ABOUT ME

Growing up, art has always been a huge part of my life. I started off with drawing and I was okay at it but I did not love it. Next I moved on to clay, which I really liked, but it was hard to do outside of a school setting. This year I decided to try photography. Over the summer I took a digital photography class while I was doing community service in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. We would take pictures of the animals and plant life that were unique to that area, the other volunteers, and the people who lived in La Fortuna. My community service was to help renovate the local elementary school in La Fortuna. Besides fixing the classrooms, desks, and chairs, we also painted a mural for the kids which they loved. Seeing how much our art meant to them was so rewarding and it made me realize how important art really is. Through photography, I was able to capture specific moments and remember the amazing experience I had forever.

Photography, unlike the other art forms, can be done anywhere; all you need is a camera. I love photography because if I am inspired by something its easy to create my idea right on the spot. Throughout the year I have noticed myself becoming more comfortable behind the camera and more confident in what I’m doing. I hope that after this year I will continue to improve on my photo skills that I’ve learned so far. This class focused on black and white photography so the element of color was not a factor. I am looking forward to experimenting on my own with color photography and seeing the effect that it has as opposed to black and white.
A few of my influences have been Edward Weston, David Hockney, and Richard Avedon. Edward Weston’s use of macro photography made me more aware of the effect that an object’s details and shape can have on a photo. Studying David Hockney opened up my mind to a whole new way of looking at photography. His unique way of creating an image is unpredictable and captivating. The way Richard Avedon staged his photos with such odd combinations inspired me to think more outside of the box and to be more unique. To no surprise, my favorite projects of this year are the ones based off my artistic inspirations. In the Weston shoot, I had to think about shape, texture and value a lot since the photos were so close up. I enjoyed that shoot because I thought it was amazing how you could get such interesting pictures from vegetables. The Hockney project was intimidating at first, but once I figured out my idea and took the photos it was just like putting together a puzzle that you created. In the studio shoot I had been struggling at first with how to not make my concept look cliché. After thinking back to the artists we learned about, I remembered Richard Avedon and how he would put models with strange props in his photos. I used that idea in mine to make the meaning more clear and original.