Personal Portfolio

For my personal portfolio I aimed to tell a story mirroring Dr. Seuss’ classic, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” Utilizing basic photography elements of rule of thirds and subject to background relationships, I captured various subjects that are naturally appeasing to the eye—however, each photo’s darker tones and high contrast seems to have a darkness that both confuses and intrigues the viewer. I created my artwork by accentuating the importance of lighting and angles, ultimately drawing out my intended color palette and brightness/saturation levels in post production. Focusing on predominantly shoes placed in almost mystical settings, my portfolio reflects internal emotions and self-expression—my college essay, too, was focused on the importance of shoe-laces within my life, an analogy for how I have coped with my father’s Multiple Sclerosis. My inspiration for the presented photos are very much an extension of that, a balance between darkness and the light that results from exploration. My main goal was to tell a story with each photo, drawing the viewer in to analyze every detail that could help lead to an enlightened meaning. From each shape/angle to the highlights of red that support my tones of strength, ambition, and intensity, every detail was carefully assessed to produce a set of photos that can, and ultimately should mean something completely personal for every individual.