After a While After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul, And you learn that love doesn mean learning and company doesn't mean security, And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises, And you begin to accept your defeat with your head up and you eyes open, with the grace of an adult,not the grief of a child, And you learn to build all you roads on today because tomorrow ground is too uncertain for plans. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone else to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure... That you really are strong, And you really do have worth. | Mere Christianity"Something which is directing the universe, and which appears in me as a law urging me to do right and making me feel responsible and uncomfortable when I do wrong." - C.S. Lewis This coming Friday will be the first time that I have a bulk photography assignment :) It's going to be fantastic, but I am doubting my own two hands and eye will capture the right moments. With this spring of the moment event, I had to cancel more than 5 events I was to attend this weekend! C.S. Lewis's words this morning had me. Whenever we cancel, we know we're breaking the social code that none of us can perfect, yet still strive to. What continues to stop me each time I feel the pressure to perform and guilt for cancelling is Veronica's poem. For I have been learning that I can endure day by day, accepting defeat of breaking the moral code with my head up and the grace of an adult. "It is after you have realised that there is a real Moral Law, and a Power behind the law, and that you have broken that law.. - it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk." - C.S. Lewis |
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Dear Viewers, the staff would like to profusely apologize for the lack of posts on this website due to an overwhelming amount of school work and activities. In the past months that have gone missing, life has been moving forward for Sinikka Roinila. She has chosen a major: Journalism, with a concentration in Photography and a second concentration in International Studies. Also, she will be studying for two minors in Fine Arts and Communications and Culture. The photo above is one of her younger sister, Laura, and her father, Mika, that she took in order to complete her Fine Arts Photography Class final project. The project's concept followed two tracks: (1) the colors of loving a child, and (2) the colors of a couple in life. The first track followed parents' love for a child from birth to old age. The second track followed two small children up until old age. She received an A :) After getting through the months of homework, meetings, and Gospel Choir practices... the Lord saw a perfect moment to jump full throttle into Sinikka's life (at the Fall Gospel Choir Concert) and start training her in his ways: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She is now on a great diet of self-control and patient endurance, so that she is able to move closer to the Lord and lose some excess weight in the process! The grandparents have been moved to Indiana, and life is continuing as normal this Christmas season, except for the new comfort of extended family being so close. More to come next week. Love, His Girl Hello loved ones.
This here will be my last blog for the FAUP internship. Afterwards, you may be getting less or more blogs depending on what's going on and what's happening in my life. But either way, let's jump to it! Personal I have gained a lot from my internship. Into my field, I have gained a lot of insight and wisdom. Such as if you want to start a business with freelance photography, you need to totally dramatically realize what costs you will have to incur, such as office costs, insurance, equipment, and software. Insights into what kind of equipment to buy and how important organization in a business has also really taught me about my field and how things for photographers are a bit harder depending on what field you go into. My academic and career goals have been a bit more confirmed since I've been here. This has given me the practical experience and confidence that helps me to understand how the field works and what would need to be done in order to be where I would want to. I am now thinking (as I was before) that academically I will be pursuing a degree in International PhotoJournalism, a degree that I will be creating myself- through combining a photography, international studies, and communications and culture major- with a journalism certificate. I am still also pursuing a career in photojournalism in NGOs, which I was thinking about before I arrived here, but wasn't sure of. On the side, I will be pursuing a career just in family photography, which opens a lot of windows and opportunities. This internship did impact me personally. It helped my perspectives of people grow and helped me to understand how people view religion and Christianity and God. That's what was most important to me... as well as being able to relate to these people. I've been able to understand what alcohol in moderation is enjoyable, and have been strengthened in character so that I am able to stand up to pressures and questions that come to my decisions, faith, and Christian walk. In terms of skills, I learned that I really did not know much about photography before I started this internship. I did realize that I have a knack for quick learning and am able to pick up the skills for editing and post processing very easily. Come to think of it, I really do enjoy the post processing and the skills that I'm learning I actually enjoy all the parts to photography. All the skills I'm learning I didn't know about before, but all of them tune right into my creativity and organization skills, directing, and spontenaeity. Like changed schedules and strange ideas, new software and photo shoots where I am nominated as director. The skills I'm learning tune right into who I am as a person :) I was disappointed in a lot of things that happened here at the internship: such as the disorganization and miscommunication. I did learn from this that I need to be patient when people don't understand or plans go wrong, because when plans break, that is an opportunity to remember God is in charge. Those were the main things I did experience, as well as times when I was wrongly accused of blatantly being late and for not swimming up when the dive master instructed me to. Through this, I really have learned patience. To be a hundred percent honest, I would have acted different socially the first month, instead of being scared of how people were partying all the time I would have loved them and asked questions and been a ray of hope to do other things. The second month, I would have not kept a grudge against being wrongly accused and instead continued to take my responsibilities and not act negatively to the other interns or field specialists because of what happened. I do think that I have been very good these past two months in taking advantage of the oppourtunities given to me and learning as many skills and getting the most insight possible into what type of equipment to buy and how to run a business and what field of photography to go in. Work Performance My responsibilities increased during the internship. During the first month, I was given the responsibility of the keys to the office so that the interns would be able to get inside and work on editing photos at nighttime. During the second month though, I was unspokenly given the responsibility to make sure the interns got done what needed to be done so that the clients could get their photos. I Was also put in charge of the second set of keys for the computer lab, so that we would be able to get to more computers. I approached assigned tasks exactly as they were given to me. I did them quickly and efficiently so that the photos would be edited and returned as quickly as possible. I did not however, do this with the feature article that I was supposed to be writing this month. I left that until the last moment, and I won't do that again, because the last bits of the pitching of the article and reediting will probably not be done until I am back home in America, which means the process will go slower. My greatest accomplishment during the internship was the shooting of my photos got better, the editing did, and overall, my understanding of the skills did. Everyone can see this though my photos for the competition this month, which were both phenomenal- and are wanted for one of the faculty members living room and bathroom. I will put them up on facebook so you can see. with better photos will come better opportunities and potential business in the future. I do feel that my work contributed to the organization because I demanded organization from the interns and directed many different shoots so that the work that the interns would get for FAUP's clients would be superb. I also feel that my work contributed to the organization because I was one of those interns who asked so many questions and demanded answers and organization from FAUP itself. I do not feel that my supervisor, Louis, provided me with any criticism or feedback on my work performance, besides an occasional encouragement or word of warning when he felt that I needed it. Natasha, the supervisor that my class sees as the supervisor, has only provided me with feedback today on my photos for the competition. I believe that I accepted constructive criticism well when I felt that the criticism was legitimate. There were many times, though, that the constructive criticism was illegitimate and I did not listen, but only ducked under it. Future Plans I have not recieved an offer for full-time employment after graduation. There have been mentions of if I ever wanted to come back to work, I could- so I guess that would be it. I would not completely consider it because I do not enjoy the office atmosphere, the disorganization, or miscommunication, but maybe three years from now it will be different. I would like a career in the field of my internship because I enjoy the spontenity and creativity and how much it really reflects the Lord and his creation. The next step in my career is entirely the Lord's plan, so I really don't have one. But at least, to get another internship in my city in order to get more networking starting in my town. I hope your all great, and I'll see you soon! Five days! Cheers! - Sinikka Hello again dear friends!
