the MARK
555 Middlefield Road, Atherton, CA Volume V, Issue V APRIL 2015
Menlo-Atherton High School
- Alfred Stieglitz “
“In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.”
“
Photography Ryan Jacquemet
Editors-in-Chief
sara solomon
Katie Webb
Francesca Gilles
Gabe Cohen
news editor
ian robinson-lambert
op-ed editor
molly kearnan
sports editor
sami andrew
letter from the editors
Dear Readers,
Nina fox
features editor
sofia bergmann art editor
a&e editor
sabina vitale
staff
Caraline albro
ryan cole
kristin cwirla
sarah dairiki
tara fahimi
eliza fitz
kate flanagan
katie moffitt
theresa siri
joanna vollrath
Katrina Wijaya
adviser: Betsy Snow
Not to generalize or anything, but almost everyone can agree that we live in an image-driven society. Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat -- many moments in the day are accompanied by a picture, whether it’s a professional portrait or an impromptu snapshot. In this kind of a world, where we prefer to absorb beauty through images rather than words, it seemed fitting to make one of our six (six!) issues entirely dedicated to photography. The editors-in-chief are proud to present the inaugural photography edition of The Mark This year has been one of many changes. The Mark is a fluid publication; we strive to evolve with the times and the trends. In this issue, we decided to completely deviate from the norm and indulge the thirst for visuals that we all seem to possess. The content? It’s come largely from you, M-A’s resident photographers. We’ve put together a few categories that you have filled with the best and brightest pieces of your work. You’ll find the usual suspects, like landscapes and portraits, but you’ll also find a selfie section, opinionated photographers butting heads over the merits of digital versus film, and tutorials for beginners. You’ll see whether or not a picture is actually worth a thousand words and how your peers wake up in the morning. We want to celebrate you, the M-A student body, by honoring your work and creativity. This is your magazine. This is your Mark. We hope you take a peek, and appreciate the work your friends and classmates have done. After all, nothing we could ever write would encompass the depth of a single photo.
Enjoy!
Sara, Katie, Francesca, and Gabe
A special thank you to digital photography II students: zoe hafter-manza, ydalise jacob, alex jin, bella lopez, jackie lopez, julia moreton, and elana schulman
about the cover
This self-portrait is by Julia Moreton. She explains that this “portrays how someone seems to fade into the background but in reality their true character is vibrant and beautiful. Jaya Blanchard painted my face and I photographed myself against a dark background to blend in.”
e Mark
high mark//low mark
From low to high (L-R), The Mark staff ranks recent events.
M-AKing Fashion H15tory prama (prom drama)
menlo park train crossing incidents -3 . . -2 . . -1 . . 0 . . 1 . . 2 . . 3 0 + + +
Smarter Balanced Testing
Orchestra went to Carnegie hall
Digital Art Kasey Love
Bite by Bite...
Photography Kasey Love
Photography Alex Jin
DIGITAL FILM VS.
A SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON OF PHOTOGRAPHY'S TWO MOST POPULAR MEDia
The Case for The Case for FILM DIGITAL
by Nina Fox
Let’s get a couple things straight: I am not saying that film is always better, nor am I saying that I am against digital photography. I believe that film photography helps develop vital skills for any photographer.
Because of an unfortunate incident regarding my DSLR and a swimming pool, I have been left to work with film for the past two years. I luckily was already familiar with the medium because of a Hillview Middle School elective, darkroom photography.
Film allows for trial and error in a way that digital photography cannot fully offer. Of course there are ways to experiment with digital, but the automatic setting is always a convenient backup. With a fully manual film camera, the mechanics are clearer. The photographer is forced to think about every picture. If you are being mindless with your photos, you will end up $20 poorer with a roll of uninteresting or otherwise useless garbage. It’s the mindfulness of film photography that I am advocating for. Everyone can take a quick iPhone snapshot, except maybe my mother, but it’s the ability to create the image in someone’s head that makes an artist.
Along with having the hip aesthetic we all crave, film pictures can be more fun! It’s always a surprise how the pictures turn out, and sometimes the whole roll is the surprise. When you get the film back, then you can determine what techniques worked and what didn’t.
However, the surprises are not always pleasant. The picture you were most excited about, too dark. The long exposure you planned, too bright. The double exposure, lined up awfully. Oh, the tragedies of film! Light leaks, blank rolls, and wrong settings. They are downright depressing, but it’s failures like these that we never forget.
My experience with film has transformed my art for the better, and I know that I could never have gotten where I am with digital alone.
