Photography is something that I've been progressing on since I was little (always posing for my Dad, the amateur photographer). I've owned a wide variety of cameras in my lifetime and decided way back in the day that I wanted to learn more. I even had my father set up assignments for me just for play. The first one he gave me was "still life" and I spent one summer day just thinking up a wide range of items and placements. He let me use his tripod and his fancy camera and it was a great day of play.

But then I went to college and had my first film classes... oh wow. I had no idea that there would be so many numbers involved. So much math! I just wanted to see things and capture them the way I see them with MY eyes. But the math stopped me. Confused me. Bewildered me. (Plus it was expensive!) But still - back then and up until now, getting my second degree, I've continuously given myself more and more photo projects just to try and beat the math stuff into my brain (including an interface redesign of the Canon S3 IS camera for "Interface Design" class). (If you actually click on that link, note that the camera is an image map and you're supposed to click on the camera buttons to make it work.)


Someone told me there was a quote.. he didn't know where it was from and so I can't relay it properly. But he said something about "when you take photos you either see things as a window or a mirror." My father definitely sees things as a window. His photos always look like fantastical views and he's forever pointing out all the shapes and figures he sees in them. For me - it's a mirror. Everything reminds me of me and a feeling or an emotion that I have.

So studying photography has been tough. Trying to juggle all the logic/math/light with the image I see is tough. And though I'll continue to try and display what I see, now that I've taken a "REAL" photography class (with real film stocks and black and white enlargers and chemicals and all) I know that professional photography is probably not for me. Though I do keep getting better - I must admit. I'm not to the level of the general JPG Magazine user yet but better than I used to be. (The best compliment I got was when my Videography teacher, a professional, thought I was using stock footage for one of my assignments.)

Progression?

This was an assignment I completed in Photography 1 class at the Art Institute. We were to interpret song lyrics with photos.



The final project for that same class was our own choice. I decided to take photos of movie theaters while trying to portray them as "my churches."



(In this class I first started to realize that I am really attracted to VIVID color in my art and design. And also that I prefer to take pictures of structures, architecture and landscapes. No people!)

This is a rough version of the project in which the teacher thought I was using stock video. But no! All shot by moi!

Labels: photography