Artist Statement
My favorite model to photograph for this project was my younger sister, Charlotte. She is eight years old, but likes to pretend that she is fourteen. She always wants to do what my brother and I are doing and be exactly like us. She is independent and intelligent, and always knows what she wants. Her outgoing personality is uplifting and inspiring to me. Charlotte has a spectacular imagination and loves to play pretend and make up stories. She especially enjoys playing with my brother and I, so she was a willing subject for portrait photographs! Her personality really shines through the portraits I took of her; she is silly and cheerful, curious and inquisitive, sassy, and kind, all at the same time.
I wasn’t able to leave my neighborhood to take photos, but it turned out that I could take great pictures right at home! Charlotte’s portraits were taken in my backyard between our two giant pine trees. For these pictures, she sat and stood on a large rock between the trees. The background of the pine branches is simple and pleasing to the eye. I experimented with taking pictures of Charlotte in different positions and expressions, but decided to use “Sassy” and “Quiet thought” in my portfolio because they are more interesting than simple smiling headshots and they express Charlotte’s personality.
Finding a location to take the portraits, was my biggest challenge. However, through experimenting with different locations and different angles, I was able to find backgrounds that worked well for my photographs. When I started taking photographs, I felt that the photos were boring and bland, and wanted to find something to make them more exciting. I then remembered the rule of thirds and decided to try implementing it in my photos… and it worked! Placing subjects of my photos on the intersection points of lines instead of in the center of the frame made my photos much more interesting, and once I began following the rule of thirds, my photography improved drastically. I also used simple backgrounds and clothing in my portraits to place emphasis on my subjects’ faces. I never thought of portrait photography as interesting before this project, and I certainly didn’t think I would be good at it. Although object photography is still my favorite type, this project has opened my mind to a whole new genre of photography to pursue! I am proud of myself for taking on a project I wasn’t sure I wanted to do and having fun in the process.
My favorite model to photograph for this project was my younger sister, Charlotte. She is eight years old, but likes to pretend that she is fourteen. She always wants to do what my brother and I are doing and be exactly like us. She is independent and intelligent, and always knows what she wants. Her outgoing personality is uplifting and inspiring to me. Charlotte has a spectacular imagination and loves to play pretend and make up stories. She especially enjoys playing with my brother and I, so she was a willing subject for portrait photographs! Her personality really shines through the portraits I took of her; she is silly and cheerful, curious and inquisitive, sassy, and kind, all at the same time.
I wasn’t able to leave my neighborhood to take photos, but it turned out that I could take great pictures right at home! Charlotte’s portraits were taken in my backyard between our two giant pine trees. For these pictures, she sat and stood on a large rock between the trees. The background of the pine branches is simple and pleasing to the eye. I experimented with taking pictures of Charlotte in different positions and expressions, but decided to use “Sassy” and “Quiet thought” in my portfolio because they are more interesting than simple smiling headshots and they express Charlotte’s personality.
Finding a location to take the portraits, was my biggest challenge. However, through experimenting with different locations and different angles, I was able to find backgrounds that worked well for my photographs. When I started taking photographs, I felt that the photos were boring and bland, and wanted to find something to make them more exciting. I then remembered the rule of thirds and decided to try implementing it in my photos… and it worked! Placing subjects of my photos on the intersection points of lines instead of in the center of the frame made my photos much more interesting, and once I began following the rule of thirds, my photography improved drastically. I also used simple backgrounds and clothing in my portraits to place emphasis on my subjects’ faces. I never thought of portrait photography as interesting before this project, and I certainly didn’t think I would be good at it. Although object photography is still my favorite type, this project has opened my mind to a whole new genre of photography to pursue! I am proud of myself for taking on a project I wasn’t sure I wanted to do and having fun in the process.