M. Yu's favorite photo

This one is by far my favorite. You'll notice that practically everyone in the picture wears an especially stern facial expression, the key exception being, of course, Mr. and Mrs. Obama. Whereas all the other subjects seem to be taking this very seriously (and rightfully so, actually), the Obamas are reveling in the moment, savoring the joy of what is by far the most glorious occasion in their lives. There's a sense of unmitigated joy in their demeanor, definitely not an emotion anyone could easily fake. Even if you were the most ardent opponent of Obama's, you can't really help but feel happy for him and his family at this particular moment because he and his wife are so happy. There is a small flaw in the sense that the two men to the left of the couple are also in focus, which takes away from the attention that should be centered on Barack and Michelle, but perhaps the two men were too close to the subjects of interest for them to be blurred out.

Kathy's Inauguration Photo

I had a lot of favorites, so it was hard to settle on one, but I chose this photo (it's the 2nd photo in the gallery named "Malia at the start of the train tour") because it was just too cute! The color is good and I really like the way the focus is on their faces with the background a little faded. Also, the background is really clean and the flags kind of frame the picture. However, what makes this photo my favorite is definitely the moment. Obama looks really proud of his daughter here and she looks really happy! This picture shows the love Obama has for his family.

Family Values

I love the composition and the moment of this photo. (Inaugural Ball, Photo # 4) It is very sharp, and the colors look great.  I love the aperture because it represents the moment.  Despite all that has happened that day, represented in the background, Barack and Michelle have not lost touch of the love and importance of family and you can tell by the way they look at each other.  

Katherine's Favorite Photo

Of all the photos I saw, I chose this one as my favorite photo because it truly captures the feeling of hope peopole have now that Obama bas been sworn in. The photographer waited for the right moment to snap the picture to really capture the feelings the subject had. The way he is staring into the distance makes me wonder what he was thinking about.

The photograph is nicely made because the used the little light available to make the subject stand out. The use of a small depth of field made the capitol blur in the background but you can still recognize the building.

Katherine Poss

Freeman's Inauguration Picture

I picked this picture (the second photo directly under the word "Photos") for a few reasons. For one, it conveys a common idea people have about their children (or their children's children) growing up in a world with an African-American president, and it's meant to instill in them the notion that they really can be anything the want to be when they grow up.

I also picked this picture because it suggests that progress has been made, and there's a clean slate in Washington so to speak. "Bush Street" is changed to "Obama," and the clear blue resolution in the sky reinforces the angle of a new beginning.

Michelle's Inauguration Photo

I also couldn't decide, so here are two photos for your enjoyment.

I really liked the moments these photos captured. They show that Barack Obama is a human being. He's a person just like the rest of us. He just happens to be the President of the United States.

In this photo, I imagine him thinking, "Yeah, I really am the President. How crazy is that."

I think this photo shows a man who at that moment is completely oblivious to everything other than the woman he is dancing with. At this moment, nothing other than how much he loves his wife exists in the world.

Sarah's Inauguration Pick

This National Geographic photo is my favorite.

The composition is tight: everything that is included in the frame should be in the frame. The angle the photographer shot from highlights the situation, a lot of people looking at one small television set. He included the arc of darkness behind the television in the photo, which helps to frame the photo.

The lighting works technically and compositionally. The photographer embraced the low light situation by using the blue-hue of the television as the main light source. The blue-hued light contrasts with the yellow lighting in the background, giving the photo some visual pop. There is some blur, but it works with the moment. There is very little light noise.

He waited for the moment.

- Sarah Pelham

Inauguration photo

This photo is one of my favorites from the inauguration of Barack Obama. I love the emotion that this picture delivers and the picture itself is well framed, sharp, at the right exposure and jumps of the page at me.

Emily Gomez

Priceless Picture

Every photographer at the Inauguration was in search of capturing a significant moment. After looking through galleries of pictures from this day, I found this photo that stood apart from all others. 