This week has been a busy one! Sickness is gone and in replacement, schedules have come up and deadlines has been set. Twice this week we went to swimming lessons that one of our director's friends were giving to a couple children at a time, and in between each one- we were able to practice underwater children photography. This was phenomenal because I realized that I can properly do underwater children photography at my home since my mom teaches swim lessons in our backyard pool and the families may want photographs of it! We also learned how to create a business plan, in order to focus yourself so that you can effectively market to a target customer group and start making money with the photographs that we have the ability to produce. I also had my first real model shoot, where half of our group were the photographers and half were the models, so that we could give an example of sample photos to a new company in order to help market their clothing. It was a fantastic experience, and it turns out I am a natural at modeling! Also, I have finally started writing the feature article on De Hoop, one of our clients, and their accomadtions and animals, in order to hand it in to our marketer by Sunday so that she can pitch it to travel magazines around South Africa!! My name will be getting out as a photographer and as a journalist! This week I learned about all the possibilities to keep photography not as a hobby but as a business that can bring in money. I learned that there are so many different niches of photography, and that there are so many families who would be interested in good photos of moments in their lives, and many businesses who are itching for good marketing and need it in order to get clients. More importantly, though, I learned that there is a ton of work one needs to dramatically realize in order to make the business work. That was probably the most financially helpful thing that I've learned while here, because I learned how to work out the start up costs needed in order for my freelancing to begin. I accomplished the creation of a one year business plan and will accomplish writing the feature article by Sunday evening. I also accomplished not getting sea sick on the chumming boat we went on this morning to get photographs for Oceans Research marketing and breaching sharks! Finally, and maybe most importantly, I accomplished properly riding a horse!! We rode through dunes and brush, and seriously rode through bushes. It was my first time for full on cantering for a while (felt like I was race car driving!!) and being taught how to properly sit, hold the reigns, and trot. It was a fantastic time :) I have faced some difficulties and challenges this week.The biggest three were how little time I have left and how much still needs to be done, how little money I have left, and how my photos are turning out worse than last month. To overcome these three challenges... I'm praying. Not much more can be done than that- except cutting down on what I buy (mostly food), paying more attention to details and working things out immediately so they get done, and letting the Holy Spirit work in my photos. That's one thing I've honestly realized in the last two months- my photos are truly only good when the Holy Spirit is behind it, and Sinikka isn't. I can take an average shot- but it's the Holy Spirit nudging that makes me move to the perfect angle, so close up it could be bothersome to people, checking the exposure so that it's so right it's insane. I can do small things to work through these issues, but the one thing that will help the most is prayer. Because without the Lord, my work is not the best it could be. The world of work that I have been exposed to here is not what I expected, since it's been on African time instead of the States time. But it is turning out to be exactly what I think I expected (I didn't expect anything. I expected to be taught, and I have been) because I am writing articles, taking photos, and learning how to create the business that will be desired among customers and happily simple. I knew that photographers did not get much money, but in what I know will bring in money (family shots, senior portraits, weddings, engagement photos, stock photography, business clients, hotels and restaurants) is seriously appealing to me since it's generally photography of people, so what I have been taught is exactly what I expected. I did not expect the equipment to be as expensive (still paying for that), and I did not expect to see a photographer like my director to be as well off as she is, since she is in underwater photography- a niche so small that if you succeed, you so seriously do so. So far, the highlight of my internship has got to be the shoot that we did this past Wednesday where I was a model. I was still basically directing and helping the shoot so that things would get done, and different shoots would happen at the same time. But modeling for it was seriously the best time I have had with all of the interns during our work hours. We had music going, and since half the interns were models, we were all laughing and having a good time, as we got selling shots for the clothing client. No one was disappointed :) My other highlight was actually horseback riding today, that was not part of the internship but it was the best experience I've had in South Africa as just an amazing thrilling thing to do. People have gone bungee jumping, cage diving, sand boarding... which I didn't have the money for (and cage diving visibility was bad for me both times I went so it wasn't great at all), but I did for horseback riding, and the thrill of a canter, the bruises from hugging the horses sides, and the sheer happiness I had from being able to properly direct the horse, and have a serious communication with him, made it AMAZING. My greatest challenge of this internship has been the interns. I do get along with everyone since I am an easy going person, but the peer pressure that I have indirectly and directly felt has truly challenged my perspective and my view of the internship. The first two weeks of this month, I hated the internship because of the way it was being run and how disorganized it was, yet the majority of those feelings stemmed from seeing how disrupted others in the internship were. Last month, I was also challenged due to how negative the interns were about the internship. Through this carelessness, it made it difficult for me to do what I wanted to- which was to learn and enjoy what was here -because the staff was being affected as well. If I was to pursue this field as a career, I would definitely need to improve my creativity in photography as well as my skill of shooting and in post processing. Also don't forget that I would definitely need to get better at accounting and running a business. To build these skills I could take such classes at IU Bloomington, which I am planning on doing. I will also be trying to join up with Dekard Photography and run alongside them to help and shoot where I can to learn more about wedding photography and learn more practical shooting skills. Overall, the most surprising thing I have learned about myself throughout the course of this internship is that I may be built like a rock, but spiritually I am not one. With the Lord, the most surpising thing I have learned is that in life hard things will come, but those do not mean He is not still there, still helping, still in charge, or still on your side. I won't explain those last two bits because it's too dense, but let them sink in- if you have questions... pray or message me. Cheers! Following last weeks dilemma... I've decided to take more precautions as a photographer so that I don't get my equipment wet. One of them would be to set up everything up the beach, and then bring down only the camera and tripod that I would need to get the shots I want to create.
