My Artist Statement

     I chose to go into Photography 1 because I wanted to try a new type of art.  I have always loved taking photos, but wanted to learn how to use my camera that I got for my birthday in a new way other than just taking pictures of flowers and trees and grinning faces.  I have learned so much about photography, but the two most important things that I have learned are that you can create anything you want to with your camera and Photoshop, and that every photo has a different meaning to every person.  Photography helped to open a new side of me, one that was different than my normal, bubbly personality.  I learned that I also have a dark and deep artistic side instead of just pretty little pictures of flowers, and this is a type of art that I really enjoy.  I also feel more creative.  A definite challenge this semester was trying to come up with ideas.  I had great ideas, however not all of them were doable, so I had to learn to work within my time frame and within my world.  My absolute favorite project was the self-portrait project. I got to use myself as the subject, and since the ideas were mine, I knew exactly how to position myself.  It added a new way of thinking, and a new complexity to my work.  I would re-do the portrait project of the three different family members.  I did not have enough time to capture a lot of different facial expressions, and I wish I could capture all of the emotions of each of my subjects.

     Some symbolism and imagery that I used in my final project was my facial expression, or lack thereof.  In a few photos, I erased or covered my facial features to not distract from the final mood of the photo, but I also did this so that people looking at the photos would get the sense that it's not your face that determines who you are, but your mind and what you do with your body that makes a person their own person.  In order, these photos mean: the expectation of beauty based on society compared to my idea of beauty, the idea of dreams and how your soul goes wandering at night and that's what you dream of, you are your own worst enemy, wanderlust, how frustration and anxiety feel, definition of a "blank stare", feeling trapped by society's acceptance, the feeling of having things taken away and still finding the balance to continue on, and different emotions.  I want people to come away with an empowered feeling, or have my photos trigger a memory within them and to bring out emotions that the viewer has not felt in a long time.  I want people to come away with different feelings than their neighbor, because photography is interpreted differently by everyone, and I want it to stay that way.

     I would tell every Photography 1 student a lot of different things to better their experience and help them succeed. I would tell them to take their time in thinking about ideas and brainstorming so that they can come up with photos that they will love and appreciate.  Each person is going to have a different photo, so you cannot compare your work to the person sitting next to you.  Everyone has a different feeling towards different artwork, and photos are not any different.  Photography will open your eyes to the world around you, so if you see something that you think would make a great photo, stop and and take a picture so that the moment is captured.  

     Photography is, in essence, capturing the rawest form of the natural world's beauty with a click of a button.  But if you give that opportunity to five different people, they will come back with five completely different photos that make you feel five different things.  Photography allows people to have a window into your mind and know what you are thinking about.  The most important thing that I have learned is that I can express myself, and that my art matters to people, and that is so special.  I hope that everyone can experience this.

THANK YOU MR.HOHMAN!!!!!!!!!!