Author: Alexis

Looking through the lens of a camera, a photographer can capture anything they see in their own perspective. An everyday object can be photographed in a way that makes it completely unfamiliar. Ten photographers could take a picture of the same flower or table or person and each picture would turn out different from the others, even in the slightest way. In doing this, a photographer displays their view and personality to the world.
As an “aspiring” photographer, I’ve noticed this in my own work. I look at whatever I’m photographing and decide what is the most important part and how I want to show it in my photograph.
When shooting portraits, people often focus on the model in the photo. But the photographer behind the photo is just as important as the person being photographed, as they can capture feelings that that person might not even be aware that they are expressing. One of the privileges of being a photographer is having the chance to capture someone’s raw emotions. An outsider can see someone in a way that they could never see themselves.
Because of this, photographers are often the type of people that prefer to be behind the camera instead of in front of it. While there is an understanding and appreciation for the subject of the photo, most photographers are more comfortable expressing themselves through the lens. Personally, I find it extremely difficult to be the focus of a photo, but the second I switch positions I am at ease.
In addition to the artistic side of photography, there are extensive technical aspects as well. Learning how to manipulate the camera and its settings- working with the aperture, shutter speed, focus, and exposure- is a complicated feat that takes intense practice to master. I appreciate photography more now that I know what goes into capturing a photo. As I continue to learn about photography, I work towards the goal of mastering the settings so that I can manipulate them without hesitation, allowing me to capture an image exactly as I want it.
So the next time you see a photo that you really like, think about the photographer behind it and what they did to capture that image and what they are trying to show you.

The first few weeks of November can be lonely- Halloween is over, Christmas is still several weeks away, and the days are suddenly shorter, colder, and grayer. But I’ve come to enjoy the inevitable November gloom, as I can cozy up with some tea or coffee and listen to some music that matches the solitary atmosphere. This year, I’ve been listening to a few artists in particular: Banks, London Grammar, and Kaleo.
Moody weather goes best with moody music. My summer go-to is Florence and the Machine; but the fast paced, upbeat songs, and the warm (literally) memories that I associate with them make it impossible to listen to past September. Instead, I crave the melodic sound of London Grammar, the hints of R&B from Banks, and the intense blues and folk tracks from Kaleo.
London Grammar is a group of three from London, led by lead singer Hannah Reid and accompanied by Dan Rothman and Dominic ‘Dot’ Major. The piano is the most prominent sound in every song, and the combination of the classical music and the pensive lyrics make their album, If You Wait, perfect for a gray day.

Banks just recently released her second album, The Altar, as a follow up to her first album Goddess. Just like Goddess, the Altar is intense and thoughtful, but contains even more R&B references. While some of the songs are faster paced, they all have a similar fierce quality.
I started listening to Kaleo last month- just in time for November. Their blues and folk influences combined with the deep lyrics and stormy voice of the lead singer match the relentless weather perfectly.
As Thanksgiving is quickly approaching I know I will soon succumb to the familiar cheery tunes of Christmas music. I am looking forward to getting into the holiday spirit, but I’m actively avoiding any premature exposure. For now I am content to listen to the somber, melancholy, and fierce music of Kaleo, Banks, and London Grammar as I make the most of the November gloom. But make no mistake- on November 29th I’ll be jamming to Jingle Bell Rock with a cup of hot chocolate, as festive and cheery as ever.

It has been five days since America elected Donald Trump to be our next president. The shock was apparent to all (I think that even Trump supporters were surprised by his win) and has caused a significant amount of debate across the country. But, if there is anything positive to be taken from the turmoil that the election has caused, I believe it is the passionate reactions of the people.

Messages of hope, love, and solidarity are everywhere. People are uniting together by expressing themselves with words, art, and music.
The Diag, which was once an empty canvas, has now become a vibrant visual representation of the student mentality in response to Trump’s win. Messages are written in different fonts, colors, sizes, and languages- all showing solidarity, hope, support, and unrest within the campus. “Estamos juntos,” “Still with Her,” “You belong here,” “You are loved,” “Love can still win,” “Hope must live,” and “Michigan Loves You,” are just some of the many chalk messages that have been left. The Diag represents the heart of campus and this is truer now than ever.
Around the country we are seeing peaceful protests, with chants calling for justice and tolerance: “Hey, hey, ho, ho, racism has got to go,” “My body my choice, her body her choice,” “We reject, the president elect,” “Si se puede.” The photographs and videos from these marches are powerful, showing an American that is standing against bigotry, racism, and hatred.
Artists around the world are expressing their discontent as well. Bastille, a British alternative band, has written a song called “The Currents,” inspired by Donald Trump and his rhetoric.
“I’m swimming to the surface
I’m coming up for air
Cause you’re making me feel nervous
I need to clear my head
I can’t believe my ears
I don’t wanna believe my ears
Swimming to the surface
Coming up for air
How can you think you’re serious?
Do you even know what year it is?
I can’t believe the scary points you make
Still living in the currents you create
Still sinking in the pool of your mistakes
Won’t you stop firing up the crazies?”

