10 Grade Media Studies

Artist Statement:

Before starting my self-portrait I looked at aspects and parts of my life I felt most comfortable in. I thought back to a few years ago when my uncle had talked about all the “skins” he would wear and each one representing a different part of his life. He had called himself a chameleon and that he molded to the world around him. “It’s like the ocean, always changing strength and direction,” he said. Reflecting on that I looked at all the different skins we shift into to fit in. The water like effect in the background of my self-portrait represents all these different people we can be. I feel very connected to photography that’s why in the picture I’m hiding behind my camera. When I’m the one taking the photos, everything feels more controllable and I don’t have to worry about being in the photo. The water in the background also has another meaning. The ocean is the most calming place for me, especially when a huge storm is about to happen and the ocean feels eerily calm. The ocean is my get away, where I feel my safest and know that no matter what I’ll always feel better once I’m there.

Trial and Error:

I really didn’t know what picture to use for my self portrait. I had so many different ideas, so many different aspects that I wanted to capture and put into the portrait. With minimal Photoshop experience and still unsure of what my final product would be I just decided to go with my gut. A huge problem I faced was the Photoshop process when trying to cut and paste or change the colors of just one section of the image.