I have experimented with different genres of photography within the past 10 years, from sports/action digital, to alternative processes, to digital compositing, to 4x5 film. I have enjoyed experimenting with these genres and growing in my style and preference, yet I feel one can get too caught up in expressing ideas that the simple pure art of photography can become lost. Spring 2018 being my last semester as an art student, I felt it was time for a refresher on the basics of composition in photography. My goal was to work in a formalist style, and to capture images based on line, shape, texture, and tone. I wanted to use these aspects alone to determine whether or not my eye has advanced and grown in terms of seeing the unseen, which is something all photographers should be striving for. I also wanted to give myself this challenge to focus on formalist qualities of art, rather than focusing on any one concept, as my way of stripping my mind down to focus on the art form itself. I specifically chose to photograph Fresno State’s campus as a way of narrowing my focus and forcing myself to look closer at the school in which will be my alma mater. I am glad I chose this as my semester long project, as I feel my eye has indeed evolved. I also found a greater appreciation for the formalist style. I have create photo narratives in the past, including writing with my photos. However these photos I have created are just photos, and unapologetically so. They are a representation of how I see things, without any added frills. I believe a truly great photographer can observe the world around them, take a picture, and have created something new. I feel that I have created something out of nothing with this project.
