Artist Statement for Senior Exhibition

      My work is centered on the experience of living in an industrialized city struggling to find natural beauty between the crevices of concrete. The inner battles of my models are of equal importance to me, as the people that are repulsed by their presence, and are highlighted within my photos as well as the landscapes that encounter their interactions.

      My personal objective is not necessarily to create the stereotypical beautiful shot that is aesthetically pleasant to all. I strive to produce organic emotions within a frame, straying from bourgeois fashion shots with studio lighting, which I feel has no real human connection.

       My art is influenced by the non-traditional and inspiring styles of The Starn Twins who have revolutionized my ideas of art. The elaborate yet simple nature of their work and the various mediums used to present their photographs have influenced the way I shoot and the impact I want to make as a photographer.

      Recycled materials are bountiful and resources are limited which makes my presentation as socially conscious as my photographs. An underlying reference to the importance of permaculture and scarcity stand between the audience and my work. The raw materials I embrace present an avant-garde theme which captivates the viewer and invites a greater comprehension of active art.

NEW Location

For this grading period, we were assigned to shoot in a weird or unfamiliar location. For me it was a cubby under a desk inside the photo classroom. Vivianna was my fantastic model who used props to complete the photo. We borrowed an old, vintage coat and a plastic bouquet of flowers from ms. miles. I used two hot lights as well as a gold reflector so that the cubby had some personality. I like the first shot because it has a dark shadow and she has a look of discontent, which makes it look like she is unpleasantly stuck in a cramped box. Minor details, like her fist that has tension, make this shot work for me. I like the second shot because the light looks really good on her face and she makes an uncomfortable neck position look easy to maintain. I dont like the position of her hands because it looks too posed and its not genuine. I really appreciate Vivianna for being my model and letting me put her in a difficult position for a little while. This photo was used for her headshot on her artist statement which is pretty rad .

Portfolio homie

This picture of bekah doesnt really work for me because her face is covered in a sort of weird way and to take space away from her face, make her eyes look almost closed, even though from a close distance, The picture really looks nice to me.
The leaf in this photo really works for me. I love the purple and pink veins of the leaf, however i didnt realy want Bekah's purple jacket and white shirt to show. This photo works for this series but i'd like to tweak it some.
I love this picture of Alexis behind the cactus. I really like the shallow depth of field in this photo and I like the mysteriousness of it.
The complexity of this leaf is intriguing and I like the way the background is super fuzzy.
The color the flowers bring to this shot as well as the melanin of the models face really enhance the beauty of this photograph for me. I like the way the features of her face look from this angle.
The way the leafs come down and form a curtain around Steph"s face really works for me.
This picture works for me due to the composition but i feel like the leaf in the upper left corner would be better if it was in focus. The mortality of the buds makes for a point of interest.
I really like the composition and color of this photograph, as well as the way the background allows the viewer to focus on the flowers.
The shadow in this picture doesnt really work for me, but i love the way the green leaf comes through on the left side of the photo.
I really like the way the sun shines through the leaf on the right and the way the leaf on the left is darker, which balances the photo.
The composition of this picture really works for me because the dead portion of the leaf is in the bottom right corner and i really lke the way the background leaf fits into the frame.

This picture looked alot different when I uploaded it, it wasnt as blurry and the bark on the tree looked amazing. I really like the almost candid feeling of the shot and the expression on the models face.

My portfolio ideas were all over the place in the beginning and i finally decided to go with macro shots. I was inspired by the work of the Starn twins. I liked the way they tried to find "god" in their shots. I also liked The way they put their images together through multiple mediums such as bamboo and wood. I was also inspired by the way they conveyed their image through a collage. With These images as well as others that i have manipulated with photo-shop ( will be uploaded when the time comes) i am going to build a physical piece and use a few techniques such as transferring and staining with fabric and coffee to showcase my work. The photos for this six-week period are going into an accordion fold style book. The theme of my book is actually very complicated. I want to bring awareness to the simple things in life that people dont normally acknowledge, such as the environment around them and how much goes to waste and just is never maintained. For example, most of the leaves in this series have atleast one or more dead areas. I dont want you to have to read a whole ton, since I know you have to grade everyone's work.
Bekah's photos worked for me but i feel that they could all have improvements in different areas. For those shots, we ventured behind the photo class and admired a tree and its leaves. Stephanie's shots are all beautiful to me and although there were definitely problem areas, i love them all and it was hard for me to decide which ones to use because i wanted to show them all, she has a beautiful face and lovely skin so it worked well for a shallow depth of field project. The Pictures i shot with Alexis came out well. I ended up having several to choose from and each one had strong and weak points but i feel that the composition and the way she looks in the shot above with the cactus worked the best for me. The lighting in all of these photos are all pretty much the same because i shot them all outside, just after the sunrise. I chose to do this and to exclude all electrical lighting because of the theme of my portfolio (showcasing and encouraging natural beauty) and just because i think that the sunrise and the light that comes along with it is amazing.
All of the photos that are solely nature i feel are powerful because its a closer look to what no one stops to examine. The details in every little vein and stem are beautiful and the colors are so pleasing to the eye. Taking macro shots of these lovely little inspirations is fun and i hope to improve on the composition i have with shooting it. This six week period has taught me alot about lighting and taking advantage of it as well as working with new models to improve my communication skills and convey what i want my image to say and read to the audience. My book has had alot of issues and i hope that i am able to work them all out soon because its getting really frustrating to be honest.