Including the Kitchen Sink

My fascination with the mundane, and turning it into something extraordinary, led me to take my camera to the kitchen sink. I explored the kitchen spaces occupied by students on campus. The imagery began as purely descriptive, and as a collection they could be interpreted as records of private lives. In positioning myself at an aerial view and honing in on subject matter, I became more concerned with aesthetics and formal issues.

These objects were not intentionally arranged, but I treated them as if they were meticulously composed still lifes. Careful consideration was given to the frame and the existing quality of light to build a strong composition highlighting the shapes, textures and surfaces of these everyday, grubby household items. By making prints on a larger scale, the presence of these "disregarded" sinks become monumental. The imagery exemplifies the imperfect, while revealing the aesthetic aura of the banal kitchen sink.

In preparing for graduation, I took the opportunity to review previous work made during my past 4 years as a photography student at the University of Dayton. The following imagery was produced in various photography courses.

Alternative Methods of Photography

Experimenting with the Van Dyke

Staged: Self-Lead Series

In the Night

A self-lead series illustrating the "old-time" movie film aesthetic. To create the appropriate feel of this medium, consistent lighting, contrast and grain were used. A total of 12 images were produced to create a mini-film titled, In the Night. In pairing them in twos, they suggest the "in-between" moments of the scene at hand -- their role being to build suspense. The white border is intentional, and implies a film reel/storyboard.

[Best way to view is to click on the individual image]

Historical Re-enactments

Egyptian Art

For this series, I chose to re-stage and re-investigate the historical tableau of the ancient Egyptians. To re-interpret Egyptian art within a contemporary setting, I turned to different styles of portraiture.

I was most intrigued with the side facial profile (which Egyptian paintings reflect). There is intentional use in the photographs of textured backgrounds, gold, white, vibrant colors, elaborate fabric and clothing, and eye makeup. My model is female, because the female figure is the focal point of modern-day commercialism. My re-interpretation within a contemporary setting is based around the stylistic of today’s realm of high fashion photography and advertising.

Film Stills

In our staged photography course, we were asked to produce images that portray the film still aesthetic. Appropriate lighting, framing, viewpoints and location were essential to create a certain atmosphere and mood.

The following images are representative of still frames.

Staging the Self

A Piece of Me

I had to stage myself. I was the subject matter and had complete control. The challenge, however, was putting myself in front of the camera. There is a reason why I am behind the camera. I realized, however, that this project is a means of self-exploration and introspection, and I wanted to question some essential trait of my identity.

I grew up playing the piano. I began playing when I was about 5-years-old. I took lessons, participated in recitals, and begged anybody around to listen to me play. Playing the piano for me was a talent—a talent I defined myself by and was recognized for. It was not until high school that I drifted away from music and spent more time with the camera. Since then, I have wanted to reintroduce myself to the piano and revive my skill.

I actually went home to photograph, and this changed my entire outlook on the project. I was in the environment I grew up in, an environment I was familiar with, and its surroundings changed my feelings toward the piano.

I dressed as I did when I was younger—jean overalls, ruffle socks, Ked shoes, headbands, and bows—and placed myself as if I was practicing the piano at home and in my beginning stages of my piano career.

In one image, I placed the camera above the piano as an overhead shot. Instead of my posture being upright and proper, I am slouched over, with my legs crossed, and hands under them. I was trying to portray a hesitant and inexperienced child with her piano...

I titled this series, A Piece of Me, as play on words. Usually, a piano song is referred to as a piano piece, and I am suggesting that a piece of me is still in the piano bench that sits at home, unopened, untouched, and undisturbed.

Continuous Narrative

In using Photoshop I recreated my own interpretation of what would be a contemporary continuous narrative. The idea was to tell a story through different events, which were contained within a single frame.

My story reminisces back to freshman year. As an art student, foundation courses were required. These classes relied upon black and white materials (which explains why the images were altered to black and white). An unfamiliar medium at the time, for me, was drawing. This series shows where frustration arose between the planning and procrastinating. I positioned my model in place of myself.

The following images include the final product, as well as the originals.


Continuous Narrative, #1
Planning










Continuous Narrative, #2
Frustration

Digital Manipulation

Contemporary Fairytale: Tale of the Little Giants


Through the use of Photoshop, I created my own fairytale based on the adventures of two young brothers.

Sequence

The color, Yellow

Identifying a specific color in my imagery introduced the idea of pairing images to create and suggest a theme, mood and story.