|
Beta Alpha Alpha
Scholarship Breakfast Photo Gallery |
|
I took these shots at a banquet room in the White Plains
Crowne Plaza Hotel. This was the joyous event put on by my brothers of
the BAA chapter of the glorious fraternity Omega Psi Phi, Inc. to celebrate
the scholarship of a group of graduating high school young men. BAA
awards each winner a scholarship of $2000 to assist them in their college
studies. They are also given a Perseverance award to help defray costs
over the course of their 4 year undergraduate experience. It's a very special event and I am proud to be a part of the group of positive and strong African American and Latino men who sponsor the event and give out the scholarships. Once again I learned a lot from these shots. First, as an amateur photographer, I am never sure what I'm actually getting down on film (or in this case - disc.) So all I'm really doing is trying different settings and looking at the results after I download them to computer. Often this method requires me to try to make adjustments in a photo editing program but I am not pleased with the quality. With this batch of shots, I confirmed that my problem is not in the artistic vision of the shots I choose. I can clearly see that my choices are excellent ones for telling the story that I want to convey about the event. In addition to documenting the event, I like to use my camera to spy into those intimate thoughts of those present. So what we end up with is the story of not only what happened at the event but snapshots of what those who were present thought and felt about the event. So while I take shots of the the posed shots of the award recipients, I also try to grab the close-up shot of the proud parents in the audience. Along with shots of the speaker on the podium, I also try to get close shots that show the reactions of those listening. I believe that at any given moment the close observation can almost reveal a glimpse into the subjects soul. It is almost a spiritual experience. Lighting with black people is always a problem. This venue was no exception. It was dim and had a brownish yellow haze over everything. I see now that I'm going to have to get a good flash if I'm going to get any better at this. Basically, as I started to say above, I need to learn the technical and technique of photography. I need to understand how the camera captures images and how to evaluate and adjust to given situations. Fortunately, this is the side that can be taught. I need lessons! Take a look at these. I must say that I can see modest improvement with each new batch of photos I take but I'm not where I think I can get to yet. Enjoy these. |
| Check out the photos |