Nikon D3300 creates vivid, crisp photographs with all ISOs, shutter speeds

   My third assignment in photography was supposed to be an easy one, but little did I know how difficult some aspects of it would be.

   I am accustomed to turning out halfway decent photos. As editor of three small daily newspaper staffs, I sometimes slip on my reporter’s hat, photographer’s vest or pick up my mouse and delve into layout and design. The third assignment in my Teaching Multimedia graduate course at Kent State University required me to pick up my camera and “circle the wagons” around various subjects using multiple techniques (shallow depth of field, stopped action, panned action, blurred action, wide depth of field, rule of thirds, silhouette, extreme perspective and extreme lighting) perform some basic photo editing, and create a slideshow and blog post.

Shallow depth of field

   I don’t typically think about such things as depth of field, blurred action and panned action. During my work, I do think about stopped action and wide depth of field – the most common and quickest photos to snap. Time constraints due to a small staff don’t allow me much time for creativity.

   

I had the most trouble with depth of field. Most of the time, I create depth of field shots without really thinking about it. During this assignment, I had to think about it – and it seemed complicated. I eventually photographed an image depicting shallow depth of field after about 40 attempts at getting it “just right.”

Stopped action

   I recently came into ownership of a Nikon D3300 camera and am learning its incredible capabilities. The ISO can go as high as Hi 1. I used ISO 12800 for outdoor nighttime photography (silhouette) and ISO 6400 for indoor high-action photography during this most recent assignment. While attending the Ohio-Miami (Ohio) NCAA Division I men’s basketball game yesterday (Feb. 20) in Athens, Ohio, I came away with some pretty eye-open

ing shots I never was able to snap with my seven-year-old Canon Rebel XSi. I began my journalism career as a sports writer and became accustomed to taking my own sports action photos. This part of the assignment was the most fun. Even though my camera is set for continuous burst, I found myself snapping an action shot or three, then stopping to take a look at what I captured.

Silhouette

 I also enjoy landscape photography, and this assignment gave me the opportunity to get outdoors and away from the four walls of my office. Astrophotography is also one of my interests, so being able to experiment with various ISOs and f/stops for the silhouette portion of the assignment was quite fun.

   Getting acquainted with my Nikon D3300 was probably the most difficult, yet this assignment helped me locate the many functions I will need to access for various types of photos. With my Canon Rebel XSi, changing the ISO, shutter speed and f/stops was quite simple. With the D3300, I have had to learn to press different configurations of buttons, in conjunction with other mechanisms, to get the desired shot/effect.

   This assignment has been beneficial in that I can now better relate to two camera models and their operations (Canon vs. Nikon). While both are virtually the same, there are minor differences. This will better enable me to incorporate photography into a multimedia class, should I ever get the opportunity to teach it.

Journalist begins multimedia journey as Kent State University graduate student

   Multimedia technology has been a game-changer in the world of journalism.
   Long gone are the days of typewriters, beat reporters, photographers, and even editors. In 2016, reporters must also be photographers, videographers, writers, editors, social media gurus - all rolled into one.
   As editor of three daily newspapers in southern Ohio and western West Virginia, I hope to teach my staff to become multimedia specialists to enhance their storytelling skills, as well as increase their job marketability.
   Consider two multimedia presentations on the Internet - one by The New York Times and another by the Los Angeles Times.

Screen shot of "Snow Fall" by The New York Times.

   The New York Times project titled, "Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek" incorporates video, interactive maps, animation and photo slide-shows that enriches the reading experience. "Snow Fall" tells the story of skiers and snowboarders trapped beneath an avalanche in Washington's Cascade Mountains.
   I want to be able to tell stories like The New York Times did with "Snow Fall." By taking this Teaching Multimedia graduate-level course at Kent State University, I hope to use what I will learn and take a huge step toward that goal, not only with my own staff, but young journalism students at the college level.
   The Los Angeles Times piece titled, "Audio slide show: A boy's struggles" is a much simpler storytelling format, but no less impactful. The photography and audio captured by Liz O. Baylen tells the story, in a little more than five minutes, of a boy disclosing a sexual assault by a pedophile school employee.
   I believe audio and photographs in a slide-show format are just as effective as video when it comes to telling our stories in multiple formats. It's not as involved as "Snow Fall," but it still does the job - and it's much quicker. This is something students and young journalists should be able to do rather easily.