November Current Event

Pan American Games 2011

www.boston.com

Nestor Alejandro Araujo of Mexico (right) in action with Sergio Ezequiel Araujo during the men's football gold medal match between Argentina and Mexico on day 14 of the games. Mexico won the gold. (Scott Heavey/Getty Images) 

Life at BETA

Eye of knowledge.  Seniors Jazmin Ayala and Gloria Payes, calculate the composition of two very corrosive substances at their AP Biology class. Their interaction with actual substances and team work led them to experience and expand their horizons; a characterization of life at BETA.   

Breaking it. Senior Frankie Ortiz and junior Isabella Hernandez enjoy the experience of  dropping their egg drop model.
Their purpose was to drop their model from the second floor of a building and for it not break. "Sadly my model didn't work," Hernandez said.  

Look at the sky! Junior Matthew Garza records the fall of his egg drop model. Surprised and at the same time excited, he waited for the results of his Physics Pre- AP project.    

 Concentration. As part of one of many AP and Pre-AP classes at BETA, senior Ritchelle Diaz measures a corrosive substance at the Biology Lab. Concentration was needed at the moment because her grade depended on it.    

Thank You!  Senior Alexandro "Pajaro" Gonzalez celebrates his goal by looking up at the sky as a sign of gratitude.  It was usual to see playing seniors vs. juniors during lunch. " I've never felt that joy in my life, my eyes brightened up when I saw the ball," Gonzalez said.  

Tutorial Fun! Senior Patricio Sosa enjoys playing soccer with a beach ball  during his tutorial time.  Since he had finished his work and was boring, he decided to stretch and play a little to release the stress of the week. "I saw the beach ball in the classroom and decided to had a little fun," Sosa said.

Reflective Moment. After so many projects and preparation for her exams, senior Sandra Garza takes a moment of reflection during her lunch. She stepped aside of her group of friends to release some stress and plan for the next couple of weeks before Christmas.  

Vertical Photo Essay

Research Time.  Biology AP teacher Mr. Cavazos makes arrangements to start a lab. In order to understand and learn trough experience his students had been working in groups to perform the lab. "They like to work in groups because it it easier to learn," Mr. Cavazos said.

Tutorial Fun! Senior Patricio Sosa enjoys playing soccer with a beach ball  during his tutorial time.  Since he had finished his work and was boring, he decided to stretch and play a little. "I saw the beach ball in the classroom and decided to had a little fun," Sosa said.

Morning exercise. Junior Elizabeth Obst and senior Jesenia Zubiry run their 5-1 set for their P.E class. In order to get a hundred in their daily grade, they ran without stoping until Coach Pereira told them to stop. "I am exhausted," Zubiri said.

Carefully measure. Senior Jazmine Ayala carefully measures an acid for her experiment. Her biology class lab dealt with acids, so she was concentrated not to mess with them. "I was a little stressed but I had fun," Ayala said.

Heavenly harmony.  Senior Tanya Prado practices for  her Christmas Presentation. Although she has experience and sings outside school, she practices during her choir class at school to get better. "I'm so excited. I want to perform already," Prado said. 

October Current Event

Two men comfort each other near a collapsed building in Ercis, near the eastern Turkish city of Van. Ercis sustained some of the worst damage from the earthquake, and 3,000 rescue workers have converged on the site, with many digging with only their hands.(Baz Ratner/Reuters) www.boston.com

1. What feeling does this photograph create in you, the viewer?

 It creates a feeling of sadness and sympathy for the ones that are suffering. 

2. What story do you think this photograph tells the viewer? Does it capture something that would be hard to convey in words?

 It communicates the tragedy that the earthquake in Turkey caused. the Photograph makes a stronger impact on the viewer. 

3. Who or what is the subject of this photograph?

 The subject of the photograph are the two men comforting each other. 

4. Is the lighting natural or artificial? What time of day is it?

 The lighting is natural. I seems to be taken during the morning. 

5. If it is a color photo, what colors stand out? If it is black and white, what is the effect?

 The colors that stand out are the black of the two men's clothes and the orange of the rescuers' clothes. 

6. What part or parts are out of focus, if any? What is the effect?

 The rescuers and the collapsed building are out of focus. It creates a stronger effect on the viewer because it demonstrates why the two men are desolated. 

