Jeff Bell

Date: November

LA 151

The photograph is called A Happy Jamie. The photograph was taken in early June in a basement. It was displayed online. And will be showed at the MCC Gallery in February In Philadelphia. I in fact took this photograph so instead of writing about someone else’s work I believe that it is also important to be able to talk about and explain your own work.

Well the things that stand out the most I believe are the eyes. If you look closely they are lit quite well helping create a focal point for the viewer something to focus in on. Also if u looks carefully you will notice what lighting I used to help expose the face better. Another thing that stands out is how small of an aperture I used creating a softer background and a harsher look on the face, beard and hair,

I really prefer to shoot black and white over color. It creates more depth in the photo and has a lot more emotion. Also backlighting the photograph helps exhibit a sense of the background instead of just fading out the back, which in fact is common in most of my work. Someone once asked me what feeling I get when I see this photograph, “since its my brother and people who have seen my work can tell you that most of them are pretty dark and psyfi oriented why choose your brother as a primary model doesn’t that seem kind of dark or cruel”. I usually tell them yeah it is however when you learn about the photograph and know the history you can grow a much larger understanding of the subject or piece. For instance I have a self-portrait in which I have had very negative responses too. (See a lil stretch). Little do people realize is that, I was going through a very hard and depressing time in boarding school, and this photo describes how I was struggling and how depressed I became there, it was not a good time for me.

I have been shooting photos for about 9 years now. It first started in middle school in Paoli PA. My friend Felix was the first person that convinced me to pick up a camera and try it. I was hooked as soon as I took the first shot. After 9th grade I left for boarding school in CT where boredom as a common thing. So my artwork took off. Throughout my high school years I was in a few shows winning first place in a few and best in show for 2007. After high school I left for Southeast Asia to help broaden my portfolio. I traveled through south china down through the Himalayas then Laos and eventually into Cambodia. After this I wanted a higher education so I decided to go for a degree in photography. With that I began my education at the Academy Of art University.