I was born in Como, Italy and raised on a farm in rural Missouri. From a young age, I began exploring and self-teaching several methods of art and personal expression. One medium became my primary avenue of documenting the world as I saw it, photography.
Photography is a refuge and release for me. I work to capture the element of emotion throughout each frame. Each image draws upon a complex connection and reflects how I feel inside. Never shying away from conveying social messages of complicated subjects of racism, poverty, sexuality, abuse, and addiction.
As everything I accomplish, perfection and purity remain my center goal. Over the past few years I’ve stepped out of my reclusive nature and began sharing my work with the world.
Career
Prior to 2010, when photography became my full-time endeavor, my graphical art design was commissioned by Universal, Warner Brothers, Nike, and several additional large corporations.
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A project fixated around one 450-yard, street in downtown Columbia, Missouri. After spending four years capturing the essence of the eclectic characters the Mid-west township has to offer, I combined selected images to create a 10 inch by 10-inch hardcover, collector’s publication. To launch the release of the book, I transformed an alley in the middle of 9th street into a gallery exhibit. I placed twelve selected, 24-inch by 36-inch photographs along the brick walls the length of the alley and extended the remaining exhibited photographs into an abandoned basement space branched off the alley way. The solo exhibition featured a total of 27 photographs from the book and was on display for eight weeks for eight weeks at Galley A Gallery in Columbia,
Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History of Photography. New York, NY : Abbeville Publishing Group, 2007.
Susan Sontag said photographs sends across the harmlessness and helplessness of the human life steering into their own ruin. Furthermore the bond connecting photography with departure from life tortures the human race. (Sontag 1977:64)
I’ve always wondered how a single image could show a beautiful lie or a horrific truth of any picture taken. No picture can be considered obvious. My mind is always thinking about the many different perspectives that one picture can bring. That’s why I enjoy taking photos that captures the many mysteries of life. I would love to live life as a photographer.
Whenever I turn on my camera and place it in front of my eye, I am instantly able to change my perspective. I had to learn how to protect myself from the frightening actions and negative words spewed from my father. I chose to use my photography and journalism as my coping mechanisms while not realizing until now, how much writing and photography saved my life and kept me sane. Every time that I boarded a plane headed to California for my visits, I cringed because I never knew what to expect and I feared the unknown and known but my camera was always constant. As I discovered my passion for writing and photography, it became more than just a stress reliever or a way to escape into a place far beyond the courts or my dad, it became my way of life. The recognition and validation of my gifts, talents, niche, and abilities came by way of opposition and obstacles that helped me to realize my worth, purpose, and capabilities. My experiences during my visits took away a sense of innocence and taught me to not rely on the validation of others; to know my self- worth. My father often belittled me and whenever I felt less than, I would pick up a pen and reflect or take a photo and I was then reminded of my capability, worth and
Photography allows us to maintain memories and relish them whenever we desire. Although some advocates might argue that people are no longer enjoying experiences instead taking more pictures, in the essay, “Why We Take Pictures”, by Susan Sontag, she conflates that photography can be used as a defense against anxiety and a tool of empowerment. I agree with Sontag on the significance of photographs and how it allows us to store a part of our extended relatives so we are able to hold on the memories of family. Therefore, we must appreciate how photography allows us to manage anxiety, express feelings and remember our loved ones.
Any photograph I take I want one to dissect their own imagination, searching within themselves the story the picture tells, to draw out ones imagination. To taste the substance of what the photograph is, what they hear and feel from the image. To not just look at the picture, but to actually see it, and understand it under their own terms. I want someone to look at my art and wonder, what’s just up those stairs, just beyond the ajar door, or what magic is at hand.
Susan Sontag once wrote, “To collect photographs is to collect the world.” In her article entitled “On Photography,” she overviews the nature of photography and its relation to people using it. Sontag discusses photography’s ability to realistically capture the past rather than an interpretation of it, acting as mementos that become immortal. Continuing on to argue the authenticity of photography and how its view points have shifted from art into a social rite.With the use of rhetorical devices, Sontag scrutinizes the characteristics of photography and its effects on surrounding affairs; throughout this article Sontag reiterates the social rites, immortality and authenticity of photographs, and the act of photography becoming voyeuristic. With the use of the rhetorical devices pathos, appeal of emotion, ethos, appeal to ethics and credibility, and logos, appeal to logic, Sontag successfully persuades the audience to connect and agree with her views.
