Day 3: Reach for the stars?

The string of stars in this image is a metaphor. The stars above us are so infinite, so far away, flickering and faint in the dark sky. Often, stars are used as a metaphor; we compare them to our abstract human concepts such as goals when we say to "reach for the stars" or "shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll end up among the stars." It is such a strange metaphor. For me, stars represent something a little different, they are a symbol of a person's dream or passion, of something reached for, of the unknown, or your reason for existence. Yet, for someone else, the stars represent something entirely different. That is why I use them, because of their ambiguity. As I was creating this image, I began to think about this metaphor that our goals in life are stars, or dreams are stars and I wanted to contrast it with something else, hence the pile of rocks from a construction site. The rocks are just as numerous, yet unlike the pinpricks of light we see as stars, rocks are solid and tangible. Perhaps dreams are rocks is a better metaphor. Either one you think is best, I question both, though maybe they can each work in a way. But I also question them with all of the cracks within the rocks that I digitally added. I wanted to show that things aren't always perfect, that dreams or goals don't always go according to plan, things change and crack and fall apart. Yet, we must hold onto something, whatever that may be.                                          

Day 2: Sing me a song

This is my brother, Stefan. Let me tell you something about this boy. He has got a voice, strong and rich. When he starts singing, I don't want him to stop. For this photo, I wanted to capture how he looks to me when he sings. I love the expression on his face, how wrapped up he is in the sound, in singing. You can tell he loves it, music is his passion. He has so much talent. Yet, like anyone, especially those of us in the arts, he gets discouraged, and I find myself wanting to tell him, "No, don't you dare." I want to show him this photo of him singing for me in our backyard. I want to remind him that this is what he loves, to tell him that anything worth doing in life is not easy, to tell him how much I love listening to him when he sings. When you have talent like his, you don't just hide it away. You sing loud, and clear, and in tune.

Day 1: The allure of film

This portrait is a black and white print that was toned with selenium. With this portrait, I wanted to show my passion for photography, and where it all began for me. I took my first photography class in high school where we shot entirely in black and white film. Digital was barely mentioned. At first, it was frustrating. I made constant mistakes ranging from fogged film to a broken light meter. I was uncomfortable holding a camera, and had thoughts that I would just get through the year, and never take photography again. Yet, as I learned, and the mistakes I made lessened, I found myself drawn to it more and more. I began to see the world around me and the endless possibilities. What started out as a mere elective class soon became my passion.

The beginning

For the next 30 days, I will post a photograph or digital image each day and write about it. This is part of an immersion project for an English class, but I have chosen a topic that matters to me. I also plan to continue this after I am done with the class. With this blog, I hope to share my love for photography, and use this as a place to express my ideas and talk about art. The descriptions will range from technical details to a creative writing response of what I hoped to express. I will also share my experiences, and what I have learned in photo classes or from making mistakes. By the end of the 30 days, I hope to become a better photographer and writer, and a focused artist who is able to talk about my work. In addition to this blog, I will also be researching ways on how to become a better photographer and the benefits of looking at the world in a different way. There is so much to look at, and once I began to see, I found I could not stop. From film to digital, photography has become my passion. There are just some things in life that words cannot express where photography has stepped in for me.