Burning House

There are two Holy Bibles, three bracelets, a wallet, a cellular phone and a set of keys in this photo and they represent items that I would, undoubtedly and without hesitation, grab if an imminent fire was devouring my neighbor's home and in the process of transitioning to my humble abode. The size of the pictures in the collage and the composition are not relative to the meaning of the overall piece. The majority of the objects displayed in this piece are important because they represent different aspects of life. My wallet is a storage for memorabilia, currency and memories. My cell phone is a means of contact and communication with those I love. My keys unlock the doors to some rooms in my home and the front doors, and the door to my beloved 2003 Infiniti G35. My bracelets are my identity. My bibles are my guiding light and my way to salvation. If my home was in danger of being consumed by a raging and relentless fire, I would unquestionably escape with these five objects. This photo is successful.

I Didn't Know!

In this photo, there is a young woman adorned in shiny black boots, khaki shorts, a white v-neck t-shirt and a black members only jacket. Her suntanned skin and white shirt, the deep red ottoman and the white board she's stepping on--which is meant to act as a sort of distinct pathway or walkway--contrast against the luminescent black background. The red, black and white color scheme serve to embolden and define while adding a touch of sophistication--both the photo and the young woman's personality. The center weighted quality of the composition suggests immediate and undivided attention and aggressiveness. The portrait orientation of the photo with numerous vertical lines serve to move the eye from down upwards, to her smirking face and then to the keys hanging off her slender finger. The purpose of this project was to discover and reveal something unknown about a person or thing. For this young woman, Rhoda, she has a certain passion or affinity for mechanics, growing up alongside a father who was a mechanic himself. She also believes that by having an interest in mechanics she possesses boyish qualities. In this photo, I attempted to make her appear bold and aggressive, and slightly masculine to convey her love for automobiles which is often perceived by society as a masculine interest or hobby. The boots and over-sized jacket suggest masculinity while the shorts and almost plunging v-neck shirt still give her feminine qualities. Furthermore, the keys dangling so aloofly on her finger accompanied with a suggestive smirk on her face, convey a certain aggressiveness and mysteriousness which was my ultimate vision for the photo. I do believe this photo is a success.

Diane Arbus

This photo is an attempt to emulate the photography style of photographer Diane Arbus, who's work takes ordinary and regular people and makes them extraordinary. Her photos essentially expose the awkwardness which can be found in everyone and support the ideology that there is no truly perfect being and that everyone has their own unique flaws. The young woman in this photo, Kayla Demoss, is a pretty girl with pretty features unique to her. However, following Arbus' style, even a beautiful young woman can be transformed to reveal someone who has the potential to be awkward in society. In order to ensure the awkwardness of this session, I requested the young woman to do things that were uncomfortable to her nature. I believe that awkwardness is derived from something artificial or in other words, I believe people have a tendency to become awkward when they do things that are not natural to their behavior. The girl in this photo said she never showed her teeth when she smiled because she truly believed it didn't suit her. Upon hearing this I immediately knew that showing her pearly whites in the picture is what would bring about the desired awkwardness. This session produced a successful photo.

Steve McCurry

First and foremost, the inspiration for these photos is derived from the work of world famous photographer Steve McCurry, who's work in the Middle Eastern sector of the world captures the very essence of people and things, and explores the many different cultures around the globe. In these photos, I try to emulate his work by exploring the personalities of different types of people and exposing their personas to the public eye. In McCurry's work, he captures a person's unguarded moment, hoping to reveal past experience and the inner soul. Although the young woman and young man in these pictures are posed, their positioning isn't entirely scripted. Before commencing the photo shoot, I had brief conversations with Eve and Josh respectively, so that I could get a glimpse of who they were as people. Then, when I had the basic foundations of their personalities, an insight into the very cores of their beings, I took the camera, told them to relax and shot. These pictures are the results of our slightly intimate session and I truly believe they are successful not only aesthetically but also metaphysically.