I did this a lot this week in order to maintain my equipment. We went shark cage diving and I kept my equipment inside the ship and only brought out the lens and camera body I needed in order to take the photos I wanted. I also did this when we went on a safari to take photos of elephants and rhinos. I took out only what I needed and put the rest back... and then switched lens with other interns in order to get a different style of shot. There were also three days this week that we were not planned to do anything except edit- which is a seriously monotonous activity, so us interns convinced our field specialist to go out to eat with us- where we ended up taking photographs of a whale breaching! This past week I learned I am actually sick and that I am ready to come home. There are only 17 full days left of being in South Africa, and I am ready for those to go by pretty fast. I have been learning to cope with my sickness and see to it, instead of complaining about it. I have also been learning to be happy about the little things- like having a home-made parfait for breakfast, or watching The Parent Trap. I actually didn't seem to accomplish much this week, except edit photos and have them ready for our director to choose from. The reason I didn't accomplish much was because I felt as if I were in a daze this past week since I have been sick. The challenges I have faced this past week have been homesickness and actual sickness. This in turn gave me negativity and a face that did not seem to find reason to smile unless something was funny. I overcame this last night by realizing the little things that were good, and also that the majority of the old interns here are also feeling exactly the same way- we're all ready to go home. Just knowing that I'm not alone in that fact is really nice, and that I can count down the days together with them :) I have definitely initiated many networking opportunities in my internship. I have contacts here in South Africa now if I ever want to come back. I also have friends in food photography, photography business, and photography marketing. The result is that I have a bundle of people I can ask questions to- and learn from, so that back in the States I am able to use them wisely to become more of a photographer. These will definitely influence my future employment if I am to go into a photography business, I would have great references. If I am to go into photography as a freelancer- I would have great knowledge and help to do so. The networking goals I have for the rest of the month is to honestly take advantage of their knowledge and learn from them as much as possible in the spare time I have here in the internship. I know I have the people, but before I leave- I want to learn what they know, so that I won't have to ask them so many questions from overseas. I also want them to get to know me better so that I can stay in better contact with them when I'm back in the States. I intend to maintain the relationships I've made here by communication via skype, BBM, and facebook. Maintaining the relationships through constant communication will make it so much easier when I am ready to make a move in the photographer world. To utilize the relationship I have, I am planning on asking for advice and references when the time comes that I am photographing as a freelancer or as an employee. Well, due to my sickness, I'm going to go back to sleep. If you have any more questions- just comment! Cheers! ~ Sinikka Hello again from Mossel Bay!
