Profile of Officer Colton Deschenes

Officer Colton Deschenes is probably one of the nicest police officers I've ever met.  Hailing from Dover, New Hampshire, Colton (as he likes to be referred to) is 20 years old and has been an officer for 2 1/2 years.  He worked for the Madbury Police Department for 2 years, and has worked 6 months for the UNH PD. 

One thing he mentioned that was surprising to hear from a cop is that he understands what it's like from the perspective of college students.  Although he went into the Police Academy right after high school, he didn't like the police at all when he was a teenager.  Because of this, he tends to try to befriend many people on campus.  He says a lot of people just ignore him when he says hi, however, mainly because he's a cop. 

To him, people just associate police officers with negative things, such as dealing with murders and arresting people.  This gives cops a bad reputation.  In comparison, firemen are seen saving lives and they are praised.  Really, though, cops are just normal people.  Outside the job, Colton wears normal clothing and does normal everyday things. 

He told me to come talk to him any time I see him in the future.  I'll probably do this, since he seems like a really down-to-earth guy.  Definitely not a cop who's a power-trip and takes his job too seriously. 

List of Sounds from Today's Class

These are the sounds that my group heard today during class.  I was in a group with Ariella and Kelsey.  First, we decided to walk down the hall and listen inside Ham Smith.  I heard a number of things in the hall, including hushed whispers, a teacher lecturing, paper shuffling, footsteps, and a toilet flushing.  Then, we went outside and Ariella decided to do the listening.  She heard cars driving by, footsteps, some talking, leaves rustling, crutches on the ground, and birds chirping.  Finally, we went inside Holloway Commons and sat in the hallway outside the cafeteria.  Kelsey decided to listen, and she heard sandals, lots of talking, some type of machinery (coffee maker?), footsteps, a backpack shuffling, and papers crumbling. 

Taking Still Photographs

Obviously, I've taken still photgraphs before.  I think in this age of technology, most people have at least used a camera once to take a picture of a friend or event of some sort.  But one thing I would like to learn is how to take pictures that carry an underlying meaning with them.  What I mean is not just taking pictures for the sake of taking them, but instead taking them with meaning.  I paint and draw, but the art of photography is definitely something I'd like to learn as I progress through this multimedia course. 

Introduction to Multimedia

I guess you could say I have an intermediate understanding of multimedia.  I've taken pictures before, and played with Photoshop, along with some other related programs.  But I am definitely looking forward to seeing what more multimedia has to offer for me.  I'm a journalism major, but I feel that having a broad spectrum of other types of journalism besides just writing will benefit me in the long run.  I did enjoy the reporting we had to do on the Lego project in class this past week, even though I just got to do the recording.  While that seemed all fine and dandy, news of the final project combining sound, still photographs, and video all in one presentation intimidated me.  I can only imagine how frustrating this process will be, and I'm dreading all of the hours of editing that will come with it.  In the end, though, I know that this will only benefit me, and the hard work will one day pay off on my journey to becoming a successful journalist.