Final Project: A day in the life of Tiger fans

This final project was taken at Comerica Park during a series with the Cleveland Indians, as the fans cheered on their Tigers.  It was a difficult assignment for me, at first it came out a video but due to technical difficulties when I put in Adobe Premier Pro it turned into a slideshow. 

Also this can be a learning experience for me to take pictures instead of doing videos it can help tell the story better.  Overall, the experience of shooting this assignment was awesome because I got the opportunity to see what the Tiger fans do when enjoying the game and the overall baseball experience. 

These fans were having a good time at the Pepsi Porch, and all over the stadium.  Over 39,000 fans showed up for this game because it was a good day for them to come to the park because it was 60 degrees and sunny out.  Finally, although it was difficult I had a good time shooting this assignment because I got to find out what fans do at the ball game while working.  

When in Photojournalism self-portrait pictures can be real unique.

Nick Link mopping up a wet spot on the concourse.  Photo taken by Allen Jackson/The South End

So I decided to take my camera to my job and shoot one of my co-workers working.  Nick Link who was been working at Comerica Park for three seasons is known as the hardest worker in the event housekeeping department.  He works on the same level as me on some occasions because we get moved around a lot.  So anyway he was willing to cooperate and let me do this assignment on him. 

He sweeps the concourse, cleans the bathroom maybe two of them if I’m placed somewhere else and we go on the Pepsi porch/New Amsterdam Bar to check for trash or sweep up peanut shells mostly.  I used my camera to take a picture of Link sweeping, mopping and cleaning his bathroom. 

Overall this self-portrait assignment was a learning experience for me as I continue in my journey as a journalist to take pictures when necessary.  Also, journalists can take the most unique pictures like a person outside of a statue at Wayne State or of a person doing projects or making unique paintings of something.  Also, people can take emotional pictures of a person crying or being devastated after a loss.       

Shooting sports is not as easy as it looks: But learning long the way will help us get better!

Tigers players warming up for opening day.  Photo taken by Allen Jackson/South End

So I decided to take my camera to my job at Comerica Park to shoot opening day.  Unfortunately, shooting with a tablet camera was not the way to go about it.  It will give you a low ISO and as a result the shutter speed will suffer from it.  In one of my photos where I tried to get a picture of one of the players, I should have went closer to the dugout instead of half way down the lower bowl.  

Tiger fans standing outside in front of the ballpark signing up for Chevy ride and drive in front of the Nikolas Kronwall bobblehead.  Photo taken by Allen Jackson/South End

I also took a picture of people holding the United States flag while the Four Tops were singing the National Anthem.  For this picture, I wanted to use shallow depth of field to focus on the flag.  However, shooting with a tablet camera pales in comparison to shooting with a DSLR camera.  DSLRs gives the best shutter speeds, higher ISOs and proper f-stops while on tablet camera the three are limited.  

Volunteers holding the U.S. flag while the Four Tops sing the National Anthem.  Photo taken by Allen Jackson/South End. 

Now for the shooting sports part, it is not easy because when being a photojournalist you have to get in the right position and have the proper settings in order to stop the action at just the right time to get a decent photo.  This is why it will be learning curve for me that tablet cameras won’t cut it in photojournalism.       

Camera Ops: The Exact Way to take a photo

After taking these pictures around campus, I can come to the conclusion that cell phone photography will not get journalists anywhere in the photo part of the business.  The fact that DSLR camera will help get out digital photos in crystal clear style than on a cell phone where it can come out a little blurry. 

Rule of Thirds, Outside Manoogian Hall

Camera operations is also difficult in certain situations because you have to get in certain positions to shoot accurate photos, give the proper captions and if it’s a difficult photo to take then people have to shoot it the first time.  In the photojournalism business we all know that it is more to it than just taking photos and posting it.  We have to watch out for pictures that can sometimes be out of focus or don’t come the way you want it. 

Another thing is that we have to be careful about ISOs, shutter speed and proper metering when taking these photos, because if you set your settings to the wrong ISO or if your f-stop or aperture is not in its proper then the issue of white balance will come in to play.

Shallow depth of field, WSU 

Be careful when taking photos that's where the First Amendment rights come in.

The First Amendment means from a collegiate standpoint is that we have freedoms but as a student we can’t take it for granted.  As a student, journalists think that they have all the rights in the world but according to the five freedoms the rights are limited.  It also means that if journalists are to go into this profession the First Amendment is always going to be key in terms of taking photos which may violate someone’s privacy without knowing it.

Now in terms of the lesson itself, I can come to the conclusion that it is more to it then just taking photos and posting it on a blog with the proper captions.  Journalists need to be super careful when invading someone’s privacy because they can just take photos and not knowing that is violating their privacy. 

Also a lesson learned is that the code of ethics can easily be broken and not even know it.  It is more to photojournalism then just taking actual photos and posting it on a blog with the proper captions.  Journalists need to be careful of privacy, violating any of the amendments, false lights, intrusion and especially copyrighting somebody else’s photo without their permission. 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Captions and AP Style Quiz essay

In this lesson about captions, there is more to photojournalism then just taking pictures and posting them on a blog or website.  Captions are the key thing in making sure that your photos are accurate and you were actually there.  Also, when taking photos identifying a person, place or thing is one of the most important keys into writing captions when describing photos.  Photojournalists can’t be funny when writing because the photo isn’t so humorous.

Also, photojournalists had epic career fails because they posted things that weren’t true.  In one of the documents it showed 20 epic career failed captions where it showed that a misidentified person, a fire on TV where the caption said “have a great day” just shows that people are not taking this profession serious. 

About AP style it is important that we figure out that photojournalists have to use whole names in first reference then last names on second reference after that.  Also, where photojournalists get in trouble is where a “fatal flaw” comes in.  Journalists also tend to sometimes spell people names wrong.  It’s important that we spell people’s names right and be accurate when the media is doing storytelling when describing photos.    

 

Cell Phone Photography

WSU football coach Paul Winters unveiling new football field. 

After doing this cell phone assignment, I can say that cell phone photography can be a quick bailout although pictures will be a little blurry comparing to using a DSLR camera.  My assignment was on Wayne State University’s head football coach Paul Winters announcing to recruits and their families about the freshmen class that is coming to Wayne State for the 2015 football season. 

Coach Winters taking questions from the media

I learned while shooting for sports stories you have to be precise and take pictures at exactly the right time or you will not get the picture that you want.  Winters told the crowd during a football futures dinner that this was the best class he ever recruited.  He also said that he expected great things out of this class.  The recruits consists of 21 from Michigan, six from Ohio and one from Wisconsin.

    

A little about me

My name is Allen Jackson and I was born in Detroit.  I am the youngest of four children.  My passion for journalism started when I began watching sports and I could always talk about it but I couldn’t write about it.  During my time here at Wayne State I did stories on The Wayne State University Women’s basketball team’s tournament run, stories on the history of Comerica Park, last year’s opening day at Comerica Park.  

Currently I work at Comerica Park as an event housekeeper, while there I get to be around journalists to see how they do their jobs.  Some of the people that I look up to in this profession are Stephen A. Smith, the late Stuart Scott, and Dan Miller are just a few. 

I am a senior and I will be graduating in December of this year with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.  Also, I also have an interest for photojournalism as well that is why I wanted to take this class because I want to learn how to take excellent photos and use them effectively in terms of being in the sports field. That is all about me, talk to you guys soon!