There is so much hype about Obama's parallelism to Lincoln. This picture depicts this connection perfectly and stimulates the viewer's emotion -- subconsciously allowing the viewer of the photo to make connections between the past and the present.

I like it how the eposure is extremely sharp and how Lincoln is a blurred figure in the background. The photographer made certain that Lincoln's statue did not overtake Obama, which gives the viewer a metaphoric meaning to the picture. 

Amanda Abbott

Betsy's Favorite Photo from the Inauguration

I have two favorite photos from the Inauguration. They are #8 and #23 from this website: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/the_inauguration_of_president.html. I liked both of these because they really showed the emotions that American people were feeling at that exact moment. They both showed the people in the moment, but the reactions are so different. The first one shows the energy and excitement taking place at the Washington Monument while the second one shows this happiness in a completely different way, but they both feel so real. 

Kelsey's Blair's Favorite Pictures

One of my favorite pictures from Obama's first days in office is the second picture in this slideshow. It's not the greatest photo ever, but it is simple and powerful. In this photo it feels as if he has made the transformation from President-elect to President Obama. 

I also really like the seventh picture in this slideshow. One chapter of American history is ending while another is beginning. It's a very candid, honest moment. I really want to know what Bush said to Sasha. 

J. Stepp's Photo Picks

I am a Time.com addict so naturally the photos of the inauguration on the site are my favorites.


I really like number 11's crowd shot. It's really bright and crisp with so many interesting colors. Number 21's "gesture" is awesome because many people had a different hand gesture in mind. My personal fave, number 31 really evokes some strong memories of playing Jenga while piling my Barrel O' Monkeys on top. "Oh god, they're taking pictures of US!!! Something's wrong here!"

Also, I want this hat.

Cameron's Inauguration photo choices

I really couldn't decide on any one photo, so I have three.

The first is from the actual ceremony in D.C.: here.

There are some flaws I suppose, but we talked about capturing a moment, and I think this photo does that pretty well.

The second is from elsewhere in the States: here.

Again, I think this photo does a wonderful job of capturing a meaningful moment. Plus, it captures the spirit of the inauguration ceremonies without actually being a picture of them.

The third is from outside the States (Kenya): here.

I really like this photo. It's visually appealing (to me); my only quibble is that without the caption, we don't really know what's going on.

Kelly's favorite Inauguration photo

There are two pictures that I really liked and couldn't decide which one I liked better. One is number 27 at this website. It shows Barack Obama making a speech and the focus is on him but in the background the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial is clearly visible. I really like the imagery of this picture.
The other picture is from the Boston Globe website (#27) and it shows a Marine helicopter with former President George W. Bush on board rising in front of the Capitol. The American flag can be seen waving in the breeze and on the steps of the Capitol you can see the Obama's and the Biden's waving at the helicopter. I like the moment and the composition of the photo is really amazing.

Frannie's Favorite Inauguration Photo

Wow, it is surprisingly difficult to find a variety of photos or photos larger than a thumbnail from the inauguration. I wish more news outlets would take lead from what The Boston Globe does with their Big Picture section. The 6th photo down (Chuck Kennedy-Pool/Getty Images) is my favorite from the inauguration. Though simple and even a bit cliché, the details in the picture grab me. I love Barack Obama's expression and the pride you can see in his wife's face. I love that Sasha Obama is standing on a riser. This photo captures a very decisive moment in the history of the United States. 

Inauguration Photo

My favorite photo is one from the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball. I really like the background and think it's a beautiful photo, but the main reason it's my favorite is because of the look on the president's face. He looks very happy and in love.

The photo is #38 in the Inaugural Balls section of the photos, it is also the thumbnail for that section.

ASSIGNMENT: Favorite Photo

Later this evening, you'll get an email inviting you to join this blog. We're going to try doing the clips assignment online, so to speak, and see how it goes.

Let's start with the assignment, then the mechanics of doing it. Find what you think is the most amazing photo from the inauguration last week. It can come from the ceremony, the pre-event festivities, the parade or even from somewhere outside of the capital area. Give us a sentence or two on why that's your favorite - be it the moment, composition, etc. This needs to be up by 7 p.m. on Sunday evening. (Feel free to come back after that time and look at what your class mates found.)

