Boy Bitten By a Bottle of Rum (an adaptation from Caravaggio's "Boy Bitten By a Lizard").
Cambo Cadet 4x5 Monorail Large Format Camera Ilford HP5 Plus 4x5
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Cambo Cadet 4x5 Monorail Large Format Camera || Kodak Professional T-Max 100 4x5
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Our first project that was due before Spring Break, and split between two critiques, consisted of landscapes, night photography, nudes (female and male), and a painting reproduction. I plan to share all my contact sheets from this course in the end, but for now these are the first few to get started. I have shot some 35mm and 120mm rolls of film this year as well, but have not yet given myself time to scan those (so stay tune in the coming days, since next week I plan to take the time to do so).
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As I progress forward, my intend is to master all aspect of the photography progress. Through my experiences alone, I have learned a lot throughout the years, but I could never go beyond the "amateur" level. In the end though, it has lead me to where I am now with my state of mind, where I want to be able to meter without a light meter and to better visualize the final print from start to finish (by having better control in the light and therefore exposure), something I did not really care about when I started out. To say I did not care is not really true though. I did, but in a nonchalant-way since it overwhelmed me and so I allowed myself to rely more on chance and improvisation, while I worked on composition only (something that has benefited my growth regardless. the important thing to consider is that pursuing art has to be a way of life. you have to do it everyday).
It is hard for me to explain why I photograph the subjects I do, but the easiest explanation is because I find joy and excitement from it. Otherwise, why bother? And so it is something that reflects who I am as a person, and as an artist, both consciously and subconsciously, a mirror therefore into my weaknesses and strengths. This is why I believe that style is derived from the artists attempt to perfect their imperfections (by using their perfections to balance their imperfections).
In the end, I needed to be very honest with myself and so late last year I acknowledged that in order to have better control over my craft, I finally admitted that I needed to start filling in the blanks to my approach. Admitting this took 10 years. Everyone is different and everyone grows at their own pace. And with this matured perspective into my process, my shift in focus on what I want to photograph has matured as well (a mirrored reflection of growth that I am experiencing both as a person and as an artist).
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