During my Photo II class about a year and a half ago I remember telling my teacher that I disliked photographing people. I remembered the sort of quizzical look she gave me after I said it. The truth was, I had never really tried it, and the idea of organizing people in the frame intimidated me and sounded a little boring. At that point I was captivated by nature. What did people have to offer me? How wrong I was.
I shot 5 rolls of film-36 frames a piece of my boyfriend. Bossing him around was a piece of cake, and he had a natural look about him so the shots didn't look staged. I wound up getting about 4 shots I liked and then I went back to my comfort zone, nature photography. In Photo III, I became a bit bored of all the landscapes, pretty flowers and trees. It was no longer a challenge. So I decided to photograph my friend Elizabeth. I wanted the background of the photo to hold as much weight as the person in it, and it had to go beyond the cliche senior picture. At first I was inspired by Anna Gaskell and Jessica Todd Harper.
After that shoot I was hooked. I loved how you can tell a story about an individual with photographs, how the emotion is raw on the subject's face. Elizabeth is a complex, confident person, and I believe she is shown that way in my photographs of her. Cassie is playful, helpful, and deep, and I believe that shines through as well.
Recently I came across a photographer who I am absolutely in love with- Andrew Hefter. He really captures people in a delicate and soft manner. The relationships he makes between the subject and the background are incredible. He mixes in graphics in some of his images and they take the photographs to a whole new level, sort of mystical in a sense. It's hard to believe he's only 21 and is relatively new to photography. Looking at his images definitely gives me inspiration when I'm shooting portraiture.
Check him out at: http://andrewhefter.com/
Sadie Wilson
Elizabeth
Cassie
