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Week 14: Internship Reflection

The last week of my internship was relaxing and bittersweet. My supervisor and I went location scouting for future photoshoots. We ended up driving around the Kualoa Ranch area and found a sweet spot next to the ocean. This particular spot is helpful because a photographer can photograph clients in any direction. There are multiple sceneries within this one location, which a person should always look for while scouting. It is not only multi-purposeful, but it also helps save gas for both the photographer and client. Even though this is the last week of my internship, I hope it is not the last time I have worked with my supervisor. It feels like my journey is just starting instead of ending. There is a possibility that I’m doing a wedding on my own in January, and although I’m terrified, I’m excited. Hopefully, this will be the start of my career, and I am thankful that I got out of my comfort zone these past couple of months. I could not have done it without the support of my supervisor and having confidence in myself.

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Week 13: Internship Reflection

Week thirteen was prolonged. There’s nothing much to do besides website building and Pinterest. Weddings have slowed down due to restrictions, but hopefully, things will pick up again soon. Since there was nothing new this week, I’ll take the time to reflect on my internship journey. I’m almost done with my hours, and the time has flown by so fast. I have learned a lot, and there is still so much to learn. Every wedding or elopement I went to provide different experiences, and I can’t get that from watching a YouTube video. There are things that a creative will have to go out and experience instead of sitting behind a screen. Stepping out into the unknown can be exciting for some people, but it terrifies me. I’m so proud of myself that I made it this far because change is not easy. I always stay in my bubble as it’s the only place where I’m most comfortable, but that bubble prevents me from being heard and doing new things. I never share my work due to low self-esteem, and it is challenging to overcome that. I’m glad that I took a giant leap into the unknown because I have gained so much knowledge and skills to last a lifetime.

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Week 12: Internship Reflection

Week twelve, I went to my first engagement session as an intern. I did one engagement session last year for close family friends, and I have learned a lot of new things since then. Last year, I was uncomfortable doing photoshoots because I did not know how to pose people, but I feel ready now. I have gone to a couple of weddings and shadowed photographers the whole day. Although I have more knowledge now, I’m incredibly nervous that I will fail and mess up. Communication is not my strength, so I met up with my supervisor before the engagement session. We had a mini-practice lesson where I would pick a couple of photos and explain how I would tell the clients to pose. In addition, we put various poses we wanted to do in order so the couple wouldn’t be all over the place. For example, we will have the couple stand or walk and then sit down to pose. We do not want the clients to go up and down and get tired. At the end of the engagement session, I did alright, but my supervisor did most of the direction. She allowed me to direct for a little bit, but it did not last that long because I ran out of poses to do. Although I need to practice more and build up confidence, I can’t wait to do more sessions in the future.

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Week 11: Internship Reflection

For week eleven, there were no weddings or elopements again due to Covid restrictions. Instead of going out, I just stayed at home and worked remotely. I did my usual tasks, such as Pinterest, but most of my time went to website building. Although I have not learned anything new this week, I have realized that creating a mobile version of a website takes as much time as the computer version. It could be the program I’m using that is making the process challenging, but mobile apps have different needs. The mobile interface has to be easily accessible for a user to get a positive experience. If a button is unreachable by a user’s thumb, it could be a hassle. I try to test the website on my phone every time I create new changes, but for some reason, it does not want to work. I have to ask for help from the assistance tab, and hopefully, we get to resolve this issue soon.

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Week 10: Internship Reflection

Week ten consisted of my regular tasks such as Pinterest and website building, but we did some arts and crafts. For my supervisor’s side business, she preserves wedding bouquets in resin. Few of her clients come from Schyne Photography, and sometimes there will be a bride who wants to preserve her bouquet. I always see resin crafts trending on social media, but this is entirely different and a lot harder than I thought. There is so much thought into designing how we will preserve a bouquet and what it will look like. You are essentially creating something that is timeless and that the client will have forever. First, we will have to deconstruct the bouquet and let it sit in silica gel. Second, we dust the silica gel off the flowers and figure out the placement in the mold. Lastly, the resin gets poured in phases, and we have to make tiny adjustments if a flower moves out of place. Resin crafting is something that I never do, but it is nice to experience different things. I developed a sense of respect for crafters because it is more complex than it looks.