I'll being with questions from my professor and then we'll get to the good stuff! Unanswered Questions from last week: Is your experience longer than others? Why are some interns leaving early? - yes, my experience is longer than others. The internship is properly supposed to go for two months, but many people don't have $6,000 USD in order to pay for the experience, so those who needed to go home due to money, school, or work left on the 1st of July. The majority of the Underwater Photography interns did stay though. There were 11 of us last month, 4 left, and 4 arrived. So we're generally the same. The majority of the Oceans Research interns, those working and researching sharks here in Mossel Bay, left and i think at least 15 new Oceans research interns arrived on the 1st. That's why there is a big difference in the group. This week was a very busy one. On Monday, we moved our computer lab from the Fiona Ayerst Office on the hotel grounds, to another area in order to have more room for the computers and the students. On Tuesday, I actually directed an entire shoot for a client of Fiona's who wanted campus type shots for their hotel and internship program (the client was actually Oceans Research, so we used our friends who were interns as models). On that day we also went in the evening to shoot the sunset and the moon coming up, which is more difficult than one thinks, because the moon moves too fast for a very slow shutter speed to work- but if you put your ISO too high, your photo will come out grainy. On Wednesday, we spent the day at the computer lab and learned how to create a photo where you see the foreground of the city in the evening, but also the moon as well. We needed to compile them together in photoshop because it's impossible to take the photo since to take the moon- you need to underexpose everything else in the photo. On Thursday, we trial and errored more with underwater photography in the heated pool and I got some very cool shots of children as well as Christine, an intern, blowing a bubble underwater. Friday, we edited in the morning, and in the afternoon after dosing up with seasickness medicine, I was able to go chumming and try to shoot sharks breaching. It was a great time on the water! I also had the best lens possible for getting great closeup photos of the Oceans Research interns doing their work, in order to create a photo library for them (part of our job for them), like I do at the Career Development Center at home in Bloomington! I know this seems like a list of stuff, and it is :) You can keep skimming if you'd like- but I'm really reiterating that this week was nonstop, there's a point, I promise!! I thought the week was done, but at the last second- Grace, one of the interns, ran into my room to ask (as I was doing my push up workout) if I would take her spot to go to the Oyster Festival the next day to shoot it. Fiona, our director, had invited her to go- but she really didn't want to. So I had another day of shooting ahead of me. The Oyster Festival was good, but it actually got rained out. So we instead got photos of sychronized body boarders in a competition. See them on my website or facebook in the upcoming week! I was also given today, Sunday, an article to write on a location that we went to for a vacation magazine for Fiona, so I was working on that today. The things I learned this week were too many too count in all practicality. But the number one was probably patience. It all really came together yesterday at the Oyster Festival shoot- it was either going to be a blast or a blow, and it was neither. It was enjoyable. But there were so many challenges to that day. We were tired, it was raining.. but moreso- all my equipment was mauled by a wave that came up when I was too close to the water, and after spending two hours in silence, working diligently to get sand off the lens because NONE of the equipment was mine... I realized that patience and silence was a key to getting through the week. There was so much happening, and many days I was so needed from moment to moment that I was fried at the end of the day: many times in my own journal I wrote that I felt I was an intern and an employee because they're short on employees here. It is great to have so much responsibility here, because it teaches me things like crazy. This week- it taught me patience. Things don't happen here on American time, where everyone is punctual and if your not- that's not very okay. Here, things happen at a slower pace- even when were trying to make them go fast. There are always hiccups and mishaps- and to be patient through waves crashing over your equipment, or all the interns being ready for a tutorial when the director arrives 20-30 minutes late... takes practice and prayer. This week was generally an introductory week for the new interns, so other than patience- I didn't learn much else, and that was okay. Because this lesson was big enough to need to practice it everyday. I did accomplish correctly editing two moon photos that I'm pretty happy with, as well as shooting the images I wanted to produce at the heated pool. The chumming and body boarder photos also came out well, so even though it's taken some time. I am definitely seeing a beautiful improvement in my photo taking skills. I have accomplished knowing what to bring, where, and when to take the shot or use a different lens. This is definitely only a skill that can be learned from experience- so it's been an accomplishment :) The challenges that I had to overcome was negativity. On the 4th of July, we were editing the entire day- and it was beautiful out. But we had literally nothing to do but edit away, and the majority of the interns weren't editing, but facebooking- which discouraged me, and distracted me from getting the work I actually needed to get done- done. With their negativity towards the internship, it made it really hard for me to be anything but silent or sarcastic. So with overcoming the days where that happened- when I said something, it was encouraging- and I hung out with other interns in order to be joyful. Throughout the week I've been praying for joy, and words to be positive- and I've honestly been very encouraged by the blogs that my boyfriend has been writing. It's amazing to see that the Lord actually works so strongly in a relationship if you will let him. I know there's a verse in the Word that speaks about two swords sharpening each other- and that's exactly how the Lord works with Alan and I. Right now, he is in Nicaragua, and he's moved to another area where he is working in the jails and with alcoholics... which is a bit concerning to me. But throughout this last month, he has been writing about how the Lord has been moving through him and around him and finally blogged about it... on the 4th of July when the negativity was getting to a peak. It was there that I realized I am here to serve everyone. not to be served. That was difficult to realize last month, because the people of last month- felt they were justified in being served... so I felt I was contributing to their problem by serving them. When in actuality, serving them genuinely did move them... as I saw in a few of the interns the Lord touched through me. The other thing Alan's blog taught me was that broken plans are a blessing- for in them we realize we depend 100% on the Lord. That was revelational because the plans almost everyday for the last month have been broken. On the 4th of July was the worst day and plans were broken all around. But honestly, after reading that blog from Alan- I realized it was true. Today, I also saw that I am 100% dependent on the Lord for joy- it's not happy occasions that bring me joy, where I am just waiting for good things to happen to be joyful about... that's not real joy. the Lord's joy is not circumstancial- but eternal. and internal. Joy is standing in the storm and realizing how much of a blessing it is and how much the Lord is showing His love through it. This is how I have been overcoming my challenges this week :) They will continue to be small challenges, as we all know when the Lord works- it takes a while for