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Artist Statement

This semester, I learned a lot about both the settings on a camera and outside factors like lighting. I had an idea of what high or low ISO and aperture meant, but taking time to experiment with these settings helped me understand why photography is essentially writing with light. I especially enjoyed the time in your studio where we got to position artificial lights and work with real people as subjects. I loved the opportunity to curate images with different props, poses and colors to compel viewers. Additionally, playing with a higher ISO (increased light sensitivity) made it much easier to do my initial project with shadows of letters on a picture dictionary. Setting aside time bi-weekly to learn about my camera gave me more time to master the settings. I grew more confident in not only my skill as a photographer, but the idea that I have a lot to learn. Digital photography is probably the most common form of photography today, but it’s also related to the pinhole and other alternative photographic methods. Learning the baseline of photography with a tin can and light-sensitive paper not only gave me a greater appreciation for digital cameras, but made me understand the relationship between lighting and exposure time.

In the future, I want to continue experimenting with digital photography. I want to travel to other places like Cairo, Lisbon or Paris to photograph people who live differently than me. In my environment, I feel I’ve experimented with abstraction and angles enough to know the intricacies of every brick and tree. By dropping myself in a new setting, I can begin to see the world like a child again and appreciate the wonder that comes from capturing new discoveries.

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