More Fun in the Santorini Sun...

As we wrap up or last week here on the island, I wanted to show you a few things that have kept us busy. Besides homework and daily work assignments!

We had a our long weekend break recently. A few of us took a ferry over to another island, Ios. It was a lot of fun! We traveled on our own (without the help of Peter..which we now do not take for granted at all!) and spend a night enjoying ourselves in another beautiful place. We were able spend the day on an actual sanded beach! We ate at a really fun pub just down the road from our hotel. The owner was actually our waiter and he loved us! He even gave us a few of his favorite drinks for free. We then spent the rest of the night playing games, cards, and enjoying each others company!

After the long weekend we had a really busy week. It was the  beginning of our last week, and we had classes, a LONG hike to the very top of Profitis Ilias (a mountain), another VERY long hike from the city of Fira to the city of Oia, a sunset shoot in Oia (where the sisterhood of the traveling pants movie was shot), a volcano trip...and a BBQ at the hotel with all of the students, professors, our host and his family, and everyone else who have helped make our trip so memorable.

I can't wait to actually show you all the pictures I have.. these are only a few and do not do the experience justice.

Post card view of Oia :)

But not a postcard...I actually took this and its really as beautiful as the real postcards make it look.

Old crazy Potter... :) SO MUCH fun. I successfully threw a bowl. 

Look Mom! This is the ferry we took back! I actually didn't mind this ride :)

The view from our Balcony in Ios! Shout-out to one of my besties Rachel Vosberg; Pelagos!!

Final Project :)

Our final project! Finally! :) It seems like we have been doing SO much work lately! But really, we have been quite busy; finshing up our daily assignments, our last major assignment, picking photos for our class slideshow, choosing photos to submit for the Gallery showing, printing photos for our wonderful host Marios, PLUS putting together this last assignment.

Not to mention, we've had our final lessons and oral exam for Greek this past week. We've been extremely busy! ...All while having fun though. We've also kept busy with day trips, our weekend excursions, LONG hikes, and many more exciting things.

Hopefully I'll be able to upload a few more blogs for you to read about all of that. But, for now I want to explain my final project for you.

This is how Tamara explained our project as we first began working:

For this assignment, we needed 30 images that would illustrate our perception of Santorini. They would need to be placed in an order that reflected a sense of narrative.

For each image, we needed to provide a title.(The text helps to bridge the gap between a narrative that is solely in the artist’s mind and one presented in the photographic image.)

Elements that we were to consider as we approached constructing our photo essay about the island of Santorini:

• The shapes (lines/patterns/textures/layers)
• The colors (in architecture/clothing/graffiti, etc.)
• The food (culture/restaurants/traditions)
• The landscape (geographical features, cityscape, rural)
• The people (faces that inhabit the island/characters of the story)
• The soul of the island
• Quality of light (at different times of day/different locations/the shadows and the light)
• The illusion vs. the reality of Santorini (its beauty vs. its darkness)

Considering this all together, we needed to figure our the story we most wanted to tell about the island and our experience of it. We were asked to call on our imagination in combination with raw lived experience in order to tell a story that would draw in our viewers. Keeping in mind as we constructed our photo essay how to create a sense of narrative progression as well as consider how color crafts a sense of cohesion.

We were also asked to put to work all the different elements that we’ve been working with across the past month in order to construct a sense of narrative/to shoot cinematically with an eye toward capturing moments worth freezing for eternity: rule of thirds; framing; composition; point of view (various camera angles—above, below, from eye level, from the subjective point of view); perspective (spatial relationship between objects, depth of field--aperture, establishing shots, long shots, medium shots, close-up, macro, use of various lenses if possible); capturing action (use of shutter speed for correct exposures); quality of light (to shape atmosphere and sculpt subject); correct and creative use of white balance; use of color (to create emotional impact and tension).

Sounds kinda tough right? Well, it wasn't easy! That's for sure. I'm not even sure I did it right :( BUT, I will explain to you the story/theme that I tried to create; My experience here on the island that I wanted to share with you..

I choose to do a daily life type of photo essay. Why? Well, I've been "living" here for a month and it began to feel like a new home after a while. I wanted you to see my life here; the things that I saw, the things that made me feel at home, and the similarities between (my) life here and life an entire world away from here...I had a daily routine, (like I do back home), I encountered many of the same people every day, I woke up in the same bed, went to the same grocery store, spent my free time with my Santorini family; it became home for a while. I felt comfortable, safe, and part of a community. After a while, I wasn't just another tourist here for a vacation. People on the boardwalk recognized us, greeted us, and always asked how we were doing. (And how much time we had left!.) I think you get what I'm saying!

So, I start this photo essay with what I feel is a strong image..one that creates for you a new life and takes you through what could be a day, a week, or even a lifetime, at home; not just some beautiful vacation destination. As it closes, I hope that you get a sense of what life here in Greece is like; Probably very close to your day back in your home but also special in the same ways you find home special to you.

The last photo may seem a bit odd to you, but I felt that the older style, flannel, night wear could help you create a sense of age from the first photo to the last.

Just follow this link...