Since the semester is ending, I wanted to think about the progress I made over the past three-four months. I went through the photos I accumulated since August as a way to refresh my memory on photos I took that I edited out of our project presentations, as well as free up storage space on my computer. I wanted to share some of the photos I took that I edited out of my finished projects. Looking back at my original hopes for this course, I think I fulfilled my goals of gaining more control over my camera’s ability to take clear and well-exposed photos, as well as expanding my knowledge of contemporary and historical photography. I think I can improve my skills further with more practice, and I would like to try more portraiture in the future.

I have a newfound interest in spending time with my camera. I feel grateful that I gained this new experience of enjoying my camera. Even if I didn’t take any pictures, I felt grounded taking my camera with me places. Looking back, I’ve taken pictures at the beach, in my house and backyard, on campus, in Massachusetts, on walks with my dog, and different parks. Even though it’s really hard when it’s happening, it always unbelievable how many things get accomplished in a semester.

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Taken 11/27

Claude Cahun, Que me veux tu?, 1929

Claude Cahun was a French surrealist photographer known for self-portraiture and performance. Cahun was also a writer and an activist. I am interested in double exposure, and in this photograph the way Cahun looks in two directions, and how different the two versions of the artist seem. Cahun received art historical fame and scholarship years after Cahun died, and in retrospect, historians talk about the work as some of the first comments on performative gender.

Deana Lawson, Roxie and Raquel, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2010

Deana Lawson is a contemporary artists who creates portraits, frequently of people in domestic spaces. Her models are often posed gracefully, and the interior design is alive in its own way, although the people are the most magnetic. The magnetic nature of the models is partially due to how often they are centered in the center of the photo, but also their natural beauty, and the staged mood of the image. The artist talks about the work in terms of canonical beauty and Black representation in the U.S., so the beauty of the models and the images might signify specifically Black beauty and storytelling.

Here are the two artists I’ve chosen to look at as inspiration for Project 2: Nature Still Life/Landscape.

Minor White

Star Door, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1973. Photo-gelatin silver.

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Joe 2111, 2004.