Being able to capture an individual’s personality and self in a photograph is a surprisingly difficult task. In order to quickly snap a picture of a stranger, the photographer has to be comfortable enough in their ability to capture the photo correctly. In regards to location of taking the portrait, I found myself most comfortable in my home. Initially, I was attempting to find different places that best reflected myself background/location-wise. By observing the photographs I had taken while I was in these places, I was able to decide that they still did not visually represent me. I figured then, why mess with something that isn’t broken? I went back to the typical style of portraiture that I had known, threw a white sheet up in my room and proceeded. I used a tripod and mostly natural light for my composition. I’m not sure if it was my dance background, with headshots and group photos, that made the backdrop a more comforting aesthetic for me. My family was able to pose for me, however, getting my mother to be comfortable in front of a lens was a challenge in itself. I realized that a woman who was older, needed her favored features to be highlighted. So I just asked and went from there. During a portrait photoshoot, I believe communication is the key to getting the photograph you want. Being someone who has had minimal knowledge on photography and utilizing a camera until this class, I thoroughly enjoyed this project.

When I initially interviewed Conor, I asked him what his favorite color was and he responded with “yellow.” The more we asked questions, the more I gathered that he liked heavily contrasted pictures with brighter hues, hence the bright fire against the darkness of the night background.

I really enjoyed the mystery aesthetic with this picture. Initially it was a brighter orange color due to the light, and it is actually a picture of my pool with fallen leaves in it. With the mysterious look to it, the black and white, and the transparency of the water, I think it captures the knowledge I gained about Dio.