Pictures for my final

Vino

I've never really set up a picture much before, but I couldn't help play with the color scheme in my room (and my obsession with wine). I still have a lot of work to do. When I do candids, I don't care about the background, I try to keep it as raw as possible, but here, it was really hard to get everything right. I had to crop most of the photos, and it didn't come out exactly how I wanted it to. I'm really not sure where my fascination with wine comes from, or why it inspires me so much. I guess I just think its really beautiful. I started by just taking pictures of it on my floor. Then I noticed the pipe of my hookah was beside it, and the colors matched up. I also realized my futon has a similar color scheme, so placed it on there instead of the grey floor. I love earthy tones so most of the colors in my room play off of these (Red, yellow/gold, and green). Like the pictures I took right outside my house, I was surprised how many shots I could take in my own house. I tend to look far for a good shot- and have only recently realized that I've been limiting myself by choosing to travel to find photography. We'll see where it goes from here. For now, I am enjoying playing with still- lifes and other objects in my house. For lighting purposes, I'll probably start moving them outside of my house too.

How we tie it together

This week I played with small flowers and berries, as well as with varying color schemes (mostly fall related). I love close ups on these small berries simply because I think they're so pretty. Worcester isn't known to be the prettiest city, and Main South is definately not the cleanest neighborhood within the city, but I think these berries and flowers add such a different dimension to the neighborhood. Even on a rainy day they lift my spirits. I'm especially drawn to flowers/berries with the backdrop of a house. In this case, however, I wanted to bring together the colors of the berries with the color of the tree in the back. I also love the way the plants interact with the fences in Worcester. And in this picture in particular, I love how all the different elements are interacting- the berries, the stems, the fence, the plant on the right, and the tree in the back. I must have taken at least 50 of these shots. This one happened to be right in front of my house. I was surpised at how much you can shoot without having to look far. I guess that was my theme for the week. Everything I shot was a reflection of my immediate surroundings. And I didn't go farther than a block radius of my house for any of my shots. Well anyway, I guess my main point is that Worcester is not as ugly as it may seem when you're up close. Even houses in awful conditions have at least a few plants in the front yard that add so much life to the neighborhood. Close ups are fun because they provide us with that lens (for lack of a better word) that depicts things from a different angle.

water of life

This picture is corny. Yes. But I didn't feel that when I was taking it. I was drawn to this shot for several reasons. The time of day was great, and I love the way the sun was hitting the building and the subsequent reflection on the water. I think there was something about the air too. The soft breeze. Very fall. And I was compelled to take this picture. That day I was also drawn to that building throughout my stroll in the park. And this picture definitely goes back to my fascination with city/nature- I framed the building with the leaves from the tree to enhance that a little.

Stroll in the park

I shot this picture in Central Park, my favorite place in New York. I love how wild the trees look behind my friend. They're blurred, and almost have a trippy feeling to them.. like a vortex is about to open. I made it black and white because I found the green of the trees a bit too much. Even when I reduced my exposure, I was overwhelmed by the color. I love the simplicity of a man walking in a park. Nothing more, nothing less. Photography is about finding beauty in the simplest things- to me, walking through the park is about as simple as can be- yet theres so much around you. It was a Saturday, and one of those last sunny days of fall, so there were tons of people (and tourists) everwhere. Then you have nature- various ecosystems working together. I guess going back to this idea of a dichotomy that I mentioned in other posts, there's something beautiful about the dichotomy of parks. Especially ones in major cities, like New York. Some of my favorite shots are those of buildings and parks in one shot (of which I have all too many!) Maybe next time I'll post one of those obvious city meets nature shots. As far as this one goes, I love the one person, few trees. Everything starts small. It helps make sense of the world when you bring ideas down to the minimal.
Anyway, thats enough for now. Frank, have a good weekend.
Hilla

Droplet

Worcester is one of the few places that actually looks more beautiful in the rain. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it covers some of the shadiness of Worcester, maybe it has an antiquity feeling reminding us of olden times, or maybe its the way it glistens and reflects light throughout the city. Rain is not something I ever thought was particularly beautiful. The morning I shot this was a typical hangover morning at my residence. We were making our ritualistic coffee, when my roommate decided she wanted to watch the rain. I don't question a lot of things my roommates do, but suffice it to say I was perplexed. Remembering that rainy days are great ones for photography, I grabbed the camera. The street was beautiful- rain hitting the dynamic trees, mist painting white throughout, refreshing, renewing rain. I tried to capture the immensity of beauty, but decided that what I was trying to capture was too vast. Instead, I focused on as little as I could instead of as much. A single raindrop.

I don't know why I like this picture. I do shoot a lot of flowers or weeds in front of houses, but I'm not sure what pulls me to it. I like the flower in context, which is why I put the house in the background. I like the colors a lot too. There's also something about the simplicity and beauty of a flower that amazes me so much.

Father daughter

I love the dad's body language in this picture. He's practically huddled over his daughter. I like the way his arm almost frames her. The little girl is fascinated by something, and I love her captivation. The dad looks focused too, and that's almost the beauty of having kids. Kids are so amazed by the little things that it carries on to adults. They're probably not looking at anything more than the pond in the distance, but they do so with so much conviction.

Park Avenue

You never really know what you're going to find on Park Avenue. The other day I found these popped out figures coming out of a bar, if I'm not mistaken? They look like feet, or alien parts. I tried to portray just how 3-D the piece was, so I took the picture from the side. I like how the green sculpture frames my friend walking down the street. But I also made her blurry because she wasn't the focus of the photograph. The green zombie figure is almost attacking her. Like I said before, I love marginalizing people in my photos. Maybe I'm fascinated by the idea of how important people are, even when you want to emphasize something else completely. Human relations are so closely tied together- even when we don't know it. It's hard to separate human behavior from nature, art- everything around us. We understand the world through a particular lens that humans (through society) have created. So while my focus in all three of the pictures above is inclined to be something outside of humanity- people are always involved.

The art of wine

I took this picture on labor day weekend in the Berkshires on Copake Lake. My mother, two of my friends, and I were enjoying a drink. I love the way the sun hits my mom's hair- and how the glow of her hair matches the golden yellow of her ring. My mother taught me how to drink wine- so its also a special aspect of our relationship. I think she looks so elegant, even though you can only see a quarter of her face. I love cutting people off in pictures- especially in the corners. I'm not sure why yet. Maybe because even when I don't want a person to be the subject of a picture, I still acknowledge their importance. Maybe.

Anyway, sorry this post is delayed Frank!

Man in his attempts to conquer nature

I love this shot because while man tries to stand tall, he's nothing compared to the vast forest around him. Our bus brokedown, and some friends and I were walking through this path we found. I was in awe of how huge the trees were, and tried capturing that exact idea.. of just how small we are compared to nature. The greenery everywhere, the tree in the background, and the strength of the sun peeking through the canopy. To me, they all represent that we not are above nature in anyway, and therefore can't control it as we have been for the past couple centuries. I'm an environmentalist.. I guess.. so that's a huge part of my philosophy. I love my friend Pat's body language. He thinks he's so awesome, but when it comes down to it, in a fight- nature would win.