HSC Major Work

My first body of work, like some, was the mandatory one required by me for school. My visual arts major work was without a doubt my greatest leap into photography. I learnt most of what I know now about photography during this time.

Prior to my final senior year of high school, my camera had just been a tool that allowed me to ‘document’ outings and interactions with my friends, as well as some extremely amateur wildlife photography. When the time to choose an art medium for my final school art piece arrived I gravitated towards photography. I was yet to explore photography as anything more than a means of marginally artistic documentation, so I felt exploring it as a heavily artistic medium would be exciting and challenging.

Within my work I decided to go a rather traditional route of portraiture, and looked towards my friend Bianca to be serve as my muse. During the creation of this body of work, I explored themes of perception regarding feminine beauty and how it was viewed during history (primarily during the 20th century), as well as ideas of the passage of time, finally landing on the former. I found heavy inspiration from an image of Princess Margaret taken by her husband Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1967. I settled on a black and white set of photos as a way to evoke feelings and emotions through means other than colour.

I had an amazing time creating these three photos, as well as the process leading up to its completion. I thank Bianca profusely for putting up with me for months and thousands of photos, as she is as much responsible for my major work as I am. I learnt so much during this time, and I can not wait to get started on my next body of work whatever that may be.