7. How is the picture composed? Is the subject centered? Is the "rule of thirds" followed?

 The photograph was taken following the rule of thirds. 

8. What strikes you most about the photo? Why do you think that is?

 What strikes me the most is the sadness and difficult situation that the turkish men are passing through. Additionally, it represents not only their grief, but the whole country's.

9. What is the background for this image?

 The background is composed by the collapsed building and the rescuers looking for survivors. 

10. Is this photo timely? Does it have a timeless quality? Both? Might it become iconic? Why or why not?

 This photo is timely. I think that the photo might become iconic because it represents a country's tragedy and how its citizens work together in a difficult time.  

Cool Photo Composition Techniques Martha Sosa 1B Oct. 24, 2011



Rule of Thirds
Photograph by Natasa Bencic, nationalgeographic.com

Worm's-eye view
Ice Climbing in Banks Lake, Washington. Photograph by Ben Herndon, nationalgeographic.com

Bird's-eye view
Three-year-old Nadia Nassrallah eats her breakfast in from of her home in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 4, 2011. (Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press/ boston.com/bigpicture)

Selective Focus
A Pakistani boy, Sajjad Sadiq, 7, stands among bricks where his family works in a brick factory near Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 12, 2011. (Nathalie Bardou/Associated Press/ boston.com/bigpicture/)

Leading Lines
Morning Fog, Canada by Travis Nykamp, nationalgeographic.com 

Repetition
Photograph By Steve McCurry/ http://events.magnumphotos.com/events

Curves
Waterslide, Israel. Photograph by James L. Stanfield, National Geographic

Framing

Occupy Boston demonstrators block an entrance to the Federal Reserve Bank behind a police line in Boston Oct. 8. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press/ http://boston.com/bigpicture/)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st 9 Weeks at BETA

I like the fact that the first nine weeks at BETA have passed really fast. At the beginning of the year I didn't like my classes because I didn't have them with my friends; however, thanks to that I have met many people and I was able to talk to people that I had never talk to. Additionally, I liked my schedule because it didn't include any English or Math class, as a result I had less homework. I also liked my macroeconomics grades because I thought that I wouldn't be able to pass that class, but surprisingly, I got the material really easily and enjoy that class. I think that the first nine weeks were really nice period of time.

What I didn't like about the first nine weeks at BETA was the stress of filling out college applications and writing the admission essays. Moreover, I didn't like my Chemistry class because it was a little boring and we do no labs. Also what I dislike the most is the fact that the time is passing too fast :( Even though I want to graduate, I don't want to leave my friends and family :(

By Martha Sosa. October 18, 2011
Photojournalism Class

September Current Events

A village boy sits on the banks of the swelling Daya River, near Pipli village, about 25 kilometers from the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneshwar Sept. 9. The flood situation in Orissa state worsened with the release of more water downstream from Hirakud dam, according to a news agency. A high alert has been sounded in 11 districts of the state. (Biswaranjan Rout/Associated Press)

Steve Jobs Death

This is my favorite cartoon because of the colors and the way the cartoonist shows Steve Jobs. I like how Steve is inside the apple and is flying happily across the universe. I think it demonstrates that he is having a good time now that he is not suffering of his illness.

Could you be professional photojournalist?

Good photojournalists are curious, go outdoors, keep an eye on everything, see things differently, view and review everything, and are playful and patient at the same time. I don't think that I have what it takes to be a photojournalist for a publication, because I'm not curious and I don't have most of the traits to be a good photojournalist. I would have to work on being more interested in little things and be a little more relax. 

Emotional Effects of Photojournalism

1. Why are these photos from the Civil Rights era valuable?

Photos from the Civil Rights Movement are valuable because they represent what was going on at the time and they function as leads to no commit the same mistakes.

2. What role did the media play in the civil rights movement?

The media played a crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement because people was really influenced by the pictures that were published and by the news that media made available for them.

3. Is memorable photojournalism often of violent events or acts? If so, why do you think this is so? 
    Yes, because it is the human's being nature; we tend to remember violent or negative acts/events because they have more emotion and make a greater impact on us.     

