The High School Welding Event

In the Judge's Room, Justin Myronenko compares two assignments to determine which is better overall. Student's welding projects are ranked based on their porosity control, consistency, and completeness. The annual high school welding competition was held at the LBCC Industrial Building on Tuesday, April 16 and gathers over 200 students who compete for prizes such as welding gear or even tuition!

Each assignment is different per event the students compete in, and here, Daareino Abatiell organizes and distributes each task to the kids. Different events garner different methods and positions required to complete the assignment, and each one may only be completed in a specific way.

Several high school students listen patiently while Brenton Rux (Center) reviews safety regulations and procedures. The students are given just a short period of time to complete their assignment, all while maintaining a safe work environment.

Lynsey Addario (Prelude, Chapter 1)

In her book, It's What I Do, I've been very impressed with her ability to recover from traumatic events that have occurred n her life. Such as her dad leaving her mom to be with another man. Or being inches from death following revolutionists in the Middle East. I think her photography story is amazing, and the photos themselves are equally as powerful.

While looking at the photos that she has published in her book, I believe I should try and focus more on the emotion of my subjects. To try and focus more on making or framing the light to be darker on a gloomy subject or maybe have more control over lighting in general.

My favorite quote from Chapter One is: "In the early days the assignments were grim, but I took them--- happily." Addario page 37. I like this quote because although her subject matter is uncomfortable at best, she gets to do what she loves to do anyway, so she takes those hard photos because it's her job and it's what she wants and likes to do. That is something I aspire to, to be able to do what I love and make a living doing it.

Photographer of the Week: Paul Nicklen

Credit: Paul Nicklen, 2018

Mr. Nicklen is a Canadian wildlife photographer who's won over 30 prestigious photography and conservation awards. He's a cofounder of the nonprofit organization SeaLegacy, which focuses on conservation of the world's oceans. His work in photography has gained him an honorary PhD at the University of Victoria.

His focus is on the beauty of his surroundings and the wildlife within it.

Humans of LBCC

 Lauren Meader

"Why are you here?" was the first serious question I presented to Lauren on the beautifully soggy Thursday morning. She came to Corvallis/Albany to pursue her degree in Marine Studies, while also taking an interest in filmmaking natural environments, and education in natural resources and anthropology.

Specifically in the Pacific Island region, because of her Hawaiian heritage. In fact, Lauren told was explaining to me how she stopped one of her instructors to clarify information he was giving lecture on. Despite having not grown up in Hawaii, she takes great pride in her family's history, having travelled there several times to stay with family. Even on campus she participates in Hula dance club that meets 3 times per week.

Lauren is a bright smile and a beaming personality, not afraid to stand up for what she knows.

Raylene Jimenez

Raylene is a fellow classmate of mine in Yoga. Her favorite movie is "Ever After" because she loves romantic movies and identifies as a romantic type of person. 

She is a soft spoken individual, but unafraid to be defensive about what she believes in, including politics. I got the impression that she'll fight for her beliefs when I asked her what she would carry first during the impending zombie apocalypse.

She is an English education major, and hopes to teach high school, and eventually college level English one day.

Photojournalism Posting: The First One

This is the First One. My name is Mitch Matthews, I am a former Zoology major with a minor in Chemistry. This class has almost nothing to do with that, it has more to do with my personal pursuit of improving my ability to be a creative individual. My skills in photography are minimal, I've only been taking photos seriously for about 6 months now.

My goal for this class is to improve my ability to take photos, as well as be able to document and reflect on my experiences in photography on a public platform. 

Like the old saying, everything comes in three's, so here are three interesting facts about myself:

1. I aspire to sustain myself living in a van

2. I may look the part, but I can't play guitar.

3. I don't find value in a college education for myself.

Sincerely, Mitch Matthews