This photo was shot with my Nikon Digital camera and then I added a filter from Instagram to add a bit of clarity and starkness.

Dad and I at Castlewood Park.

 Update:

Some tips on taking better photos…

• It can take a while to get the perfect shot it all depends on the location and the lighting.
• Try to carry a few cameras and lights, you never know when you might need them.

• Macro lenses give really tight blurry pics
• 28mm lens is one every photographer should have as well as a wide angle lens.
• Don’t use the flash that comes on a camera or pops up. This makes everyone flat.
• Try and shoot from 4-6 PM.

• Your shutter will control the ambient light
• Aperture will control indoor light
• The F-Stop is quality of light

• Shooting on overcast days are easier

Kevin Goldberg had an insightful and ever-necesary presentation this week about the most common mistakes committed by young journalists.

1- Gluttony: Fair use is not an excuse.

2- Greed: There is no reporter’s privilege.

3- Sloth: “To hell with getting it first, get it right.”

4- Lust

5- Pride: Make a clarification if necessary.

6- Envy: Just because its online, does NOT mean its fair use.

7- Wrath: Q: What would a normal person do? A reasonable expectation of privacy.

The presentation by Joy Suh was quite informative.  I’ve been a student as GMU for almost four years and I’m sorry to say I had no idea how in depth the research capacity of this school was.  Younger students should definitely check out http://library.gmu.edu/.

For residents of Northern Virginia, what a difference five days make. Temperatures were so frigid on January 24th that the campus of George Mason University offered a makeshift skating rink.

In less than a week, accumulated snow has been replaced with clear skies and mild temperatures.

An uncharacteristically warm end to 2013’s first month has many Northern Virginia residents pleasantly surprised and itching to spend some time outside.

Giuliana Reynolds, sophomore at George Mason University in Fairfax, said the warm up put her in a better mood, “I feel free and alive when the weather turns warm, like I’m born again,” Reynolds said.

Many other students on campus were spending much more time outside as well.  Students were seen eating meals, socializing, and even throwing a Frisbee around.  Reynolds seemed to convey the thoughts of many proclaiming, “I vastly prefer the warmer weather over the cold,” she said.