Bby Ian Robinson-Lambert
ecause of their convenience, large array of features, and widespread availability, digital cameras have skyrocketed in popularity since their introduction at the end of the 20th century. I haven’t used much film photography lately, but I distinctly remember using a film camera when I was much younger. The memories that really stand out are having to take the film roll out of the camera, give it to my parents, and have them drive it over to the camera store on Santa Cruz Avenue to have it developed. Then, a few days later, I would get the pictures back in a nice clean envelope. It seemed convenient at the time because I didn’t know anything else.
Looking back, the film way seems archaic. Now, you can snap a photo with a DSLR camera (digital single-lens reflex camera) and it appears instantly wherever you want it: in the cloud, on your computer, or in physical form if you pay a little extra. I’m not including smartphones when I talk about digital photography because, even though they are technically digital, there are enough differences between smartphones and DSLRs that it would constitute an entire second comparison. Using a DSLR instead of a film camera, you can adjust exposure, tint, brightness, and color, or you can ignore all of it and use the sainted “Auto” mode that does nearly everything for you. The images are sharp and clear, and digital cameras tend to handle better in situations where there isn’t a lot of light. There is also a grainy quality that shows up in film photographs that is noticeably absent when you use digital.
Of course, there are some downsides -- digital cameras tend to be more expensive than their film counterparts and there is certain amount of intimacy in being able to develop your own photos that you can’t get with digital -- but ultimately I believe that digital photography is best for those who want a high-quality, convenient photo experience.
by Eliza Fitz
Ask a photographer how he peels potatoes, and he’ll tell you he peels them inversely to see the potatoes in a way few people have seen them before. Ask a Buddhist how he peels potatoes, and he’ll tell you by simply peeling potatoes (as the saying goes).
A few weeks ago, The Mark staff was assigned to take three photos over the weekend to share with the class as an exercise before creating this issue. I left with a vision of myself presenting the most glorious blade of grass, the most exquisite set of eyes, my dog with his all-consuming cuteness, perfectly captured, to the class the next Monday.
I began to notice how this person’s eyes flicked upwards at the sides of his face, how this tree’s limbs sprawled out in a jagged labyrinth in the air, and how arugula sprouts cast ghoulish shadows. But I found I was spending all of my time daydreaming about the thing in front of me in a frame or on Mrs. Snow’s projector, instead of looking at it and admiring it as it is, not in a frame but in real life.
If photography is the art of observation (which shows through in the M-A students’ work featured in this issue), I need to find a way to be in the photographer’s frame of mind, but just peel the potatoes at the same time.
“How the sun shines through it, if I’m happy when I look at it -- that’s how I decide what to shoot. You have to think about what you want your viewer to see first. Also what mood you want your photo to have. If I want it to be happy, I won’t make it blurry or dark,” said M-A photographer Sally Stevens. “And it’s pretty to have a sunset, but everyone’s seen that sunset before. I will physically move myself [to get the image I want], or just move on if I don’t get the image I want.” So it is about capturing something, a mood or a feeling, then moving on.
a whole new perspective
photography student reaches new heights.
by Sarah Dairiki
From recently earning his Commercial Pilot License to becoming a professional aviation photographer and being published in multiple aviation publications, Menlo-Atherton senior Michael Mainiero has only just started living his dream.
As Mainiero always had a passion for mechanical objects and handson work, he became interested in planes at a fairly young age. “When I was 13 years old my mom and I visited [the Hiller Aviation Museum]. She found a brochure advertising a youth flying program run by the Experimental Aircraft Association. The program has volunteers who provide free flights for students ages 8 to 17, and I was able (with some “gentle” prodding and annoyance) to convince my mom to let me go up for a flight. I was hooked from that point on.”
Mainiero has been spending all of his time with planes since that moment, flying whenever he has free time. Now, as an 18-year-old, his most recent accomplishment has been earning his Commercial Pilot License, which gives him the ability to fly passengers and be paid to do so. Mainiero says the process of earning a pilot’s license is doable, but “one must be fully committed both mentally and financially to be ultimately successful.” The procedure to earn a pilot’s license is not as easy as it may seem. “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires a minimum of 40 hours, which includes 20 hours with an instructor, at least 10
solo, and many other prerequisites. A 60-question multiple choice test must be taken and your final examination, what we call a checkride, is a 3 to 5 hour test which includes a 1 to 3 hour ground oraladministered test followed by a 1 to 2 hour flight practical test,” says Mainiero. Flying a plane is also relatively expensive, which is why one must be, like Mainiero says, committed financially. Aviation fuel can cost between five and seven dollars a gallon, and with insurance, maintenance, and other expenses, people pay 100 to 170 dollars just for the plane. For a flight instructor, prices are 60 to 90 dollars per hour, and there is also a cost for pre- and post-flight briefing and debriefing.
