My Portfolio


School Bond Photography

As a senior in high school the district was working towards a vote on a bond issue to build two new schools. I was on the school newspaper staff at the time and was chosen to take a set of photos to capture overcrowding at a middle school due to my mother doing the graphic design portion. One of my photos was chosen for the district-wide campaign mailings and signs.
School bond mailing (PDF, 2MB)

Published Digital Camera Review

As a college junior, in early 2003, I tested and wrote a product review of my then current digital camera. It was published in June 2003 on a high-traffic technology enthusiast website. The review made a positive impact on the purchasing decisions of readers, as evidenced in the linked discussion.
Olympus C-4000 Review

Office Network Improvements

In summer 2004 I upgraded my father's small office network. I backed up all data and removed an existing setup consisting of a Windows NT domain and 5 Windows 98 workstations. I replaced these systems with Windows 2000 Server running Active Directory and 5 Windows XP workstations.

In the years since I have provided contract-based troubleshooting and have improved the systems. First, I researched and installed a new network printer. Secondly, I implemented a remote backup system to secure critical business data. Finally, I implemented roaming profiles to allow for more flexibility in the work envionment. I maintain the systems as well as user and email accounts on an as-needed basis.

Sonic Cleaner Advertisement Photography

In October 2004, assisting my mother at her job, I was a freelance photographer for Jules Borel & Company of Kansas City, MO. I took a set of photos with a family friend as a model. My work was used for an advertisement for a sonic jewelry cleaner.
Sonic Cleaner (PDF, 11.2MB)

Online College Application Website

In winter 2004-05 I had a contract job with a local Marketing agency, Target Marketing of Liberty, MO. I produced the initial template web site and administration interface for a dynamic online college application using ASP.Net.

This required an understand of the entire SDLC process from data design to testing. I worked with the staff on graphics and the creation of a data import system to work with their existing systems.
Screenshot
ASP.Net code

Kid's Jewelry + Tools + Clasps Photography

In January 2007 I took photos of very small, very shiny children's jewelry, tools and jewelry clasps on site at Jules Borel & Company. This required critical thinking on lighting to bring out the proper look of each piece. The new photos replaced line drawings in several cases or revealed detail not available in existing photos. These were combined with an existing photo in my collection of a small girl, a release having been received. The brochure was completed by my mother, approved and sent out to clients. Note: I took every photo in the attached brochure.
Brochure (PDF, 2MB)

Modeling and Headshots Photography

In March 2007 I took a set of full body and head shots for two theater majors in Springfield, Missouri. Individually with each model I took a variety of poses and then they chose their favorite shots out of the set. I then used photoshop to produce a final image of each choice.
Beca
Greg

In May 2007 I did the same for a friend taking variety of senior photo-esque photos.
Mary

My Photography Websites

One area I have been interested in for some time is finding a way to sell the many artistic photos I have taken. I designed, posted and since removed two websites under the name of Blazing Circle Photography, found at blazingcircle.com. This site currently does not exist, posting instead to this website. The first design was an ecommerce site I did not pursure actively enough. The second acted as a portfolio for my work, which I now use Flickr for. I am considering options on what to include on a third incarnation of this site.
Design #1
Design #2

Hy-Vee Kitchen Code Sheet

In summer 2005 I produced an improvement of the code sheet used to ring up products for the food court in the grocery store I worked at. My sheet replaced a black and white version that was difficult to skim through. The existing sheets did not fit on the previous nor the new registers and were kept out of sight, limiting their use. From personal experience it was easier to ring up items by hand than use it. At the time the company had switched to a new system of registers and using pre-programmed codes become extremely important. An effective way to quickly find and use the codes was required.
Before

In updating the code sheet I kept the basic layout of the old sheet and made some important updates. Each of the functional departments were color-coded for easier visual skimming of the item being sold. I took advantage and updated the prices of several meals on the sheet and organized them under the new codes only to encourage code use. I shrunk the sheet down by several inches vertically, making it fit neatly on the register. Each sheet was laminated for water resistance.
2005 Sheet

In summer 2007 I updated the sheet and created some companion items. A large amount of price changes, a completely new breakfast menu and the addition of several new products required a new code sheet. For the sheet these changes are visible throughout the updated copy. The same design was used and spacing merely adjusted for readability. Not visible is a switch to a thicker paper to allow for rougher handling, accounting for wear and tear seen in the 2005 printouts. The first companion sheet was a pricing spreadsheet. Any code needing a price change was noted and a large organized list was given to the appropriate person to be entered into the computer. For the second companion an almost completely new breakfast menu was implemented and a way to maintain the same level of effectiveness from day one was needed. I designed a small sheet roughly six inches square to used as a meal reference guide at each station used in preparing breakfast. It was an important item used heavily in the first days of the new menu by all the staff.
2007 update
Breakfast guide