You never really know what the day will bring as a PV student. You learn quickly that you need to come to school prepared for anything because you just never know what adventures will be waiting for you.
Anyone who’s been to the Prairie View School of Photography knows that you get your fair share of assignments. While on these assignments, you sometimes unexpectedly run into wildlife. One night a couple of my PV pals, Kaylene Kessler and Brittany Brenzen and I went out to work on an Image Capture assignment to practice up on some of our newly acquired shutter speed skills. We weren’t able to get the star trail shots that we had hoped for, but luckily it was windy enough that we were able to work with capturing the movement of the clouds. As the night was coming closer to an end, we wanted to get one last shot in. Brittany wanted to get a silhouette shot with me standing by a hay bale with the motion effect of the clouds in the background. A few seconds into the shot we both noticed the smell of a skunk. Before the shutter even closed, we both grabbed our stuff and bolted down the hill toward the car. The night ended a little earlier than planned, but we got some decent shots out of it.
On another occasion, I went out to St. Vital Park to snap some shots with my Pentax ME Super for my Analog Techniques class. I thought it would be awesome to get a shot of one of the geese at the pond. I needed to get in a little closer because they would keep walking away from me. Finally one was cooperating and turned toward me and even took a few steps closer. It was perfect. I was lining up the shot and getting my settings just right, but it would just keep get closer and closer. Then it just got a little too close for comfort. There was another goose nearby that started hissing at me. It felt like they were closing in on me. I got up out of there and ran straight for my car. I did manage to get a shot of my feathered friend, although it turned out a little blurry.
As a photographer, you have to be prepared for all kinds of weather. I was only half prepared for the weather while doing an architecture assignment for our Industry Studies class. I don’t think anyone in our group will ever forget that day. We spent at least two hours outside with sleet being blown in our faces while trying to take beautiful architectural shots. We had to run in and out of buildings the whole time just to keep ourselves warm and our cameras dry. The only useful protection the white garbage bag offered me was when a truck drove by and splashed a wall of brown street water on me. It was awesome. I was so worried about my camera, I barely had time to cover my face. At that point I knew the day couldn’t get any worse. After being soaked and having my hands almost frozen off in the freezing rain, this was my favorite shot of the day. Not bad considering the circumstances.
On the flip side, shooting on bright sunny days comes with its own set of challenges. I was at The Forks shooting some video for a Motion Imaging assignment and the sun was just too bright to see the screen on my camera. It was hard to see if the subject was in focus or not. These are the times when you need to learn to improvise and work with what you've got. I had to do it old school style. I probably looked silly, but I threw my sweater over my head to block the glare of the sun and it worked like a charm.
Being a new photographer means you have to start building your collection of precious toys and things. Sometimes, you accidentally break these precious things... and it sometimes breaks your heart a little inside. I was pulling some stuff out of my locker one day, and guess who decided to come along for the ride? My precious Pentax ME Super camera, which my brother gave to me as a gift. I saw the cracks and thought my lens was toast, but later discovered that it was just the filter - much easier to replace. Whew!
Keeping up with your schedule at Prairie View can be crazy. It sometimes is hard to keep track of assignments and due dates and such. That’s why it’s so important to stay organized. One afternoon I was wondering why I didn’t get marks back from a certain Creative Imaging assignment that I did. After some investigation I realized I completely forgot to submit my assignment. Snap!
Life can be crazy as a PV student, but we do it because we love it. All the effort is worth the results you get at the end of the day, and capturing the craziness is part of the fun.
Sophia Cardona
PV Diploma Student
2012-13
Sophia Cardona
PV Diploma Student
2012-13
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