Final Reflection Questions

The following should also be expounded upon in complete sentences

1. While writing your paper, what did you learn about the research process?
a. Creating my Pride Paper, there were many thing that made it a difficult task.
The assignments due before hand such as the source notes and annotated
bibliography, helped immensely when I had to write the paper. The outline
was incredibly helpful when it came to writing the paper because virtually
complete before I had written the paper. All of the prewriting drafts and
notes we did before hand could be used as tools I can use in the future for
college and beyond. It is important to make sure to use credible websites
when writing the paper or it could cause information in your paper to be
inaccurate. I learned that you have to be thorough throughout the entire
process and it takes hard work to create a successful product.
2. How was the research related to your mentor hours?
a. Paper included on history, evolution, types, and career paths related to
photography. I specifically focused portraits which is the type of
photography that I did for my product. My mentor taught me how I should
set up the lighting and position the subject. During my mentor hours I went
to two portrait sessions where I learned to to adjust to situations quickly and
interact with the clients according to their age.
3. Summarize the mentor hours that you completed.
a. Most of the hours done with my mentor were done via FaceTime due to
distance constraints. My mentor, Sasha, taught me all of the fundamentals
for portrait photography. When I did get to meet her, we went to two
portrait sessions. I watched how she interacted with clients and adjusted the
settings on her camera according to the environment around her. The last
few meetings we discussed all of the details of the project. Some of the details
included color of the backdrop, positioning of subject, and lighting. Finally
we went through a mock representation of what would happen when I would
be at the fire station.
4. How did working with your mentor affect your understanding of the topic area and /or
the professional world?
a. If you mentor was not directly related to your topic, what did you learn about the
profession that can be translated to any future professional setting?
i. When I went to her photo sessions, this allowed me to observe how she
reacted and dealt with her clients. How she got the interest of her
clients while taking photos was just enough to where she got a good
photo and made a good first impression. She taught me about the
certain settings she used on her camera that she used to take portraits.
 This is important for the professional world because to know all of the
settings to the best of your ability will make you look more
knowledged while with clients. Especially if you're able to adjust
quickly to changing conditions.
b. If your mentor contributed to the development of the product, how were they
involved?
5. How did creating a product and completing the hours challenge you personally?
a. Personally, I was challenged in many different ways throughout the process
of creating my product. The hours specifically challenged me because of how
long everything took. From the four days and 15 hours to take the photos
and the 15 hours to edit the photos, they were long hard working days for
me. They further challenged me because of the learning process while
completing the hours. During my hours I learned how to interact with clients
as they came as well as learned how to adjust the settings to the different
environments.
6. Do you feel prepared academically and emotionally for the presentation?
a. If not, why? What challenges do you still face to feel prepared?
i. Academically, I feel prepared for my presentation. I have become
more knowledgeable than I have ever been in photography. I am
proud of how my presentation and the overall product. Many hard
working hours were put into making the product the best that it could
possibly be. Emotionally being prepared for this project was a lot
tougher than creating the product. I have dealt with anxiety for the
past few years so even thinking about the presentation has been
tough. I feel as if I could be more prepared and more confident, but
that comes with time.
7. How did the entire process stretch you as a learner and as an individual?
a. There were many things I stretched myself with during the entire process.
First of all, I had to learn many new things: photoshop and shooting in
manual mode. In manual mode you have to change all the settings to
accommodate the environment around you. Photoshop stretched me because
I have never used the program before. The tools within photoshop were
much more advanced tools than a beginner program such as the basic Apple
editor. Mentally, I stretched my capabilities by going outside of my comfort
zone. I got to interact with a lot of new people and used new things that I had
never before. Creating this project required me to not give up and to look at
all of the work I had to do with an open mindset. Finally, the presentation
has pushed me because of anxiety. Practicing in front of family friends, and
 teachers has been very helpful for preparing for when I present for the
judges.
8. Other than time management, describe an obstacle you encountered and how you
overcame it.
a. My product needed a few pieces of paperwork in order to proceed with
taking the photos for the Huntersville Fire Department. This took a few
weeks to acquire and to get from person to person. The Chief of HFD
requested two documents: a letter from Pine Lake addressing the
authenticity of the project and a photo release form for consent from the
firefighters to use their photo for my project. I overcame this by having two
plans. These plans have two different sets of dates so they could get passed
quickers. The dates were spread out over a span of two weeks so depending
on when the paperwork was processed, I was ready to go.
9. What life skills did you acquire and how will they help you in the future?
a. The life skills that I acquired were how to work with clients who are also
friends, as well as providing professional documents to the Chief of
Huntersville Fire Department. Having to get a legal consent form for the
firefighters made me think about the types of forms and contracts I will use
in the future. I will need to have legal documents if I choose to become an
entrepreneur so the fact that I had to get those for them helped immensely.
10. If you had to go back and do parts of the project again, what would you do differently?
a. If I could go back and redo one part of the project it would have been to
figure out what I wanted to do for my product earlier. Having the due dates
and time constraints that we had made it stressful when completing certain
parts of the project. These included the website deadlines, as well as
completing the presentation. If I had done the research before hand on what
I should have done, it would have made completing the project much less
worrisome.
11. Based on the entire Pride Project experience, do you plan to pursue this field as a career
or college area of study? If so, why? If not, why? Please be specific. Please format these
questions as follows:
a. In the future I plan on not only having my own photography business, but
the project further inspired me to fulfill my dream of becoming a firefighter
for the Huntersville Fire Department. In college, I hope to major in
entrepreneurship as well as take fire classes for the last two years or so. As a
photographer I would like to do portraits of all kinds around the area.
Senior, family, and newborn sessions would be the kind of sessions I offer as
a business owner. I hope to pursue both jobs. Ultimately, I would like to
combine the two careers and become a photographer for the fire department,
or do something such as be an arson investigative photographer.