Photo Story

The Parks of Corvallis

There are lots of parks in Corvallis, with lots of unique features. Whether your on a walk with your dog, a run with a friend or playing frisbee golf theres something for everybody. As community parks these are good places to gather and meet and theres almost always something going on at one of them. Below are some shots of Avery and Willamette Park and the people (and pets) that attend them.

Baldwin's Irish Setter, Mckenzie pauses from racing through the field for a quick photo. Mckenzie is a show dog (now retired) and enjoys her early morning walks through Willamette Park.

Meet Silas! An 8 week old puppy (who still isn't quite sure about the whole sitting-still-thing) Silas is a Hungarian breed called Kuvasz, and will one day follow in the footsteps of his ancestors as a sheep hearding dog (but his mom, Tracy says he still has awhile to go.) 

(From left to right) Zach Zimmers, Caleb Rygh and Zach Watson. These OSU students studying Environmental Engineering, Digital Communications and Mechanical Engineering spend a lot of their free-time here at Willamette Park's frisbee golf course on early mornings. 

Avery Park's infamous bone yard structure, one of the more unique parks here in Corvallis. 

The popular rose gardens at Avery Park in Corvallis are in full bloom, students and families alike enjoy this area. A great place for prom graduation and other photoshoots alike!

The Kings Valley Millstone is a landmark at Avery Park in Corvallis. This stone is originally from France but was shipped to New York in 1850 and was used for over 60 years. 

Week Ten

I honestly don't think this is the best photo I have taken for this class, but in terms of photojournalism I think this one fits better. (The best photo I think I took was the portrait shot posted previously in "Portraits and Mugshots".) I think it best reflects what I learned because it clearly shows the event. I was able to chat with these two ladies (Mary Lou and Helen, who asked me not to include last names) and got quite a bit of information from them. I've definitely gotten better with the camera itself, utilizing ISO and F-stops and manually changing settings to better the photo depending on the subject.

Heres a copy of my original 3 goals from the start of the term.


My three goals for this course are, one, to work on my interview skills and pairing my photos with a story or topic. Two, I would love to get a better understanding of angles and viewpoints when photographing people (mostly in a candid manner and less front and center headshots.) Lastly, I would like to practice more with backgrounds. Not necessarily staging them but being more aware of the positions and of my subject contrasted against whatever is going on in the back of the photo. I want my images to not just be one subject, but also show clearly the purpose of my subject (the topic or story.) 


Unfortunately I didn't really get a chance to work on pairing my photos with a story (although I could have, I had the information) I think I did a lot of different view points and angels and practiced different techniques with my shots. The backgrounds could definitely use some work, that being said I am a lot more aware of the environment outside of my subject and know what to look for and how to work with/ work out details. 

My neighborhood/ My Hometown

                                                                         "Imbrie Hall"
A landmark in and of itself, the Imbrie Hall and Cornelius Pass Roadhouse will always hold a special place in my heart. I grew up here. This was my very first job, and one that I continue to maintain today. I spent almost all of my time outside of school here working, and it became a traditional location for my friends and I whenever I visit.

"Reeser Stadium"

Football has always been a big part of my life and I've grown up watching games with my dad. This game was late in the season and I was able to get work off in order to attend the game with him. 

"Ladd Acres"

This is a photo I took of my brother in one of the recess pods at the elementary school I went to. I happened to capture my brother in the perfect moment as the sun went down. 

Action Photos

Medium: After some severe flooding in Corvallis last April, the Oregon State mens rowing team decided to host practice on the Trysting Tree golf course.

Overall: One of Oregon State University's rowers passes by the barn on the Trysting Tree golf course after the flooding on April 11th.

Close Up: One of Oregon State University's works on his speed at the Trysting Tree Golf Course during a practice last April.

Week Seven

For the My neighborhood/My hometown activity I actually wanted to photograph two different towns as I feel very torn between the two. First, I was going to photography Hillsboro, where I grew up. I will also photograph Corvallis where my dad grew up and where I currently live now. For Hillsboro I planned on photographing Mcmenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, my very first job and where I spent most of my time outside of school I basically grew up there, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. This would be my landmark shot. The next two would be done in Corvallis. For the activity or portrait photo I planned to go to the West dining hall on Oregon State Campus and ask one of the workers at EGBG's café if I may photography them. A lot of my time freshman year was spent in this café, and a lot of good happened there...but it also has links to some of my negative experiences as well. For my event or feature photo I planned to attend one of the baseball game in hopes of getting a shot of people entering the stadium. This will be the hardest shot as I work two jobs and it can be difficult for me to get time to go out and photograph.

My first idea for a photo story stems from the #hashtag "T1D Looks Like Me" This has been an ongoing social media trend that was started by JDRF a few years ago.  Being a Type 1 Diabetic myself, I have a close circle of friends who also share the struggle of having an autoimmune disease...not to mention that my twin brother is also diabetic. Growing up we all went to a camp for diabetics called Gales Creek, and through those connections many of us stayed in touch. A few of these friends live in Eugene or close(ish). I plan on contacting them and setting something up in order to do a story on the daily struggles that diabetics go through.  I also plan on mentioning this to my Endocrinologist as I have an appointment this week and possibly posting a flyer or giving her m contact information in order to get a more diverse group (including other ages.) This would be something I would continue with after this assignment, as I want to work with JDRF to help spread diabetes awareness. I have sent them an email explaining my idea. I would first begin with contacting my brother, and my friends Matia, Hailey, Hope and Cierra. I want to do portraits, including supplies and different diabetic-necessities. I want to highlight the color blue in all of my photos, as the symbol or T1D is a blue circle. I want the images to be more candid than posed, I want them to look natural as the whole point of this hashtag is that diabetics are just like everyone else. I want to try doing more environmental style portraits, so that not only they themselves are in focus but where the image was shot also tells a story.
My second idea for a photo story would involve the motorcyclists of Corvallis. In hopes to help spread awareness of bikers on the road. I'm part of a group on Facebook for Portland motorcyclists and would post an "ad" here in hopes of getting a few people to allow me to take their environmental portraits. I also have a few coworkers that I plan to ask as well. I would take their photos where they most often ride (preferably with different backgrounds for each person).

Free Shoot

Andrew Trappolis

Andrew is a media communications major graduating from Oregon State University this June! His current plans for after college involve moving out of state to Arizona where he just received his first job offer. Currently, Andrew works for the Pac 12 Network here on campus, but he looks forward to graduating and getting a more sustainable job.

Portraits and Mugshots

Sivan Fox

Sivan is an mechanical engineering student dual enrolled here at Linn Benton and Oregon State University. He plans to eventually use his degree to develop technology that will harness wave energy. In the meantime though, he goes to school full time and works a part time job at a sandwich shop downtown.