Day: May 2, 2014

Armed and…

Gun control has become a hot-button topic again in the past few years, with several high-profile mass shootings having taken place in the United States. In response to these shootings, many on the pro-gun control side have exhibited outright fear of guns, even to the point of expelling children from school just because an object they possess is shaped like a gun, while many on the pro gun-rights side have called for loosening the restrictions currently in place regarding firearm ownership.

In this project, I examine the ideas of projection and perception when it comes to possession of a firearm. In each diptych, a person is photographed empty-handed in the first frame and then photographed with what they believe is a loaded firearm in the second frame. It is necessary that the subject believe the firearm is loaded, as an unloaded firearm does not have the same power as an object as a loaded firearm. The subjects are photographed on a plain background so the viewer is only able to focus on the person rather than the environment. As a result, the viewer must confront his or her own prejudices regarding people and the object of power that they hold. In terms of the subject, they must also come to terms with how they will carry themselves while in possession of an object that is designed to kill.

The gun control debate is one that is not likely to be over soon. The on-going goal with this project will be to foster greater understanding of the positions of both sides of the debate. When they can come to a greater understanding each other, meaningful dialog and sensible action can be taken to reduce gun violence in the United States and hopefully prevent another mass shooting.

Allyson Huntsman

Andrew Sosa Brenda Cruz Brenda Franco Cameron Wolfe Claire Jeff Bradley Kelley Kounter Lizette Soto Michael Alaniz Rahul Rao Sarah Rodriguez Stevie Falter Theresa Dunham Victoria Gonzalez Adrienne Myers

Emotional Portraits

Emotions are an important aspect of human activity and often drive our interpersonal relationships as well as our decision making in both obvious and subtle ways. While many artists focus on bringing out the “true person” of a portrait subject, the focus on this project was to bring out the true emotion being expressed by the subject.

In this project, each of my subjects brought a photograph of someone close to him or her and used that photograph as a jump-off point in telling me a story about that person. The story told, whether a happy or sad story, was completely up to the person being photographed. Throughout the story, I took photos with my camera while varying my angle in relation to and the distance from my subjects. I also asked questions regarding the story in order to dig deeper into the relationship between my subject and his or her subject. Using the concept of the “decisive moment,” I captured the image of my subject that best expressed the emotion(s) that underlie the nature of the relationship between my subjects and their own subjects.

Much of the emotion that is expressed in formal portrait photography is either directed (think retail portraits) or is prompted by the artist, such as Richard Avedon when he would often ask psychologically jarring questions of his subjects in order to elicit a certain type of response. By using the approach I described earlier, I was able to minimize my role in directing the individual, thus allowing my subject to be more open and honest in their storytelling, which in turn allowed for an honest expression of emotion.

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