Valedictory

For my valedictory project I wanted to take pictures of people blending in or camouflaging with their surroundings. I originally wanted to dress my models up in outfits that matched a background and have them pose in different ways. However, I found it difficult to find outfits that worked for each of the backgrounds and although I took some full body shots, I liked the close up shots a lot better. I liked the way the models eyes and facial expressions looked and I tried to focus on the eyes in several of the photos.
Although the way I set up my photos was different than I anticipated, my general concentration stayed the same. I wanted to focus on the idea of people trying to "fit in" socially. I think that, in school especially, it's hard for many people to be themselves. Most people find it easier to blend in rather than stand out in a crowd. I tried to represent this feeling of needing to fit in and trying to be like everybody else in my photos. I framed my photos in a way that made the models background surround them and cover them up. Similarly, in a social setting, someone might let the people around them "cover them up" or make it so they disappear. While taking my photos, I told my models to keep a straight face and not to smile. I did this because I wanted the photos to show that when you try to fit in rather than be yourself, you will not be happy or smiling-at least on the inside. I think the message I want to come across from my photos would be to be confident and be yourself and you will find that you will become a much happier person.
In the end, I think my photos represented what I wanted them to. I really like the way they turned out and I think it would be easy for me to continue with this concentration.