Senior Speech

As our senior year rapidly comes to a bitter-sweet end, it is important too cherish the time we have here together; while preparing ourselves for the step ahead. College will soon drag us into a new world where everything may seem uncomfortable and different. We will adjust, like we did here at North Broward. Of course, everyone should remember the times we've spent here; but without dwelling on the past too much. It's important that we take lessons we've been taught and challenges we've overcome and use those as a pedastool entering the crazy college life. Don't party too hard and good luck everyone!

Bradley A. Blizzard

PLN #6

Leaving YOUR Mark

          As we all set forth to essentially enter a "new life" wherever we might travel next year, it is important to leave our marks on our communities; if we haven't already. Believe it or not, I intended to leave my mark using my photography business and talent. From creating my photo business using online social networks, (Facebook.com/BBlizzardPhoto, www.bblizzardphoto.com, etc.), to teaching others all I can about photography at NBPS, I have helped people who share the same interest as I do but need a little help reaching their full potential. This year, I was nominated for a Silver Knight Award given by the Miami Herald for precisely that, helping the community. As I go to college studying photography, I hope I am fortunate enough to find someone to help me improve in what I do. Then, I can do the same later on. Incorporating a business aspect to my work was probably the hardest part of what I do. Handling money, advertising/promoting, and recruiting other photographers are just a couple examples of the business that comes with creating and managing a professional photography business.

  

PLN #5

Building a Portfolio

          One of the most exciting things a photographer gets to do is show off his/her work to others. This is a time where, like all artists, get to receive feedback from outside sources. Receiving feedback can either be a very exciting thing, or something you wish you never heard. Though negative feedback can result in anger and giving up, it is important not to think about it too much. It might sound cheesy but don't let negative feedback anchor you down too much. When previewing your work to others, it is probably best to expect the worst. One thing I have learned about feedback is that those who are inthralled with your work will always ask to see more. Personally, receiving negative feedback on anything, not just photography, does not usually bother me due to the confidence I have in my work and what I have done.

           When building a portfolio, it is important to include personal favorites and crowd pleasers. I like to throw in a equal mix of both. Below are a couple of my photographs which you can often find in my exclusive portfolio.

*Crowd Pleaser* Published in the Atlantic Ave. Magazine

*Personal Favorite* My hometown, Washington D.C

 

*Personal Favorite* 

"I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better." Elon Musk

PLN #4

Event Photography

Photographing important events is one of my personal favorite things to do. Concerts, sporting events, and celebrity charity events are a couple of my most commonly photographed events. Above is a photograph I took of DJ Girl Talk performing before thousands of fans in West Palm Beach, FL. The largest event I ever photographed was the 2013 Presidential Election of Barack Obama. (Below) Preparing to shoot important events is often overwhelming for some people, but I find it exciting and interesting. You must make sure extra batteries are charged, memory cards are empty, and camera lens' are easy to access. When I shoot big events and far from my subject, I often use larger lens' and move as close as I can to the subject. For more artistic shots, I like to use wide-angle lens' and/or a fish eye lens to get a more distorted/interesting look. 

(800,000 - 1 million people present)

PLN #3

Studio Lighting

When one wants to expand their photographic talents to a more intuitive, and defiant level, studio work may be the key to unlocking personal levels in the art. Shadows, brightness, intensity, and positioning are all major factors when taking pictures in a studio. There are many different techniques used by professionals, but it is most important to figure out what works for you. Yes, a reflector is recommended to even out the light on the other side of a face, but for a more dramatic look, I often use one single light. 

I first started using studio lights when NBPS received a brand new professional studio. After being intrigued by the preparation used to get a noteworthy photograph using a studio, I ordered one myself; which I still use today. When one looks at any kind of photograph, the first thing one might not think of is how the work is done to make it look the way it does. Photographers pay attention to every little detail.   

