Business Card

Assignment Five, Part One

Here's the original photo:

The first thing I did was crop the photo.  Then I added a background of a blue sky from another photo I'd taken and erased the original background and stray fly-away hairs.  I then softened the edges so that the edges wouldn't be so harsh, and sharpened this original image.  I burned over her right eye so that it would match her left, then adjusted the hue, saturation and brightness.

Here's the improved photo:

Here's the second photo:

The first thing I did was make a second layer and adjust the brightness and contrast to make the dark background.  Then I erased the people.  For the layer with the people in it, I adjusted brightness and contrast again, and added a hard light filter.  Then I erased the baby's binky strap using the clone stamp.

Here's the improved photo:

Assignment Four

Readings Three

This week I read a lot about the internet...which is something I don't have a super great understanding of, at least when it comes to money. (So I guess it's a good thing I'm taking this class.)

I really liked the third reading assignment about branding yourself.  This is something I personally believe in.  I've read quite a few leadership and management books that have talked about this.  And yes, I've Googled myself.  Unfortunately, there is a erotic novelist with the name Rachel Kenley- same spelling, and most the results are about her.  However, I have "rachelkenley.blogspot.com."  This other stranger with my name must have wanted that domain, because she's left a comment on my blog, which creeps me out a little.  I've never given much thought to having a database of my work online, but it seems like an awesome idea.  That way, potential employers could visit my site and get an overview of the work I've done in all areas- opinion columns, press releases, news stories, marketing, etc.

Readings, Week Two

I'm doing this blog post in html- because I'm that cool. :)

This week I read about creating a resume. This was really useful for me, as I'm in the process of applying for a number of summer internships. I've done a lot of interviewing for jobs, but I've never been very good at making a resume. The tips were really helpful- in fact, when I read that it was a mistake to put references on your resume, I immediately removed them. I also really liked the information about online resumes- I wasn't aware that people actually use them.

The thing that concerned me the most about what I read was the role of social media in looking for jobs and in hiring. I don't have anything really inappropriate on my blog or Facebook page, but I don't think I'll be linking them to my resume anytime soon. I'm a firm believer in a separation between school and home.

Readings, Week One

This week had four reading assignments:

I found "The Core Rules of Netiquette" very interesting.  I assumed, when I started reading it, that I would familiar with all the rules,  as I've grown up with the internet and use it several times a day.  However, I've never really participated in discussion boards, which this ten-step manual talked about quite a bit.  I was surprised to learn all the rules of internet discussion, and it made me more interested in joining a few discussion boards.  I liked learning about "flaming"- although I've never been on a discussion board, I think that my Facebook page has been flamed- leading to absurdly long and hostile discussions via comments on some status that I thought totally innocent.

"On the internet, no one knows you're a dog": This comic reminded me of Brad Paisley's song "Online."  It's about a nerdy guy who is someone completely different when he's on the internet.  I find the song kind of annoying, but it proves a good point, just like this comic.

I read the majority of "Conversational Cheap Shots: How NOT to Talk!" aloud to my roommate Jodie, and we couldn't stop laughing and repeating the phrase, "Someone has done that to me!"  We especially understood the annoyance that comes from the "Complimentary Insult," both of us having been the victim of "Wow, you look cute today."  Jodie and I also talked about a mutual friend who is a veritable master of the "Studies Have Shown" technique, making up whatever statistics will suit him.  One conversational cheap shot that the website didn't mention is "The Non-Apology Apology." This consists of pretending to apologize for something you did to someone else, but twisting it so that you are really saying you feel sorry because they feel bad.  I tried this on my parents: when they asked me to apologize for saying something they felt was inappropriate, I responded with, "I'm sorry that you found what I said to be offensive."  It didn't work- at all.

"Email Etiquette" was a very informative read.  I'd always wondered when, and how often, you should use a greeting in an e-mail, and how to write a professional sounding e-mail requesting information from someone I've never met before.