President's Blog

Photo Credit: Christiene Pierre-Jerome

On Thursday, May 13th, Girl’s Inc of Santa Barbara and Brooks Institute joined forces for the second time to host 9 high school girls in honor of “Take Our Daughters to Work Day.”  Katie Huber, Traci Jaslove,  Barbara Obermeier, Marcia Rubenstein,  Christy Schuler, PJ Pierre- Jerome  teamed up to give the girls insight into the world of photography and graphic design. The girls were able to step in front of the camera for a portrait session and then learned how to incorporate their image into the cover of a magazine!  The afternoon concluded with a photo retouching presentation to show the girls what goes on behind the scenes with retouching in order to help promote a positive body image. Special thanks to Chris Buckpitt and Dan Emirzian for your help with facilities and printing! It was a very positive afternoon and another successful venture between Brooks Institute and Girl’s Inc.

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Are you interested in getting into the film industry? Come to the Brooks Institute open house on Saturday May 15 to learn more!

Presentations run from 10am through 1pm.

The Ventura Campus houses our Film and Video Production program and our Graphic Design program.

Formerly a motion picture studio, the campus is complete with a back lot, film sets, sound stages, and computer labs for editing and graphic design.

Come by and see if Brooks Institute is the right school for you!

Please RSVP: 888-304-3456

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On March 11, 2010 the world lost a great visual documentarian of the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s. Brooks Institute alumnus and photographer Charles Moore died of natural causes in Florida. He was 79. His vivid and iconic images of the civil rights movement in the south will live on. Moore captured widely published images of Martin Luther King, Jr. In the 2005 documentary Charles Moore: I Fight With My Camera, Moore said, “I knew that this was a man who was going to make a difference.” Moore’s ability to identify this coupled with the huge impact the civil rights movement was going to have contributed to his success as a visual journalist. But without his talent behind the camera, this may not have been enough.

After serving as a photographer in the Marine Corp, Moore decided to study fashion photography. I am proud to say that he chose Brooks Institute. He studied here in the 1950s.

See some of Moore’s work in his LA Times Obituary.

Brooks Institute Board of Trustees member & editor-in-chief of Rangefinder and AfterCapture magazines Bill Hurter shared his memory of Mr. Moore, “I knew Charles Moore from my days at American University. He, along with another friend named Arledge Armenaki, was responsible for getting me to come to Brooks.”

Mark Mosrie, President of the Alumni Association of Brooks Institute recalls meeting Mr. Moore, “[I] met him once when I was in school and he invited me to his home in Northern California. A few weeks later, I took him up on it and spent three days with him and his wife. I remember walking around his darkroom and seeing PrintFile negative sleeves containing his most famous images.

Few people make a real difference in the world through their craft but Charles Moore was one of those who did.

He was truly one of the extraordinary “Brookies” (Brooks Institute alumni) whose “passion, vision, and excellence” have changed the world.

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Brooks Institute is hosting an open house this Saturday, April 17 at its Ventura Campus to feature its two new certificate programs: Digital Cinema and Wedding Photography. The open house begins at 10:00 a.m.

This open house is designed to feature the two new intensive 8-month certificate programs that Brooks Institute will be offering in May: Digital Cinema Certificate Program and Wedding Photography Certificate Program.

Faculty members from the School of Film and School of Photography will be present to discuss both programs to prospective students.

Both programs will provide students with an intensive hands-on educational experience based on professional industry standards.

To make a reservation to attend this Saturday’s open house, contact the Brooks Institute Admissions Office at 888-304-3456.

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From Left to Right: Dr. Roger Andersen, Walter C. Douglas, Joyce Douglas Photo Credit: Nina Gomez

Today, I had the pleasure of meeting with Walter C. Douglas, an early graduate of Brooks Institute. He attended from May of 1946 to May of 1948, just after serving in the military, when the school occupied a small space on the 900 block of State Street in Santa Barbara. We have come a long way since then, as we currently occupy four campuses in Ventura and Santa Barbara. Through the years, the values and quality of education are still intact. Walter shared his early experience and the path his photography took.

“When I was in school, if you couldn’t take it in three photographs, you might as well forget about it,” Walter shared with me when we sat down.

Walter specialized in black and white photography. “Color, I never did like,” shared Walter, “They had a dye transfer process that I couldn’t take because my hands were nervous from the war.  I am a black and white photographer.”

His black and white photography was fine-tuned through his education and practice at Brooks. “I photographed a beautiful girl, so sharp you could peel the makeup off of her face. It turned me off,” said Walter.

He turned his focus to portraiture and historic photography. Walter’s wife, Joyce, knew Ansel Adams and set Walter up with an opportunity to meet the iconic photographer. “We shook hands and he nearly knocked me off my feet. He was so strong.” The portrait he took is well known today.

Walter explained how he set up the session with Ansel. “It was a dark living room and the dining room was adjacent. I thought I would take my Ansel Adams book and have him autograph it.” Ansel asked Walter what he wanted him to do and Walter told him, “Take your left hand and move the left finger out, sign your name, and stop.” Walter continued, “He made it perfect.” Walter snapped the photo. He decided to take another one just to be sure, but during the second one, Ansel moved his left hand very slightly. They decided to take a third shot, just to be sure.

