jhenevieoca

[jhenevieoca]

Interview, Chrissy Markovski Chrissy's goal in photography is to capture all kinds of beauty, showing emphasis on diversity. She often takes photos of her close friends around nature. In almost all of her portraits, each person has a flower. With all of her work hanging, the flowers offer a cohesive element. Showcasing every kind of beauty is so important to Chrissy because she herself has struggled with this while growing up. I think her work is stunning. I admire the fact that she captures beauty of all ethnicities and I love that each portrait truly shows a person’s personality. I think my favorite photo of hers is, “Navi”. From the coloring to the soft smile, I love everything about it. Chrissy will be pursuing photography in college and I couldn’t be happier and more proud. With her persistence, she will go far in life. Love ya lots, Chris!

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Mixed Media, “Honey Bath”, Jessica Nuchus I absolutely love this piece. She used many mediums such as oil pastel, paint, pencil, and charcoal. I love the yellow little pop of color! I think it ties everything together. It’s definitely a contrast to use a happy color with the subject of the drawing that seems a bit morbid which I love. I think it's really cool that she made one side white and the other black, kind of a spin on yin and yang. I've never seen anything like this. It's stunning.

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Best In Show, “Bloom”, Sami Mark I think I’m just obsessed with everything that Sami makes. I think what makes Sami's work so amazing is that she uses so many colors for even the most random subjects. Yet it still looks realistic. I love that she used pink tones to paint the subject's face. It's very unique and interesting. Sami's work is honestly something I would buy in a gallery. 

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“Cowboy", Concentration I'm not sure about this photo. Originally, the photo was of an entrance to a restaurant but my teacher and I agreed that the angle was weird so we cropped it down to the details of the original photo. I like the new edit but I'm not sure it's the best photo I've ever taken. I plan to go back and take a better angle and go from there. 

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"Calamity", Concentration This is another one that goes into my top favorites. Similar to the last one, I edited clouds into the photo. I was genuinely pleased by the results of this shoot. I only had about an hour until sunset so I was scrambling to find something. I usually shoot a ton of photos but was only able to take a few for this assignment. I was really surprised that despite what few amount of photos I took, many of them were gems.

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"Secrets Within The Sky", Concentration This definitely goes into my top favorite photos. I just love how the house looks so innocent and almost "princess-like". It completely contrasts from the dark clouds. I composited the clouds in to make it seem like a storm was arriving. I love everything about this photo. Originally, it was a little bit more blue but my teacher helped to correct the coloring a little. I think it helped to add a bit more of a natural look. We also blurred out the clouds a bit and added a frame.

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"Spunk", Concentration I've decided to make street photography my concentration. I just find that I do really well with raw and less staged photos. Of course, I love my surreal photos but I think street photos always tend to stick out. To get street portraits, I usually just walk around and wait till I pass someone interesting. I was instantly drawn to this woman. I loved everything about her from her outfit to her attitude. When I asked her if I could take her portrait she said, "Sure, this has happened to me before".

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14w"Attack", Beyond The Frame I took this photo earlier in the year and wanted to use it for one of our first assignments. I wanted to turn it from day to night but I was really struggling. Nothing I did made it look anything less than terrible. So I left it alone and came back to it for this assignment. But after I successfully turned the photo from day to night, I realized it looked way better in black and white. I was pretty annoyed that all the effort I put into the coloring was basically thrown out but regardless, I'm pretty proud of the outcome. I love the birds coming in from the corners. I do think it is a very cliche photo but I still appreciate the beauty in it. I like the fact that it looks like a page out of a fairy-tale story.

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"Land And Water", Beyond The Frame I love the fact that this photo is separated into two elements: land and water. I started out with keeping this photo in color but when I had the water rushing out of the frame it just looked strange. I do think individually the photo would look way better in color but for this assignment, turning the photo black and white made a huge difference. It isn't my favorite but I don't think it's terrible. I am a little peeved that both of these photos I edited for this assignment are black and white but at the same time I think it's cool that they both look like something out of a fairy-tale book.

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"Sunbeam", Oldie But Goody This was one of my all-time favorite shoots. My models were willing to do anything I asked them to do. Sitting down by the rocks was by far the easiest thing I asked them to do that day. Even though they are quite far in the photo, I think the rocks and their formation make the photo interesting. I added a sun flare in a diagonal direction to imitate the effect of sunlight seeping through the trees.

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"Branching Out". Oldie But Goody I took this photo a long time ago for the "Duet" assignment. I remember that shoot like it was yesterday. It was the first time I genuinely enjoyed shooting outside and had fun doing it. These girls were willing to go into the mud and do whatever it took. While walking down the path, I noticed the interesting way this one tree extended its branches. I'm not really sure how to explain it but the trunk leaned forward while the branches arched in the opposite direction. Thankfully, when I asked the girls to imitate the tree, they did so gracefully because they're both dancers. I remember the girl on the left struggling a bit with this pose because of how restricting the dress was. Because of this, the original shot showed the underskirt of the dress so I had to clone stamp the rest of the pattern onto it. I also added a light leak. Overall, I like how the photo turned out.

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"Boots", Oldie But Goody I remember taking this my freshman year. It was the first time I’d ever used the studio for portraits. I always loved the photo but the original backdrop was a really ugly color so I never really knew what to do with it. The Analog Efex Pro module is my favorite but I mostly used the multi lens since it usually looks good with everything. This time I experimented more with the wet plate filters and I really love how it turned out. I think it really adds a grungy feel to the photo. I think it enhanced the background even more so since the background had a tie-dye affect.

