e_mcmichael

Grandmother

So I have know for about a month that my Grandma McKouen was/is dying of cancer. It spread to her liver and she is slowly wasting away into oblivion. The doctors gave her 6 to 8 weeks and it is closely hitting that 6 week mark. I went home this weekend to see her for what I know is my last time. She is a dark tint of yellow (due to the cancer spreading to her liver) and she is constantly sleeping (another sign that its near the end). She has survived it all. She made it through the great depression, WWI and WW2, not being able to have children and adopting 3 (including my mother) and over spring break she turned 90 years old. The hardest part of all of this is my Grandpa. He wants to be so strong and do everything. He is so tired. I wish I would have payed more attention while I was younger. My grandma would tell us all of the stores of where she got the possessions that scatter her house. There are many wonderful pieces. I would like to share some with you.

Layers

I also attended the CMU Pow Wow. I wish I would have attend past events and went this entire weekend. I got to witness the drum competition and part of the dance competition. I got to work on my stop action shots while the kids strutted their stuff. I can't wait to see it again next year.

I have a few good pictures so i haven't narrowed it down. I wanted to show them all!

moments

Pictured about is MPFD Firefighter Randy Keeler. Copy block to follow.

2 year old Elijah Raymond is always on the run. His grandpa seems to be the only person or thing that can slow him down.

Duane McMichael got to choose when he was ready for fatherhood. Becoming a grandfather was sprung upon him abruptly.

McMichael, 52, wasn’t ready for the news that his oldest daughter was pregnant.

“I knew the day of our 30^th wedding anniversary, explained Pam McMichael, wife. “ It was so hard to sit across the table from him and not say anything.”

Being the average two year old, Elijah has the stamina of a track star. He can’t seem to share but loves running back and forth between his two play rooms.

It’s not uncommon for families in this day and age to not be “normal.” By normal standards a family consists of a mom, dad, children and maybe siblings.

The McMichael clan fit into the norm only so much. McMichael lives with his wife and youngest daughter. Elijah His daughter and grandson, Nicole and Elijah, live close by. McMichael is the only father figure in his life.

Mood with light

Alright. This assignment was both fun and a bit rushed. But here are my images.

This was taken at 5.6 aperture, iso 400, with a shutter speed of 1/13th.
What college student in their right mind hasn't visited the library once.

This picture was lit by candle light. The settings were 5.6 aperture, iso 100 with a shutter speed of 2.5.
Megan McKouen collects angels. She received This one for Christmas from one of her dearest friends.

This picture doesn't really fit this assignment but it is part of a series that I have taken for my final project. this is in the MPFD while the men are washing the trucks. I was just looking around talking to the guys in the fire station when I just happened to see this refection of a valve on the adjacent truck.

My Inspiration

There are a lot of photographers out their that I like. Of coarse some are better then the others. When I think about who shapes me, who influences my photographs, if you asked me in high school I would have said any photographer that shot for National Geographic. I wanted to be one of them.

Now I would have to say that it is a few different photographer's, all for difference reasons.

First is Ansel Adams for his command of landscapes and depth of field. The picture to the left is one he took in 1950 entitled White Branches, Mono Lake. You are instantly drawn to the white branch because its bright and its the main focus. But when you step back, you can see all the way across the lake. Most of his pictures are like this. Each picture has a main focus but then widens into something more.

Even more of what I found fansiting is that Adams was a musician before he was a photographer. His transition began when he met Albert Bender. Bender was the one who pushed Adams to publish his portfolio. What else that I love about Adams is that he used his photography as a voice for his activism. Adams loved the wilderness and the environment and he did his part to see it preserved.

There are a few other pictures of Adams that I like. Bridalveil Fall, Leaf, Siesta Lake and Nevada Falls are just a couple. For more information and to look at more of his work http://www.anseladams.com/

Another photographer I like is Annie Leibovitz. She shoots celebrities but she finds a way to show them in a true & artistic way. Her job at Rolling Stone Magazine fascinates me. It's amazing and sad at the same time, her photo of John Lennon. How John Lennon is naked and kissing Yoko shows that he is comfortable yet vulnerable at the same time. Also that he is loving.

I want to be a studio photographer but I would also love to travel. I would love to be able to capture that moment that seems to show who a person is or the simple beauty that nature holds. I never had an impulse to work for a newspaper. I like having time to capture moments and not just shoot, keep shooting and then move on to another assignment.

423 Final Project

This is slightly bittersweet but with this project I have learned a little bit more about my parents, my sister and now I know more about myself.
my final project is call Mental Demons. I asked my parents and my sister how they cope with Nicole being bi-polar. Life for our family was not easy to say the least. I wish I had more time to spend with her so you could get the feel for her bad moods. Also if I could have I would include clips on my perspective. But overall I am very happy with my final product. Enjoy!