The photos I have submitted fall under a kind of work I describe as "Figures in Space." On a literal level, the title refers to people and structures occupying three-dimensional space. On a figurative level, I am exploring the connection between subjects and their environments. When people are removed from their environment, there is a risk that they will lose a sense of humanity under the gaze of an audience. The environment is key because it allows the viewer to have a stronger understanding of the subject based on their context. For example, my photo of the young boy on the bike is a wide shot that shows the street and the surrounding structures rather than a simple close up. I think it is more interesting to see where the child is biking than merely presenting what he looks like while he's doing it. A lot of photographers would go for the close-up portrait, but I believe we lose out on a portion of his story when we take him out of his environment. Some of my images do not have people in them. In these cases, I composed the images to personify the structures as if they were subjects. For me, the expressive element of the process was being able to portray my own emotions as well as capture the emotions of others. This was one of the motivating factors in creating some of these images. I strive to be diverse in my content and form. By including color and black and white images in this portfolio I am experimenting with textures and mood.
