Capstone Project Proposal Draft
Name of student: Stanley Lee Date: Oct 20
Teacher: Ms. Lacroix Block: 1-3
The Capstone strand I have chosen is Occupation/Entrepreneur Strand
Proposed title for my Project Proposal: (write the proposed title for your Capstone Project in one
clear sentence):
Job shadow a photographer to further develop skills in sports photography, present athlete’s
emotion through photograph and view the sport from a different perspective.
Choose one of your stored inquiry questions from grade 9 or create a new inquiry question that
interests you for further research. It should be a question that connects with a purpose, passion
or personalized area of interest for you.
My inquiry question is:
How can an athlete’s emotion on the ice/court be presented through a form of photography?
And how can the use of camera and technology help with making the most from
photography?
Rationale/context: Detail your reasons for choosing this inquiry question. Explain WHY you are
choosing to investigate this topic as a major area of focus. How does this area of inquiry
connect to your passion(s), purpose? Why is it of personal interest to you?
I’ve had the privilege and pick up a camera and take photos, be around different source of
media which brought the importance of photography to me. I’ve already had experience in the
past already but having someone that does this as a living can help me with some
fundamental skill that can help me in the long run for sure!
Background: What background knowledge/connections/prior learning do you have in this
area of inquiry?
I’ve had the chance to take photos at various sporting events in Vancouver, so sports
photography is not new to me. Sports photography is also something that happens at a very
fast pace, so you don’t have time to wait and get your “perfect shot.” It is really important that
you’re ready at all times during the shoot, as it is 100% dependent on the action in the game.
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Career connections: What is your intended career area at this point in time? What
connections does this inquiry question have to your life, academic and/ or career goals?
At this point, my intended career is still in the field of kinesiology or education, mainly focusing
on sports. Even though there isn’t a direct connection between kinesiology or education to
sports photography, being a photographer is still something that could be considered as a
part time job, as it is always in high demand and working schedule is completely flexible
depending on the photographer.
Interdisciplinary and core competencies connections: What subject areas and core
competencies will be connected with your project? Outline and explain the connections.
Communications - this could be used to communicate with participants and/or people that will
be a part of this event, this could include sponsors, mentors, volunteers and all that are
contributing towards this event.
Personal & Cultural Identity – Using my personal skill to my advantage could be something
that is important in a photographer. Then learning from other fundamental skills from fellow
photographers can add on to the knowledge you have for photography.
Creative Thinking – By looking at other work of photographs, I can learn from different
perspective and think how I could apply that to get a good shot, sometimes you discover
something new by thinking differently and shooting from a different spot in the venue.
Critical Thinking – All sport are fast moving, which means decisions you make behind the lens
are all going to be split second decision. If you don’t make up your mind, you might miss you
chance to get a good shot. With the use of my mentor, I can ask questions as soon as one
comes in mind, and we can evaluate the photos I took right away if needed. This will help me
improve as a photographer and use the techniques given right away.
Social Responsibility – A big part of telling a story is with the use of media, particularly
photographs or videos. This is what I love about photography so much, it gives you a chance
to tell a story from your perspective. Sometimes getting the emotions of the athlete will be a
different story than getting a photo of something scoring. Having these photos out on
respective media source will give the public a chance to re-live the moment and appreciate
what happens behind the scenes.
Personal Awareness & Responsibility – this will be the main part behind this project. I believe
having a passion in what you do is the biggest part behind your success. A photographer
usually does their own thing alone as well, so having this in mind will help me by focusing
more even when working alone and still enjoying what I get to do.
Capstone Presentation medium: select one or more project mediums you wish to use to
present your project. Outline and give details about how you will present your project once
completed. You may use a combination of mediums.
o Electronic portfolio: Prezi or PPT
o Physical portfolio
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o Website
o imovie presentation
- Website: uploading photos to my website after each game/match, shows the progress
of quality and skills used towards photography.
- Physical photograph (with autograph): Having a couple of my favorite shots printed
and out and signed by the players will show the connection you can make from this
type of opportunity and just a collection of photographs taken by myself.
- Power Point: Layout the journey from my 3-month photography “internship,” how I
grew as a photographer from game to game, and how the skill I applied has changed
the approach for taking good photos.
- Evidence: Having screen shots and links to articles/news that used my photos can
show the journey of my internship with the Giants & TWU, it will also allow me to keep
some of the memories digitally.
Description of my Capstone project. Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project: what
will you research, create, study, produce, solve, investigate? What product will be produced
at the end of this project for evaluation. Write a one-page description outlining your
proposal.
See last page.
Project Design Team: who needs to be on your project design team to make this
project/research effective? To support your work? Outline the team and their roles.
Definitely someone in the field of media and photography, not only will I learn some important
skills from photography, I could also learn some knowledge in the field of media and how the
photo can be used in different ways.
