Just cuz photos

Portrait assignment

Pat Weatherford is one of the volunteer division chiefs for the Scio Rural Fire District. He is also a professional firefighter in Albany where he is a lieutenant, currently at Station 12.  He has been a firefighter for 13 years. He shares his passion for fire service with his mother, Kathy, who is a long-time member of the Scio Rural Fire District Support Team. He is married to former volunteer firefighter, Holly Carroll Fisher and has a four month old son.

Advertising- Obama reelection ads

Introduction

It's that time of year yet again- political candidates are gearing up their campaigns to be elected. In order to get the attention of their constituents, politicians either a. promote their own good deeds or b. put down their opponents. Sadly, many choose the b. option, leading to campaigns that contain the same type of mud slinging that has crowded campaigns for decades. I chose an ad campaign for President Obama's reelection bid. The ads are currently on YouTube. I have not yet seen them on television. Which type of ad works better? Which is more aesthetically pleasing to audiences/voters?

Describe

I chose four very different yet powerful ads to review.

The first, called Gen44, begins with President Obama speaking directly to the target group- young voters. He praised their contributions to his 2008 victory before telling these same voters that he is now counting on them again. He goes so far as to mention “tapping into your networks,” and ends by seemingly putting his reelection in their hands. “Because the best advocate of this campaign isn't me, it's you.”

This ad plays on the visual of American pride with Obama standing just to the left of an American flag. There is also nondescript music playing softly in the background. The ad ends with the Obama/Biden campaign logo. It is 58 seconds long and can currently be viewed on YouTube (see link above). The Gen44 ad is part of Obama's reelection ad campaign. I found 12, including several in Spanish.

The second ad utilizes actress Eva Longoria as the lone person in the ad. She is immediately identified as the National Co-chair of Obama for America. No props are used and, unlike the Gen44 ad, no flag is present. However, the background is blue and Longoria wears a red top, giving voters a patriotic look and feel. Not only does Longoria talk about how her parents told her she could do anything if she worked hard, she also notes that her sister with special needs taught her to be “courageous and compassionate.”

She then tells viewers that she lives her life day to day and it's what she sees in “everything President Obama does.” She then lists some of the issues he feels strongly on- affordable health care, access to education, and small businesses in the Hispanic community. She talks about how he has worked on immigration reform to give all people the chance to live the American dream. She ends the ad with a Spanish phrase along with the website where people can get involved.

This is one of the ads that also appears in Spanish. It runs 55 seconds and also ends with the Obama/Biden reelection logo.

Empower, Act, Organize is the third ad I chose to focus on. This ad is completely different from the first two in that it uses “plain folk” and has no actual dialogue. Instead, it shows people holding signs, inviting people to get involved, organize and act. It promotes the Day of Action on April 28 and pretty much a “Hey, America, let's come together!” feel to it. There is one other thing that really sets this ad apart from the first two. Instead of just showing the Obama/Biden names at the end, this ad is played in front of a wall plastered with placards that say, “2012, BARACKOBAMA.COM.

This is also the shortest ad at only 48 seconds. It too ends with the same Obama/Biden logo as the other ads.

The final ad I looked at is one called Kal Penn: Get Involved. Immediately, the ad tells viewers that Penn is an actor. What it does not do is identify him as the Co-Chair of the Obama for America campaign or as the Assistant Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Penn first thanks those in Iowa who got involved in the Obama for America campaign and urged viewers to also look at the Young Americans for Obama website. And, playing on the electronic uses of young voters, he tells viewers they can follow the campaign on Twitter or text a specific phrase to a specific number to get updates on their cell phones.

This ad runs 57 seconds and is played against a backdrop of an Organizing of America banner. A blue sun type logo, with a field of red and white rows is prominent across the banner. This is part of the overall Obama/Biden logo visible in two of the other ads.

Analyze

Each ad plays on a different persuasive techniques.

1. Gen44- this ad is basically a combination of bandwagon and famous person testimonial. President Obama, easily a recognizable famous person (even to those who do not agree with his views) talks directly to young voters in order to get them to jump on his bandwagon to not only vote for him but to raise money for his campaign.
2. Eva Longoria ad- This ad also utilizes the bandwagon and famous person testimonial. Longoria talks about working hard and President Obama almost in the same breath.
3. Empower, Act, Organize- This ad incorporates the bandwagon and plain folks techniques. In this case, the people in the ad appear to be just regular Americans who are enticing people to join them in voting and taking action to insure Obama gets reelected.
4. Kal Penn: Get Involved- Like the Gen44 ad, this one uses the bandwagon/famous person testimonial combination. While I have to admit, I had no idea who Penn was, the fact that he was immediately identified as an actor, made him appear to be a famous person. He too encouraged viewers to become part of the voting ranks.
   (Interestingly, Penn left the White House post about six months before this ad was posted on YouTube.)

