Systemic Structures

Systemic Structures:

My favorite artistic style is avant – garde.  I chose this genre because I like capturing images that take time to interpret, and that are somewhat ambiguous, open to the interpretation of the viewer.  I chose to photograph architectural elements around campus in an unusual way.  Berenice Abbott, who was renowned for her unique photographic perspectives of New York City’s concrete jungle, was my inspiration for this project.  I wanted to capture the ordinary that surrounds us, and make it seem more extraordinary and different.  I experimented with the a narrower aperture and a higher ISO so that I could get as much of the image into focus as possible.  I chose to make the images black and white because, like Ansel Adams, I felt like color would be more distracting than complimentary.  Through these images, I feel that I was able to portray the BYUH campus in a way that is more metropolitan than it actually is. The ordinary can be made to appear unordinary, depending on how we perceive and remember our surroundings. 

Scenics

Night Photography

Window Light Portraiture

Black and White Narrative Portraiture

Window Light Jam Sesh' with Leonidus

(My housemate Leonidus loves to jam.  I highlighted the light coming in from the window to symbolize  the divine import of inspiration and musical intuition that accompanies the spontaneous composition of rhythm.)

Sunset Revelation with James

(I caught this image of my friend James just before the sun passed behind the Koolau'loa mountain ridge.  He appreciates everyday natural beauties like the sunset, and I feel like I captured that moment of blissful aesthetic pleasure in this photo.)

Fish Market Serenade in Seattle

(I found this man as I was wondering around Seattle's Pike Place Market.  He jammed with passion.  He captivated me with his raw serenade.)

Idea & Image

Seeing the Qualities of Light

The green, the blue, and the sunlight.  This is Hawaii.  I captured this image just before sunset.  I included the black gate, the light post, the houses, and the palm trees in the background because each of them add variety to the image.  I wanted to capture the sun shining through something, not only because it looks cool, but also so that I would not have to make the aperture super narrow and use a super slow shutter speed.  I wanted to capture the contrast between virgin Hawaiian nature and development.  I think that the combination of the two can be beautiful, depending on our perspective. That contrast of nature and development, as well as light and darkness, is what I was trying to portray in this photograph.