The Photograph as Truth

For Project One I wanted to show the connection between how in hard times people return to nature as a reprieve. The year 2020 has brought many struggles not seen in this country before.  Not only were we hit with this global pandemic, but also many businesses have had to let people go, and some businesses have even closed their doors for good. Through personal experience I’ve noticed that in these difficult times, more people have been getting outside as a way to help clear their minds and enjoy our natural world. As Jimmy Carter says “Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.”

Conceptual Photography

From day one people fall into some form of a routine expecting things to be constant with very minimal change. Many people use this routine to help themselves face an unpredictable life. For my art project I decided to take an everyday household item and put it in different situations to help understand how humans are socialized to expect one thing and how that expectation does not grow or expand. Belief that an object belongs to only certain layers of life becomes accepted. As Albert Einstein said “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

The Constructed Image

Many objects have a lifespan that relies on the user’s purpose for the items. There are a group of people that find used items and re-use them in ways they are supposed to be and sometime change their purpose for a pure decorative standpoint. For many years my parents were very involved in shopping for antiques. As a child I remember spending weekends with my mother and Grandmother shopping at many large antique stores. It’s been said in many different ways but “One man's trash is another man’s treasure.”

Semester long project- The Hiking Project 

Growing up I spent a lot of time hiking with my family and as I got older, I started putting miles in alone and with friends. Hiking has been one constant in my life, and I’m very thankful that I have been given the opportunity to shoot and show a project where I can develop some of the work I have done on the trail. This project is a collection of some of my favorite places to explore. As a famous philosopher says “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Artist Statement 

Recently I have worked on honing many skills that are needed as a photographer. Some of these skills are more obvious than others like shooting in HDR, editing pictures in both lightroom and Photoshop, and writing effective artist statements that help guide the reader to understand the project. But focusing on constructing images as if I was a creative director pushed me out of my comfort zone. Even while trying new techniques, I gained knowledge from these projects that I will be able to use in my projects going forward.