it to follow through, for daily we need to come back to Him. But He's made his move in my heart. It was like a puzzle piece I forgot was there clicked into place. If you have 10 minutes of time, I definitely recommend you read Alan's blog (alanrohrer.weebly.com), and let it capture you as well. For this internship, I didn't actually have any learning goals, except to be challenged and for the Lord to show me whether or not he wanted me to study photography as part of my major. Progress towards that- I have been challenged... in the lighting for underwater photography, in taking the correct shot so that I don't have to do so much post processing, and have been challenged by the Lord in order to be His Girl and not the world's. For the major, though... that one is still working- I hav realized with him that... yes- I'm still unsure enough to say that progess is going much slower. The course I took at home really helped prepare me for this internship. It was only an introduction to the ideas of photography and videography, but it was enough for two companies to like what I was doing and hire me on to write blogs for their website, and create promo videos. The promo videography helped me learn Final Cut PRo- which I will be utilizing this coming week- as were doing a promo video for a client here in Mossel Bay. Other than that, the blog writing I did actually had me working with photoshop to compile some photos for the blog- which helped me learn the surface of layers in photoshop. To be honest, though, the photography handouts of the class seemed to help me more. In my journalism class, I would go outside and practice taking shots of different hues, lines, focuses, and such things in order to get a vision for what things are good to shoot in photography. Turned out that I already know what those things were from having a good eye, but the paperwork really helped hone in those skills. Those have added to my internship here, because the better I can work my equipment, the better my shots are coming out- because my eye is taking over! Which is what happened this week. This coming year, my courses are actually going to be in photojournalism and photography, as well as a speech class and human development class. This internship will enhance my experience in the classroom because I will be able to understand the majority of what they're speaking about, and be able to practice much more in depth with photojournalism and photography than I would have ever been able to without now knowing the lenses, the camera bodies, which camera I will need to buy- and those types of things. I have not begun to develop my professional portfolio- in all honesty, I don't even know what that would look like. But I bet you I have been, because the photos I'm taking and editing look as professional as anything at times! The photos I could add to the portfolio would be shots of animals, the moon editing that I did, bodyboarding shots so that the employers could see I am able to capture the shot- with the right equipment, in the correct exposure, in the right angle. Which is a big deal-- among that, they would also be able to see that I can edit properly! Well, that's all I've got for this week ladies and gents. I have been given opportunities to go to Cape Town again on Thursday and Friday this week for some shoots with Fiona, I have to buy a new case for Louis since I soaked his at the body boarding shoot, and I am getting sick... but I will be joyful- for I am 100% dependent on the Lord. I am His- and He loves me :) Cheers! For all of you fellow writers out there, these blog entries have actually been for my internship class I am writing for at IU Bloomington. My teacher has been fantastic so far, but I just realized where he has been posting comments to these journals, so I will be answering teacher questions in here as well! Happy reading :)
Teacher Q&A- 1. Did you see big sharks? Honestly, I'm not a shark person, so I wouldn't know if it was a big shark that I saw or not. We only went shark cage diving one day, but we saw four sharks on that day an they did say that one of them was big. A cool thing I learned the other day! On National Geographic and Animal Planet, when there are shark shows- there is usually a filming here in Mossel Bay, South Africa because of the Oceans Research professionals who are working right next to me! I was just hanging out with Ryan, my director's husband, today. He is also the director of Oceans Research and has been on many shows. There is also his partner, Enriqo- who while we were here, was actually on TV during our down time! It was crazy to watch our friend as a professional on TV. 2. What is the difference between blacks and coloreds in the South African society? This is a big question, my friend. Blacks are people who are very, very dark and have no mixed complexion. They are the ones with two blacks parents. Coloreds are those who have a black and white parent, or some ancestry of the type. They are also the color of mocha.. as I like to say :) But politically and economically they are totally different. Blacks take labor jobs, coloreds take restaurant or clothing store jobs. There are also more blacks than coloreds, so the blacks have the majority vote on all things in South Africa. Tons of differences! 3. Why, or how, are you finding it difficult to be yourself? It's difficult to be myself because the majority of people here at the internship liked to party a lot, every night, all the time, and the mindset of the majority of people was very secular because of the people who were in the group. It was also difficult because we didn't have much time to be by yourself, which also meant that I didn't have much time to be with the Lord- which makes me who I am. It was also difficult because the majority of people were very sarcastic, which I don't like to be at all. So much of the time I would either have to join in, or be silent for the majority of the day. This made things really hard for me. But throughout this, I have been able to learn to not fear man, and also not just to love the people and BE POSitive when they were so negative, but also to answer the questions that they throw my way. 4. Had you had much experience with Photoshop prior to the internship? I didn't have much of any experience with Photoshop prior to the internship. Two semester ago, I had a class that let me dive into only the bare minimum ideas of Photoshop, with cropping and adjusting exposure, but that was about it! 5. What skills do you think you bring to the table to contribute to the group? Which ones do you still need to develop? The skills that I contribute... is responsibility, honesty, modesty, and being positive. Through these personality skills, it really has been helping the group. I don't have many skills with photography that have contributed to the group, but anything that I've been taught- I've been able to remember and teach others quickly. But I do need to develop more photography skills, such as the marketing and business side, as well as understanding what cameras are good, and what kinds of settings to have when I take different kinds of photographs. Now to continue with the blog! This week we were actually quite busy and I learned a LOT! We went to take HDR photographs at the Cango Caves, the oldest caves here in South Africa (or so I hear). The HDR photos we took would potentially combine an underexposed, accurate, and overexposed shot of one still image, which would give it a creative effect with great highlights and lowlights that restaurants and buildings usually like for their interior to look like. We also shot an underwater model in an inside heated pool- due to the terribly cold weather conditions outside. This was an absolute fail though, because the camera was on manual focus- and we were unable to change it. So all of our photos came out blurry. Through this trial and error though, we learned how to coordinate and work with a model and underwater equipment. We also learned how to do burst photography, where you would stitch continuous shots together of one person in five different positions in five still frames together