Shooting with a digital camera and doing studio photography is my cup of tea. There is something about having control of the whole entire frame that sparks creativity and joy in me. I have always been a fan of Chiaroscuro and the use of only one light source to illuminate the figures. Throughout these years of study, I have had the wonderful opportunity to explore several themes and styles through different artists from different cultures yet, the most influential artist I aspire to is Caravaggio. Caravaggio is known to be one of the most influential people to master light and discovering Chiaroscuro. When first learning how to use the lights in the studio, I automatically saw myself replicating his paintings and create more of a dramatic effect by illuminating only part of the figure. I then began to experiment with different backgrounds and different lighting which was a completely different world but one of which I could still control. The belief is that everyone has their preferred side to be photographed and details that they prefer not to see in photographs. I ask them to trust in the photographer and allow me, with their consent, to unveil their beauty in a way that they have never seen before This is what I live for, because everyone is unique and beautiful in their own way, however, it’s the photographer’s job to transmit that to the viewer.
Black and white photography works very well with Chiaroscuro and studio lighting in general, yet the intensity and feelings it can bring to a viewer are incomparable to color photographs. It creates curiosity and mystery while leaving an abundant amount of space for imagination and the interpretation of each individual.
The series of images represented show the human body, there is a various mix of people in these images where the youngest individual is a 9-year-old and goes up to a 60-year-old while moving behind the lens to photograph the artist herself. In the series, there is a range of portraits, unidentifiable bodies, and small details photographed in an unusual way. A few years ago when I was just introduced to photography I moved into a different type of mentality where I wanted to make the usual look unusual; for example, in this series, there is an image of an arm and a wrist. I did not want to make this image immediately recognizable but make the viewer take a second look at the image to understand what they are looking at. For this reason, there is no detail of the fingers or of the elbow.
Studio photography is my passion and where I feel most at ease. There are so many different ways to view the world yet everything changes even more when seen through a lens. I look forward to continuing to look for new ideas and inspiration as I pursue a photography career.