“I took three shots, and would you believe it? The first shot is always the best,” he shared.

Walter Douglas’s work is currently being scanned and saved by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation. His work will serve as historical reference for future generations.

Brooks Institute has invited Walter and his family to be guests of honor at Brooks Institute’s 65^th Anniversary celebration to be held on October 17^th at the Marriott Ventura Beach.

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Benjamin Ariff

Professional Photographer and Brooks Institute graduate, Benjamin Ariff attended WPPI Las Vegas 2010, a trade show that attracts tens of thousands of photographers from around the world each year.

Benjamin had this to say about his experience:

I have the pleasure of sharing a booth with the nice folks from WPPI. 15,000 people from all around the world of all ages came to learn and discuss the growing popularity of wedding photography.  At my booth, I met people who spoke various languages and shared a wide array of cultural differences but shared the one similarity; an interest in wedding photography. Many people were interested in improving their knowledge and skill set.  The energy was high, the people were friendly, and everyone showed a great passion for photography. This show greatly highlighted the current trends and changes that are rapidly developing. Wedding photography is growing in popularity as a career and a viable source of income.  WPPI was well received giving all participants a solid idea of the current marketplace.

Brooks Institute is proud to support the continuation of education for photographers with our new Wedding Photography certificate program. This 24-credit certificate program is designed to be completed in four sessions over 32 weeks, preparing students to successfully pursue and/or further careers in the wedding photography industry. Graduates of the certificate program will be trained to approach weddings with artistic vision and demonstrate proficiency in the art of visual storytelling. This program emphasizes the skills required to work within varying wedding environments as well as the discipline necessary to work with this specific clientele from start to finish. Those interested in learning more about the Wedding Photography Certificate program can contact an admissions representative at (888) 276-4999.

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Flyer image by Mark Turner

Outstanding work from the Brooks Institute School of Visual Journalism is being featured now at the Ventura County Arts Council Collegiate Exhibition. The exhibit runs from March 5 through March 31 at the Ventura County Government Center located at 800 South Victoria Blvd in Ventura. (The exhibition is located in the Main Administration Building, top floor of the Atrium Gallery.) The public is invited to a reception scheduled for Thursday, March 18 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

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Alumnus Alexander Haessner was recently profiled on Germany’s TVNTV for his participation in New York’s Fashion Week 2010. Since graduating from Brooks, Alexander has made New York his home.

http://www.tvntv.de/public/newyork.mov

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Left to right: Yao Shiguan, Professor & Vice Dean of Teaching, Administration Division; Xiong Ying, Dean of School of Foreign Languages; Dr. Roger Andersen, President, Brooks Institute; Kuang Guozhu, President, Dalian University of Technology Photo Credit: David Litschel

The three visitors from Dalian University of Technology were accompanied by Yuhsun Edward Shih, Ph.D., Director of International Admissions, Colorado Technical University, Colorado Springs, Colorado. The purpose of the visit was to meet with Dr. Roger Andersen and David Litschel, Vice President of Academic Affairs, to discuss ways in which the two institutions could cooperate in the future. Plans are to follow up with another meeting in March.

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Rick Rickman at reception for "The Wonder Years." Photo Credit: Nina Gomez

Brooks Institute faculty member Rick Rickman’s photographic career has taken many twists and turns. Rickman’s ability to remain flexible and his willingness to seize opportunities as they appear have allowed him to follow this luge-like course that now lands him on assignment at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. This marks his 14^th year photographing the Olympic Games.

“When I first started photography, I was strictly a news hound. I love the excitement of news. Later I did my stint with combat [photography].  When I think about what’s been happening with my career, it strikes me as a bit ironic because I never really had any interest in sports photography.  Personally, I’ve always been drawn to sports because I ran competitively most of my life, played volleyball with some pretty amazing teams and love to surf.  However, the covering sports aspect of my shooting has been somewhat accidental.  I think I’m just good at it because my hand-eye coordination has always been pretty good and my timing is pretty sharp as well.”

Just as the Olympic athletes do, Rickman will rely on his years of training, sense of discipline and physical aptitude to overcome the many challenges that the Olympic Games present for photographers.

“In the past, going on almost 40 years of this kind of coverage, the one thing that poses the most challenging equation is the number of photographers who are credentialed to cover these competitions,” said Rickman. “The number of photographers has increased exponentially and it makes capturing unique images increasingly harder. The other major challenge is staying focused on the important aspects of the games themselves. Each Olympic Games has a flavor that develops. There’s a sense of energy that carries the mood of the games forward. Think of Mexico City, Munich, LA, Barcelona, Beijing, Albertville. Every location has its own character and unique events that shaped how each Olympic Games was perceived. A photographer has to tap into that character to help bring coverage to life.”

For more information about Rick Rickman and to view his work, visit www.rickrickman.com and www.newsportphoto.com.

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