I wanted to use this blog opportunity to go over what I've been working on lately. I can make myself try to develop an idea and I can make myself try to think too much about a photograph before I take it but that takes away my joy of photographing. Photographing makes me happy and its a time where I feel good, in charge and smart. So far this semester, I've lacked that happiness and have really only been happy when I am working on the magazine. So I stopped everything. Didn't think about photography for a few days and went to Busch Gardens with my parents on Saturday. In my attempt to avoid photography and figure things out, I ended up getting inspired. Go figure.
While we were eating dinner in Italy (no jokes), early horror films were being played. I just can't help but get wrapped up in the beauty of them. These movies were telling a narrative, they were meant to entertain and enlighten in a beautiful way. Thats when it hit me, I don't need to have some message that I'm trying to proclaim to the world. My message is, "Hey...I hope you enjoy this. I made it for you."
Going to artist lectures lately has really helped me reach this point. Today's lecture, Brian Ulrich, really made me realize that my flow of creating images is pretty similar to other artists. I think about something and explore it through artistic means.
I am also now officially comfortable with the fact that my project must contain experimentation. I love it. I can't think of any of my projects where I haven't manipulated the lens in some way.
Therefore, my experimentation with photography entertains the audience in a way that they question how I did something, what I used to capture it, etc. Many many times people ask me what film or what kind of camera I used for my digital images when I only ever use my Nikon D50 that I've had since 11th grade.
Perhaps because I was raised in a home where old movies were played, I was predestined to love the aesthetic of the 'old.' Why am I choosing to use this aesthetic? Because its become who I am. Its become my signature, especially in my last three years at VCU. I use this aesthetic to entertain, bewilder and create mystery to the audience.
Additionally, I think that my work is often related to voyeurism. Lately, I've noticed I am photographing things that you may be staring at while lost in thought or scenes that might be a transition between two shots in a film. Hopefully a better understanding of what I mean can be seen in the photos I have provided. I still plan on working with the camera obscura, but I do not think it will be the primary tool in this project after all.
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