"The Pine Cone Patrol"
Series
The Pine Cone Patrol series is a series exploring the wonder, curiosity and excitement of finding something new and beginning a new tradition. Collecting pine cones was one of the many formative experiences I had in my childhood that nurtured my curiosity, adventurousness and love and appreciation of nature.
"Pine Cone Patrol #1" is a photograph taken "en media res", meaning it was taken during the action. It was almost like I was back in my younger self's skin, giddy and running around the hill I traversed so much as a kid, and I set out to convey the chaotic nature of hunting for pine cones at dusk. I paid attention to the Lighting and Time of Day to capture interesting shadows and the memory itself and the times it occurred (specifically late 2000's era) as accurately as possible (hence the kitchen photos). The trees turned into props as much as the pre-harvested pine cones did once we started to take photos, as they were an excellent framing device. The pine cones were an essential component to the narrative, as well as a "badge" of proof of my younger, more adventurous self.
"Pine Cone Patrol #7" captures the pride, happiness and wonder of being a child exploring the world. I used Props and Facial Expressions to convey the mood and setting of this piece. The basket in front of me has sentimental value to me and contains some of the finds my family has made over the past 17 years of my life, and the jacket and hat indicate cooler weather. The pine cones are, more than anything, a piece of a childhood pasttime, and furthermore bring me right back to collecting pine cones with my brother.
"Path To The Dream House"
Series
The memory explored in the Path To The Dream House series is one close to my heart. Much like the transition between childhood and adolescence, this memory captures childhood imagination and creativity. In addition, it captures the process between its birth and the mourning of what was, what could have been, and what is in the present, even if the present means the death of both imagination and a recurring dream of 7 years.
"Path To The Dream House #1" and "Path To The Dream House #8" are two parts of a whole journey. The first of the two frames used lighting and facial expressions to set the scene and mood. The lighting indicates nighttime, supplemented by a lantern. The facial expression focuses on the budding friendship I grew to have with my dream, and the curiosity I had about it. The mirror was chosen to give a vessel through which the "other side" of the dream could be expressed. On the other hand, using the props and facial expression techniques, the second frame is about the end of my interaction with the dream world, when I woke up 7 years after I had first started having the dream to realize it wasn't real. That day, I mourned, shown through the body language and facial expression in my modeling of the event. I did not interact with the mirror because I no longer had access to that world. This photo set represents a conversation between the birth of a new curiosity and the assumed ending of my childhood imagination using body language, lighting and interaction with props to demonstrate each event.