When I started working for Empowering Youth 2 Serve (EY2S), my goal was to write effectively, crafting a narrative that would share the mission and impact of this nonprofit. Mainly I conceived of my role centering around conceptualizing and disseminating blog posts, interviews, and document writing. However, in the hiring process, my role shifted to center more on social media and publicity, which while it would share more information about EY2S, my role was more image-driven than word-driven. Due to this new focus, I had an additional hat I was going to wear for the ministry: photographer. 

My boss gave me two cameras to use: a Nikon COOLPIX B700 and a Sony a6300, but no instruction on how to use either. My first instinct to learn what makes a good picture and how to achieve those quality images. To do that, I watched YouTube videos about lighting and angles, observing how the photographer used different tricks and poses to effectively capture the model. What was beneficial about this method was my focus on the end product over learning the mechanics of the camera because I felt like this got me closer to understanding most efficiently what I was aiming to produce. The problem with this method is that I was not fully aware of all the tools I had at my disposal to make these shots happen.

After this self-tutorial, we did a photoshoot at the Botanical Gardens and in the Neon District of Norfolk. Most of those photos turned out poorly, but the practice was important on this relatively low-stakes assignment because it was a part of my learning process. I was able to learn more about background and lighting because I sought out advice from my mentor. She is a professional photographer, and she was able to show me just how the pictures from the first photoshoot were not up to snuff. She taught me about using a crisp background to help display a product in the best way possible, as well as recognizing lighting issues. You can see in the picture below how the artistic background distracts from the t-shirts that we were trying to sell.

As time went on, and I got more practice using both cameras, I realized that the Sony had a louder flash, whereas the Nikon was much quieter. I would photograph our different events throughout the day, but during quieter times during the day when the youth would have their morning devotionals and evening Bible studies, I realized the Nikon would distract the kids less. However, as I used the camera more during those times, I realized two problems with the Nikon camera. The first problem was that whenever I focused in on a shot, a red light would shine into my subject’s eyes. This was frustrating to the youth and adults who were in the picture, and it distracted them from the main events. The second problem was that the camera would take the picture a second after I hit the button, and in that second, the moment would be missed and I would have a blurry shot. After a week or so of this, I realized, through that trial and error, that it would be better if I just used the Sony, which had a faster shutter, which created crisper images, and no red light. The only problem that came up was that when the flash was used for too long, the photos would get blurry and the camera would slow down, probably from overheating. 

Eventually, I figured out some basic tools through trial and error and further Youtube searches,  like how to work the flash, focus the camera, delete pictures from the memory. I learned how to search out good lighting or effectively lighten the picture after I took it. Then over the summer, I worked with a youth who attended one of our mission trips in the first week of the summer. He is a videographer and editor, and so he was able to show me some tricks on the camera, like how to bring one thing into focus while the rest of the background remained blurry. The funniest part of the summer was when I realized the viewing screen on the Sony camera could prop out at an angle; I never played with it because I was afraid to break the camera. When I told this kid what I had learned, he gave me the funniest look. It was as if his face was saying: “How did you not know this the whole time?” This illuminates some of the problems with the trial and error method of technology. Especially due to the high price tag of many pieces of technology, there is this fear that if one takes it too far while they are playing around, then they break their new tool.  

Overall, looking at my learning process, I realized that I definitely focus my learning on my immediate and most pressing needs. If I need to know how to do something, I will google it for the steps. But if I can’t or it’s not working, I will just make do in the parameters of the knowledge I currently possess. I think this approach to technology limits me in what I can do, but I find that it is also hard to predict what I will need to learn, which can make practice less effective. I might spend all this time practicing doing something that I don’t need for my job, and when I have multiple tasks to accomplish, that time could be better spent in a more productive manner.  

In class, we defined technology as something that solves problems, allowing one to do “work”, which could really be a wide range of things. Eventually, as we said, technology becomes invisible over time and gives us affordances or in other words, allows an interaction between the user and the technology. For me, the Sony Camera enabled me to best complete my work of documenting what EY2S does, in order to publicize our activities, and bring in donors, youth, or projects. There are many different functions and tools on the camera that I interact with, but some, like the focusing lens, and the flash that I use repeatedly, have become invisible because I don’t have to think to use them, I just adjust my line of sight to get in closer.

My previous experience with cameras has been fairly limited. I never owned a personal camera, and I haven’t been one to take a lot of pictures on my phone. Photography was never one of my interests or passions, and so I never really had to think about the perfect lighting, angle, and perspective. Now that photography is a part of my job, it has affected how I take pictures in my personal life. For Christmas, I took a picture of my close friends at church in front of the Christmas tree, but I found that because of what I have learned, I had to take test pictures first to see how the lighting would be from different sides of the tree. Also when we took our family Christmas photo, I knew it was going to turn out dark because we had our backs to the window, so I had to go back into Google Photo’s basic editing software and lighten the photos a little bit to improve it. Both of these photos were taken on phone cameras, rather than an actual camera, but the principles of lighting were something I was able to translate to a different technology that also functions on a very high level for a secondary function of that item.

The biggest lesson I have learned as I have explored using this Sony camera is the power of a strong image. I started this journey with my Sony camera convinced that my words were still my strongest tool. One of the things that our textbook Writer/Designer discusses is multimodality, how using multiple forms of communication: written words, audio, images, video and more, can help shape how a message is heard and received. I came into my role as a writer, that was my method of communication, the written word. But, by adding the dimensions of an image, further power is lent to my words, and I am able to connect with people about our message of what we do. So even if photography is not one of my strengths, I now see and understand the importance of learning how to use my camera technology effectively, because it will further our message.