Resources/ Technology/Skills: Make an assessment of the resources, technology and
skills you will need to be able to complete this project. What is your plan to be able to
access/learn all of the resources necessary to achieve completion of this project? Detail
your plans.
A camera, editing tools on computer and passion for sports will help in the long run. For this
capstone project, the camera I will be using will be the one I’ve used for the past year, I’m not
getting a new camera because I think it’s really important to start with the most basic camera
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and getting the most out of it. Editing tools on computer can assist you with the presentation
of the photograph, using some tools or filter can really separate your photos from others. And
finally, having passion for the sport is also really important, coming in with an open-minded
heart will help you climb through all the failure you will encounter throughout the journey.
Mentors/Community Connections: What types of mentor(s)/community connections will
you need to help you complete your capstone project? How will your mentor(s) help you?
What is your plan to access the mentorship/community connections necessary for this
project?
Like indicated above, someone currently in the field of media/photography. They can assist
me based on their past experience in this field and identify some mistakes I’m making behind
the lenses and help me with some fundamental and useful skills.
Project limitations: What are some project limitations and potential obstacles that you foresee
that might affect progress with your Capstone Project?
There’s only a limited number of teams that is willing to provide me with necessary credentials
to their event, so going out to different sporting events might be the most challenging part of
this project.
Other considerations: List and detail any other related information/ considerations about
your project that you feel should be included in your project proposal.
This is the perfect opportunity for me to demonstrate my skills and passion around the world
of photography, getting help from a professional and making the most out of this opportunity.
References: Provide a literature review or links for 5-10 references: research, videos, etc.
that offer some preliminary research you have done for your project that shows you are able
to access the key information that you will need to be able to complete this project/work.
https://digitalrev.com/2012/07/18/10-sports-photography-tips-for-beginners/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/shoots-scores-tips-capturing-stanley-cup-winning-
hockey-photos/
https://digital-photography-school.com/11-tips-for-beginner-photographers/
https://contrastly.com/how-to-capture-motion-and-moving-subjects/
https://photographylife.com/photography-basics
https://improvephotography.com/35020/how-to-make-a-photo-look-professional/
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Description of my Capstone project. Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project: what
will you research, create, study, produce, solve, investigate? What product will be produced
at the end of this project for evaluation. Write a one-page description outlining your
proposal.
For my Capstone project, I’ve chosen to do the Occupation/Entrepreneur Strand. I will
be Job shadowing the team photographer of the Vancouver Giants, Rob Wilton, work along the
sports information director/media manager of the Trinity Western Spartans athletics, Scott
Stewart, and finally, Corporate communications & Media of the Langley Events Centre, Gary
Ahuja. My mentor will be the Vancouver Giants team photographer, since I will be attending 8
Vancouver Giants game in the month of February.
The Vancouver Giants have provided me with a photographer credential that will be valid
for the rest of the 2019.20 season. This will give me access to the player tunnel, different corner
of the arena, media booth located on level 3 and behind the scenes access at the Langley
Events Centre. During my time with the Giants, I will be working closely with my mentor, Rob
Wilton. Due to the limited space between the benches, I will not be able to join him during the
game, but discussion will happen during the intermission as well as pre-game and post-game. I
am hoping I can learn from Rob, as he’s been in the photography business for more than 10
yeas, so his experience and tips is something I can definitely learn from to become a better
photographer. About half-way through my 8-game period with the Giants, I will then start my
session with the Trinity Western Spartans. I will be covering them in the Canada West playoffs
and Finals (TBD), shooting alongside their media manager. From my very limited experience in
shooting volleyball, only at the Olympics Qualifier for Men’s volleyball, it is an extremely tough
sport to photography in. So, I am hoping I would learn some tips from Scott to help me improve
in volleyball photography. Finally, I will be wrapping up my 2-month Capstone journey with the
Langley Events Centre, where I will once again receive credentials to the BC Basketball
Championships (Provincials). This is a 3-week tournament, due to some scheduling conflict, I
will not be able to attend every single game, but I will attend as much as possible.
One of the biggest things I want to get out of all these is tips and techniques to becoming
a better photographer in general. I have a big passion for sports, so this is where I’ve decided to
start with. Trying out different angles, using my technologies to my advantage, applying skills
and experience from the past are all going to be used properly and usefully as this project goes
on. It is going to be a wild ride with a lot of live sport action and meeting a lot of people that work
endlessly behind the scenes, but I hope I will get to make the most out of it, since I feel really
privileged to be doing this as a school project.
At the end, I hope to come out with some really good photos, my goal for myself is to
have at least 10 good photos from each game. Having my photos featured on different media
outlets and websites will be something I’m going to be working towards, but I hope I can learn
tons of valuable skills from my mentors, and meet a lot of people that are going to help me
along the way, and most importantly, having fun while I do this!