When performing the song on Wednesday, lead singer Dan Smith made an alteration to his lyrics:
“Won’t Trump stop firing up the crazies?”
The rhetoric that Donald Trump has been using really has fired some people up, as more and more incidents of hate and racism have occurred in the days following his win. Even on the Michigan campus a Muslim woman was forced to remove her hijab. The Rock, which is commonly painted by different student organizations, was vandalized with racist comments. Donald Trump’s win has validated and encouraged this behavior and resulted in a fearful America.
But this hateful behavior has not been condoned by this campus or this country.

When students learned about the rock, they immediately painted over it with messages of love and encouragement. When students learned about the woman who was attacked, groups were formed to offer assistance to people who were afraid to walk home alone. When Trump encouraged violence and hate, Americans protested with messages of love and inclusion.
A video of Maya Angelou has been circulating social media in the days since the election. In it, she recites her poem, “Still I Rise.” In the beginning she introduces the poem by saying,
“Everyone in the world has gone to bed one night or another with fear or pain or loss or disappointment. And yet each of us has awakened and risen, seen other humans and said ‘Morning, how are you? Fine, thanks. And you?’ It’s amazing. Wherever that abides in the human being there is the nobleness of the human spirited. Despite it all, black or white, Asian Spanish or Native American, pretty or plain, thin or fat, we rise.”
To the many of disappointed Americans who fear for their life in this country under a Trump presidency, this introduction is inspiring and encouraging. Her words are being spread online to empower people to keep rising, even in the face of hate. And that is what we have done and will continue to do. We will rise.

Last weekend I took a trip to Hitsville USA, also known as the Motown Music Museum, in Detroit. Easily recognizable by its bright white and blue color scheme, the house, that once belonged to Berry Gordy and housed the famous Studio A, sits on Grand Boulevard just as it did 50 years ago.
Inside the museum it is clear that this was, and definitely still is, a house. It’s cramped and crowded as the 11 a.m. tour group waited for our guide, but when she arrived she immediately got everyone arranged comfortably – it was clear that she had done this hundreds of times.
The tour guide was the best part of my visit to the museum. Her passion and knowledge for Motown was clear as she easily gave us general information and shared stories about the singers and the house like she was there herself. Every once in a while she would start singing a Motown classic, her braided hair swaying back and forth as she moved. I was impressed with the natural ease and confidence in which she performed. At one point, she had the entire tour group join her. Tourists, both young and old, who had come from as far away as England or as close as Dearborn, began to clap and sing with her to hits like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “I heard it through the Grapevine.” Group singing, especially in public with a bunch of strangers, is definitely not my thing. But when everyone started to sing along and clap together, I couldn’t help but join. The moment, a bunch of strangers singing together in the house that made icons like Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, was a true reflection of the influence of Motown music.
The tour guide described what the atmosphere was like when Motown began to spread across the country. “People were singing in the streets. They were really singing in the streets!” she said. I can picture everyone sitting on their porches, singing along to whatever hit was playing on the radio. She described the process of making the music as well. Berry believed that creativity had no hours, so artists were able to walk into the house whenever inspiration struck. As we stood inside of Studio A, our tour guide described the musical history that had occurred there. Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and so many others had recorded there, and the entire studio was preserved exactly how it was 50 years ago. As she described the recording process, it was clear that it was a very authentic experience. Today, many artists will record their voice while listening to the prerecorded drums, guitar, and other instruments. But in Studio A, the band would play right alongside the singer as they recorded.
I wish that I could have been around to experience the excitement and passion of Motown music. My visit to the Motown museum made me want to sing in the streets with my neighbors and friends or listen to a song and visualize the recording room full of music. The movement of Motown was critical to modern music, and the Motown Museum is a great place to learn more and get inspired by Motown.

The man on my left shares a Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore for his work on the Intergovernemental Panel on Climate Change. The two girls on my right share an intense passion for Leonardo DiCaprio. We’re sitting in the front row of the fully packed Keene Theater, waiting for “Before the Flood,” a documentary from Leonardo DiCaprio and director Fisher Stevens, to start playing. Dr. Henry Pollack, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, is here to answer questions after the screening. The girls next to me, aside from being major Leo fans, are here as a requirement for their environment class. I’m here because I’m interested in film, climate change, and, like the girls next to me, Leonardo DiCaprio.
“Before the Flood” documents the journey of DiCaprio as he travels the globe to bring attention to the devastating effects of climate change on our environment. As a United Nations Messenger of Peace, it is his mission to propel the environmental movement forward, and he does so with this documentary.
The audience cringed and scoffed when Donald Trump was shown telling the people at one of his rallies that it was “pretty cold and we needed some global warming right about now.” We shook our heads and laughed sarcastically when a politician said that climate change was the biggest hoax ever created on the American people. We smiled while Leonardo Dicaprio hung out with an orangutan.
The film presented a wide variety of perspectives on climate change. Interviews with astronauts, United Nations meetings, conversations with world leaders, and footage of different lifestyles around the globe were all combined into a 90-minute screening. It was an efficient and effective way to bring attention to the crisis of climate change.
“Before the Flood” provoked an intense passion in me, and I believe that it can do the same in others. Art is a resource that can convey a powerful message to all kinds of people. Whether in the form of a mural, painting, song, or film, artists can capture an audience with their creativity and inspire people. “Before the Flood” is just one example of this, as the convergence of two passions, film and the environment, resulted in a meaningful and relevant message.

(You can stream “Before the Flood” on National Geographic’s website by clicking here …. 10/10 would recommend)