All of the ads utilized the Association Principle because they each deal with associating patriotism with voting for, in this case, Obama. The ads appear to be very successful in utilizing what appears to be very personable video clips.

Interpret

I'd say each of these ads offers up something new for viewers to look at and to interpret. Probably the Empower, Act, Organize ad gives viewers a better idea that voting is important regardless of who you vote for.

Gen44 and the Kal Penn ad are focused on young voters which is evident immediately in each ad. The Longoria ad is focused on the Hispanic vote which is especially obvious at the end with the Spanish phrase and the fact that the web address begins with the word Hispanic. The Empower, Act, Organize ad actually has a much more general focus since it included ethnic groups and both young and older voters.

I don't really think any of the ads uses any stereotypes.

Evaluate

The strengths of these ads is that they all play on the patriotism of American voters. Each one has red, white and blue very prevalent in the layout of the ad.

The weaknesses in all four ads is the overuse of the Obama/Biden logo. This is especially true in the Empower, Act, Organize ad. Personally, I think it's a bit of overkill. The strength in the Gen44 ad is definitely the flag being visible throughout the ad. The Longoria ad's use of the actress as a spokesperson who can relate to the Hispanic voters is a huge strength while Penn might be considered the same to draw young voters to the cause. The Empower, Act, Organize ad's strength is the fact that it shows only ordinary people.

In my opinion, the most memorable one of the four ads is the Empower, Act, Organize ad because of its use of plain folks. While people like knowing famous people support the same candidates they do, they are often more impressed when it appears the person next door does.

Conclusions

I really learned to look closer at the content of ads because of this assignment. I was one of those people who often got on a bandwagon because my favorite actor was also on that same bandwagon. After seeing these ads, I found the Empower, Act, Organize ad my favorite because it used just ordinary people.  

Just for fun- fake campaign ads

Farmer

Teen

Parody of inaccurate political ads

Mathew Brady- father of photojournalism

 Mathew Brady

Mathew Brady, 1823-1896, is known as the father of photojournalism. He was the first photographer to the stars, so to speak. His portraits of such historical figures as Ulysses S. Grant, George Custer, Walt Whitman, and, his most famous, Abraham Lincoln, made him one of the most sought after photographers of his era.

Abraham Lincoln

Walt Whitman

Brady also photographed those not so famous with the same flare and dignity he gave to people such as Lincoln and Whitman.

Miss Bateman

Sister M. M. Joseph

Brady is best known for having captured the American Civil War in photographs. While all were originally attributed to him, Brady actually had upwards of 20 photographers who went into the field and took most of the photos. One of them, Alexander Gardner, went on to become the official photographer of the Union Pacific Railroad.

Brady's display in New York City that he called, "The Death of Antietam" drew people who wanted to see the death and destruction of the war. These photos showed the opposite of the romanticized and sterile version most newspapers were publishing at the time. 

After the war, people wanted to forget and Brady was forced to close his studios and eventually sell off his photos to the US government for a total of $25,000, enough to pay off much of his debt. Brady died alone and nearly penniless in 1896. He is buried at the Congressional Cemetery near Tip O'Neil, J. Edgar Hoover, and John Phillip Sousa. Much of his work has been preserved by the Smithsonian Institute and the Library of Congress.

Extra credit JN201 Valley Writers Series

On Wednesday, April 18, students at Linn-Benton Community College had the wonderful opportunity to meet and hear from three local authors. The Valley Writers Series features area writers describing their writing styles, reading from their work and then answering questions people might have. This week's writers, Marjorie Sandor, George Estreich and Charles Goodrich, all shared small portions of books they have written. Goodrich introduced the session, telling the packed Fireside Room that the three authors were very happy to be there to share their work. Two, Sandor and Estreich, are both nominees for the Oregon Book Award, given annually to Oregon writers for their work in poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, drama and young readers literature. Goodrich noted he hoped the award would have two winners. (During the April 23 awards announcement, Estreich won the Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction for The Shape of the Eye: Down Syndrome, Family and the Stories We Inherit). 

