Cover Photo: Stephen DiRado
Its been a crazy time since last post.
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365 Project: 78 – 82
Tag: environment
Natalie
To be the sun, first you must shine like one
Shoot 5, concepts
Memories
Ah, the aquarium.
So, today, me and Juliette went to the New England Aquarium, and I’m confident in saying that it was one of the best adventures I’ve had in such a long time. I set a mental challenge to photograph the aquarium entirely in black and white, and I am quite happy that I did.
Black and white photography is an art form that I am still getting the hang of, but in a place like the aquarium, where the entire aesthetic is defined by a cool (greens/blues) pallet, black and white seems like an odd way to cover such a defined space. In the beginning, I was very scared of black and white, for the main reason that it seemed so far from the current reality of any scene that I was photographing. Black and white was old, a reminder of a lost time, with color being current and trending.
However, as my photography evolved and my attitudes towards photographing a scene changed, I found myself going back to black and white, on the grounds that color was so subjective and it determined the mood of the photograph so much more than the subtle details that made a shot interesting. Black and white eliminated all of that, focusing on the scene as it really was, paying attention to the detail and the mood of an expression or moment with such crystal clear clarity.
So, with a change in attitude, I shot the aquarium in black and white, and I can confidently say that this has to be one of my favorite photo-sets that I have ever shot and edited. I took the time, constructed each shot, changed the aperture and focus as neccesarry, with really telling results.
Edited on Lightroom.
Re-editing
The adventures with lightroom continues!
So today, I made a concentrated effort to develop a preset that emulates the look of black and white film, and for the most part, I think I achieved the look I wanted. Creating this preset reminded me how much I love everything about black and white photography.
For me, it really forces you to reconstruct the color behind the scene, for black and white photography as well as editing leaves the color behind (obviously) and focuses on the stark details and richness of the moment. It allows you to dive deep into the details of the scene, rather than being preoccupied with the color of the scene, creating a stronger connection with the photograph itself.
I applied this preset to a collection of aquarium photographs that I shot over last year to show the versatility, beauty, and strength of black and white in everyday circumstances.
Fall Semester: A Photo Summary
My journey into the center of my phototgraphic experience.
Focused in on documentary photography, capturing the magic of everyday moments around Clark as well as Worcester in general, at almost every time of the day.
Fall Semester
So. For those of you who have been keeping up with my fall semester photography project, titled: “A Conversation”, you all know that I have photographed quite a few humans.
Before this project, I had never shot a portrait. So, to practice, I made a plan: to meet people at Clark who would be comfortable with me photographing them. Good amount of people were interested, and out of the 45-ish people who expressed interest, I got the chance to shoot about 30-ish people. The project first started out pretty small, photographing about 3 to 4 people per week, and on average about 200-300 shots per person. However, time went on, and as my skills with my all manual lens (a new addition to my kit) got better, people started to notice more and more the job that I was doing. People were posting the photographs on their instagram’s and social media and after certain shoots, a lot of people came up to me and wanted to be photographed as well.
At times, it was very overwhelming. I would be telling a lie if I said every shoot went perfectly and every shot was a work of art, because that was far from the reality. Soon, mid way into the project, I stepped back and analyzed all the photos I had taken through the mid way point and I understood why people were getting excited — the photos were real. They had their own aesthetic. Even though the humans I was photographing were all unique in their own ways, there was a common thread which ran through all the portraits: the frozen shots were immortalized moments within a conversation that portrayed them how they really are (at least from my point of view). I wanted them to feel comfortable talking to me whatever they wanted to talk to me about — i gave them the space and it was such a humbling experience to get to know the humans who made the Clark community as rich and vibrant as it is now.
Honestly, I can say that this project has given me a unique insight on how I use photography to connect with the people around me. The search for a genuine connection is really the main focus of my photos, emphasizing the spontaneity of a moment that is unique.
And I would not want it to be any other way.
But, Here are the best shots (1 for each person 🙂 ) No particular order.
10.18.2017: Birds
So this 1 of the 2 people who I shot today!! Today, I shot Sadie Levy in Sackler, messing with the natural angles of the building as well as having fun with climbing on the window grooves and doing crazy things in the hallways — all fun tho so dont worry.
Sadie is one of those people who I havent talked to a lot, so honestly, it gave me an incentive to talk to her during our shoot and really get to know her as a person. Also, interesting fact, during our shoot, we saw a wild heron fly by at our level as well as a V of canada geese, probably one of the most surreal experiences ive had so far in a photoshoot ever.
10.09.2017: Old Friend
God, it feels good to be at home. Honestly, i couldnt have asked for a better day — it rained, my neighborhood was clouded with the mist and humidity — simply perfect weather.
I also got batteries for an old film camera my uncle gave me about 5 or 6 years ago and I finally got it to work, and its so exciting to open up a new world in photography guys [this basically means that Clark watch out — film is comming].
Met an old friend today, after a while. My neighbors cat, Max [at least thats what ive called him for 10 years] and I have always been close, becoming increasingly close over the last year since ive been in college and not been able to see him as often as i would like to. I was photographing in my backyard when I saw him napping on a black and white couch, and I called his name, out of excitement. He ran over, jumped on the cement ledge, and since my hand was on his side of the fence [he is on my neighbors side, and im on my side] and touched my hand with his paw. I dont know, moments like that dont happen often, and i felt so humbled by the experience [ i didnt capture this on camera since it was so organic and wonderful].
But I shot some portraits of him.
09.28.2017: Sunshine
Honestly, I can confidently say Quinn Mitchell (@quinnmitchell1 on insta) makes for one of the best friends ive had in a super long time. She is an incredible human being who has one of the best ranges of facial expressions that I have ever caught on camera.
I wanted to show who I think Quinn really is, and here she is:
