President's Blog » Photography

Brookie Benjamin Ariff Represents Brooks at WPPI Las Vegas 2010!

nina.gomez — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:13:48 +0000

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.

Brooks Institute at the Oscars!

nina.gomez — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:29:38 +0000

Brookies Danielle Sandoval and Devyn Arrey were on-hand to photograph celebrity attendees.

Eleven Brookies teamed up with Brooks Institute’s Career Services team, Eli Davis, Daniel Smith, Katie Huber and Isis Wills and attended this year’s pre-Oscars events, specifically the Eco Red Carpet and celebrity portrait session for The American Red Cross and benefit for Haiti relief.

“It was an incredible experience for me to be a part of the Oscars pre-party celebration,” said Brookie Katie Fagan, “I volunteered to help these talented photographers, who were also donating their time and expertise, to raise funds for relief in Haiti. [The photographers] definitely taught me a thing or two while they worked with each star; however, I had a few tricks up my own sleeve and was able to problem-solve in some intense moments, thanks to the influence of some great Brooks faculty.”

Our Brookies photographed celebrities including Candy Spelling, Chelsea Hightower from Dancing with the Stars and Shar Jackson from Celebrity Fit Club. The career services team was present for the two day event and made a lot of great connections!

BI Graphic Design Faculty Member’s Book to be Featured on NBCs “Parenthood”

nina.gomez — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:39:50 +0000

The latest book from Graphic Design faculty member Barbara Obermeier, Photoshop Elements 8 For Dummies, will be making an appearance in episode 10 of NBC’s Parenthood this season. (Barbara just signed an agreement to allow them to use a copy for this hit show.) The show airs on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Episode 10 should air in about nine weeks. The book is co-written by Ted Padova.

Barbara Obermeier is the principal of Obermeier Design, a graphic design studio in California specializing in print and Web design. She is the author of more than a dozen books.

Alumnus Alexander Haessner Participates in New York’s Fashion Week 2010

nina.gomez — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:00:41 +0000

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

Representatives From Dalian University Visit Brooks Institute

nina.gomez — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:25:47 +0000

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.

Prints for Haiti

nina.gomez — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:29:15 +0000

After seeing images of the devastation in Haiti, and deciding that feeling sad about the situation was not enough, Greg Lawler, Director of Information Technology for Brooks Institute decided to take action and develop a way to raise and donate money to the cause. Greg teamed up with local custom photo lab, Specialty Color Services to create Prints for Haiti, an online photo gallery sale which donates funds to benefit relief efforts in Haiti. The gallery can be found at www.printsforhaiti.com.

This extraordinary collection of images was acquired from a talented group of photographers, many of which are Brooks Institute faculty and alumni.

For each image purchased, and after $10 per print is subtracted toward production and shipping, all remaining funds are split 50/50 with 50% going to the American Red Cross and 50% to Direct Relief International.

Brooks Institute will match each donation made, up to $5000.

President of Seoul Institute of the Arts Visits Brooks

nina.gomez — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:24:17 +0000

Dr. Ron Smith, Mrs. Yoo, Mr. Juk-Hyang Yoo, Dr. Andersen Photo Credit: Shelley Jones

Mr. Duk-Hyung Yoo, President & Artistic Director of Seoul Institute of the Arts, visited Brooks Institute on Thursday, January 21 to discuss developing a school-to-school partnership with President Andersen. Dr. Ron Smith, Brooks Institute Program Director of Arts, Letters and Science (Ventura) and Brooks Institute MFA in Photography graduate Sang Bum Lim (from South Korea) scheduled and hosted this visit.

My Brooks Institute “15 Minutes of Fame” Film Debut!

nina.gomez — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:25:51 +0000

Photo Credit: Nina Gomez

Recently the Commercial class in our School of Film pitched the idea to me to make a short film explaining Brooks Institute’s Red Dot Policy. This policy was developed a very long time ago at Brooks to ensure that all students use our industry-current equipment and modern up-to-date facilities in a professional, safe, respectful and dependable manner.

Best of all, the students asked me to “star” in this video!

How could I turn down an opportunity to launch my big-screen career – especially after reviewing the script?

This film will be featured during our orientations to help students better understand the Red Dot Policy. No doubt the film will receive some laughs (whether intended or not!) while communicating to our new students key aspects of the policies and procedures used to check out equipment and reserve facilities.

Special thanks to the great film crew (below). They were well organized, professional and, best of all, fun to work with!

From Left to Right: Producer, Taylor Erickson; Director of Photography, Danielle Sandoval; Brooks Institute President, Dr. Roger Andersen; Sound Specialist/Actor, Eric Guerrero; and Director, Jared Alden (Not pictured: Editor, Dan Simmons) Photo Credit: Nina Gomez

Thanks to Brooks Institute from the President & CEO of the National Senior Games Association

nina.gomez — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:34:39 +0000

Susan Bloom, Program Director for Visual Journalism, recently received a letter from Phillip H. Godfrey, President & CEO of the National Senior Games Association. Here is a portion of Mr. Godfrey’s letter:

“I’m writing to thank you and Brooks Institute for the opportunity to work with (Visual Journalism faculty member) Rick Rickman and his team of students at the 2009 Summer National Senior Games in the San Francisco Bay area. Each and every one of them made a significant contribution to the administration of the Games, to the media room operations of the Games and to the historical recording of the Games…I must compliment Rick and your students for their preparation and work ethic as well as for their outstanding creativity against the task of recording an event involving 10,000 participants over 16 days. They did an amazing job. I hope you might consider other NSGA events as suitable learning experiences for your students in the future. I would welcome the chance to work with Rick and the Institute again.”

A Diploma and a Diamond Ring

nina.gomez — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:45:29 +0000

This past Sunday (August 30), 100 students participated in our October Commencement ceremony held at the historic Arlington Theatre in beautiful downtown Santa Barbara. The last two graduates to receive their Bachelor of Arts degree diplomas in Professional Photography were Katie Groth and Ace Ujimori. Katie and Ace met when they started at Brooks three years ago. Upon receiving her diploma, Katie attempted to return to her seat with the other graduates but I asked her to stand with me as Ace crossed the stage to receive his diploma. Once Ace received his diploma from me, he turned to Katie, got down on one knee, and pulled out a small jewelry box and opened it to reveal an engagement ring. “Katie Groth, will you marry me?” When Katie jumped into his arms with tears in her eyes, the entire graduating class erupted in cheers and gave this very special couple a standing ovation that lasted several minutes. Although most couples clearly remember where they were when they became engaged, I doubt that Katie and Ace will ever forgot this very important moment in their lives – and Brooks Institute history! “Commencement” means beginning. This past Sunday ’s commencement was truly a new beginning for Katie and Ace and their lives together as they become Brookies (Brooks Institute alumni). Katie and Ace: the very best to you from all of your family at Brooks Institute!