted letters, etc. But we could not decide on a final product.

Senior Project #20

April 22, 2011 7:30-9:00 AM

Time spent: 1.5 hours
Total time: 26.5 hours

I went with Matt to interview Mrs. Yee at Skyline elementary. We brought the lighting and set it up in the classroom. First, we did some test shots to see how the pictures would look.

We decided to use this lighting set up:

 Here are the finished pictures:

Matt typed down what Mrs. Yee was saying during the interview while I asked questions. I was really interested by her story because although I have known her since kindergarten and am close to her and her family, I did not really know the details about her journey.

My favorite thing that she said was the thing about how she doesn't save things for "special occasions" anymore because "every day is a special occasion!"

Senior Project #19

April 21, 2011

Time spent: 1.5 hours
Total time: 25 hours

Today, I picked up the lighting from Adam's mom. His parents helped me set up the light stand and the umbrella, explaining how to put the whole thing together. It was different from what I used with Andy and Jason, but in the end, it is probably easier because it is a continuous light, so we won't have to take so many test shots. Anyway, I messed around with the lighting and took some test shots with Adam. Here are the results:

After taking pictures, I went home and edited them using paint.net. I used the curves feature that Andy showed me last time. I still do not know how to do skin retouching, so maybe he can teach me that next time I see him on Wednesday. Tomorrow is our first photoshoot with Mrs. Yee and Mrs. Werner! Hopefully it will be a success. I will be meeting and working with Matt during the photoshoot. 

Senior Project #18

April 20, 2011

Time spent: 2 hours
Total time: 23.5 hours

So far...
Mentor hours: 7.75 hours
Community service hours: 15.75 hours

• Talked to Mr. Arias. He had testicular cancer, not leukemia. And he is willing to help. Free on this coming Wednesday. I need to get back to him and tell him what time to meet up. Probably 1:30? But I will call him or tell him tomorrow if I know. 
• Nicole Werner's mom said okay to Friday. 8:00 PM. I got her address and phone number. 
• I asked Ms. Robbins about lighting today. She doesn't have any of her own. However, she said her friend Melissa rented lighting equipment from Keeble and Schucat. I looked online on their rental department and they have a lot of equipment that we could use including pocket wizards, umbrellas, flashes, soft boxes, etc. However, they close at 5:30 and rentals are charged per day, so for Friday, if we rent, we would have to pay two days worth of rental since we need it at 7:30 AM and at 8:00 PM. That will be our last resort lighting. 
• Since Mr. Martens does art, I asked him if he had any lighting equipment. He doesn't have the flashes, but has the umbrella and a light that works together to illuminate the subject. But he's not sure because it's his wife's equipment and he doesn't feel comfortable about lending it out. I talked to him after school as well and he doesn't have backdrops either, but he told me how to easily make one our of sheets. I will probably do that. 
• Mr. Martens also mentioned that Mr. Jordan had cancer, so I went to talk to him during lunch. I found out that his fiance currently has cancer. He is also willing to help and he says she could be a possible candidate as well. But he's never really talked about his cancer before, so he isn't too comfortable about it. He is busy during the whole spring break, so I should schoolloop email him to set up a date. We can probably put his photoshoot off until after spring break since we already have three photoshoots. 
• Adam's mom sent pictures of the lighting. We showed the picture to Ms. Robbins and she confirmed that they are softboxes and we they are best used for portraiture. That works out very well. I think we will be borrowing those lights if she can contact her boss and ask if it is okay to borrow them. That way, we don't have to worry about spending money on borrowing lighting. 

Need to do:

1. Respond to Mrs. Yee and confirm Friday.
2. Call or tell Mr. Arias about Wednesday.
3. Email Mr. Jordan.
4. Contact Emily Sison and ask about recording.
5. Pick up lighting equipment.
6. Make interview questions and prepare for photoshoot.
7. Finish shirt design.
8. Take photos of the group members in order to set up the "About" page of the website. 

Senior Project #17

April 19, 2011

Today I talked to Nick about shirt ideas. We were reviewing some inspirational shirt designs. Here are two of them:

Nick and Brendan are going to try to finish a sketch by Thursday (tomorrow). Hopefully then they can get it edited and set up for sale. We need to try to stick to the calendar schedule as much as we can. 

Senior Project #16

April 18, 2011

I am still trying to reschedule with Mrs. Yee about the photoshoot. Perhaps we will meet his Friday at 7:30 AM but Matt has a calculus thing. I'll see if it works, though. I don't think it should take that long.

Anyway, we are going to ask Katie Eberle if her mom would like to help us. Jonathan's friend's mom said no because she has to work and doesn't have time. Nick said that Mr. Arias had leukemia, so we are going to ask him and see if he is willing to help and if it is true.

