International Tea

Here at E.Moore Hall the IEP (Intensive English Program) has brought together the University and it's international students for a tea party.

There are many teas from many different countries as there are people and we all can come together in harmony.

Memories are in the making as well as new friendships.

Nasser Al-Harbi ,an IEP student, enjoys the tea party because he gets to meet people and hopes there will be more activities like this one.

There was different types of cookies, lemon slices, honey, sugar, different teas, milk, fruits, and coffee. Osama Altayab, another IEP student, said, " The best part was the Arabic tea!"

Overall the International Tea was a successful event during Diversity week. It brought together different cultures and allowed new friendships.

The IEP program helps students from different countries to learn English and communications. They sponsor the conversation partners which is where students help the international students with the transition into college and America. The 30th Anniversary of IEP was Monday, October 18th, 2010. 

If you're interested in helping IEP or being a conversation partner, please look it up on the WVU site. They'd love to have more students involved!

Take care and hope you enjoyed,

Stephanie

Could this make Wine?

I'm not sure why the wall was growing yellow, but it was and I loved it. The yellow dusting the wall and the vines growing over the wall with its blue berries was just phenomenal. If only it was grapes, we could have an old fashioned wine tasting.Enjoy!

Gazing Through the Grass

I love ruins and this falling apart wall is no exception. The season is looking beautiful too with the color variations, but don't let the sky fool you! It was very nippy on Saturday when I took this.

Meet My Little Friend...

I'd like to call him Wooly. His a gorgeous black and brown stripped "worm". Wooly practically ran away from me when I was trying to get his picture, but he couldn't escape. He lives in a lower level of living, if you know what I mean? The grass is his limit. Hope you find him as adorable as I did. :)

Got Mail?

I was at a family reunion this past weekend and decided to go for a walk and show you a bit of the "middle-of-no-where" parts of West Virginia. This is someones mail box. It had a spot for what appeared to be bird's nests on each side of the mail box. I also loved the different coloring the season was making. I'll be posting more pictures from my walk if you want to look. Take care,

Stephanie

I wish I was a Tree...

This was a picture I took when I was out walking in Downtown Morgantown, WV. Someone had left his or her newspaper in his or her "garden" area. I hope you find this as interesting as I did.

Thanks for stopping by,

Stephanie

All Down to Morgantown

This picture was taken near the top of one of the many hills in Morgantown, WV. It's to represent people without people. As you can see there are shoes hanging off the telephone wires from many of the college students of WVU. I thought sepia brought more of a feel to the picture and put the viewers in the right place. I find the picture amusing as there is much walking to be done in Morgantown yet the students are putting their shoes a bit too high to use on the move.
Hope you enjoy,

Stephanie

Growing Over Restrictions

Here is one of my pictures that represent people without people. This attracted me because of how the dandelion was growing out from the plastic wiring. To me it makes a statement about over coming obstacles. Also it had a feeling of isolation, because it was the only one in the yard. In the background you can make out a kids playground and houses. It seems the "perfect" home, but there's something more if you open your mind.

Destruction, Ruins,... Porn?

I apologize for not posting for awhile. I didn't realize I hadn't posted my ideas up yet until looking on my blog today. Please forgive me, it's been overly hectic in my life and I wish certain people would just let me rest. But this isn't about my life condition but Ruin Porn.

Ruin porn is pictures taken of "garbage", falling down buildings, and just disintegrating things.

The pictures are stimulating to the eyes but according to people nothing more than lazy journalism and just pleasing to see. In my opinion Ruin Porn could serve a deeper purpose if the journalist worked with it instead of letting it do all the work. There are important issues that Ruin Porn can address like our economy.

Feel free to leave your ideas!

I'll be posting very soon. I have some pictures to share.
take care =)

Noah-Direct Sun Light

Noah sat in Stalnaker Hall first floor, thinking about his meeting at 2 with some friends.

Noah J. Basden

(Noah looks through the picture family book thinking about how he could take pictures like the ones in the book in University Libray)

Noah is a nineteen year old man who resides in Morgantown,WV as he has his whole life. 'I've been through that phase,' he replied when I asked him if he wanted to move away from Morgantown. He works a clerk job at Express Mart while studying to major in Psychology at WVU. He enjoys comedy and hopes to put that into his psychology to cheer others up and ease the situation.

Noah enjoys taking pictures of his friends and family, capturing life experiences. He felt shy as I was taking pictures of him, used to being behind the lens and not the one being observed. He tried to be helpful to me by listening to the few directions I gave and opinons I asked of him. I admit I felt strange directing someone at first.

When he was taking my pictures I felt strange at first because I don't like people taking my pictures because I lack the comfortable feeling in it, but soon I felt a little more at ease as he joked and laughed. It was a strange experience but a good one because after trying it once I feel more comfortable to do it again.

