Artist Statement
My series captures close family members and friends in a recreation of, what I have deemed, an iconic childhood photo of theirs. I focused on a college-style composition, boxing out particular features from the original photographs that stood out. I am exploring the theme of childhood and nostalgia, by bringing each individual’s essence into their images. My work feels heartfelt and dedicated while also being mysterious and intriguing. It should feel like you are familiar with each individual, even if you don’t know them at all. My family and friends were my inspiration for this series, so I hope that I successfully captured the people I love most.
Final Project Proposal
Recreating and Altering Iconic Childhood Photos
For my final project, I have decided to recreate and alter iconic childhood photos of myself, my friends, and my family members like the ones below. I will begin by asking those participating to send me a photo of them when they were younger that describes their personality today, then I will take a portrait that replicates, and adds to, the original. I want to create a nostalgic mood in my photos that makes the audience feel as though they might know the people in my photographs, or know someone like them. I also hope to replicate the mood that each person is expressing in their original childhood photo. To accomplish this, I will ensure that the lighting is not too harsh and focus on the point of view of the individual to create a sense of closeness. The way I plan to photograph my subjects will be different for each individual, as I plan to recreate the original photograph as exactly as possible. So if the original photo is cropped closely, with soft lighting and a fuzzy background, I will take the recreation photos with these characteristics. By accurately recreating the images, I will be able to combine and alter the photos in post-production much easier. I want to make these photographs because I want to highlight the way people grow into themselves, maintaining, losing, and gaining unique features along the way. I want to photograph my loved ones in a way that captures who they are as a person at their core. I think viewers will be interested in these photos, not only because of the way I have altered and combined them but also, because of the way the personality of my loved ones have been expressed.
For my final project, I have decided to recreate and alter iconic childhood photos of myself, my friends, and my family members like the ones below. I will begin by asking those participating to send me a photo of them when they were younger that describes their personality today, then I will take a portrait that replicates, and adds to, the original. I want to create a nostalgic mood in my photos that makes the audience feel as though they might know the people in my photographs, or know someone like them. I also hope to replicate the mood that each person is expressing in their original childhood photo. To accomplish this, I will ensure that the lighting is not too harsh and focus on the point of view of the individual to create a sense of closeness. The way I plan to photograph my subjects will be different for each individual, as I plan to recreate the original photograph as exactly as possible. So if the original photo is cropped closely, with soft lighting and a fuzzy background, I will take the recreation photos with these characteristics. By accurately recreating the images, I will be able to combine and alter the photos in post-production much easier. I want to make these photographs because I want to highlight the way people grow into themselves, maintaining, losing, and gaining unique features along the way. I want to photograph my loved ones in a way that captures who they are as a person at their core. I think viewers will be interested in these photos, not only because of the way I have altered and combined them but also, because of the way the personality of my loved ones have been expressed.
Characteristics:
- Texture
- Color
- Feeling of familiarity and nostalgia
- A feeling of intimacy and closeness with the subject
- Collaged and pieced together
Photographers of Inspiration:
David Hockney
James Welling
Extra Credit
Food Photography
Food Photography
Best of the Best