Matt told me that Relay might be moved to June. That is good because we'll have more time, but I don't know how that will affect our project. Nevertheless, we will continue moving forward with our schedule as planned. Hopefully Nick and Brendan finish their sketches by tomorrow because that is when we are going to decide on a final t-shirt design. I might have to look into backup sources for lighting.

Still waiting for Andy Lin and Jason Lee to respond.

Senior Project #15

April 17, 2011

Today, I realized that I cannot meet with Andy Lin on the 23rd because of an Easter family party, so I have to reschedule with him. I tried to contact him and we could possibly meet on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday during spring break.

I also emailed Jason Lee and he said that he is free on May 14th and May 21st, but on the 14th, I have PALs, and on the 21st, that's when we have Relay for Life so that wouldn't work. I am going to see if he is free on the weekdays like with Andy. Hopefully my schedule doesn't conflict with Matt's too much.

And I guess all I can do right now is wait until the survivors are contacted and find out when we can have our photoshoot. We'll need to keep up with our set calendar, too.

Senior Project #14

April 16, 2011

I asked Adam's mom about borrowing lighting from her company and she said it would be okay, but she has to ask her boss because he uses it for photographing the lumber. So I will probably be able to borrow it for the photoshoots.

I got responses from some of the survivors.

Mrs. Yee is willing to help and I am trying to schedule a day for her photoshoot. We were thinking about the 22nd, but her schedule is conflicting with mine, so I don't think I could do that. I am trying to see if I can fit her in sometime during the week of our spring break. Hopefully other survivors will be free, too and we will be able to do that.

Alice's mom isn't comfortable sharing her story or having her picture taken. I don't know about any of the other survivors.

Senior Project #13

April 15, 2011 10:20-11:20 AM

Time spent: 1 hour
Total time: 21.5 hours

During photos, we made a calendar and assigned due dates for our project. We also wrote and finished the mission statement. Then we emailed it to Nick so he could put it up on the website.

Calendar...

• Email Jason- April 15
• Ask survivors- April 17
• Ask Emily- April 17
• Sketch shirt- April 19
• Mission Statement- April 19
• Ask Adam's Mom about lighting- April 19
• Shirt design- April 21
• Andy Lin- April 23
• Fundraising- Spring Break and later
• Sell shirts- spring break and later
• Photoshoot- spring break
• Website finished- April 28
• Relay for Life- May 21

We found out that the white shirts cost $6.50 each for 50 or more shirts. Printed on both sides. Up to 4 colors. We are planning on making 125-150 shirts. Not sure yet.

Next, we have to meet again. Meet with our mentors. Do our photoshoot stuff. Finish the website. Coordinate with everyone. Figure out everything!

Senior Project #12

April 15, 2011 8:30-9:30 AM

Time spent: 1 hour
Total time: 20.5 hours

Matt, Nick, Brendan and I met at Millbrae Pancake House to discuss our plans for Spring Break.

I got the name of the mentor for our community service portion- Allison Harrer of the American Cancer Society.

We discussed...

• what to put on the main page- survivor picture with a quote. 
• Upgrade- $16/6 months. We'll get a shopping cart feature.
• Mission statement with "ignited we stand" 
• Ask Danielle for shirt machine
• Merge w/ ASB? Co-captain with Dillon.
• Raised $1400 last year. Might sell candy this year to help?
• Need to get questions for interviewing survivors. 

Things we need to get done...

• Shirts/design- Nick and Brendan
• Budget
• Website
• Fundraising
• Photoshoot
• Questions/interview
• Mission statement
• Fliers?
• Email Jason Lee- Matt and I
• Look into someone making the shirt for us. Make shirt. Then sell. Sell at Relay. Put on site. Check the amount during 1st period. How much do shirts cost? What will they look like? How many? 100? Sell for at least $12-$15. 
• Ask Emily Sison to record the survivors too. 

Money goal: $2,000. 

Things that will go into our mission statement...

• Why do we exist?
• Community outreach
• Help support members of our community
• Youth within our community
• Spread hope
• Inspire others
• Stand together and fight
• Giving people a second chance at life-> phoenix
• Raise money?/funds

Potential survivors...

• Ms. Connery 
• Esther's mom
• Mrs. Yee and her friends?
• Alice's mom
• Justin Louie's Mom

Questions to ask survivors...

• Who they are
• What cancer
• How long
• ^ Introduction
• Story? Describe experience.
• What keeps them going? What is their support system?
• How did they find out?

Nick had to leave at that point and we had to get back to school, so Matt, Brendan, and I were going to continue working on our project during photos class.

Senior Project #11

April 14th, 2011 9:30-11:00

Time spent: 1.5 hours
Total time: 19.5 hours

Nick, Matt and I discussed our plans for tomorrow's meeting.

Nick is currently working on the website. Our domain name will be something like www.wix.com/sparkhope/relay. We might join Dillon and his team to make fundraising easier because we are running out of time and it is easier to have a bigger group to work with.

