Patrick Toth/2 May, 2011

My First Look at Purdue

Surprisingly, choosing a topic that represented, or affected, my first semester here at

Purdue, wasn’t difficult at all. At first I was a little hesitant to write about something that

changed my first semester. However, after thinking about good memories with Dance 2XS, I

became anxious and excited real quick. I finalized my decision and chose my eight sub topics to

be: friends, music, clothing, networking, dancing, location, food, and school/studies. After

coming up with the eight categories that support my main topic, I simply found pictures that

would clearly demonstrate the positive effect this team had on me during the first semester.

I enjoy my friends at dance, outside of dance, and at home. I would have to say that the

friends on Dance 2XS provided me with loads of support and were always there for me. The

picture that was used gives the reader a glance at my friendship with the team. It displays the

happiness and brotherhood between all of us. During the editing process of this picture, I had

cropped the photo in order to enhance the meaning of this friendship. I also used fading and

bordering techniques to improve the quality of the picture. I believe that this resembled true

friendship the most; hence, it is in the essay.

The next sub topic was one of my favorite aspects of Dance 2XS. No matter what

anybody says about music, everyone listens to it AND enjoys it. There is a type of music out

there for everyone. That type of music is what makes you happy, energetic, relaxed, and

comfortable. Reasoning like this is why I chose music as my second sub category. Music on this

team was of much variety. I was exposed to new types and genres of music. All of these styles

gave my first semester a new view on music and comfort. My picture is self-explanatory. I chose

to take a picture of my iPod on top of the stereo from an overhead viewpoint. By shooting it so

close to the object (iPod), I was hopefully able to show the passion I have for music.

Clothing/apparel was a crucial part of the team and therefore a crucial part of my first

semester. I enjoyed showing off my new outfits to my friends on campus, and for that I thought it

would be appropriate to use clothing as my third sub category. The picture displays one of many

2XS shirts and a hat that I had “2XS” embroidered on. Again, I chose the high point view, using

the rule of thirds. This way, people were focused on the shirt with 2XS but also kept that

“hidden” object in sight as well, relaying the important message of team representation.

After choosing the apparel as one of my topics, the idea of networking quickly came to

me. It was right there in my head, so I decided to select this as the next sub topic. Networking is

essential in success in all experiences. In the picture I am not wearing my outfit for 2XS, so I

was not exactly showing the name to new faces; however, I was able to personally meet famous

dancers from the dancing world/community. As shown, I met the famous robotic group: Remote

Kontrol. The picture was taken by a friend and has one unique perspective. I am not centered in

this picture for a reason. I cropped the picture around the group in order to allow the reader to

understand the importance of networking and meeting new people. Now, when I see this group

again, I won’t be just a fan, I’ll be a friend.

I finally remembered that the reason why I was on the team was because I could dance.

My fifth support was the general concept of dancing. Dancing can express anybody on so many

different levels, and I had the idea of writing about it and showing the reader through my picture

as well. My picture is actually one of my showcase pictures and I thought it was the perfect fit

for this assignment. It was hard to find the right moment to click the button when taking this, but

I believe that it shows my facials and actions, while dancing, precisely; giving the true feel of

dancing. It allows the reader to focus in on the passion I have for dance. The technique of

symmetry also plays a huge role in this picture. The symmetric design expresses this moment to

the fullest.

Although the location is not a primary role in the positive outlook of my first semester; it

was a benefiting factor of it. I chose the Golden Steps studio because it was my second home and

it was always welcoming every time I showed up for practice. The picture was taken directly

outside of the studio and was almost perfectly symmetrical. I took it this way to provide balance

and simplicity for the reader. I also made sure that it included the sign so it was known that the

building was in fact the Golden Steps studio. Another editing technique used was the use of

lighting balance. I brightened the picture giving it more of a tranquil and welcoming tone than it

had with the dark, dark shadows.

This category, in some eyes, might be ridiculous and unnecessary. I say different. I chose

the sub category of food because it was an important aspect of Dance 2XS. It gave me fuel and

exactly what was necessary to get through the semester. The picture represents a few of the

snacks that were consumed during my time on the team. I took it up close and on the same level

as the snacks to give the illusion that there were more snacks than what were actually on the

counter. After that, during the revising process, I cropped the photo and used a color shading of

yellow too match the basic tone of the snack containers. I also matched the text box faded color

with the shading of the picture to provide and exemplify the good balance of the photo…and the

snacks; showing the importance of food/snacks.

Finally, my last sub topic was school. I chose this because it was just as important of a

thing to my team as it was to me. School came first at all times and I found that my grades were

very good because of Dance 2XS, and of course lots of studying. I plan on having a career based

on my education and schooling and these members/friends made sure that was the thought

process for everyone. The picture follows the rule of thirds and shows that “hidden” object again

in the background. This principle of editing is used to grasp the reader’s attention on the entire

photo. The layout is simple yet impactful. Overall, the topic I chose meant a lot to me during my

first semester and this assignment demonstrated that meaning more clearly through the

photoshop editing process of my pictures and essay.