VISUAL MEDIA: Photography
DG Philanthropy EvEnt
september 2023
This project was about Delta Gamma’s fall 2023 philanthropy week at Virginia Tech. The photo grid features a preview of how the event went for the fraternity’s major fundraiser of the week, Grand Slam Delta Gam. I aimed to capture the joy and dedication of the women in D.G., diligently working to raise money for the Seeing Eye Guide Dog school in Morristown, New Jersey. I produced this photography story by using a Canon T7i DSLR and created the final project in Adobe Lightroom Classic.
One of the most interesting discoveries that I made while working on this project was mastering the key techniques to create images with a clear photo composition. Using the rule of thirds and tight cropping enhances the illustrations of a story and gives the audience a unique perspective. I used these approaches to convey a lighthearted Greek life event at Virginia Tech and engage the audience, showcasing the variety of activities that were offered during the Delta Gam Grand Slam event. This was my first opportunity to work with professional photo workflow software. I discovered the vast amount of modifications that can be applied to my images in Adobe Lightroom Classic, using a combination of wide, medium, and close-up shots to weave a coherent storyline.
One of the challenges I encountered while working on this project was developing a strong understanding of each function of the DSLR camera. Physically capturing each image while maintaining a sharp focus and framing an image from a unique point of view was not too difficult, even with zero experience with professional photography cameras. I needed to gain a better idea of the critical parts of a camera to effectively convey my storyline. I overcame my challenge by studying the functions in each section of the menu bar and practicing shooting images in manual focus. While working in the manual setting, I grasped an understanding of the effects of changes in aperture, ISO, shutter speed and white balance.
I will use what I learned from this project as I continue my multimedia journalism major to effectively shoot images for my written multimedia journalistic work. As a writer in all my coursework, a lifestyles editor at the Collegiate Times and an avid writer in my free time, it’s critical to shoot images that will support my articles. Understanding how to capture an image and add any necessary modifications is beyond important for news stories because it gives my audience a better understanding of what they are reading about. I will use the skills obtained from this project to continue adding visual elements to my written work and developing stronger perspectives from the eye of a camera.