Tomorrow, at our meeting, we are going to set up a calendar with our goals and determine our budget, who is going to be on our team, what we have to do and who we need to contact, etc.

I am going to contact the two cancer survivors who I know to see if they are willing to help us out by joining our relay for life team. They are my kindergarten teacher and one of my friend's moms.

For our about page, we are going to take portraits of ourselves. I'm going to see if I can ask Adam's mom to borrow some lighting from her company. We are also considering upgrading to buy the domain for a while. So we can advertise and have more features.

Senior Project #10

April 12, 2011 7:00-8:00 PM

Time spent: 1 hour
Total time: 18 hours

Today, I talked to Nick, Matt, and Brendan to discuss our next plans. We are going to meet on Friday at 8 AM at Matt's house and then go out for breakfast. Then, we will discuss our t-shirt plans and decide our budget and how we will get the money to start making them. We will ask Danielle to borrow her t-shirt maker.

I emailed Andy and asked him when he is free during spring break and he said that he is free on the 23rd and the 30th. I'm free on both those days after work, so I have to ask Matt and see when he has time so we can meet up with Andy and complete our mentor hours. The next time we meet, we will be working more on photo editing. Maybe another photo shoot? But I am not sure about that.

Senior Project #9

Monday, April 11, 2011 6:30-7:45

Time spent: 2.25 hours
Total time: 17 hours

Today, I researched the things that Andy told us to look up to understand how the camera works better. I looked up the relationship between shutter speed, ISO, aperture, and ambient light. It's still very confusing for me, but I'm starting to understand everything better.

I also worked on editing more pictures using Paint.Net on my laptop. I couldn't find the skin retouching tools that Andy used with Matt on Photoshop, so I emailed Andy about that. He said that he isn't sure and gimp probably has it but we will look at that more next time.

Senior Project #8

April 6, 2011

We finished with our logo today. I think this will be our final product for now. We decided to stick with our phoenix logo because of our fire theme- Spark Hope... I don't know what else we will do to change it. Next time, we will discuss photo shoots and t-shirt design.

Senior Project #7

April 6, 2011 6:00-10:00 PM

Time spent: 4 hours
Total time: 14.75 hours

Nick, Brendan, and I met up at Matt's house today after school to work on our project ideas/design.

Some things we decided on:

• Our group name is "Spark Hope"
• Our motto/slogan is "Ignited we Stand"
• We are still doing the t-shirts with the phoenix. I don't know what we are going to put on it though.
• We made a logo. We decided to use orange and yellow today in photos class.
• We are going to ask the cancer survivors to join our team so we can put them on our website.

Senior Project #6

April 6, 2011 8:16-9:00 AM

Time spent: .75 hours
Total time: 10.75 hours

In photos today, Matt, Nick, Brendan, and I talked about our senior project. We are deciding to stick with our cancer idea. We worked on our logo today and sketched out some circular logo ideas that involve phoenixes.
Nick and Brendan's mentor is out of the country until the end of April, so we are going to have to focus on other parts of our project for now.
Matt and I are thinking about doing a photo booth at Relay for Life. Since I know two breast cancer survivors, I am going to ask them if they would like to help us out for our photo shoot/flier.

Senior Project #5

April 3, 2011 6:30-7:30 PM

Time spent : 1 hour
Total time: 10 hours

Nick and I talked about our community service part of the project. He is currently working on the graphic design portion- logo, website, t-shirt design.
We talked about our mission and what our intended message is.

For our website, we are trying to decide on names to use and we want to use a latin name.

•  Memento Renasci- remember rebirth
• Intima fortitudo- strength comes from within

After talking about the two different names, I think we are leaning more towards "Memento Renasci" because the rebirth theme relates to our phoenix logo which relates to our message of giving people a second chance at life.

Senior Project #4

Saturday, April 2, 2011. 3:40-7:40 PM

Time spent: 4 hours
Total time: 9 hours

I went with Nick and Matt to Stanford University to meet Andy Lin, my mentor. Andy is studying for his PhD in Material Science.

Andy started off with reviewing our "homework assignment". We talked about shutter speed, ISO, aperture, ambient light, high speed sync and how they work together.

I learned that flashes do not last longer than the exposure time, but if they do, then the curtains inside the camera will drop and act as slits and kind of scan the image instead of capturing the image all at once. This causes uneven exposures. The lower the power the flash, the shorter the duration of the flash.

Andy's friend, Joanne, worked with us and was our model for the shoot. Andy brought his umbrellas and flashes to work with us.

Here are some of the photos I took that day:

         

  

At the end of the shoot, Andy went with us back to his office and he did a quick run-through of photo-editing. I learned about curves and white-balance. We ran out of time at the end, so the next time we meet, we will focus more on image editing. Maybe we will practice working with lights again.