This series by SPU Falcon Photographer Emily Morehouse is taken from similar perspectives. Does these pictures convey an emotion to you? Can you pinpoint why? What effect do the photos perspectives have on you?

Photo by Trey Ratcliff

To create a high dynamic range photo, the photographer combines 3+ photographs, all the same shot, only at varying shutter speeds. Combining these in photoshop creates a photo saturated in detail. The effect in the photo is a hyper-reality look, and among photographers, an argument over whether or not it is a legit form of photography, Decide for yourself.

For basic how-to for HDR photography click here

To visit Trey Ratcliff’s website for some more cool HDR pics click here

This is Michael Dudley, and I’ve been Highly Opinionated.

From my understanding, this exclusion is in order to create a safer, more comfortable environment for women to share with each other, perhaps for the first time, about topics taught by many Christians (and others) as shameful and taboo. This alleviates fear of being judged and stereotyped—two things men, and especially Christian men, excel at.

It’s intent is to strive for “open communication among the women of this campus about sexuality and wholeness. To allow, through open discussion and sharing, a basis for self-understanding, intentional relationships, and self-love.”

This is all fine and good.

But sex in the typical “Christian” definition is between men and women.  And is it not more logical and beneficial for men and women to be having these talks together?

Continuing the hush-hush nature negatively impacts sexual relationships when people finally get involved in them. Sex should be holy, not taboo.

I fully support the mission of this event, but I disagree with its execution. My frustration is not with the event, or the organizers, but with this whole system of shame and silence and exclusion that plagues religion and society. And it happens to be pronounced on our campus.

SPU should offer, in addition to women only and men only events, a comparable event for both genders to talk and share with each other.  After all, men and women have to have sex with each other at some point or another.

While I have been aware of the often publicized Let’s Talk About Sex since my freshman year, I have never been aware of an equally promoted and equipped panel for men and women to talk about issues of sexuality (maybe I’m uninformed…it wouldn’t be the first time).

Such segregation reinforces negative stereotypes of men as judgmental, sex obsessed, unable to understand, and ready to take advantage of women for their kicks, and that it is neither safe nor acceptable for women to converse with or confront men.

Yes, some men are misogynist apes, but not all.
Women and men should (at some point, before marriage) feel comfortable talking with each other about sex, their sexual needs, and their sensitivities.  Let’s Talk About Sex will hopefully empower women to be able to do so (again, I’ll never know, I have a penis and am hence unwelcome at said event).

Men need to hear how women are damaged by men, how men can better behave towards women, to be taught that women matter, how to place the needs of women before their own.

Men need to learn to listen and allow women to feel comfortable—a huge component of intimacy.  But how from behind closed doors?

The very fact that any women only feel safe or comfortable talking in an all women environment highlights the failures of our phallocentric, patriarchal society, and dare I say, religion.

I wish I could take part in the event to fully understand it.  I can only vicariously offer my support from my excluded vantage point, which I see as furthering the divide between men and women and their understanding of each other as sexual beings who deserve to be heard and respected.

If men and women cannot learn to comfortably converse about sexuality—the joy and pain, the heartbreak, the love, the abuse, the shame, and the beauty of real intimacy, physical and emotional—then how can men and women achieve that intimacy when the right time comes?  I suppose Lets Talk About Sex is a step, but we have a long way to go.

This is Michael Dudley, and I’ve been Highly Opinionated.

(Click on image to enlarge)

This photo from Falcon photographer Scott Strannigan was taken in Mukilteo Wa. It is a good example of Macro photography, the simple definition of which is taking close-up pictures.

 A variety of cameras from cheap to expensive will work to acheive this effect, many point-and-shoot digital cameras have a macro setting although SLR cameras work best. For basic information on macro photography click here. For information to get started taking your ownmacro photos click here.

Enjoy!

It has been a while since the last post (save SPJ winners). The blog is going in a different direction this quarter as I wasn’t receiving very many submissions.

So Thursday nights my photo staff and I are going to discuss a topic in photography (really whatever we want) and blog about it. Last Thursday night we talked a bit about long exposure photography. 

(Click on image to enlarge it) (And you really should enlarge this photo)

This photo was taken by Curtis Simpson IV in Santa Barbara by Underpass 155. The exposure time was 122 seconds with a 24mm lens, apperature setting 22, and  an ISO of 50.

The long exposure effect can be seen in the photograph where movement is blurred.

These kinds of photos mimic pinhole camera photographs. To learn how to make a pinhole camera click here!

Enjoy!

Laura Easley: First Place for Sports Photography

Curtis Simpson IV: Second Place for General News Photography

Shaun Mejia: Third Place for Features Photography

Photo courtesy of Applehouse Records

“Kitsap County sucks”

This is what you will hear from most people in their teens or 20s who live in Bremerton, Port Orchard, Silverdale, and other areas of the county. It’s okay for me to say this, I am a native to Kitsap County. (I do have a point to starting off the blog with this, just be patient.)

There really isn’t much to do in this area. The mall gets old really fast and…well I guess that pretty much somes up all there is to do. In the time I have spent in Kitsap County, I have spent much time following the local music scene. Most bands that play in the area tend to either tend to be enjoyable because of just how terrible they are or they are either simple adequate for listening. Though bands weren’t always terrible, there was not much to them other than they were local.