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Week 9: Internship Reflection

For week nine, I am taking a break from weddings due to the rise of Covid cases and restrictions. Unfortunately, some weddings are already canceled or rescheduled, and I will have to focus on other projects. I did my weekly Pinterest posts, but most of the week has gone to website building. Due to prior engagements, this project was set aside for a couple of weeks, and now we are finally getting back to it. I had mentioned before that I applied everything I learned from school to this particular project, which has helped a lot. I’m very organized when designing each page and figuring out how the website will function. Every element or button needs a purpose, and every text has to be legible. The most challenging part of building this website is not having a list of products that need to be featured. We have to take inventory of what my supervisor creates, but I have used old product photos as references. Although it will be a while for the website to be up and running, it is nice to see a passion project finally taking shape.

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Week 8: Internship Reflection

For week eight, I did my usual tasks, such as uploading to Pinterest, and then I had a wedding on Saturday. This wedding was very special as I got to know the couple. The groom was a pilot in a small plane crash a couple of years ago and he saved all the passengers, including himself. It’s a miracle for him to be walking down the aisle on his wedding day, and I’m honored that I got to witness that. I never heard such a loud cheer and applause from the guests when he walked to the alter. It is a chicken skin moment that I will never forget, and I love seeing this emotional side of weddings. If there was one thing I learned from this week, it is to act quickly. Right before the ceremony started, there was an error on the camera. I couldn’t ask any of the photographers for help because I was on the other side of the venue. Fortunately, I figured out that the error came from the lenses and all I needed to do was switch out the lens. I had never had this camera problem happen to me before, but I had a feeling that I knew how to fix it. There was no time to wait on anybody else for permission or help, and I had to step up and make my own decision.

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Week 7: Internship Reflection

Week seven, I went to my first elopement to photograph. The main difference between elopement and weddings is that elopements are smaller and shorter. Although we only had to work for a few hours, we were busy the whole time. The couple had a long shot list and a big family, and it was difficult completing everything within the timeframe. Luckily, I was the “extra” photographer, so I was able to get extra detailed shots of the reception and ceremony. Compared to the last two weddings, the elopement was a completely different experience. I’m kind of expecting each event to be different because I always learn something new every time. The ceremony was delayed for this week’s elopement because the buses the guests arrived on were late. Since everything was set back, we were losing daylight and had to act quickly. I was able to practice flash photography and be familiar with how to use camera flashes. A photo will come out differently when the flash is pointed in other directions, and I had to find the sweet spot where everybody is illuminated but still looks good. If there was one thing to take away from this week, it is to be prepared for anything.

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Week 6: Internship Reflection

For week six, I had the pleasure of being the “third” photographer for a wedding. Compared to last week, this wedding was a completely different experience because I knew the bridal party. It was much more relaxed and enjoyable but still a little nerve-wracking. Although I could take pictures, I had never used a professional camera before and had to get used to changing the settings. Luckily, I was the extra photographer, and the photos I took were not a priority, but I still treated my role like I was the second or first photographer. My job for the night was to capture the groom’s reaction during the ceremony and reception, and I did just that. Besides photography, my supervisor told me a “hack” that she does, and it was to set all the cameras simultaneously. Doing this makes the editing and culling process easier because all the photos are in chronological order. You know precisely when and where a photo was taken during the wedding. One other note that I made to myself at the end of the night was to bring a camera strap. Professional cameras are big and can get heavy after long hours. The photographers and videographers I have seen wear camera straps or belts to help distribute the weight, and I think I should invest in that too. It is important to start self-care now because carrying camera gear is not as easy as it looks.

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Week 5: Internship Reflection

In week five of my internship, I went to my first wedding and shadowed the photographers. I was very nervous because weddings are such a big deal, and I did not want to make a mistake. It is the couple’s most important day of their lives, and photographers are essentially the second wedding planner. Before my internship started, I thought photographers only shot the wedding ceremony and reception portion, but it is much more than that. We worked for over ten hours for this particular wedding, and our day started when the bride was getting ready. We followed the couple the entire day and made sure we were on schedule. In addition to the schedule, we also had a shot list of everything that we needed. Depending on the couple, the shot list could be very detailed or laid back, but luckily, we had a lot of time to capture what the bride and groom wanted. I was told that even though long wedding days are complex, it is also a blessing because photographers can spend more time on detailed and creative shots. While this day was typically longer than regular weddings, I liked the hustle and productivity of the crew. It was nice to see how photographers and videographers work together, but the couple’s reaction is probably the most rewarding feeling ever by the end of the night.

