Diane's biography

Where do I start? I really don't know. Well can I start at the reason whyI am who I am today ? yeah, why not I think that it would be a really good thing to do and to talk about.

Well my name is Diane LaShay Woodlyn. Born on October21, 1989 in the hospital of Abington Memorial Hospital, weighed 5 pounds and 11 ounces. I lived in Philadelphia for my whole entire life. All over Philly, from north, south, west, southwest, to wherever else in the cut in Philly. I grew up to know that I had an mother that was an addict so was my father but stopped along in the process of life. But my mother still has this addicton of crack-cociane and smoking marajuana on the side. It hurts to know that someone that you love would not even stop for you, better yet for themselves. Don't get me wrong I love both of them truly, but this is like really crazy to be born into a situatuion like this.
That's a part of my past but I don't like to go back, I like to go forward and look at the good things that has come out from the past. Should we go on to the present now? Yes we should. Alright now, well now that all of the problems are almost out of the way, I am still doing me in the process of things. I am having a good time with going to my program and being funny around the people that I love and also that I like. I fill that sence I have been through things and been through lot's of them I just don't like to talk about them all because I get really emotional and sad and start to cry. I don't like to cry because I fill as though I came out of my problems strong so why start to cry now. I know that I can do much better than just cry. I have no time to wiast and time is money and valuable to me so JUST GET OVER IT! But my present is filled with joy. I'm dancing and can't stop for nothing or anyone I'm too excited and my energy is high and so is my self-esteem. I use to have low self-esteem until I found GOD and I began to rise up and be proud of who I am and to care less what others think about me. My FUTURE is going to be very sweet. I'm going to college for dance, and design also education. I KNOW that I DIANE LaSHAY WOODLYN is going to do something with my life and going to make it into a career and not just a phase. I will show the ones who hated and are still hating on me what I am really capable of doing. So 'DO WHAT YOU DO , CAUSE I WILL DO WHAT I DO! From DETERMINED DIVINE DANCER A.K.A. DIAMOND D A.K.A. TOO MANY NIK NAMES FOR ME TO LIST.

Diane's final post

What was your favorite part of the program and why? My favorite part of the program was hanging out with Zoe and recording was also fun and sometimes being around the other interns was fun. But mainly it was just working on the documentary project and trying our best to make it the best doumentary that there ever was.

In many ways I feel that I have contibuted to the documentary. One way is that I was always on time, always focused, did all work, helped others, record people and places and things. That's how I contibuted to the documentsry.

My experience with working with a group instead of myself was good because I needed the help. It was kind of hectic because everyone has there ways and opinons about things other than that it was great working with the other interns.

I learned a lot of things that i didn't know before. For example, the techniques of using a camera, how to short your questions for interviews, and also how to try your best to look interested even if you don't like something.

The skills that I have developed from this program, will be used in a respectful and a hardworking way. Meaning that I will use these skills in anyway that I could. Even if the situation contains wedding pictues, recording a performance, being behind the scences of a movie, etc... .

Yes, my percepton of art did change. It it different because I see everthing as a picture now and I know when and where it is time to take a good picture.

No, my perception of documentaries has not changed because I already knew that sometimes there are going to be boring documentaries and sometimes it would be good documentaries.


The thing that I would want to change about the program was the long lectures about art because they were too long and boring. But they did have exellent information.


The program helped me improve on taking pictures well and helped me with recording things. For example, now I know how to zoom in and out and what white balance is and what it is used for.


Yes, I do plan on working with photography and art in the near future. The program has affected this because of what I learned inside of the program and I really appriciate the fact that I had the chance to do this documentary, it was fun and I would love to do this again.


Yes, the program met my expectations. At first I thought that it would be so boring, but the program has proven me wrong.

I just would like to say that I love all of the staff and also have love for all of the interns. Hopefully, I will be able to see everyone again in the near future. Til next time, may god bless you all with any wonderful gifts that you may be able to react to them in a good and grateful way.

Nan Goldin and Zoe Strauss

Nan Goldin
Nan One Month After Being Battered, 1984

Nan Goldin is a Jewish, suburban American photographer. She is from a middle-class home in a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Nan's work is very expressive, meaning that her photographs cam show you how the person or people in them were feeling at that time. Nan Goldin took pictures from the late 1960s to the present. She took photos of drag queens, female nudes, women in front of mirrors, nightclubs, couples, and sex.