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"Dark Horse", Oldie But Goody I took this photo when I shot for the "Lost in Translation" assignment. It's super random and not related at all to that assignment but to be completely honest, I got distracted half-way through the shoot and fell in love with this glass horse sculpture that I had no idea my family even owned. I loved the way the light seeped into it and made the glass seem even more intricate. Although the horse and the carriage give off a more magical/fairytale vibe and the lighting added more to that vibe, I strongly disliked the background. I thought the colors were distracting. To fix this, I made the photo more grungy with a dark filter. I also added the multiple exposure effect, which is one of my favorite things to do to a photo. In this case, it really enhanced the glass detail. I also blurred the edges a little bit. I will say the photo is a bit grainy but I think it actually adds to the photo and makes it more grungy.

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"Strangers", Diptych, Field Trip These two photos were actually taken on last year's field trip to Pilsen and Millennium Park but since I was never in the class, I never showed them to people. If I remember correctly, the photo on the left was taken in Pilsen. My group always likes to explore and go into the stores and we found ourselves in a second-hand shop! The colors of the clothes instantly caught my eye. I was walking around the store when I saw this woman in the jean aisle. I thought it was interesting that she was also wearing a jean jacket too. She was very kind but I could definitely tell she was exhausted. I think her tired features separate this photo from my other street portraits. The photo on the right was taken in front of a deli in Millennium Park. I was honestly so nervous to approach because he seemed so lost in thought while he was waiting for the bus. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity! I thought he looked really cool in front of the store since his glasses matched the red signs behind him. He reminded me so much of Marvel creator Stan Lee with his shades and his mustache! He was very kind to me and after learning that I was in photography class, he encouraged me to keep going and to learn to love it for myself. Personally, I think the photos are stronger by themselves but compared to the other diptychs I made for this assignment, this is probably the best one. I thought it was interesting how the tones are blue on the left and more red on the right.

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This is my poster for the Black Box which is basically a separate featured gallery that showcases artwork done by seniors who have been in various art classes. I first learned about the Black Box when I was in 7th grade. It’s something I’ve been waiting for since then. I think my favorite part about it is that you have more freedom to express what you want because you’re given the opportunity to arrange and decorate as you wish. The best part is that when you have it all set up and step back, you get to see your progression as an artist as you view work from freshman year all the way to senior year.

#BlackBox

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“Perfect Strangers”, Concentration 

My goal in taking street portraits is to capture the essence of each character. I was very hesitant to approach the woman in the first photograph because she was dressed very edgy with a black leather jacket and a slight scowl on her face. When I gave her a timid smile I was surprised at how quickly her mood brightened up. She beamed back at me and agreed to have her portrait taken. I think this photograph is a prime example of breaking through stereotypes. The way she tilts her head slightly and smiles so sweetly attests to her true inner character despite any judgements on her outwards appearance. The colorful background adds more contrast to the photograph and yet ties all of the elements together. It was a juxtaposition.  I called this portrait, “Tough And Sweet”.

Photograph 4 is an elderly man who has a nasal cannula on his face. I found him accompanied with a woman while roaming the streets of Pilsen, a Latino community in Chicago. I knew right away that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses, not because of the way they were dressed or the bible-based literature stand they were next to, but because I myself am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I remember how radiant both of their smiles were despite the cold, windy day. The man I photographed, however, inspired my soul. Despite his obvious health issues, he still stood steadfast in his faith. He chose to show love for Jehovah God even in the midst of the freezing rain. I added a grungy effect that makes the photo look more “dirty” to represent what it looked like that day- muddy and cold. I aspire to have that same dedication and passion for something so strong.

Pilsen is my absolute favorite location to take street portraits. Photographs 1 (the woman against a yellow and blue brick wall), 4 (the man with the nasal cannula), 5 (a Latino man named Antonio in working clothes) were all taken in the streets of Pilsen. Photograph 9 which is of an elder African American man also has a very special place in my heart. I’ll admit, I was extremely nervous at first because as I approached him, I noticed that the man had a pronounced frown on his face. However, as soon as he saw my hesitant smile he brightened up in seconds and said, “Well, hello there!” The conversation that followed made my heart lurch. I learned that Mr. Brown, who was 74 years old, had 2 types of cancer: lymphoma and leukemia. Yet even with all of those tragedies, he still bubbled with laughter and grinned at me. I can’t help but admire his genuine optimism and hope to instill that same kind of resilience in my own life. Even though he looked a bit disheveled, with his unkempt hair and the toothpick in his mouth, I feel as if that truly highlights what resilience looks like- persisting under distress.

I’ve met so many amazing people from exploring the realm of street photography. I can honestly say that these experiences have enriched my life. So many people have encouraged me in my pursuit of photography. As much as I love exploring other genres of photography, my heart will always lean towards street photography. I have learned so much about human nature and a lot about perspective and I’m eternally grateful for that opportunity.

[jhenevieoca]

“Breadth”

I have always been enthralled by the fact that a photograph has the capability to hold many truths but also many lies as well. While a photograph is enough to hold a thousand words, it still manages to leave a vagueness that may be natural or completely edited by the photographer.

I’ve fallen in love with two different genres of photography, both of which are the complete opposite of one another: surrealism and street photography. One, a game of gimmicks, completely out of the norm. Another, completely unstaged, showing the raw truth to human nature. Yet with each realm of photography, I noticed that I tend to portray my subjects as hopeful. This is reflective in my own life as I’ve constantly waded through the darkness seeking the smallest flicker of light. I’ve found hope through my faith. My goal is to capture this hope in my photography. I want my audience to connect with the rawness of my photographs and hopefully learn about the possibilities in life that can occur with a bit of perspective. 

Specifically, I think these are some of my best photos for the simple reason is that they each bring out different emotions. I think my more surreal photos give off a more “wistful” emotion. I purposefully made the sky in each photograph of the house dramatic in hopes of making the audience feel somewhat anxious. 

#breadth