Despite the high cost flying entails, Mainiero flies whenever possible, flying multiple days a week. However, unlike normal weekdays where people go about the same routine every day, Mainiero claims that there is never a “typical” day of flying. Most of his recent flying has been training oriented due to his work towards earning his Commercial Pilot License; however, Mainiero claims that depending on the intent of the flight, he may be up in the air flying for “as short as 45 minutes” or “as long as four or five hours.”
When thinking about his future, Mainiero is certain he wants to pursue a career related to aviation. “There are not many careers that pay you to look out of a window all day while having fun! There are pros and cons to career
in aviation, but for me it is a heavy duty passion that provides a drive that counters most cons,” says Mainiero. He also loves the adrenaline flying provides him with. “Flying is being in control, while doing what seems to be something out of control. Adrenaline for the typical high schooler might include going to Six Flags or Great America and riding roller coasters all day. Yes, there is some fun in that [...] you go upside down and what not, but one is not in direct control of the ride.” Mainiero has the skills to have his plane do maneuvers in the air that are perceived by the human eye as unnatural, as he can “pull between two and three times the number of G-forces than a roller coaster, and roll around at three times the rate.” This leads to “the plane tumbl[ing] tail over nose” and having the potential to “slide backwards at upwards of 40 miles per hour.” This aerobatic type of flying is something Mainiero loves to perform. “Nowhere else can you do such a wild gyration of maneuvers. It lasts [a while] too. A roller coaster might be a minute and a half. This ride lasts 30 minutes straight.”
Mainiero states that at times he feels overwhelmed by his multiple activities, as he wants to spend as much time flying as possible while trying to maintain good grades in school. However, Mainiero is capable of fitting everything in due to him only having “four classes, three of which are academic” at school. Because of this short schedule, Mainiero
is able to leave at the start of lunch every day, which provides him with the opportunity to spend more time flying. “I do miss a fair amount of school due to time conflicts,” states Mainiero, “but I always make sure to be excused prior to each event.” After leaving school, Mainiero drives straight to the airport, where he has lunch at the Sky Kitchen Cafe. He eats with a group of pilots who “alone may have 30,000 to 60,000 plus hours” of flying. As an 18-year-old pilot himself who is open to any information and experiences that will help improve his flying skills, Mainiero sees the group of pilots as a “mentor group,” looking up to them and loving each moment he spends with them at the airport. Mainiero says aviation provides him with a freedom that is hard to explain; as the pilot, he gets to make decisions for an aircraft thousands of feet in the air. He also has great respect for the other pilots at the airport he flies at. “The community is extremely close-knit, much closer than any high school friend group. There is a mutual respect around the group.”
Mainiero also pursues a side job of aviation photography, where like his Commercial Pilot License, he gets paid to ride in airplanes and take pictures. He is committed to photography just as much as being a pilot, believing that “just like painting, photographing aircraft is an art.” As a professional photographer, Mainiero invests in quality equipment, which improves the quality of his
pictures and allows him to partner with and be published in aviation publications including InFlightUSA. However, what Mainiero loves about aviation photography is “the fact that I have combined two hobbies and passions into one, and am paid to do it!”
Mainiero is planning to graduate high school with 600 flight hours and a Multi-Engine Commercial License, an impressive feat for his young age. This fall, he will be “living at home doing a Bachelor’s in Aviation Science degree online.” By taking online classes, Mainiero will be able to complete schoolwork anywhere and anytime, maintain a flexible schedule, work fulltime, and still do photography. Mainiero’s passion is unlike any other; he is fully dedicated, willing to work incessantly to pursue his passion. “For many, flying is associated with being packaged up in an aluminum tube cattle car and being shot across the world with bad food and drafty air currents. I have a different exposure. It’s a passion. It’s a love of sorts.”
*Interested in learning to fly a plane? Check out this link: http://www.eaa20. org/
*Check out Michael’s photography: http:// www.michaelmainierophoto.smugmug. com/
Photography Michael Mainiero
Exposure to
A Survey of the ins and outs of Photography
samplea of the M-A student body was surveyed and asked a variety of questions regarding the impact of in their lives. photography
“Photography is the only language that can be understood anywhere in the world.”
Where do you post your photos? What is your favorite thing to take pics of?
the average number of photos surveyed students take per day
15 percent ofsurveyed studentshave shotwithfilmbefore pho tog ra phy (noun):
the art or practice of capturing light
“The goal of photography is to Catch every perfect moment and keep it forever.
”
“Photography allows me to express my thoughts and feelings.
”
- Anonymous - Anonymous
by Caraline Albro and Joanna Vollrath
Bruno Barbey -
Photography
When met with a cool photo opportunity, would you...
a) b) c) d)
Grab your camera immediately
56% agrees with you!