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Week 4: Internship Reflection

Week four of my internship, I did my regular tasks such as Pinterest and checking new leads, but I started a new project. I’m in the early stages of building a website, and fortunately, I have recently taken a website building course this past semester. I applied everything I learned to this new project and went through every little detail this website should have. From the goals to the functions, I created a sitemap and a mood board to present to the owner. She was ecstatic to see my designs and gave me her approval to continue. She had been waiting to build a new website for over a year, and now it is finally in the works. The new site is for the owner’s side business that she started during the pandemic. When the shutdown happened, many weddings were canceled, and business slowed down drastically. The owner created a small business that partially overlaps with her wedding photography to stay busy and up float. I’m really happy to see this project through because so many companies couldn’t survive the pandemic. Instead of staying home and doing nothing, you can adapt and use this unique situation to your advantage.

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Week 3: Internship Reflection

For the third week of my internship, I was introduced to the website that allows Schyne Photography to book and archive clients. It was confusing at first because not only was it a new thing for me to learn, many of the projects had not been updated in a while. Both the studio manager and the owner were busy doing other duties for the company, and it was my task for the week to update projects and clients’ folders. As tedious as office work may be, I enjoyed organizing and checking if there were leads or potential clients. After spending the first month of summer not doing anything, I felt productive and excited for the first time in weeks. I’m finally learning the businesses side of photography, and it has helped my decision in whether I want to pursue this industry or not. Besides office work, I spent some time working on the Pinterest account and posting pins. It has been hard to remember to post every day or every other day, but luckily, Pinterest can schedule posts. Instead of going on Pinterest every day, I can dedicate one day to prep and let the scheduling system do the rest.

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Week 2: Internship Reflection

The second week of my internship started with learning how the business runs and what kind of business it is. The owner is very supportive of me in growing my career as a photographer and taught me the two types of business, sole proprietorship and LLC. Sole proprietorship is a company own by one individual, while LLC has more than one owner. I’m forever grateful that the owner took the time to teach me what goes on behind the scenes, and now I have a little more confidence to get myself out there. For the rest of the week, I focused on the company’s Pinterest account and what kind of content I should post. The account is designated for Schyne Weddings, but we did organize boards into engagement sessions and wedding details. I received a bunch of photos from past clients and organized them by the different boards we created. In addition, I researched when the best time was to post on Pinterest and what the title/ captions should say. Depending on where a photo was taken, I use that location’s name in the title, such as Kualoa Ranch. Many weddings take place at Kualoa Ranch, and because it is so popular, I have to work harder to make the caption more interesting. There are numerous Pinterest posts about Kualoa Ranch as a wedding destination, and I want to make sure Schyne Weddings stands out.

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Week 1: Internship Reflection

First week of my internship was exciting yet nerve-wracking. I’m interning for Schyne Photography which mainly focuses on shooting weddings and elopements. It was nice catching up with the owner as I have not seen her in over ten years, and now we both share a passion for photography. The first day of my internship was just going over projects that I can do over the next few months. One of them was creating a Pinterest account that focuses on wedding photography and the other was building a website. Besides projects, we made a list of goals that I can accomplish or build confidence in. The first goal that we wrote down was familiarizing myself with how a photography business runs. As I’m getting closer to graduation, I’m thinking about having my own photography business, and hopefully, this internship would point me in the right direction. The second goal on the list was learning how to communicate better with clients in terms of posing. I have not done that many photoshoots since I started taking photos, but eventually, I would like to do more in the future. Lastly, the third and final goal was learning how to use my camera inside and out. I already know how to use manual, but there is still so much to explore such as double exposures and color profiles. Although I feel like I know nothing compared to a professional wedding photographer, I’m excited to learn a new side of photography I’m unfamiliar with.

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Assignment 7: No Smoking Sign

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Participation: Course Reflection

What did you gain from this course in terms of your role as a creator? From this course, I learned how to think deeper when coming up with a design solution. It's not just creating something that looks good, but creating something that has meaning and purpose. Every single element has to be analyzed no matter how time consuming it is.

How do you envision applying the knowledge gained into your practice going forth? I can apply the knowledge I gained by thinking through other perspectives. From all our assignments and projects, we were designing for someone else and had to brainstorm what would they want. If we had to design for a specific audience, we need to be sure that we put their needs and wants before ours.

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Participation

Recently, I have been trying to propagate succulents and I came across this example. The visual is an example of the segments and sequence technique because it divides information into small sections. The instructions are easy to comprehend because not only does it go from left to right, but it also has numbers for each chronological step. One other thing I like is that each section has it's own visual and a short description underneath.

In addition to the expansion of my plant collection, I found an example of the inherent structure technique. The visual shows how often every plant should be watered and it is organized with a simple, vertical structure. There is not a lot of information that needs to be told so, there is just a picture of a plant and a description of how much water it should receive for every five to ten days.