PLN #2

How to Protect Your Copyrighted Work

When one is involved with taking pictures, there is always that sense of security when it comes to protecting your own artwork. Not only do copyrights help protect artwork from impersonators, but is also used as a promotion technique. As photographers turn professional, there is a need for attention towards their work. Due to positive criticism, photographers gain confidence which allows them to expand their focus as they gain a broader audience. Believe it or not, it is vital for photographers to have confidence going in to photo shoots. As most things, you must believe your time is spent wisely and have a good attitude in order to perform at the maximum level. When I began my photography business (BBlizzardPhoto,) I immediately added "water stains" to my photographs after older photographers encouraged me to do so. Finding an appropriate location to post a water stain is an important factor to how one should protect copyrights to an image and promote the photographers work. When photographs are posted with water stains on the bottom, corners, or too small of text, it is simple for editors to crop out the water stain or completely erase it using Photoshop. Never post a water stain with the opacity too low and too high, about 40% opacity is perfect for making the text visible, without getting in the way of the beauty of the artwork.

Trimester II Exam Essay

Bradley Blizzard

Tri. II Exam

February 26, 2013

Option II: The Men I Ambushed

Tim O'Brien, the author of "The Things They Carried, obsesses about his memories from his own experience in Vietnam. Though O'Brien contradicted his ability to tell stories in "To Tell A True War Story", his ability to remember most (if not all) events from the war is not very common due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] among veterans. Without leaving out any detail, O'Brien tries to explain his dramatic experiences to his daughter, Kathleen, in the story "Ambush." In the story "The Man I Killed," O'Brien creates a storyline to the young man who was blown up by O'Brien's grenade. Putting a name to the man's obliterated face was important to O'Brien, even though members of his platoon were acting "insensitive" towards the bloody killing.

"Someday, I hope, she'll ask again. But here I want to pretend she's a grown-up." O'Brien explained, "I want to tell her exactly what happened, or what I remember happening, and then I want to say to her that as a little girl she was absolutely right. This is why I keep writing war stories:" In the beginning of "Ambush," O'Brien's daughter Kathleen is too young to understand the struggle which her father encountered during the war. In his attempt to explain to her his entire story of My Khe, O'Brien reinvents the image in his head of when his platoon moved into the ambush site. Speaking in the first person, the overwhelmed veteran described how he noticed a young soldier come out of the fog on the sketchy trail. Wearing an ammunition belt, the soldier steadily walked down the trail on his sandals before noticing a grenade bounce in front of him. He then dropped his weapon and began to sprint away from the exploding metal while covering his head. Boom! He was blown up while O'Brien began to feel guilt. Throughout the story, O'Brien takes direct responsibility for the death. Whereas he avoids confronting the boy's death directly in "The Man I Killed."

While describing the gruesome death of the boy who O'Brien killed, he began to create a background story for what he thinks the boy's life was like before the war. He suddenly transformed from an opposing soldier to a young boy. O'Brien felt a need to come to terms with death, he began to reflect on the boys life which he ended. While observing the boy's "untouched" nose, O'Brien couldn't keep his eyes off of him. He also began to imagine that the boy studied at the University of Saigon in 1964. Obsessing over his eye that looks like a star-shaped hole, Kiowa insists that the company will move out before covering the body. He says that O'Brien seems to be feeling better, but will only talk about the boy's eye and the rest of the dead body. Coming to grips with the young boy who he killed was not easy for O'Brien and still is not to this day. "Later, Kiowa said, 'I'm serious. Nothing anybody could do. Come on, Tim, stop staring."

Though Tim has made his first enemy kill known, which might be good news to the U.S Army, he continues to be forever scarred by the life he has taken. He remembers details from the day, which has haunted him since. The memories have gotten inside his head so much that he begins to "see things differently." When an event, like this one, causes emotional harm, it is hard for one not to let the story get the best of them. Yes, killing is never a good idea to think about, but O'Brien's head is so emotionally damaged that whatever he thinks even happened that day, must be true in his mind. It is common that soldiers suffer from PTSD when there service time is up, I believe that it is then the governments responsibility to protect and help those veterans who need it. They have fought and risked their lives for their nations freedom, it is only right that they receive treatment.

Little do I know about the topic of putting myself into someones shoes who has killed another, I believe that Tim's reflections on the war are not something that his family should be necessarily worried about. Yes, Tim may be reflecting on negative memories, but he's living in a mind set that will not let him forget about what he has done. In the stories "Ambush" and "The Man I Killed," O'Brien describes his first killing experience and how he deals with this mind set of killings. In "The Man I Killed," he distances away from the solider while telling his story, mostly because of his daughter, Kathleen.