John Cameron. 04/14/10. Idea/Concept Blog

So I finally got in the dugout with the high school Baseball team that I have been photographing. I am become close to the Head coach of Benedictine High's baseball team, and I am proud with what I have done. My teacher Paul said he wanted me to get in the dugout, to prove to him that I can get the access, and I have now done that. It was not easy, but I kept telling myself that "I have to get in the dugout" to get the access. This pleased me, and I hope Paul appreciates it also.

Silhouetted Thoughts - Digital Photograph, April 2010. By John Cameron

Batter Up - Digital Photograph, April 2010. By John Cameron

Cadets - Digital Photograph, April 2010. By John Cameron

"Good Eye, Good Eye" - Digital Photograph, April 2010. By John Cameron

Empty Steps - Digital Photograph, April 2010. By John Cameron

I like these images above, and I am pretty sure that I will use some in my final portfolio. But Paul and I knew that I needed more. We have talked about showing details (with bats, cuts, etc) and I need to get into that area too. I have another game to shoot on Monday, and I will work on some new stuff then. This was my first time in the dugout once again. So I did not want to get in anyone's face, and I was lost for ideas. But now, since I have done it, I have some experience and know what I can capture.

John Cameron. 04/12/10. Artist Robert Beck

This week, I have found the artist Robert Beck. It is actually a cool new find for me, because I have seen his work in Sport magazines before, but I never really looked into his work. With the Masters being on the past week (golf), I wanted to find a photographer who was covering it. I looked on the masters website, and most of the images on the site were from Getty Images. So I then went to Getty, and the first name I saw was Robert Beck. I then went to his website, and looked through his beautiful style of photography.

Tigers Woods in Practice - Digital Photograph. 2009, by Robert Beck

This is the image that I have seen before in magazines, and when I saw it, it was cool to know that I am now researching the specific artist. The main thing that I appreciate about Beck's work is that he uses all sorts of styles in his photography. Whether it be silhouettes, long exposers, and looking for the unique times in sports (like the image above). For him tobe constantly looking for things like this is a true talent.

Cyclists - Digital Photograph - By Robert Beck

Digital Photograph - By Robert Beck

So the main thing I learned from Robert Beck, was to try to use different styles of photography to be different. Instead of doing the basic shots, look for the silhouettes, and longer exposures with blur. I'm going to shoot a baseball game today, and I'm going to experiment with blur, and silhouettes.

http://www.robertbeckphotography.com/

John Cameron. 04/07/10. Idea/Concept Blog

Tomorrow I will be shooting another baseball game. However, tomorrow's game will have a new twist to my previous High School Baseball games. I emailed the coach of the team that I have been photographing, and I asked if I could get in his dugout. I really want to get in close, and get some good shots from this view. The coach/manager replied back very quickly and he was very positive about letting me come and photograph in his dugout. I'm really excited about getting in there, and I want to focus on the close up shots that I will have access to. I will do this by making it feel as though the viewer of the photograph, feels as though they are in the dugout as well.

Safe or out? - Digital photograph, March 2010 - By John Cameron

Check this out - Digital photograph, March 2010 - By John Cameron

Cadets - Digital photograph, March 2010 - By John Cameron

With the images above, I have cropped in on some images to show a different look from the obvious. Sometimes a face is not needed in a photograph, and it gives the image a small twist. I took these images last week, and I was not really trying to focus on cropping in on a unique area. But I just looked through some images, that I thought would be cool to crop in and edit. So I'll have some images up next week from the dugout!

John Cameron. Anderson Gallery Student Exhibition. 04/05/2010

This semester, our class is required to enter three competitions (like last semester). My first competition was a required one by my teachers Tom and Paul. It was at the Anderson Gallery here at our college. It is the Undergraduate Juried Design, Kinetic Imaging and Fine Arts Exhibitions from April 1 - April 18. At 907 1/2 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23284. I entered two pieces from last semester. One piece got selected to be in the show. So that was a cool reward.

Experienced. Digital Photograph - 2009 - By John Cameron

Energy - Digital Photograph - 2009 - By John Cameron

This was when I entered my pieces. I took it off my cell phone. So I apologize.

