This is my life;

Hello, my name is Jordan, and this is my life.

 

I live here in Cedar Falls with my dad and my stepmom, along with our two dogs and our really fat cat; and I wouldn't have it any other way. Even though we don't always see eye-to-eye, I still love them with all I've got.

My friends are honestly the people who have made my life what it is today; without them, I don't know who, or where, I would be. Whether they live in Cedar Falls or Waverly, or whether we talk every few days or every few months, they all in some way or another make up my life. :]

Since I've been here at NU, theatre has grown to become a huge part of who I am. I've been in four plays in the past two years, and each play I find myself surrounded by a great new cast full of wonderful people. I've met some of my best friends through NU Theatre, as well as had some of my best memories there too. ("Play On!" - Smitty, "Snoopy" - Choir, "I'll Leave it to You" - Sylvia, and "Murder is a Game" - Lois.)

Along with theatre, a huge part of me is devoted to speech contest. Last year we were chosen as a nonperforming group for All-State (a huge honor), and this year we received straight ones at state contest. I loveloveLOVE working with Dave and Linda Scachterle and our amazing choral reading ensemble, and I can't wait for contest next year. :] <3

This year, tennis actually became a large part of my life too. I thought I'd hate it, but it honestly was kind of...fun. Playing a sport for a change was good for me, I think; it's let me broaden my horizons a bit and helps me see outside the box.

In addition to tennis, I also joined Cyber-Defense this year - an extracurricular activity associated with preventing hackers from stealing into computer systems. It was fun, and we ended up coming back with both first and second place - not too bad at all. =]

Since 7th grade, I've been a participant in National History. It's brought me some of my best friends, and ironically, some of my highest academic honors. This year in competition I placed as a state finalist, and last year my team and I were chosen as Iowa's national alternate. NHD has taught me a lot of the skills that I use as a student everyday; plus, competing and winning is just plain fun. ;]

In addition to friends and family, not to mention school and all the activities it brings, my life also centers a lot around my hobbies, such as photography, music, and reading. I love photography, even though I'm not very good at it. Looking through the lens of a camera lets me view the world differently; especially through the lens of my trusty Holga Olga. I also love music; I can always count on a good Weepies song to describe exactly how I'm feeling. Listening to a great song lets me think and reflect about my life in a way not many other things let me do. And finally, I don't think I could live without words. Honestly, reading books has taken me so far in life - everywhere and anywhere from the mountains to the grasslands, to the deserts to outer space. A good book and a great imagination heve been my salvations, as well as some of my favorite things. =]

And finally, my life is about saying good-bye. This flower is the graduation flower given to the seniors as they walk across the stage to accept their well-earned diplomas; to me, it's funny how such a beautiful thing is meant to represent the end. Good-byes will always be sad, no matter how many times you do them; and I know that this time, they won't be any different, as we say good-bye to the seniors, to the school year, and to this part of our lives.

So, this is my life. And I want to know that I am both happy and sad, and I'm ready for whatever may be coming next.

Surreal

Metamorphosis

Of life, that is.

o.O

I can't believe this is good-bye.

My Photos

• What is the main subject? The main subject of this photo is the NU scene shop, off the side of the theatre. It's where all the paint, wood, tools, and other supplies are kept.
  

Why did I take this picture? What does it mean to me? I took this picture one day while I was waiting backstage at play practice. I've always loved the colors and the history of the scene shop, and on that particular day, the light coming in from the windows on the side made the colors really come alive. Theatre at NU has become a second home to me; from late night rehearsals to early morning sets crews, I've made some of the best friendships and memories here.

How does the photo focus attention on the main subject? In this photo, the main subject is the whole scene - when you look at it, your eye isn't drawn to any particular part of the image, but to the image as a whole. I'd say that the middle is probably the most interesting, with both the colors and the sink pipe, so the eye would probably be drawn there after an initial look.

What are the elements of design that make the picture "work?" The picture really works because of how interesting its content is. The scene shop is unusual in both idea and color, which automatically makes the photo interesting. Also, the lighting in the scene shop really makes the colors pop - I've taken other photos of the shop on different days, and none of them have ever been as good. The insane colors draw your eyes to the photo, and that's what really makes it work.

How could this photo be improved? There's one part of this photo that has bothered me ever since I took it - and that is that the sides of the photo are not straight. If you look at the cabinet on the left and the cut-off counter on the right, you'll see that the photo's frame cuts off both at weird angles, which makes the picture look slightly tilted. I'd like to imagine that the reason it's not straight is because the cabinet isn't tilted straight, but it could possibly be because I didn't line things up in the frame before I took the photo.

What is the main subject? The main subject in the photo is Joni Griffith during one of our "basketball" days off at school.

Why did I take this picture? What does it mean to me? Photography has taught me to take my camera with me at every moment because you never know what you might miss. When I saw Joni propping her feet up towards the camera, I decided to experiment with a different angle and take a picture from that perspective. When I looked at the photo, I almost thought that she looked like a wee little child writing, lost in her own little world.

How does the photo focus attention on the main subject? Joni's pose draws the eye immediately to her; we focus on the feet and then our eyes travel across the rest of the photo (aka the lockers, half of a door, etc.)

What are the elements of design that make the picture "work?" The rule of thirds really works in this photo - it wouldn't be nearly as interesting if Joni had been in the middle of the frame. Also, the black and white really works to an advantage - it makes the photo seem more "mysterious" than the color version. The "holga" style edit (the black on the sides) also makes the photo much more interesting. 

How could this photo be improved? This photo probably could have been improved in the editing stages - while I was editing it black & white and "holga" style, it seems that Joni's neck was kind of lost in the black. I could have experimented with editing to see if I could lighten up the neck area a little bit.

·  What is the main subject? The main subject of the photo is a pink flower in the garden outside the NU science rooms. The flower is perfectly in focus; however, there are additionally subjects in the background that are out of focus. A boy and a girl are sitting on a bench, and you are unable to identify their expressions due to the out of focus background.

·  Why did I take this picture? What does it mean to me? I've been looking for emotions around me for a long time, and one day I saw the perfect oppurtunity. I wanted a photo of people intereacting, but I wanted it to not be of people at the same time. With this photo, I had a pink flower, which I interpreted to represent innocent love; and the "couple" in the background to reinforce my interpretation of love.

·  How does the photo focus attention on the main subject? The photo focuses attention on the flower by keeping only the plant in the foreground in focus, while blurrying out the background and additional subjects.

·  What are the elements of design that make the picture "work?" This is another example of utilizing the rule of thirds for more interesting photos. Additionally, the focus and out of focus variety in it really makes the message "work" and the interpretation of young love come through.

·  How could this photo be improved? This photo could be improved by maybe making the background in focus as well - I tried taking some photos where both the foreground and background were in focus, but the scene didn't seem to flow as well. It also might have been improved by just having the flower and people in the photo and cropping out the grass - it somewhat distracts from the message.

Ballin'.

Storybook Project - Photojournalism

The American Dream is a dream for all; it's a dream for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It's a dream to graduate from high school and college;

It's a dream full of hard work;

It's a dream for success and fame; 

It's a dream full of a want for money;

And of course, a dream full of love.

It's freedom; it's equality; it's the future for a better tomorrow.

It's the American Dream.

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