That’s a wrap!

Well, It’s that time already… The end of the semester! When I came into class the first day and looked over the syllabus, I was quite intimidated! Luckily, I was surrounded by easy-going and supportive peers and teachers!

I made it through countless workbook pages, blogposts, quizzes, a commercial, practice shows, camera tests and even the dreaded 10 minute show! I have to admit, the 10 minute show was just as dreadful and anxiety inducing as I had imagined on that first day, haha!

I’m thankful for the opportunity to be part of this class and I’m excited to see what the future holds for me!

Photo Audio Story…

Experimenting With Lighting…

 

ONLY FLASH

NO FLASH + OVERHEAD LIGHT

FLASH + NATURAL LIGHT

*Hover over photos to see lighting conditions*  

  **If on mobile, select individual photos to see aperture, focal length and shutter speed**

 

ONLY FLASH:
When I used only flash, my subject created a cast shadow that is easily visible on the white door. The bright flash and no backlight, caused a harsh exposure on my subject and drowns out the background. While this does bring immediate attention to my subject, this would be unflattering to actual people.

 

NO FLASH + OVERHEAD LIGHT:
There is a slight shadow on the subjects left cheekbone, but overall, the subject is easily visible as is the background. If you were not wanting the background to be as visible, you could adjust lighting or move your object further away to increase the depth of field.

 

FLASH + NATURAL LIGHT:
If I had better flash, this would be my favorite lighting situation. Maybe it’s because with the door opened, I was able to achieve a nice bokeh effect. The increased depth of field, keeps my focus on my subject while blurring my background to drown out any unnecessary background “noise.”  If I had been able to acquire a decent flash, I could have lit my subjects face while using the natural light and increased depth of field to separate my foreground from my background.

 

I enjoyed experimenting with various lighting situations and look forward to applying this knowledge to future endeavors. Special thanks to my daughter for letting me borrow her favorite baby for this assignment! 🙂

Lights, Camera, ACTION!

Last class, we simulated a newscast and had the opportunity to work with the cameras and switchboard. When we were operating the cameras, we were responsible for white balancing and maintaining our shots once they were established. We were told that we were not allowed to “lock” the camera, which means we have to hold the shot perfectly without locking the camera in position on the tripod. This proved more difficult than I initially anticipated, I kept drastically cutting into my talents headroom. I hope that I get better with time, because operating the camera was definitely my favorite rotation! After leaving my camera rotation, I was able to observe the switchboard, talk about intimidating! There is so much more going on behind the scenes than I could have ever imagined! One mistake can easily cost the entire show, I can only imagine the pressure crews face during live broadcasts!

Working the sound board!

Throughout the first week of multimedia production, I became increasingly concerned with what this course would entail. I kept hearing things about cameras, sound boards, microphones, commercials and ten minute shows. I’m not sure what I expected, but to say that I was nervous, would be an understatement. Production is absolutely NOT my “thing”, I am insecure about being on camera and not exactly “tech savvy.” I have been absolutely dreading the day that we begin working with the equipment, however, during our last class, we were able to “play” with the sound board and it wasn’t bad at all. In fact, I actually enjoyed it.

We learned how to do things like; mic talent, turn on the sound board and computer, mute and unmute microphones and cue the end of the show by fading to black. After it was over, I realized that it’s not as difficult as I had imagined and I actually found it quite interesting. I never knew how how much multitasking went into something as simple as switching from one talent to another. I know that we have barely scratched the surface and I’m cautiously excited for what’s to come!

Introduction!

First off, welcome to my blog! I’ve started and abandoned more blogs than I care to admit, but I’ve got a good feeling about this one! That good feeling probably has a lot to do with the fact that this blog is a requirement for my communications class! Regardless, I’m motivated and excited to document, learn and share content with all of you!

A little background on me, the creator of this amazing blog! (haha) My name is Ashley Acampora, I was born and raised in Texas! I’m a little older than I care to admit; I’ll just say that while I’m still a few years away from 30, I hardly get carded for adult beverages anymore! I am happily married and have a one year old daughter, Emma. Immediately after completing my enlistment in the military, I enrolled in college. I’m now in my junior year at the University of Texas at Tyler and have decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications! It feels amazing to finally know what I want to do when I “grow up!”

So far, I’m loving all the required classes for my degree plan! I love that my courses encourage me to connect with the world around me. I’m more involved in politics, technology and social media, than ever before.

I’ve been introduced to multiple mobile APPs that help me stay connected. Here are a few of my favorites! I’ll also include my username where applicable, so we can connect further!

• Flipboard (@AshleyAcampora)
• Feedly
• CNN
• Pocket
• NPR News

I look forward to future opportunities to interact with my new and hopefully, successful blog!!