Hard News

About a week ago, there was a breach in security at Campus View Suites, the dorms on campus. It was reported that an individual was going around the dorms, trying to open doors in an effort to steal things from unlocked apartments. Apparently, many students were leaving their doors unlocked, either due to forgetfulness, laziness, or because they were under the impression that their possessions were safe. Nonetheless, several things were stolen from apartments before Campus Police apprehended the culprit.

I decided to report and illustrate this issue. While this individual was apprehended, there is absolutely no guarantee that someone else won't try the same thing. It is crucial that students remember how important it is to keep their doors locked, ensuring their safety, and the safety of their belongings. For this reason, I recreated some illustrative photos on the topic. I editorialized it by having a model in the photos, and by giving him dark clothing.

This is the original photo, which I cropped to bring the focus in tighter on the doorknob and how it is left open. I also adjusted the white point, just slightly increased the contrast and sharpness, and then took the temperature down to increase the blues, giving it a colder feel. I did this in hopes that it would give off a sense of unease. 

ISO 400, f/6.7, 1/125

For this one, I had Braiden put his hand on the handle as if he was opening the door. In darkroom I cropped it tighter on his hand and the doorknob, increased exposure, contrast, and sharpness. Then I brought down the highlights and saturation to compensate, and I increased the blues.

ISO 400, f/4.8, 1/90

I'm not sure how to rotate it back to portrait on Blogger, but this is the original photo. I cropped it to make it landscape and focused on the figure staring curiously at the door. For this one as well, I adjusted the white point, brought down the highlights, increased sharpness, and slightly increased blues. 

ISO 400, f/4, 1/60

This photo is of the automatic locking entries to the Campus View building. It locks at 6 every weekday, and 24/7 on weekends. However, in this photo, you can tell by the green light that it is unlocked, granting anyone access to the building. This one was portrait as well, but I cropped it again, bringing it tighter. I didn't do much to this one in comparison to the rest of the take, except increase contrast and blues. 

ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/125

The physical context of this photo essay was obviously the location of the incident, Campus View Suites. It had to take place in the same setting that the students live in and are familiar with. Although it seems like there are security measures in place such as the automatic locks and the key lock on the doorknob, the hands opening the doors clearly showed that those locks are worthless if you don't utilize them. 

The psychological context would have to rely on the viewer. When they see the figure lurking through the halls, peering curiously at the rooms, it should evoke fear in, "That could be my room." 

The bold primary colors and clean lines throughout the halls create the cultural context of a college setting. It's the fun community feel of a dorm, violated by a greedy thief making their halls unsafe. 

The social context lies in the fact that the model is of college age. This conveys that the intruder could be a peer, someone in the complex. It's not enough to just have the entries locked, students need to keep their doors locked too.