To begin with, photography appeared to me as something entertaining a simple step in which one took a camera and simply shot a photograph of oneself or a friend. When I was handed my schedule for Mrs. Jones’s class, I felt as if this class had in store a special reward for me. As the days went by, Instead of being anxious of getting out of class I had a craving for additional time in the class. The class kept my eyes glued to the screen ...
Ahh photography, how I love you so. It's been a love affair since day 1. You've brought me so much joy, you've taught me a great many things and you've helped me through hard times. Though each of my words is worth only 1/1000th as much as any photo, I will do my best to write you a worthy laudation for all that you have given me. Here are the reasons I love photography.
Have you ever seen a painting or picture that captivates you and directly stirs up emotion within you? More than likely, you have. Usually, viewers merely observe the picture and enjoy the way it looks and how it makes them feel. But, have you ever asked yourself, “why?” What about the picture makes it pleasing to the viewer? With each strategy the photographer uses creates their own touch and passion that floods all over the picture. The emotional connection nearly goes unnoticed for when the picture is well photographed, the viewers experience the sensation in their subconscious. This is one of the most powerful tools that a photographer holds in their hands. If one can become a master of manipulating how the photo affects its viewers, the said photographer can potentially maneuver people’s minds and thoughts with one click of a button. The time spent with my mentor has opened up the door for me to tap into that power though the use of background, focus, shutter speed, angles, and most importantly, lighting. Even with all these techniques, the person behind the camera must remember that creativity must be at the forefront of all operations. Caleno (2014), when writing about the basics of capturing a beautiful moment in a picture commented, “If we want to be creative we must drop these pre-conceptions and start looking at things from a small child’s innocence.”
Until high school, I thought perfection meant being the best at everything and getting perfect grades on every assignment. I wanted to be the physical embodiment of perfection, the epitome of perfect, so that when you heard my name, all you could think
Unfortunately, photography’s inclusion as a division of fine art has been a topic of debate online. There are many reasons why others believe that it should not be categorized as fine art. Photographers were branded as mere machine operators and computer editors. Claims such as photography does not require skills, taking a great photo is a matter of luck, anybody can do it and it does not require critical thinking skills dominates the discussion.
Photography has created an outlet for the masses to story tell. It has a way of speaking without words like most art forms and is a manner of expression in itself. To eradicate photography from humans would be equivalent to taking away a limb from humankind. Our society has grown an immense amount of dependency on it. Photography has become almost a daily menial task such as brushing your teeth; where we must take pictures of the things we deem important or equally unimportant, even more so with the invention of social media outlets such as Instagram and Snapchat, where photography is the main source of communication between people who use them. Susan Sontag offers the basis of what taking pictures can undertake in both our daily lives and moments that are not part of our daily lives, such as travel. Traveling to places where one is not accustomed can flare pent up anxiety. A way to subdue that anxiety could be through taking pictures, since it’s the only factor that we have total control over in a space where we don’t have much, or, any control of our surrounding environment. On the other hand, taking photos can also be a tool of power in the same sense as it allows for it to be a defense against anxiety. With the camera in our hands, we have the power to decide who, what, where, when, and why we take a picture. This in turn also gives the person who took the picture power over those who later analyze the photos, letting them decide the meaning of the photo individually, despite the intended or true meaning.
Without a doubt, being a highly respected photographer would be my dream career. The type of job that wouldn 't feel like a job because it is one of my favorite hobbies. Growing up I always noticed how much longer I took to take a picture of someone than when they did the same for me. I soon realized that I actually had a passion for getting the right shot that I understood that not every pictures the same and that certain angles made others look better in places. The praise I received for taking a lot of these pictures motivated me. I liked that I hardly ever got told to take these pictures over and I loved that I was always the one chosen to take them time after time. Once I understood that I had this passion for photography I made sure a camera was the first thing on my Christmas list that year. I also knew that there was nothing but room for improvement, so i sought out private lessons which I worked and saved up for.
Photography is an essence of preserving life without tempering its might. It’s an art that embodies the existence of one’s perspective which may influence one’s sight to see the world because beholders might look at the very same picture but see an entirely different image.