This is the piece that got selected to be in the show.

John Cameron. 04-05-10 Artist Dale Zanine

So this week, I wanted to focus on a photographer that can get close to the action. After meeting with my teacher today, he recommended that I get in closer to the players to show that my work is unique. So I found the artist Dale Zanine, and I have a few of his images that show how close he is to the actual athletes. Sure, you can make it look like you're close to players with large lenses. But actually walking up to the player and getting close to them can be shown in a photograph. With the image below, I have the feeling that Zanine is on the court, and close to the basketball player. He may be on the other side of the court, crouching down really low. But he has convinced me that he is right there in front of the athlete.

Maryland Basketball players celebrate - Digital Photograph. By Dale Zanine

Tim Tebow interview - Digital Photograph. By Dale Zanine

Ole Miss Women's Basketball - Digital Photograph. By Dale Zanine

With the image of Tim Tebow (the interview pic) you can tell that Zanine is once again right there in front of the athlete. But you still have that second thought in your head, that he could be far away, crouching down and shooting up to the subject. Also with the basketball image down at the bottom. It may be a camera mounted, and then fired by a remote source. But you still get the feeling that you are actually sitting right there underneath the hoop. This is what I want to try out. It is a cool and unique approach that I have never really thought about.

John Cameron 03-31-10. Idea/Concept blog.

So last Thursday, I went and shot a baseball game for the local high school here in my college town. I chose a school that I have been following over the past few weeks, and I'm going to stick with them for the rest of the semester. They have a game tomorrow, that I can catch, so I will have more to show next week as well. But I am trying to get in closer still. But I have to find the right time to do it. I think it is going to be around April 14th. So last week, I focused on all kinds of things. My teacher advised me to have a list to go by. Such as getting the field, subjects in different areas of the photograph, shooting in different areas etc.

"Double Play" - Digital Photograph - March 2010, By John Cameron

"Dugout laughs" - Digital Photograph - March 2010, By John Cameron

"Safe Slide" - Digital Photograph - March 2010, By John Cameron

"Decision Time" - Digital Photograph - March 2010, By John Cameron

"Hyman Field" - Digital Photograph - March 2010, By John Cameron

I liked what I got, but in order for me to really impress my teacher. I have to get on a bus with the team or in the dugout. This will prove to him that I can get access, if I need it for something important. When I get out of college, I may get similar situations like this. Where I need to ask to get into places where people should not be (like a photographer in a dugout). There is a game tomorrow once again, and I'm going to try and shoot that, to capture emotion, and also different environments. The team I follow is playing away tomorrow, and I look forward to the new environment that I will face. Maybe I can get in a little closure to the dugout. We will wait and see.

John Cameron. 03/28/10. Artist Cameron Spencer

Once again this week, I have found a photographer from Getty Images. I have been looking at a lot of Australian photographers, to see what sports they cover. This week I have found Cameron Spencer. He photographed my favorite Rugby League Football team the Wests Tigers last friday night, and I wanted to look more into his work. I could not find his website, but he has a lot of his images online with getty images. He has won awards with Getty images, and I'll show some of those images.

U.S.A swimmers celebrate Gold Medal win - Digital Photograph - 2008 - Cameron Spencer

Australian Soccer players - Digital Photograph - By Cameron Spencer

Table Tennis player - Digital Photograph. By Cameron Spencer

He has a wide range of sporting events. Such as tennis, the Olympics, Rugby, basketball, sailing, wake-boarding, cricket, swimming and many more. This is something, I dream of doing one day. I love all kinds of sports, and capturing the unique and exciting moments is what I'm really into. Spencer really shows a diverse range of angles of capturing these moments. He is either up high, looking down on the action, or down low, looking up. He also has a conceptual side to his work, where he will find the moments that look different and capture them. Like the image with the ping pong ball being in the position of a man's eye.

I have just started my own website, and I have been trying to decide what images I should put on it. I told myself that I want to show different angles, to show diversity. This is something Spencer does, and I think it helps his success.