in photoshop. This would bring together the photo to show that person doing the entire choreography. We then created a video for a final presentation- since it was the end of the month, and on Friday we had a South African bonfire and presented our videos from the month. It was great! The presentations came out phenomenal and all the faculty and interns from the other Oceans Research came out to watch. We also had a photographic competition where everyone put in one photo, I did not win- due to the fact that my photo had a background story that one just looking at it would never catch (figures!) but the winning photo was one where a leopard was biting a fence-- but through the lens of a fish. and the colours were brilliantly done. It was great! I did accomplish a lot this past week. I accomplished the baby step of 100% depending on God for restructuring and redesiging this internship, as well as making the interns positive about the internship. I also accomplished finally being myself in this group, through being my positive self and letting God come out through the times of helping hands. Just today, a lot of the interns last day, I accomplished being selfless instead of selfish- and gave into God again. It's been really challenging and difficult to be positive, but this week he has been working a lot in me. And I have accomplished so much more internally and mentally with Him- as well as spiritually. The internship also accomplished becoming organized and structured! We did so much this past week and learned a lot, which was an accomplishment in itself. The professional expectation here at the internship is to be on time to things, wear warm clothes, and ask questions if you have them. It is an open door policy, but generally the administration has not known what is going on because Fiona, the director, is the one who calls the shots, so if she is not there- many things are unorganized and in a disarray. This is not what I expected, I thought that it was going to be a lot more organized and that the scedule would be a lot more tight. This is very nice, though, because I am learning much more in this kind of environment since there is time to process and ask questions the second that I have them. The offices of the people are really close, so it's fine to be quick to ask questions and get answers, but you need to go and ask... if you don't- you really don't know what's going on. I am very comfortable with expressing my ideas for projects to the administration. They have actually asked that we give feedback and suggest the things that we really want to do, because then they are able to make the internship better. This is only the third month that the internship has been running so things have been messy, but through our feedback, things have already gotten better and more direct in why we are doing things, and what we are doing! My responsibilities have changed since I first arrived. I was given a lot of learning experiences in order to get a feel for things when I first got here, but now they have set me on bigger projects. Such as writing a editorial for a magazine about a place that we went. I've also been given and asked of many times to lock up the office at night, or get things prepared for the next day. A lot more responsibilites have been given to me, so that I am giving back instead of only being given to. I love it :) I will be very tired tomorrow after tonight though. This is the end of the month, so the majority of the interns are leaving and it has been a mass of tears shed and memories that won't be forgotten. The new interns have already arrived and we watched the EuroCup Final Match between Spain and Italy tonight, Spain won hands down, but the interns have not yet won our hearts. Our last oldie intern just left, and water works will be continuing throughout the night. The group we had was so amazing because as difficult as things may have gotten, we could literally sit down with anyone from the Oceans Research, Oceans Aware, and Underwater Photography interns and have a blast. I met so many amazing people and now have friends all over the United States. But it's going to be a difficult switch to go from these past interns to the ones who just got here. There is still hope though, because excitment still happens. Shark cage dives are still new- rock climbing and wild hikes are still here. This is Africa, TIA. Everyone is new, and everything is good. We are blessed and are blessing others through the relationships we make here. And the Lord is working :) As He always does. Cheers my friends, I'll let you know how the first week has turned out by next Sunday! This past week, we started shooting photos and learning how to do particular shots on the camera. I learned how to shoot moon photos, the techniques to using manual on a camera correctly, and practiced taking photos with surfers, animals, and underwater shots. I accomplished the basics to understanding and edting photos in lightroom.
I also learned how to create HDR photos, so that one is able to make a photo look like so much more than it was on the day that they took the shot. I have faced the difficulty of not understanding how the camera specifically works, so that instead of getting the great shots that my colleagues are, I am still dabbling with the camera in order to figure out the correct lighting and exposure, shutter speed and aperature. That has been sometimes frustrating, but I've been praying the past couple of days for the Lord to remind me that it's not all technical understanding, but looking to just eye the great photo, and that HE is the one who brings understanding :) I was actually just reading this morning about how Solomon created the temple for God to dwell in while they were in Jerusalem, and it was great. It was so very technical, yet the Lord had given Solomon the understanding he needed in order to complete the work He needed to be done. To overcome this difficulty of not understanding the technical side, I've honestly been spending a lot more time with the Lord, and being patient in Him in order to let Him help me to understand. The Lord has also been opening my eyes to the interns around me, and how much more amazing they are-- instead of just a person to compete against in order to get the best photos. They are great people, and I've been learning great things about each one the further along this internship goes, since we spend 24 hours together. I did receve a formal orientation during the first week of my internship. It was actually very simple. The place here is much more relaxed, since they run on South African time, so we started with the Oceans Research orientation so that we were abe to understand that there were actually 4 different internships happening at the same time; oceans reserach, oceans aware, archeology, and underwater photography. The oceans research interns help with the four different projects that biology graduate students have been working on (which includes a lot of shark data collecting). The oceans aware interns have been training this past week in order to go out to schools next week, talk to children about how to be aware of the animals in the water, and teach them techniques to help the ocean life. The archeology interns have been helping on projects that include digging to find oceanic life from thousands of years ago. Finally, the underwater photography interns are training and learning how to take photos in multiple ways, as well as learn how to market and sell pieces. The rest of the orientation consisted of going through two different contracts that we have to Fiona, in order to sign off on who owned the photos and what the rules were for being in the internship. Afterwards, Fiona Ayerst gave us a tutorial on how to shoot the moon- which includes underexposing your camera as much as possible and leaving the shutter speed on a lower level so that you can get as much light as possible in the photo. The moon tutorial is only an example of how I get specific on-the-job training related to the tasks I have been assigned to. We've also been given specific on-the-job training for understanding how to create