Artist Statement
The photograph Looking through is a reflection of a tree outside of the front of my house reflecting on a window, with my sister on the other side of the window. This tree is always beautiful when it blooms in the spring, with its bright pink flowers, but its flowers never bloom for very long. By then end of the summer, the tree will already be bare. My family always takes special occasion photos in front of the tree in the spring, for first communion, spring dances, or (if we’re lucky enough to have warm weather) Easter. However, this year, because of the late spring, the tree had not bloomed for any of these occasions. Researching reflection photos, I found some of reflections of landscapes on windows with people looking through them, and decided I wanted to try creating photos like those when I took reflection photos. I found a good window in the front of my house, had my sister stand on the other side, and began to take photos. Only then did I notice what was being reflected in the window - the pink flowers of the tree, which finally bloomed! I took some more time to look around my yard and realized that many other flowers and plants had sprouted up in the yard since I had last taken photos, and I was inspired to take more nature photographs around my house. It was interesting to compare them to photos I had taken only a month before, when none of the plants had bloomed yet, with those of the spring plants. I’m glad I was able to take some photographs of the tree this year, before the blossoms disappear in the summer sun once again.
The photograph Looking through is a reflection of a tree outside of the front of my house reflecting on a window, with my sister on the other side of the window. This tree is always beautiful when it blooms in the spring, with its bright pink flowers, but its flowers never bloom for very long. By then end of the summer, the tree will already be bare. My family always takes special occasion photos in front of the tree in the spring, for first communion, spring dances, or (if we’re lucky enough to have warm weather) Easter. However, this year, because of the late spring, the tree had not bloomed for any of these occasions. Researching reflection photos, I found some of reflections of landscapes on windows with people looking through them, and decided I wanted to try creating photos like those when I took reflection photos. I found a good window in the front of my house, had my sister stand on the other side, and began to take photos. Only then did I notice what was being reflected in the window - the pink flowers of the tree, which finally bloomed! I took some more time to look around my yard and realized that many other flowers and plants had sprouted up in the yard since I had last taken photos, and I was inspired to take more nature photographs around my house. It was interesting to compare them to photos I had taken only a month before, when none of the plants had bloomed yet, with those of the spring plants. I’m glad I was able to take some photographs of the tree this year, before the blossoms disappear in the summer sun once again.
Artist Statement
I had some trouble finding interesting natural shadows to photograph for this project, so I was forced to be creative and create some shadows of my own! The fairy shadow in Surprise visitor is an example of an artificial shadow that I created using a plastic fairy figurine and a flashlight, with a fairy door as a background prop. Fairies always fascinated me when I was younger. I loved to imagine fairy kingdoms and pretend my friends and I were fairies in elementary school. I collected beads and trinkets I found on the ground and saved them to decorate the fairy houses my friends and I built at recess. I fondly remember making fairy houses every day for several weeks at recess, even as the older kids continued to destroy them. I was so fascinated by fairies and magic that my parents eventually got me a fairy door for my bedroom, like the ones I admired all around downtown Ann Arbor. That fairy door is still in my bedroom today! I decided to create fairy shadows on the door to represent of the elusiveness of the magical creatures: they never show themselves, they only ever leave small clues for people to find. I had fun experimenting with these shadows and thinking about other artificial shadows I could create for future projects. I still have quite a wild imagination! The fairy photos I created are a representation of my daydreaming mind and wild imagination, still an important part of my personality today.
I had some trouble finding interesting natural shadows to photograph for this project, so I was forced to be creative and create some shadows of my own! The fairy shadow in Surprise visitor is an example of an artificial shadow that I created using a plastic fairy figurine and a flashlight, with a fairy door as a background prop. Fairies always fascinated me when I was younger. I loved to imagine fairy kingdoms and pretend my friends and I were fairies in elementary school. I collected beads and trinkets I found on the ground and saved them to decorate the fairy houses my friends and I built at recess. I fondly remember making fairy houses every day for several weeks at recess, even as the older kids continued to destroy them. I was so fascinated by fairies and magic that my parents eventually got me a fairy door for my bedroom, like the ones I admired all around downtown Ann Arbor. That fairy door is still in my bedroom today! I decided to create fairy shadows on the door to represent of the elusiveness of the magical creatures: they never show themselves, they only ever leave small clues for people to find. I had fun experimenting with these shadows and thinking about other artificial shadows I could create for future projects. I still have quite a wild imagination! The fairy photos I created are a representation of my daydreaming mind and wild imagination, still an important part of my personality today.
Fake Shadow and Reflection
Lurking
After the rain