Nan's picture Nan One Month After Being Battered to Zoe's Monique Showing Black Eye. The subject of both of the photos is women who have been brutally beaten. They are both taken from a straight angle from the subject to the camera. The color of these photos is very important to the composition.

One of the main differences between these photos is that Nan Goldin's photo is a self portrait, while Zoe's is a picture of a stranger. Overall, Nan's photography tends to focus on her friends and family, while Zoe's focuses on people she meets on the street.

Opinion's about Zoe's artwork

Diane Woodlyn
July 21, 2006

Theme: Zoe’s Artwork From Other People’s Perspective

Question #1: Other people think Zoe’s artwork is amazing. What people really thought about Zoe’s work was that it was really raw. What they meant by that was that it really takes people to the main streets of Philadelphia. Also the rawness of the picture makes them think about the reality of Philadelphia instead of seeing the pretty and beautiful part of Philadelphia.

Question #2: The effect that Zoe’s artwork has on other people is that they may feel unconfortable. Their reactions are saying that they prefer not to see what they are seeing. Many people might be disturbed by violence, abuse, and nudity. The reason why I think that it is good to see these kind of things is because your beating the purpose of the photo if your trying to look away.

Question #3: The effect that Zoe’s artwork has on me is that her artwork redefines the way that I look at things now. It is like I can’t refuse to ignore things that are there. The reason why is because it’ll make me feel that I am blocking or trying to fake like I don’t see what I live around everyday. Looking at Zoe’s artwork really makes you think a lot about you, your life, and your situations that you may have had in the past, present or even your future. It is one specific photo that has an effect on my life and that photo is of the young lady smoking crack on the ramp. The reason that this picture has an specifically effect on me is because my mother has an addiction and this is one of her addictions. Seeing this picture really makes me sad and honestly I don’t like to go in the ramp. I just go to look at the presentation of the slide show than I leave. But these are the kind of effects that Zoe’s artwork has on me.
Question #4: Zoe’s artwork is about the people and facing reality. Also it is about relating to the community in a way where others can see what they live around. Zoe feels as though that her artwork should be shown both in a museum and in the community. The reason that she feels this way is because she wants other to see what she is seeing out in the real world. Zoe’s artwork also shows the true side of Philadelphia, the side in which some people choose to ignore. Her artwork is really touching, meaning that she makes you see things and places in a different way than you’ve seen before. Zoe’s makes the impossible, possible. The reason behind this is because even though most people wouldn’t think that you could be able to suceed with this kind of artwork, Zoe makes it possible and affordale where as though anyone is able to buy her work.


Question #5: What three new things did you learn about Zoe and her artwork? The three new things that I learned was that Zoe takes pictues and feels a way about them and worries about that picture. Also Zoe likes her work to be in the community because she likes others to see what they are surrounded by every day and night. Another is that by the age of twelve, Zoe could read other people’s mind and personalities. These are the three new things that I’ve learned about Zoe Strauss.

Creative documentaries

What makes a good documentary? What makes a good documentary is having colors and having lots of pretty pictures also having good interesting information. What doesn't make a good documentary is when everything is plain and truly boring but ha lot's of good information. But what really makes a good documentary is having good shots. For example, if you take shots from every different angle, your pictures could come out really nice. The types of shots can be very interesting when you think about it because your looking at more than one angle and your seeing your pictures differently than seeing them the same if you would have tooken the same shots for all of your pictures. But the way to gain interest in documentaries is that you can have music playing in the background and also lot's of colors in your space area. For example, have the colors behind you like a backdrop of a picture. Also could have lot's of descriptive things to show the audience while you are talking. For instance, the documentary of 'RIZE', this showed people taliking about the dancers and actually showing what they were taliking about instead of just talking without showing the dancers. To have a persons interest in a documentary, don't make it where as though their board and so are you. Just make it where as though it is at it's best interest with you and the persons attention. Make people laugh or you can make them cry, don't make them fall asleep or walk out of the room. Just make it fun and good where as though they may want to stay just for a little or maybe just until it's over. In closing, documentaries are more interesting when it comes from that person who lived that life or had friends and family that lived that life with that person.