Emotion

Derek Mazzio, a sophomore pitcher on the Saint Louis University baseball team, finds calm and peace while doing yoga at the Billiken Sports Complex on April 18, 2012 in St. Louis, Mo. (Marco Mejia/SLU Photo)

Well since we were out of town for all the excitement this past weekend, and because I know how much Erik likes seeing more baseball pictures, I decided to take pictures of one of our pitchers who does yoga on occasion for relaxation and to stay fresh.  It happened to be a great day out which was perfect but trying to do this assignment around noon, with the sun out, was difficult to capture many frames because of the added brightness.  If it hadn’t been for our little photoshop tutorial and adjusting the curves and brightness, this idea would not have worked out the way I wanted it to.

Steroids in Baseball

A scuffed and torn up baseball circled by syringes intending to show the negative effect of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs on the game of baseball. (Marco Mejia/SLU Photo)

I originally thought this would be a tougher assignment but, after some serious thought and a necessary explanation to our athletic trainer, I was able to get some old syringes in order to finish my frame.  This picture intends to show the negative effect of steroids and other PED’s on the game of baseball.  I feel like I was able to convey that message successfully.  I tried many different techniques in order to make this frame, including slowing the shutter speed to 10 seconds and fanning the subject with a faint light as Erik did with his pictures illustration.  In the end, I kept it simple and that was the best decision.

Hard At Work

Jennifer Carini, right, a tutor for athletes in Chaifetz Arena, explains a concept to Faith Mackin, left, a freshman on the field hockey team, on Tuesday, April 3, 2012. (Marco Mejia/SLU Photo)

For this assignment, I tried to do something that nobody else could do and would be new.  I figured, what better than walk around Chaifetz where it’s only athletes allowed!  This way I could take pictures of people I know, although still maintaining my status as “creep.”  I was very lucky with the timing of the pictures in the training room because they were getting ready to close for the night and I caught the last group of athletes that happened to be going in for treatment.

Although it may not be as out there and creative as some of the other pictures, I feel it’s unique because of the access that few of us have to these areas.

Another Day at the Office

Redshirt Junior A.J. Vander Vorste, an outfielder on the Saint Louis University baseball team from Tyler, Tx., robs a homerun at practice on March 17, 2012. (Marco Mejia/SLU Photo)

Although most people would think that as athletes, we would have a very easy time taking sports pictures.  The truth of the matter is that between road trips and our own practices, finding a window of opportunity to make these pictures was pretty difficult.  Thankfully, our coaches allowed us to take these pictures (even after making fun of us for looking like tourists).  This assignment actually showed me just how much is going on at one time at our practices.

With us being in season, I know many people in class were able to take pictures at our games so hopefully we can all show different aspects of the sport.

Life After Athletics

The panel of representatives, including members from Kelly Mitchell, Enterprise, Mutual of Omaha, Sherwin-Williams, Drury Hotels, and ADP, answers questions from the student-athletes at the Athlete Career Fair in Chaifetz Arena on Monday, March 26, 2012. (Marco Mejia/SLU Photo)

On Monday March 26, a career fair took place in the practice gym of the Chaifetz Arena on our campus.  This event was for athletes only and was to show that, as athletes, we are more ready for life after college than we may have thought.  Aside from being very informative and useful, it also was a good opportunity to shoot some pictures.  With each company represented having their own table setup and several representatives, it was an easy find for frames.  Aside from the rough background of the bleachers and basketball nets in the gym, I feel like it made for a surrounding.

Born From A Boombox

Marcel Mejia, a hip-hop dancer from Miami, Fl, "busts a move" for a portrait in his hotel in Winterhaven, Fl on Feb. 25, 2012. (SLU Photo/Marco Mejia)

After having such trouble with the weather assignment, I was happy to have an assignment where staging the photograph was acceptable, if not necessary.  These pictures have a different feel in general because of the staged nature of the pictures.  I know that the underlining purpose of the class is to take “action” pictures, but I feel like this assignment will really show the true creativity of all of our classmates

 

Awkward Weather

A group of people sitting in the Coffee Cartel coffee shop on Feb. 21, 2012 in the Central West End in St. Louis, Mo. (SLU Photo/Marco Mejia)

So this may or may not be the toughest assignment of the semester.  It was such a rough time of the year which made it tough to find good pictures of people coping with the weather.  It was usually sunny out, but still cold enough where not too many people were outside.  It still wasn’t ugly enough to where people were doing anything crazy to cope with the weather.  Even though it is a totally necessary assignment, it came at the worst possible time of the year, and I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels that way.  I wish we could’ve had this assignment later in the semester when there could have been a better contrast in weather.  But oo well, I did what I could and it’s not my best work, but it will do.

“Rough” Day

An ashtray and cigarette right outside of Macelwane Hall on the campus of Saint Louis University. Feb. 13, 2012. St. Louis, Mo. (SLU Photo/Marco Mejia)

After the first assignment, I began to feel more comfortable with the settings on the camera and having a better feel for what changes needed to be made in order to get the shot I wanted.  This assignment was a bit tougher though because it is hard to capture each of the four elements in one session of shooting.  As well, it is difficult to give an absolute definition for what counts as texture or mood, for example.  These are elements that have pretty contrasting details which makes it necessary to shoot at different times of day, different weather conditions, etc.

Interestingly enough, going into the assignment I thought texture would be the more difficult of the four to capture in a picture.  Texture ended up being the element I couldn’t get enough of throughout my shoot.  Mood ended up being what I considered the toughest to capture.  Since all of my shooting was done while walking around campus, it was tough to capture mood without any sort of a human element due to the cold weather and nobody else dumb enough to go for a stroll in 30 degree weather.

A Man at Work

Coach Hendrickson working diligently for the upcoming season in his office in Chaifetz Arena. Feb. 7, 2012. St. Louis, MO. (SLU Photo/Marco Mejia)

As uncomfortable it seemed to shoot this assignment for the subject as well as the photographer, myself, I felt it necessary to step out of my comfort zone in order to truly capture the essence of the subject.  I decided on the head coach of the SLU baseball team, Darin Hendrickson, because I know he is a diligent worker at his trade and I know his time spent in his office is fully devoted to raising the level of our program.

Not only did I think about the subject, but it was an appealing environment to catch him in. His office is full of trophies and plaques from past championship teams at SLU and other schools he has coached at.  The windows in the doorway of his office also served for framing purposes, as well as, a bit of light reflection which gave the lighting of the office better contrast.  Luckily, he was wearing a green shirt which matched the coloring of the surrounding walls.

I look forward to taking what I learned while shooting this project in order to better my performance in future projects.