Artist Statement

As far back as I can remember, it has been my job to take the pictures when I went on family trips. I have been fascinated by photography ever since. I took Art my freshman year so I could take all of the three photography courses available in high school. Solarizations, cyanotypes, and other alternative processes have expanded my knowledge of photography and made me even more interested.

Richard Avedon is an artist who has influenced a lot of my work. He shoots black and white, high- contrast, portraits that describe the subject. This year in photo, we had a shooting assignment where we had to show our ego. I used some of the same techniques that Richard Avedon uses in his work. I shot portraits in black and white and used a lamp to try to get high- contrast images.

The year in photo my work continues to get stronger. My most recent assignment was all color. I was given the colors blue and orange and I had to show them in four images, with two of each color. I wanted to show colors as they occurred, so I shot each image how I found it without moving or arranging anything in a different position. I felt that these images were strong. My images are strongest when I set a goal like finding the images as they are.

I plan to continue to develop as an artist by experimenting with color and other alternative processes and to also continue to shoot with black and white 35mm film.