Admire it for a few seconds, and then walk away
16% would do the same...
See if your phone can capture the lighting
28% says the same thing
Ignore it
Yay, students love taking photos - 0% answered “d”
Do you consider yourself a photographer?
53% of surveyed Students do!
What
Is the rule of thirds?
The Rule of Thirds is a photography skill which is used by breaking a photo into three sections both vertically and horizontally and placing key parts of the photo at the intersections of the boxes created.
“Now I value Film pictures much more because of the time and effort that went into creating them.”
-M-A Students sharing their experience with developing film pictures in a dark room at their middle school.
WHICH PHOTOGRAPHERare YOU?
by Sofia Bergmann
What do you most enjoy taking pictures of? editorial
pets and animals
you are...
Ansel Adams
An American photographer as well as an avid environmentalist, Adams is a widely admired nature photgrapher. Known to have photographed the American West, his most famous collections include those of black and white photos of Yosemite National Park which have been reproduced on calendars, posters, and books.
you are... Suzi
Eszterhas
A California-based photgrapher who has photographed captivating images of animals in places like Africa, her photos have been featured in major publications including Time, BBC Wildlife and Smithsonian. She has photographed a variety of animals from elephants to sloths to red-eyed tree frogs.
you are... Annie
Leibovitz
Famous for her beautiful portraits, Leibovitz worked for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair throughout the 70s and 80s and is now showcasing her art. She is a world renowned photographer who’se stunning portraits leave you breathless.
ROADTRIP
bySabinaVitale
by Rebecca Schena
1000 Words
I made it my mission to put to the task the age old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” by writing a creative piece to describe the implied events of a photograph. Mind you, I only wrote 284 words, but I think you get the idea.
by Molly Kearnan
Stumbling through the crowd, the sound of foreign tongues swirls through the air, intermingling with the blare of a saxophone and the flying notes of a flute. You stop for a moment to catch your breath, finding solace in the shade of a looming statue. The placard claims it’s 70 feet, but to you it’s an insurmountable mountain, (literally) sparkling with the mysteries of a world you left behind in your childhood. A world of mythical beasts and undeniable heroes -heroes made of unfailing courage and selflessness (traits that have perhaps been failing to find you as of late). On any other day, the brisk wind would be nothing but a nuisance, but today it is a voice, infused with the stories of the sea, beckoning you to its origins. You follow the wind as it calls you, leading you deeper and deeper into the masses. Carried by the winds, a web of bubbles glinting with color dips and flies, catching on passers’-by stray wisps of hair. The wind manipulates the bubbles, blowing them playfully into the faces of children until you find yourself entranced. A promise to meet your friend near the ice cream stand is long forgotten, and you find yourself drawing closer and closer to the intricate bubble formation. You are lost in the colors, the magic, the unknown. You thrust your hand into the air, feeling the delicate bubbles burst instantaneously with the touch of your fingers and you can’t help but marvel at your power over these objects of ethereal design. With this newfound strength, you jump and you twirl with the bubbles until you land with the realization that you are, despite all previous doubts, alive.
Photography Theresa Siri
San Francisco | Bella Lopez
Santana Row, SJ | Jackie Lopez
DT LA | Bella Lopez
DT LA | Jackie Lopez
In the radiant early hours of the day we look most pure and natural. ese photos collected through Instagram showcase our raw beauty at rst light.
SoAring
by Elana Schulman
A look into Surreal labyrinth
ocean view by Jonathan Cogan
by Lauren Koenig ocean view by Jonathan Cogan
by Elana Schulman
Painter's dream laced
by Elana Schulman
Selfie
by Elana Schulman
by Elana Schulman
The Climber
byKatieWebb
Create
Create
Step-by-step instructions
1
Open a photo in Photoshop, then open the layer menu.
2
Duplicate the background layer (the photo).
5
Drag the text layer below the top layer.
6 Select the top layer. In the menu bar at the top, go to layer > create clipping mask.
Photo Text
Photo Text
to put a photo in text, from scratch.
3
Create a new layer, then fill it with any color. Place this layer between the background and the duplicate background.
7
4
Go to the top layer, then select the type tool and type out your word. Use a large, thick font, so that the subject of the photo will be visible.
You now have a photo in your text! You can add other effects, or just leave it as is.
Photography
Top: Trevor Thiele-Sardina, Bobby Macdonald, Kevin Jaggers Middle: Abraham Hernandez, Josh Allen, Talia Missan Bottom: Anders Chiang, Jonathan Cogan, Annalisa Crowe Above: Connor Nathan
