Project: Recap

I started this course in February with a lot of  high expectations and very little knowledge about the art of photography and its background. During these last months, I have learned so much about the theory of photography, essential to create a successful shot. I've learned how to work with a professional camera and how and when to use depth of field, shutter speed or composition.  I have been able to overcome my fear and just randomly walk up to people and ask them if I can take a picture of them and I have learned that even the most random picture can have so many different meanings. All these experiences have been immensely enriching and have opened my eyes to the unbelievably interesting and huge world op photography. 

However, the most interesting part about this course has definitely been the opportunity to develop and work on my own photography project, which has been an amazing opportunity not only to practice the skills I've learned in the theory, but also to learn what a photographic essay is and what you need to be successful in creating one. 

It took me weeks to come up with a topic for my project, and although at first I wasn't sure if this topic could really produce some interesting pictures, I am super happy with my final project and with the development of my idea. 

The issue of social and personal alienation due to hyper-connectivity had been on my mind for a long time already, especially as I constantly get confronted to it in my degree. 

And I feel like this project has really given me the opportunity to visually express my thoughts on phone addiction in the 21st century. 

Not only because it is a growing issue, but also because it is something that I can totally relate with and that I constantly think of in my daily life because I experience it everyday. 

As I said in one of my previous posts already: This project couldn't be any more real, and I feel like the fact that I know so much about the issue and have very strong feelings about it has definitely helped me a lot to create shots that don't only show the problem of hyper-connectivity, but also try to convey the feelings of sadness, of guilt and anger that we should be facing when looking at the pictures.

I think that the main thing that I've learned from this experience is that photography is way more than just randomly taking a picture of a landscape or a flower, there is so much thinking to it, so much meaning that each and every person can put into a photograph, depending on their personal experiences and their identity. Photography is something so general and yet so personal at the same time, and that is exactly what I feel when I look at my photographic essay now, I'm showing a general problem, that is very personal and important to me, but as I present it to the world I leave it open for other interpretations from other people, maybe these interpretations will be completely different from mine, maybe they will be the same, because after all 'Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution.' (Ansel Adams)