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.

Subject Exploration Critique

(I would have done this in Photoshop, but after two hours, I am still unable to figure out how to use it, as I do not have much Photoshop experience.  So, I chose to do my project on this blog website.  Sorry :/)


Taylor Polson
ART 212
Monique Saenz
Fall 2014
Subject Exploration Critique
 

I enjoy taking pictures of ordinary things from unordinary angles.  Even in such mundane places as the school library, when one is at an elevated state of consciousness, the beautiful simplicity of our habitat can be more greatly appreciated.  As Leonardo daVinci once said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."  So it is.  

Subject Exploration in the library

Pictures of People

National Geographic and Thrasher magazines are what initially sparked my interest in photography.  I love looking at pictures of nature and skateboarding.  My senior year of high school, I took a photography class.  I ended up really liking it.  I asked for a camera for Christmas.  My parents gave me a Sony alpha 200.  I used it so much.  I wish that I still had files of the pictures that I took with that camera.  It broke while I was serving as a full - time missionary in Northern California.  Since then, I have relied on my camera phone to take pictures.  This picture above was taken with my iPhone as me and some friends went to Waikiki to make some money making music.  Because I am not really musically talented, I spent my time taking lots of pictures of them.  I like to take pictures of people in social settings.  People are fascinating.  I enjoy capturing moments of people's lives, especially when they are unaware that they are being photographed.