As to how to do it ... once you've joined, log in to the site and create a new post. Give it a title, a few sentences and the link to the images. Please do not upload copyrighted material to this blog. 

To link the photo, just above the area where you're typing you'll see some standard formatting tools. One of them looks like a little piece of chain with a green dot behind it. Highlight/select the text you want to be the link, then click on that button and paste in the web address. 

In the lower right corner of the entry field, there's a box marked, "Labels for this post." If you click on "Show all" (to the right of the box), you'll see text for 3610-AM and 3610-PM - click on your class, double check your entry and then click PUBLISH POST. 

And you're done.

ASSIGNMENT: 30 More Faces

Time to finish this up ... for Monday, February 2, you need to shoot 30 more mug shots. Ten each at 75 mm, 50 mm and 28 mm. Keep an eye on your focus and exposure, as well as your backgrounds. Collect all the info as you did for your first set. 

We'll download your cards in class on Monday.

Lab Hours for the Spring Semester

We may adjust as the semester goes on, but these will start today:

Tuesday: 12:30-2:00, 4:45-7:00
Thursday: 12:30-2:00, 4:45-7:00
Friday: 12:15- 5:00

ASSIGNMENT: Six (of 36) Faces

For Monday, January 26, you need to shoot the first six of your 36 Faces. You need to find six people you do not know somewhere on or near campus. You need to shoot a simple head-and-shoulders vertical mug shot of them.

The first two people, shoot with your lens zoomed in to 75 mm, the second two should be around 50 mm and the last two at 28 mm. Pay attention to your backgrounds, your focus and your exposure. Shoot several frames of each person so you'll have a choice of expressions.

From each person you'll need their name, age, hometown, major (or job title) and one piece of contact information from them - phone number or email address.

Bring your camera and card to class on Monday, and we'll start the workflow process of moving images from your card to the computer and then to CDs.

You can shoot as much as you want, but make sure you don't kill your battery before completing this assignment. You can shoot more than the required six, but remember you're just learning - you may pick up some tips next week that will improve your shooting.

Let me know if you have any questions.

ASSIGNMENT: Read the Manual

It'll help, trust me - between now and Monday, you need to read the manual for the Canon Digital Rebel. Then email me three questions - by 7 p.m. on Monday - you have about the camera. 

Merlin Mann on Accepting the Learning Curve

Merlin Mann is one of my favorite bloggers - he's kind of a hero. He writes about a lot of things, including efficiency, getting your email box down to zero and general creative stuff. I know of no one who's as creative writing about being creative.

In early December, he posted a piece on getting better at photography, something he wants to do. "Photography, and the Tolerance for Courageous Sucking" is all about how the only way to get better at something is to do it. A lot. 

I love this line:

I think finding your own comfort with the process (whatever that process ends up being) might just be the whole game here — being willing to put in your time, learn the craft, and never lose the courageousness to be caught in the middle of making something you care about, even when ... you might look like an idiot fumbling to make it. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

I apologize for the language in a few places, if it bothers you, let me know and I'll generate a synopsis for you to read. 

(I wrote about this on my blog, as well, back in December and what I'll be doing to deal with my own acceptance of failure.)

ASSIGNMENT: Read and Clips

For Monday, please read through page 91 in the National Geographic Photography Field Guide, we'll be discussing that material over the next week or so.

Also, by 7 p.m. Sunday, please email me links to three photos: one which you think is a strong news photo, one which you think is a poor news photo and one that you have a question about. Please give me a sentence on why you chose each image.

And welcome to the class, it's going to be a fun ride.

Three days

Syllabus is up, will anyone look? Will we have any real journalists in the class?

Four Days

Curious if any JOUR3610 students for the spring semester have found this yet ... the new syllabus should be up by day's end. 

Five Days

The countdown continues.

Six Days

On Friday, January 9, JOUR3610 refires.