Rob!

Working with Rob was really cool.

When I take pictures, I usually put a meaning behind it, but this workshop took it to the next level. He had us write a secret down on a piece of paper. The next assignment was to go outside and photograph something/someone that would associate with your secret. It was supposed to make it feel like you relieve your secret but no one knows what it is, which means it's still a secret.. but it feels good that you're not holding it in because you sort of released it. I don't know how to explain it, Rob explained it better!

But the second assignment was to stand on a blank white piece of paper and think about your secret and have your partner photograph you while thinking about it. I thought about it in depth, actually. I kept coming up with questions, which made me think, which made an interesting picture.

overall, it was really fun, and it can be a cool photography project in my future.

Book Binding Session Three

Today we had ot think of ideas for our book making project.

It may not have seemed like I did a lot, but looks can be deceiving.

My idea: A book for my 365 project.

I thought of putting one picture per page, but buying 365 sheets of paper is going to be a challenge.

So i thought of putting two pictures on a page. I love the idea, but I bought paper already and wrote my name on the book, so there's no way I could return it and there's no way to solve my problem of not large enough paper.

But, two photos fit. It's not what I wanted, but it's what I'll compromise for.

The cover of my book is going to look like a calander and then in the center it will say 365 with my name below.

I decided I'm going to make a book that is looped. I don't know the proper term for it, but I want a metal piece to loop through the pages to hold the book together.

I decided it that way so it will be like a 365 flip book of photos.

On each page will be two aligned photos which are measured to be centered and above the photo will be the date and the number out of 365 that day was. For example, "1/365: January 30, 2010". Below the photo will be the little blurb from that day. For example, "I started this day off with a fresh shower to start my 365 Project!" I want to hand write all the writing parts in this book to make it 100% mine.

Can't wait to have another session with Karl!

Book Binding Day Two

Karl came back! I was surprised that he was willing to survive another couple of hours with us since he figured out that we are looney. Today we added covers to our books. Before it was just plain paper with string holding it together. But today it's amazing. We used this really cool thing to hold it together -Elmer's Glue- and after gluing on the cardboard cover, we added this black paper to cover the book, which makes it look official. I LOVE IT! Karl said that our first book is like an experiment on how we'll make the next one, and I tortured this book a lot with holes, tears, glue, mistakes, and more, but I'm excited to just hold my first finished handmade book in my hands, no matter how its appearance is. Hopefully the next time we do the book making process, I won't need to ask Karl every second to see if I did it right. But if I didn't ask, I knew I'd do something wrong, which Cassie knows about.. (: When we meet with Karl again, I will have my book complete. Book Binding Day Two was a success!

Book Binding & Peanut Butter?

Book binding is cool! I was originally in the acting class, but I've always wanted to make a book for myself. I love how we made the books with plain paper and the edges aren't straight, they look like they were freshly cut, which is my favorite part. We had to make signatures, which are sections of the book, and I made three of them. So my book is 16 pages that were folded in half, which makes 32. Threading the needle and sewing was very challenging. You had to thread the needle, which was pretty big for a needle, with twine, and punch holes through the pile of paper. But Carl said the inside has to look better than the inside, which made me restart a couple of times. I didn't stab myself though! Ilana did.. twice! (: And Cassie, well, Cassie messed up.. a couple of times.. but it ended up alright. (:

I can't post about Book Binding without talking about peanut butter. Well, not actual peanut butter, but Carls accent. I've always wanted to hear a english person say peanut butter because it just sounds amazing, based on what people say. Do you believe that there's no video on youtube of a english person saying peanut butter? It's ridiculous! But Cassie asked Carl to say it, and i practically died. And before the day was over, I asked him to say it again. It was the best two words of the day, actually, the week.

And besides making my week with peanut butter, I made a book!

the girl without a English accent,

-ashleycoppolino

Book Presentation.

I'm not sure why presenting is my fear, but it is. I've always tried to overcome it, and I thought i did a good job at it, but I guess not. Getting up and improvising in front of a crowd should be scarier that talking about a book you've read to the class, but it wasn't like that at all.

What ruined my presentation:

1. No eye contact

- I basically looked at the sheet of paper I had the whole time.

2. Using 'like'

- 'like' is a bad habit that I have picked up on, and it's a challenge to stop saying it.

3. Being completely nervous

-I was so nervous that I made the book sound boring and that people wouldn't like it.. but it's totally opposite!

The list could probably continue.

I couldn't see my face as I was presenting, but I'm pretty sure I was beat red.

(if you are interested in this book, it's called The Mind's Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers by Henri Cartier-Bresson)

from the nervous presenter,

ashleycoppolino

Inhale, Exhale and Repeat.

The average person takes a breath 28,800 times a day.

Give or take if that person's heart rate increases.

Lately, I've been reminding myself to breathe, because this world is too much to inhale for me.

I can't take it. Basically, my life is coming to crumbles, and I feel it.

I mean, here's the reality: Go to school, take care of my brother, make dinner, do homework, do things around the house, barely sleeping due to my brother, getting up the next morning and repeating my day. And somewhere in there, I have to breathe.

Breathing is very important because it keeps oxygen for your body to use. Personally, I feel like the oxygen has ran out and i constantly have to find more.

I'm overly tired, I'm piled with work and I've been trying to help others and not be greedy with wanting help in return.

The guidance counselor and social worker in school keep telling me that there's always going to be stress in the life of a teenager, but they keep telling my to breathe. I inhale, exhale and repeat.

In the meantime, I'll be trying to take deep breaths and continue slaving for this world I live in.

-ashleycoppolino