Following the theme of "home", the authors all read from one of their books that spoke of home, values and community. Goodrich read first from his book, The Practice of Home, which featured Goodrich's words about his family making a place for themselves in their community. In Sandor's reading from The Late Interiors, those present learned about the author's time spent in her beloved garden. Sadly, I had to leave before Estreich read so can not say for sure which of his books he read from. His latest, The Shape of the Eye: Down Syndrome, Family and the Stories We Inherit, tells the story of how the family adapted to their daughter Laura's Down Syndrome. 

In my opinion, the readings themselves didn't apply too much to Media and Society but the fact that the authors were there and sharing their words did apply. I believe the three authors, through their written and spoken word, let their audience know that the written word is still very important and a great way to connect- or reconnect- with other people who share a common interest.
Getting the word out about your product, in this case books, is a great way to share what you want to share. These writers were obviously passionate about their work and willing to share it with others. The fact that they all appeared with physical copies of their books proves that books are not as obsolete as some people might believe they are. Of course, the fact that all three authors have web pages shows that they are aware that the Internet is good for publicity!
I believe the Valley Writers' Series is a great service to the students at Linn-Benton, not only for students in classes such as Media and Society but also for writing classes. The Fireside Room was filled to capacity, with several classes arriving together. Students paid close attention to the words of all three authors and seemed to be truly interested in each book's passages.

JN134 assignment 3

Taken at the Valley Writers Series presentation in the Fireside Room at Linn-Benton Community College on April 18, 2012.

Overall

Taken prior to the talks, author George Estreich, foreground, reads over his notes while the Fireside Room fills to near capacity.

Medium

From left, local authors Marjorie Sandor, Charles Goodrich and George Estreich visit before the start of the Valley Writers Series this week.

Closeup

Charles Goodrich reads from his book, The Practice of Home, during the Valley Writers Series at LBCC.

Photojournalism assignment 2

Here is assignment 2 for my photojournalism class.

Meagan Rieke has worked at the Courtyard Cafe since fall term. She appreciates the fact that she is off work early in the day- 10:30am. and has a steady job that she really enjoys. Working the morning shift, Meagan cooks a lot of breakfast and helps with prep work for lunch when she has time. On April 13, Meagan works to create a breakfast sandwich for a hungry student.

Overall

Meagan Rieke works on lunch prep during her down time from making hungry Linn-Benton students their breakfasts.

Medium

Meagan Rieke concentrates on lunch prep in the Courtyard Cafe.

Closeup

Just some old photos I wanted to share

Well, spring term has started and one of the classes I am in is Intro to Photojournalism. Thinking about photos, I decided to look back at the ones I posted to my flickr account in the past. Here are a few of them. Enjoy!

Scio's Josh Summerlin hits a line drive.

Joe Paterson shows off the 2007

NCAA National Baseball Championship

trophy.

Scio athlete- perhaps Zach Massari,

leaps over the bar.

It doesn't get much better at the

Philomath Frolic than the barrel races!

Crab season in Brookings, Oregon, my hometown.

Just sharing

I took some photos this weekend and thought I'd share a couple of them. These were taken for the Scio News at the annual Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Scio Rural Fire District. Parents were asked if it was okay to use their child's photo for the ones showing individual children.

Technology at it's worst!

If you think technology is the best thing around; if you think that people look before they leap; if you think there is no such thing as going too far, read this! Talk about technology eating up a human being. Granted, a 17 year old can and often does do stupid things, but this goes well beyond that! And, now, what does he have to show for his iPad? Kidney failure. Wow! Wonder if those crazy gamers in the Second Skin video would do something like this to purchase the latest game? Hmmmm

Oh, and see what China is doing now. Makes me glad I don't live there. People here are concerned about losing their freedom of speech. At least we had it to begin with- and still do have it, in my opinion. China? Not so much.

Both of these stories are something we need to talk about in Media and Society.

photojournalism- assignment 1

Well, spring term has begun and I am running around campus with my camera at the ready for my Introduction to Photojournalism class. Here is my first assignment. Enjoy!

Below, Culinary Arts student Angie Miller
prepares sandwiches on Friday, April 6, 2012















Laurie Chang prepares lettuce in the culinary arts department at Linn-Benton Community College.

Students on their way to and from the bookstore are made aware that there is still time to sell back last term's books.

It's been forever since I've posted but I now have a pair of classes that are very conducive to blogging. Oh, this is my last term at Linn-Benton Community College and I've loved every minute of it. I can't imagine this term being any different. With only two on campus classes, I will have plenty of time to write and photograph to my heart's desire and trust me, my desire is very strong and very passionate about both!