4. Do violent and non-violent photographs have distinctly different effects? Why or why not?
    Yes, because violent photos tend to stick in our minds for a longer period of time than non-violent photos do. Also, violent pictures stimilates our emotions and sometimes can make us feel what was happening at the moment they were taken.   

5. Think of a photograph of a historical or current event that made you emotional. Find that photo and place it here on your blog. 



9/11 By Jeff Christeinmen



People trapped in the north tower of the World Trade Center stand in windows. Moments latter the tower collapsed.











6. How and why did it influence you?
    It really impacted me because I couldn't believe that someone could have such heart to kill so many people. It made me imagine the desperation of the people trapped inside the tower felt and the sorrow of their families. After I saw this picture, I realized that there so much malice in the world and that I had to enjoy every single moment of my life because I don't know what might happen in the future.

   

Civil Rights Movement and Photojournalism

-Charles Moore

In Birmingham, anti-segregation demonstrators lie on the sidewalk to protect themselves from firemen with high PRESSURE water hoses. One disgusted fireman said later, "We're supposed to fight fires, not people."

Birth of Movement

April 4, 1961: A single, dangling lightbulb and a coal-burning stove show the conditions at some black schools in Jefferson County. Birmingham schools were not integrated until September 1963.

Alabama, 1960.
-Charles Moore

After black students were refused service in the whites-only cafeteria in Montgomery, a white man swings a baseball bat at a shopper, while another strikes a black woman in the background. Charles Moore was RUNNING across the street when he took this picture.









These photographs were during the Ci taken vil Rights Movement, when Black people was discriminated   and suffered many humiliations. White people tried to stop them through violence; however, black people didn't fight back. Most of these photographs were taken in Alabama, where the movement started and were taken by white and black photojournalists that were in favor of black people rights. Some pictures were not published because they represented shame for the whites, but others were published in order to demonstrate what was going on. The effect was enormous; many people began to support the movement for blacks' rights. These photographs are very important and memorable because the show how black people suffered and how they intelligently and non violently fought for they rights and changed society entirely.

1. What is Photojournalism?
    Photojournalism is the practice of communicating news or ideas through photos.


2. How is photojournalism distinct from art, commercial, personal or other photography?
   Photojournalism differs from art, commercial, personal or other photography by its qualities.                    
   Photojournalism pictures have timeliness, objectivity and are narrative to make facts relatable to the      
   viewer, but most importantly, photojournalists are exposed to many obstacles like physical danger,   
   weather, crowds, etc.


3. What makes a news photograph important and memorable? Insert a photo that fits this description. Include the photographer's name.
   In general, what make pictures memorable are they content, the angle from which they were taken and when they 
   include people. The most memorable pictures are the iconic photos.

"Face of America" by Roy Stryker

4. Which of any of these photos can be considered both news and art? Find an example and insert in your post. Include the photographer's name. 

   Photos by Space Imaging’s IKONOS satellite showing the World Trade Center complex in Manhattan, New York, collected on June 30, 2001 showing the 110-stories twin towers; on September 15, 2001 showing the remains of the 1,350-foot (411.48-meter) twin towers of the World Trade Center, and the debris and dust that have settled in Ground Zero, four days after the terrorist attacks; and June 8, 2002, showing the progress in the reclamation of Ground Zero where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. 

Power of Photographs

"Raising Flag" By Joe Rosenthal

"Face of America" By Roy Stryker

"Emmett Till's Mutilated Body" By The Chicago Defender

9/11 Iconic Photos

By Richard Drew

By Mario Tama

By Shannon Stapleton

By Seth McAllister

The role of photojournalist during 9/11 was one of  huge responsibility, self-sacrifice and bravery because they were in charge of taking pictures of a immense disaster that will be recorded in the American History for life.
Many of their pictures, like the pictures above, are considered iconic because they represent a tragedy in our country and the citizens are inspired by them to remember that the country has to be united in good moments, as well as, in tragedies like 9/11 that we as a nation must face together.

First Three Weeks at BETA

So far my first three weeks at school were great. I am learning a lot from my classes specially from my elective classes. Although I'm not taking Math and English classes this semester because I took them over the summer, I am stressed because I have to fill many college and scholarship applications. Hopefully everything will keep going well.