I hope you like the sunlight pictures of Noah. The one above is nondirect sunlight.

Stuck

Look.

Can you see,
is it life fading
or slowly starting.
is it a downfall
or uprise.

Vivid?

Black.

Can wings really fly?

or is it an illusion
where we're stuck
without a way to move
to the place our dreams
can finally breathe.

Handmade Crafts

Merry Christmas from Treasure Mountain Festival!

Great Balls of Fire

It was smoking at Treasure Mountain Festival!

Oh No! Balto!

Treasure Mountain Festival.

Old fashioned cars+ demented humor= Picture!

Apple Butter

Manual Troubles???

If you're like me and haven't used a manual camera and now find yourself struggling to learn, maybe this site will give you a hand! :

http://www.shutterbee.thinkrandom.com/

The site allows you to practice changing shutter speed and aperture, and also take "pictures" online without wasting film. I'm working on using manual so if anyone else needs a hand, I hope this helps!

Take care,

Stephanie

To Come..

This weekend I'm going home to Pendleton County, WV. It is Treasure Mountain Festival and I'm hoping to get some pictures in along with fried oreos (delicious!). Treasure Mountain Festival is the biggest festival in our county. Normally we have many people but the past couple years have died down on crowds. This doesn't stop the people who come from having a good time. There is kettle corn, funnel cakes, contests, and crafts to keep everyone happy. The craft barn holds many sellers who bring handmade items such as soaps, toys, jewelry, and foods. If you love natural beauty and mountains then you should come by the county any time. Seneca Rocks is a great hiking or rock climbing place and there are caves all over the county to explore.

I can't wait to taste some festival foods and snap away at the beautiful scenes!

Welcome to Pendleton County,

Stephanie <3

Ah!!!

I went downtown this weekend proudly wearing the camera around my neck. I felt overjoyed and happy, noticing things everywhere. ALERT! That's what my eyes seemed to be saying to everything they saw. I need to learn alot more about the camera, but I'm getting use to having the camera with me, it's nice. Also I had fun taking pictures and feel I have some nice ones, but I'm having trouble uploading them here! As soon as I figure out how to, I will, and I hope everyone likes them! It was alot of fun to take, and I hope you all can take your cameras out and have fun too.

Stephanie =)

Dead?

Last class we read about the death of photojournalism. He asked us to think upon it and we even discussed it in class. The we he saw it was as a new begining. There are more things to do this turn of the century and you have to be more skilled. I agree, it seems to be dying, but it doesn't mean people who have that gift die. There is more for them to do and more ways for them to use his or her skills to give a story. I do hope that people become more intrested in truth than the lastest celeb gossip however intresting it is.

Photojournalism.

Maybe it's dead as a whole, but there's a piece for people to grab and put back in to the world.

Inspiration?

Sometimes laughter is just the cup of tea to warm myself up and feel alive; waken the will to be the artist. I feel myself coming more and more into myself, getting the urge to create and of course think.


I'm going to try and explore this weekend to get in touch with my camera as well as writing poetry again. To me poetry is something that you have to feel and then it will come out. I'm getting that sense of wanting to share my voice, and hopefully I'll be sharing something with you that you will enjoy and might inspire you. 


Many things can inspire, even the idea of inspiration can inspire, the idea of doing something can excite the will to do it, and of course I'm thinking too deeply yet again into ideas and thoughts. 


If you have anything that inspires you, set it free, and share with the world. It's good to inspire each other, it leads dreams to existence.

Photojournalism-1st Day

It's been a week since my first day of Photojournalism.

Not to say I'm lazy, but rather thinking of what to say, for there is so much to think upon in that first day. In the moment when you realize what's happening in that class, is this where you want to be, and more importantly, just where is this?

Of course we covered the typical first day of class syllabus. Almost always boring and yet it is those pieces of paper that bring together the action that will soon be coming. It's funny how the mind can wonder into the future and spring ideas of what to do, but will we ever do them?

I have so many ideas bouncing about that I do not know where to begin, but only it will begin and there is plenty to be done.

We watched a documentary called W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult. I admit it was hard to keep from crying. The amount of emotions in the film is phenomenal, but it is the story that captivates. Here was a documentary about a man, who was most likely insane, but still he made a difference, he brought truth to people, and it saved lives. During the film I felt inspired and started thinking about all the misunderstandings and all the mistakes made in the world today. We don't view the other side, we don't see the facts, the cold hard truth, that there are others out there in pain, that are just like us, who we could save.

For years now we've been at war, looking out for ourselves, and some would say for others. What if there was someone brave enough to go out there and show the world the effects, the dead bodies, the torn apart families, how places have become demolished, what if someone could change that. I hope I can some how make a difference in the world. I hope that maybe some day I can show the world more than one view, and everyone could be more understanding.

Just think, someone has done it before. All it takes is courage, patience, and to him, a camera.