HDR photos with a program called photomatix. Every day, we start out with a tutorial on how to work with the equipment, or what to look for to create good photos with the client we would be working for on that day, and I love it because it's so specific to what we are doing that day. I will continue to receive this ongoing training every day, and there will be feedback throughout the internship. Just two days ago, Lui actually made us choose five of our best animal photos from one of our clients and criqitiqued them, with all the other interns adding helpful tips as well. It's nice because the other interns give feedback that is helpful as well throughout the internship. I feel that the training we've been given is really good. It is thorough and down to the point each time that we have a tutorial or a training for exactly what is going to be happening that day. I feel that the orientation was a bit too relaxed, because we were unable to get the paperwork done, and instead went white shark cage diving instead. I know the rest of the paperwork will be covered in the next week though. I do feel adequately euipped to perform my duties because I am able to ask questions throughout the day's process. If I have any questions about how to work the techniques of the camera, I am able to ask someone immediately before, after, or during a shoot in order to get better photos. This has helped me extremely. I feel as though I am prepared to perform my duties not because I know everything, but because I know I am able to ask and get all the answers in order to know everything. At the moment, since my career goals are limitless, I do not see any reason to request additional training which may contribute. This is because they are already giving me so many trainings that are contributing to my professional development in the long term. Just yesterday, we were actually given a briefing with a new client. We will be working with him in order to create a contract and pricing, as well as take the photographs and develop them. This professional helps me, so that I realize photography is not a fun thing that immediately gives money, but one needs to work to get a name for themselves by doing the possibly mundane shots of buildings, restaurants, and local shops to keep stable before getting into the fancy stuff. This really is helpful because I totally forgot that photography could be a career, not just a hobby- and that it's important to dramatically realize it's more difficult to keep stable, and one needs to be flexible. I would say that the underwater photography training is especially helpful, because many photographers are not equipped to go underwater and that will make me more valuable in the photography business if I do plan to make this into a career! Cheers for another week, Sinikka This week I arrived in Mossel Bay. The flight was very hectic, due to the fact that I had to leave Chicago on May 30th at noon, and arrived in Mossel Bay two days later, on June 1st, at 5:30pm. Those couple of days on the plane were very interesting to say the least. The entire time, there was a girl with strawberry blonde hair who looked like she was one of the girls from the intern site that FAUP created on Facebook. I could not be completely sure though, so I only made sure that she was alright throughout the plane rides. The rest of the time was alright, the other most interesting facts on the plane were how many people would just start talking to me when we got into South Africa.
Just by the airport service and mannerisms of the South Africans, who are both caucasian and black (the term used here), I know that this country also runs on a different time than in the States. Similarly to Indonesia, South Africa is a relaxed country, which is difficult to understand in an internship, where one is always wanting an itinerary and is ready for the next event.. or maybe that's just me. I stayed overnight in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I had a twenty two hour layover. I had heard from a rotarian in Bloomington, Indiana that the airport was unsafe to stay in at night, so I connected to any rotaries that would be close to the airport in Johannesburg in order to find a place to stay the night. Just like with any rotary, there was someone who raised their hand. The Lang's met me at the airport, helped me exchange currency- after me insisting that we exchange it before sitting down to a cup of coffee- and gave me a moment to relax in the hands of a soft, red leather couch while drinking a small coffee. Their house was only fifteen minutes from the airport so we were in no rush. In the small time that we had together, I was exposed to my first calamari steak, rich African accent, and maid. Her name is Shelly, and she was the sweetest maid I've met in my travels... which I only needed to hug her twice to find that out! The house the Lang's stayed in was beautiful, significantly more beautiful than my house at home... which is usually the case when I am sleeping at a Rotarian's house. _ Continuing my journey, we flew down to Mossel Bay the next day at 3:25pm, and with the help of Vincent Lang, I was on the right plane, and finally found that the girl I had been following would be in my internship all along. On the way down in the plane though, I sat next to a man named Leon, who was coming back from a week long business trip to Northern Africa. From his talking, I learned that South Africa's poor is actually taken care of very well, and it is in Northern Africa that the trouble with death, illness, disease, and animal attacks happen. I am 100% sure that South Africa stands tall in comparison to this because of all the possible tourism... which really holds this place up. When we arrived, all the interns that were on the plane (a total of 7) took our stuff and headed to the oceans research lady who was waiting for us outside. On the way back to the hotel, we saw the best sunset that I have seen so far in South Africa, one with no clouds in sight :) On the way, I learned that there is actually one man who owns basically all of town... save for only a couple businesses... his name is Albert, and I think it is quite interesting that one man is allowed to have such a monopoly in a place. It's a bit insane to think about. Other golden nuggets of information are: -there is a beautiful beach 5 minutes from my hotel room -we drive on the left side of the road -they go at least 80mph on the road, without seatbelts in the back seat The thing I've learned so far... is to be patient. This past weekend... friday-saturday, has been terrible after we got here actually, because nothing was happening. We didn't have any plans until Monday, which is when the orientation would start, because they thought to give us the weekend off. But the problem was that we didn't know anything about this new place, and didn't even know where to walk. So until Monday, we were basically stuck in the hotel. This would have been a fine thing, except the wifi is a nightmare, the food is worse, and there is no vent in the bathroom so when we shower it completely steams up the bathroom and there's about an inch of water puddling on the floor. We tried to be positive, and by Sunday it was relaxing to sit on the beach after running, and honestly be joyful in the fact that the Lord has brought me to such a beautiful place. I was able to be child-like, as I am :), and jump through the waves... while sharks swam around about a football field's length away. The most interesting thing I learned is that sharks don't like the taste of humans, because we don't taste like fish. They also are curious, so will come if they smell blood to check out what it is.. but that doesn't mean they will automatically attack. I accomplished the necessary feats to get the safe in our room worked out so that the maids didn't take our computers (which happens more often in South Africa.. petty thefts). I also got us more blankets, figured out how to soak up all the water in the bathroom with two extra towels everyday so that we didn't have to step out of the shower onto a wet floor, and figured out a ride for us to go to