To me, that’s why Alligators was such a special band.

I know I’ve already written a blog about Alligators but given the circumstances and the 4 years of my life I have dedicated to following this band, I feel entitled for at least this final elegy. If you have never listened to or heard of Alligators and you are still reading I commend you and hope you will get something out of this, because this post isn’t just about the music.

Anyway, back to what I was saying. for me, Alligators was always set apart from the rest of the Kistap music scene. Their sound was bigger than our borders. It was easy to tell early on. While the popular thing to do was screamo, they were playing pop songs. They clicked with me right away. I remember sitting outside, suffering through multiple hardcore bands just to hear them play a short set of catchy songs at the first of their concerts I went to. The room was dark, it was very warm outside, and most people had been scared away by the screams and guitar wails of the opener bands.

That was 4 years ago.

Fast forward to March 27. The band is playing their last show at The Charleston on Callow Avenue in Bremerton, Washington. After two opening bands the delightfully sketchy venue is packed to see the headliners give their final bow. For their final show the band decided to go big and play every song they had ever written as a band.

This was, perhaps, one of the most nostalgic experiences of my life. Every few songs I would just exclaim “Oh my gosh I can’t believe they are actually playing this song, that’s from when they first started!” This all may seem ridiculous, I mean it was only 4 years of following them. For a bigger band, 4 years is a short amount of time but for a local band 4 years is a lifetime.

Alligators was the one band to come out of Kitsap County that I had most faith in to make it big. They weren’t just another “pretty good,” band. They were original. Pop music. No matter what prefix you put on it, whether it be Indie-pop or pop-rock or whatever, at the core they were a pop band. When I interviewed them last year they described their music as “interesting pop,” and I think that gives a pretty solid image.

At the risk of sounding like a cheesy moral lesson from a Disney movie, seeing the whole community come together for Alligators’ last hurah was really moving. It made me actually appreciate where I grew up, if even just for a moment. Just seeing the electic group. It wasn’t just the typical hipster, American Apparel, flannel crowd you usually see at Seattle shows. It was just real people dancing and singing along to every word of the band’s songs.

In the middle of the set a good friend of mine came up to me, grabbed my shoulder and shoke my hand and said, “Thank you. You were the one who introduced me to this band.” And he was truly sincere. Alligators meant a lot to people in Bremerton and the greater Kitsap area. Now that they’re gone I’m not sure what is left of the music scene there but it doesn’t really matter.

The band had a semi-official motto/catch phrase. “We are Alligators.” Again, not to sound like a Disney or Hallmark Channel moral lessons, I feel like that night at the Charleson we were all Alligators.

One night with Alligators from kitsap life on Vimeo.

Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers Records

Wobbly voice. Shirtless. Bizarre. These were some of my preconceptions of Devendra Banhart before attending his concert last Thursday night. And who could blame me? After listening to his albums “Rejoicing In The Hands” and “Nino Rojo,” along with most of the pictures of him floating around the Internet, it would be easy to think this.

To my surprise, Banhart’s performance was something totally different. His sound has evolved since those early records. It is no longer the modest acoustic guitar playing with shaky singing. Banhart is now more Rockabilly than psychedelic hillbilly.

I must confess, I have always been on the fence with Banhart’s music. Typically I sway more to thinking it is ridiculous but this show perhaps awoke the side of me that was partially intrigued by his sound. Playing with a full band added some more charm to songs. Much of the audience was provoked to move around and dance during the upbeat tracks.

Banhart’s singing has become a lot more approachable, yet still maintains the unique flavor he captured audiences with in his first albums. The Venezuelan folk rocker does not lack in stage presence. His eccentric movements while he sang matched his bizarre but endearing personality. Bringing his arms close to his chest and extending his fingers outward, he would sing with his eyes shut tightly and immersing himself in the music.

There was a small break in the set where Banhart took the stage and played acoustic guitar by himself. From my experience of going to shows, when the lead singer steps out to play by his or herself tends to be the most emotional and memorable part of the set. Strangely enough, at this show the acoustic segment was the weakest part. I was looking most forward to the acoustic songs because they were the medium I was most familiar with hearing his songs in. He openly noted he couldn’t remember the words to a lot of the songs people in the audience requested.

The new, livelier Devendra Banhart could be seen as selling out but in this case I think it is just evolution of his sound. He seems to have focused his music better. This psychedelic rockabilly mixture keeps Banhart unique without scaring people away. While I don’t think he should be a headliner like he was last Thursday at The Showbox at the Market, he could be a solid opening act for a larger act.

Junior Center Melissa Reich led the team with 17 points, a career high for her.

The Falcons came in on a 14 game winning streak. The big stat of the game was free throws. Fort Lewis was 23 of 30 at the line. SPU was just 5 of 8. The Falcons were whistled 23 times to 13 for the Skyhawks. I have not talked with head coach Julie van Beek yet, but that will be a major point of emphasis

Seniors Daesha Henderson, Megan Hoisington and Sydney Benson all have their careers come to an end. Henderson and Hoisington exit the program as one of the most successful Falcon classes ever.