Idea Blog XII - Origin

Origin -

While thinking about both my project and the recently reviewed artist Ferit Kyas, I began to consider origins.  I haven't shot very much outside of the city, but most of the shots that were outside of Richmond had been shot around my home town.  I feel that there is always a strong connection to one's roots that tends to be expressed by artists.  Even though I have been in Richmond for a while, I wouldn’t say I have the same viewpoint toward it as I do toward my hometown of Williamsburg, where I have spent most of my time.  Ferit Kuyas' work “has auto-biographical roots: I got to know the connections and spent quite some time here.[1]”  Kuyas also commented that although the photographs in “City of Ambition”  are documentary, showing the progress of Chongqing city development after receiving municipal status, he doesn’t consider himself a documentarian.  He said the ability to express his emotions in his images is very important to him.  I hope that my images are expressive of my emotions. 
Photographs are expressive when it “interprets, rather than describes, what we see to others. It tells a story, going beyond conveying information for its own sake. It often becomes metaphorical.[2]”  Hopefully my images are telling the story of the impact humans have on the natural surrounding environment.

[1] Kuyas, Ferit. "CITY OF AMBITION." gallerybook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <feritkuyas.com/city_of_ambition/>.

[2] Douglis, Phil . "Photograph as Expression. ." PSA Journal 76.3 (2010): 30-32. Print.