the mall to get soap, a little fan, and slippers- so that our feet didn't get dirty from the cold tile floor. That's a lot in this hotel actually :) I haven't accomplished getting better food though. The best part of this weekend was going with Natasha, one who handles the admin side of FAUP, to a local restaurant where the owner is the chef, the hostess, the waiter, and the story teller :) He was phenomenal and made us all feel so relaxed and like we were at home in his place. The meals were pure African, - which I learned, means that they have a TON of meat in them. It was fantastic. It was also on the little coast of the harbor about a mile down the road from us and the view was beautiful. The biggest challenges I'm facing is to be positive in light of the terrible food... it's greasy, and literally only a snack. It's pretty difficult to do my best, concentrate on what's happening, and find other alternatives when one isn't being fed properly. To overcome it... I'm getting creative :) For example, each morning they only lay out bread, butter, terrible jam, vegemite, and three types of bland cereal. SO! I bring peanut butter, and use the wheat bread to toast. So I have peanut butter on toast! Now... it's lunch time... and I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but it will be creative :) The next challenge that's more a part of photography is not understanding what's going on at times because since it's photography, things are a bit more undefined and messy- so I have to ask pretty specific questions and figure out what's going on when, at what time, where, and how to take shots. To overcome this... they are actually getting a white board so we have a schedule, I am learning to be patient and becoming aware of the fact that it's not in my control- and that God's got it :) Finally, I'm asking a lot of questions, and learning as much as I can :) I told them, that I want to be challenged... and I know I will get what I make out of it... so this will be good :) The internship responsibilities I have are to take photos, edit them, and publish them. Along with go with our director, Fiona, to photo shoots and assist her in any necessary way- whether that be holding lens or taking more photos. I am also responsible for learning how to SCUBA, taking underwater photography shots, editing them properly and publishing them with Fiona. The work environment that I will be in is so much more interesting than any other :) It will consist of underwater reefs, cage dives, mountain tops, coastlines, valley, waterfalls, islands, and much more. I will be taking photos of animals, surfers, people, and inatimate objects, but mainly action shots. Whether that be sports or animals. I would say my first impressions of the key players in this internship (who are Fiona Ayerst, Lui, and Altus) are pretty good. Altus is very relaxed, but is a great teacher in SCUBA and knows his stuff really well- so i can ask him anything. Fiona is kind of scary, because she has been the managers of almost all the companies she's worked for- but she is very patient and understands your question. Lui is fantastically coordinated, even though he doesn't communicate with us the best, but not the best teacher. The other interns are really more talented than I expected, which is good- because I'll be able to learn from them. The support staff (Natasha) is phenomenal. She is great at figuring out the finance problems and being patient with all the paperwork we need to do. The office culture is engaging and interactive. You need to be the one to come in and get close up this first week because there's 11 interns, but the open door policy is really good. I am able to come in any time from 7:30am-5pm to talk to Natasha about any paperwork/finance problems. I'm also able to ask any questions to the staff that are in the office, and they will take time to explain how to use the programs we do. It's really nice, and it's great because they let us help out putting together underwater equipment around the office. Cheers! Sinikka Newsflash!
This coming summer I will once again not be in the United States, but instead by overseas in South Africa! God has asked me to go overseas, but this time, instead of for just cultural experience, with a mission of loving people- He's asking me to go overseas for an underwater photography internship in South Africa, with what I understand the mission to so far be:: to understand whether he wants me to have photography with a mix of anthropology or communications+culture as a major in university, and whether He wants me to be taking photos for impact or for beauty. So many questions! But He's provided the way and the will from the Cox Scholarship and a possible scholarship from the VASA club that I am a member of. My parents are also helping, so this time, instead of fundraising- God is focusing me on preparing my heart for whatever photography I will need to understand, and preparing my heart to be focused on His calling in South Africa; which may be very difficult with how busy I will be. The internship is from August 1-June 1 (2 months). I will be making contracts with clients and then going out to take underwater and land photography for those clients and selling the photos for FAUP, the organization running the program. I can use the photos for my portfolio as well, which is at sinikka.portfoliobox.net, but other than that- I can't really sell them or anything! This opportunity is still amazing though! I found it when I was looking for internships for this coming summer... with the pure motivation of just doing something different and fun this summer! And God placed in my lap and in my heart something even better than I was wishing to find... I work at the Career Development Center, where they prepare you for the job and internship search and give you lots of resources. I use these resources often, so one day- I started to search for internships and just came across the South African Underwater Photography Internship! It's amazing how God will answer prayers, and after waiting for Him to answer in His time.. things always turn out better than what you had even imagined. I am so blessed to be given such an opportunity to let the creativity God gave me FLY, and to gain so much from two months- for it is in nature and photography that I see the Lord at work so much more than anywhere else. It is through these two facets that there is pure, untamed, intricate beauty, that proves at each moment that the Lord is providing for us and is watching out for us. He has provided yet again, our Jehovah Jireh. and He will go before me to South Africa, so that no matter what- I will be safe, for Jehovah Nissi will go before me :) God is not only working in my heart and life this summer, He will also be working in Alan's. For He has and still is providing for Alan's trip this summer... to Nicaragua. The Lord planted it on his heart to leave the country for a mission trip, and on this specific trip, He will be working through Alan to the pre-school children Alan will be working with. The Lord has been working in Alan, and in me to prepare both of us for time apart again... but I believe it once again, will all be for the Lord's glory and will help us grow with the Lord and with each other so much more- for it is in the times that we follow God the closest, in each step we take, in each decision we take, that we grow closest :) This is a summer, just like with Indonesia, that we are both following God's path for us individually. So together, the Lord will work. I do not usually ask for prayer requests on these blogs, for I believe that I write for myself as much as I write for you- and you can read what you want. Comment what you'd like to!! and respond in the fashion that God inspires you too. But here, I truly request that you pray for Alan and me- in preparation for this summer and for the summer, for it will be good yet difficult- confusing, and beautiful. I ask that you pray for us to stay close to the Lord and hear His Voice throughout this time. Thank you all for reading and supporting :) Go God! |
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