I decided to divulge into my personal life for my final project so my audience could genuinely understand the sentiment behind some of my projects. In 2009, I lost my father to an aggressive cancer which ultimately, altered what life was for me. I figured I could somewhat incorporate our “alternate perception” project into more of a situation that has altered my perception of the world. To this day, when we talk about my dad I try to avoid thinking of when he was ill and no longer himself. I try to always think of when he was happy and healthy, so I thought what better way to do that then look at old pictures of him. I photographed my dads best friend’s family, and my family. I only focused on the hands because I didn’t want it to take away from the main focus of this project – my dad. I asked each person to find a favorite picture of theirs with him, and I proceeded to photograph. I used a small aperture setting to get the intimate focus on the picture with a medium shutter speed. I really enjoyed this project, and hope you do too!

Xx,

Belle

Teju Cole brings a conflicting perspective to what individuals immediately assume about portraiture. He is able to illuminate the idea that portraiture has been a style of photographing a person prior to the establishment of photography. Through portraits, the image is able to convey a truth, whether it be about a person, a situation, or an emotion. Cole is able to look past the aesthetic, and the normal interpretation of the picture, and really excavate a larger meaning from it. He touches upon the idea that, as an audience, people determine emotion from facial structure (I.e. “foreheads are deemed intelligent”). As a photographer, I have found extreme interest in portraiture and really enjoyed reading his interpretation of specific pictures.

 

 

 

 

Agoraphobia is a known anxiety disorder that entails the fear of vast areas or open spaces. Those who are diagnosed as agoraphobic are fearful of being unable to find a safe place for them, therefore, inhibiting anxiety attacks. This can be considered an altered perception, because those who experience this anxiety, are unaware of the world surrounding them, only the comfort of their own home.

Autumn is my favorite season. I’ve always loved the weather, the holidays, and the aesthetic of nature. Looking at the leaves brings me back to driving up to Windham, NY with my family, preparing the upstate house for a cold winter of skiing. I had a few ideas of what I wanted to convey through my narrative, and I thought what better timing then when the leaves are changing. We’re anticipating the winter, but enjoying our time in the beautiful colors. Unfortunately, during my photoshoots, my camera was having some technical difficulties with the aperture/shutter-speed mechanism, making it difficult to get a really focused picture. I ended up balancing my camera on the slate patio outside, and collected the leaves. I enjoyed this project because I was able to stay out in nature, and really focus on it.

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.