1. Artists Statement
For this project I wanted to look into the many dualities found in everyday life. I looked for contrast in subjects, colors, and light, among other things. There is a description of the contrasts next to each picture in the following PowerPoint. I did not stage any scenes; all photos were taken as they were found with no extra lights or enhancements on Photoshop. I really like having pictures be natural and raw rather than artificially manufacture or manipulated so I stuck to a very minimalist approach when taking photos. William Knipscher was recommended to me, specifically the Apophenia works. I really liked the way he used mundane and often boring subjects but made them simplistically beautiful. He also worked with cracked pavement a lot which inspired a few of my photos (Cracked and Construction). I looked at Robert Mapplethorpe as well. He did mainly black and white work in the 1970s dealing with countercultures. The photo I most love by him is of Ken Moody and Robert Sherman because it has stunning contrast and so much meaning behind it. I took the principles of light and dark from Mapplethorpe and featured them as best I could (Crescent, Dual Windows, Rorschach).
Apophenia
William Knipscher
Ken Moody and Robert Sherman
Robert Mapplethorpe

2. Into the Mist
This photo contrasts the harsh patterns of the steel tower with the soft blanket of fog.

3. Linear
Much like the first, this photo pits the overcast, almost acid washed sky against the straight

4. Crescent
This photo showcases the extremes between light and dark. The light is morphed into a comically proportioned crescent moon by the stark black pole. In reality, this is a worm's eye view of a street lamp.

5. Dual Windows
Two photos taken in the same position with different exposures. This was more an experiment with light that turned out to be interested when the two were contrasted.

6. Rorschach
This is a candle wick that inexplicably took its own unique form. I wanted to capture the burnt wick with a white background creating what looks somewhat like a Rorschach ink blot.

7. Decay
The once living tree has been cut down and covered in various fungi. What was once living and beautiful can be turned rotten and ugly in an extremely rapid fashion.

8. Cracked
This simple crack disrupts the otherwise monochromatic wall to make the eye follow it in its entirety. The small drip adds a bit more visual interest to the photo.

9. Caution
The striking yellow dash and upheaval of the pavement contrast with the smooth concrete of the step before.

10. Construction
The large cracks in the pavement have been spray painted by a graphic white, creating a dynamism between the two.

11. GAS
The grass and bold white outline contrast with the small rust colored gas cover. The natural and man made compete in this photo.