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Welcome to my Self Portrait Website! My name is Sophie. I'm a Junior at Mountain View High School as well as a first year student here at Freestyle Academy of Communication Arts and Technology. It's been a busy quarter-- and let me say, it's been a real education. Enjoy perusing throughout my website-- I feel it adequately answers the question of who I am as an individual.
This is my second website that I've created (the first being my project listing page-- click on the "projects" button to view down at the left), however it was my first with a Dreamweaver template.
The website was created with the intention of looking like a newspaper. As I am the Sports editor of the Mountain View High School Oracle (click here to see the online version) and as I aspire to be a journalist, the newspaper as well as its content are always very important to me. I fashioned this website to read like one as well-- the title at the top looks like one of a newspaper, and the unique headers at each page are meant to be read similar to headlines, using newspaper's expressions of "BREAKING NEWS" and "THIS JUST IN" to further that effect. I chose a cream color to give the effect of an aged newspaper, and seem more realistic.
And what is that music you hear? Using the Audio editor offered by Aviary, I created the soundtrack of the home page. I used the loops offered by Quantum tracks in hopes of creating a mellow background music. I tried to fashion the music to be the kind that one would listen to while reading a newspaper-- not too distracting, but still nice to listen to.
The contents of my Self Portrait Website were essentially to answer the question of "who am I?" One of my first answers to this question (there were many answers-- there's not just one factor) was my friends and family. Direct and indirect influences, they have shaped me into the person I am today. My family, my support, have pushed me forward and allowed for my personal progress. My friends provide the hands which I hold as I venture into the future. Click on the links to the left to see pictures and more.
In Design class, we were given the same question of who we were, and the task to translate that onto canvas, whether it be with photographs, or with illustrations. My first Design project was my Diptych, which was the juxtaposition of two opposite yet equal photos to display two perspectives I have. I took the photos, using my friends as models, and edited them using Adobe Photoshop. The second Design project was our self portrait illustration, in which we had to display a trait of ourselves that was both positive and negative-- a double edged sword of sorts. Using Adobe Illustrator, I created a product which I feel accurately represents my most beloved and hated trait. Click on the links to the left to find out more.
I also created a podcast and an essay that sought to answer this essential question. My podcast relays the 10 lessons I've learned so far in my 16 years of life, accompanied by pictures and original music which I created with a MIDI keyboard, and compiled in Garageband. The essay was an assignment I wrote for English entitled "Giantkiller." They both have audio recordings, so check it out!
Also, check out my photogallery! Mr. Florendo (the WebAudio teacher) told us to compile our 15 best photos. Using Adobe Photoshop, I created a photogallery with pictures from my Design and English projects, as well as ones from impromptu photoshoots with my friends. As I mentioned, I'm a big newspaper person, and what I love focusing on is the individual. That being said, I always try to take pictures of people when they're happy--to try to take a picture of their personality.
Finally, I would like to reiterate what an education these past 9 weeks have been. It's been a flood of information, tutorials, and projects, and it was all worth it. The person I was 9 weeks ago would have no knowledge of Adobe programs, Garageband, or programming. The best thing about having this wealth of knowledge is knowing that I have barely scratched the surface-- and that there is so much more left to learn here at Freestyle.
ENJOY THE WEBSITE!
