Creative Computing

My first Computer Science class has been a blast!  I enjoy learning about the different creative uses for a computer and a little about what is happening in the background.  I have learned how to use computer programs that I never would have tried otherwise.  Here is an example of something that I created using GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) and Inkscape.

It is a bit political but I hope it doesn't bore you.  Whether you are left, right, or center I think you may agree that something needs to change.  This is my call to action.

Another thing I created (with some help of course) was an action packed, parodic trailer for the next Taken.  If you aren't familiar with Taken it is a popular action film centered around a bad ass father who is rescuing his daughter from human traffickers.  The producers are coming out with a sequel when it is obvious that was not the plan from the start.  Alex, Hannah and I decided to go ahead and create the trailer for the third installment of Taken.

In fact, my Creative Computing class is the reason I started this blog with Christina.  Originally the plan was for it to be strictly photographs since editing photographs was a part of my project.  Now it has definitely evolved and Christina and I plan on continuing the blog even after my due date.  Come back and visit us frequently.  Follow us on Google+ to get updates.

-Yang

A Summer in South Korea

Last summer (2012) I studied abroad in South Korea for a month. I had an amazing experience as it was my first time in Asia and after all, I am an Asian Studies minor! While I was there I stayed at Hannam University in Daejeon, about two hours south of Seoul. I met some amazingly nice people and still keep in touch with some of them. Anyways, here are a few pictures I took while I was there (I should have taken way more!)

The following two photos were taken at Gyeryong National Park.

After a long hike to the top, I was told by one of the locals to place a stone on this rock pile and to make a prayer. I thought this was a beautiful idea and was so happy to take part.

The photo below was taken of the group dressing up and learning about traditional Korean Weddings (I was the equivalent of a maid of honor, standing to the left of the "bride" in the center). 

One last thing... The whole reason I decided to post about my trip was because I was reminded from this cartoon that teaches you how to read Korean. While I was in Korea, I did learn pretty well how to read Korean (it's actually really easy). Although it may look childish, this cartoon can actually be super helpful and it is really easy to understand. So, you might not have any plans to travel to Korea any time soon but thought I'd go ahead and share it anyways. Who know! You just might need it some day! 

-Yin

Art History in Calvin and Hobbes

So I've been on a bit of a Calvin and Hobbes kick and I had to share some of my favorites on the blog. I picked out two that were related to art and art history... Enjoy!

Here is "The Guitar Player" by Pablo Picasso for reference...

-Yin

Photographing Pets

Whether you have your own or not, pets can be a fun photo opportunity! Here are a few tips to capture that perfect pet photo. 

1. Capture your pets uniqueness. First thing to do is to ask yourself, what is it that makes this pet different? Is it lazy or hyper? Young or old? Does it prefer the indoors or the outdoors? Try to focus on your pets personality to have the most interesting and meaningful photos. You can do this by photographing them with their favorite toy, in their favorite setting, doing their favorite activity or even with their favorite people! For the below picture, I chose to focus on the dog's strikingly blue eyes since they seemed to be what stood out most about him. 

2. Get in on the action! With plenty of good lighting and a fast shutter speed you should be able to capture some great and sometimes hilarious shots of your pets in action. However, since it is an action shot, you will probably have the best luck outside on a sunny day or at least in front of a bright sunny window. Below is a picture of Frango shaking after playing in a stream while we were out hiking. 

3. Get on their level. To make things a little more interesting and personal get at your pets eye level (or even below!) This will give your photo less of that feeling of human perspective and make the picture more inviting to the viewer. Pickles, below, was taken with a film camera. When I was taking the photo, all I cared about at that exact moment was catching her licking tongue. For this reason, I wasn't able to focus on her face as I originally intended. In the end, I'm glad I made the sacrifice as I love it even more.

-Yin

Flickr

Here is a link to our Flickr page.  We have some of our favorite photos on there. 

-Yang

Calvin and Hobbes

I have had a love for Calvin and Hobbes for a few years now and they never fail to make me smile. I had to post these two to reach out to both the tech geeks and the art appreciators out there... Hope you enjoy! (Bill Watterson definitely qualifies as one of my heroes!)

And just in case you need it, I took the liberty of including the famous painting by Marcel Duchamp which the above is referring to...

-Yin

Photo Sphere

So here is an awesome thing that I thought I should post.  It is a little old news but Google has come out with a new version of Android OS.  It includes some nice new features, but the coolest thing about it is the feature called "Photo Sphere". 



-Yang