What I Saw (Through the Viewfinder)

This project, entitled What I Saw (Through the Viewfinder), visualizes the philosophical concept of mental imagery (mental pictures produced by a person’s memory of things that are not present). Analog photography was selected for the project in order to initiate a photographic relationship between memory (as represented by the photographs), and time (as represented by the photographic process). The project also considers the relationship between perception and photography, an idea that is referenced in the project’s title. The relationship between perception and photography has been explored through the use of optical and compositional disruptions that inhibit the viewer’s ability to instantaneously interpret the content of the images. When processing the selected photographs attention was paid to retaining signs of the photographic process, including subtle scratches, grain, haze, soft focus, unconventional framing, and other physical imperfections present on the surface of the images.