Amy (2004)
Medium: Photography (35mm Film, Nikon F4)
Date: 2004
A black-and-white studio portrait of a young woman (Amy) in profile. A dark hat and layered feathers extend the silhouette of her head, while a sheer veil falls across her face, softening the features without obscuring them entirely.
The composition is built around the curve of the profile from the line of the neck through the hair and into the arc of the feathers, forming a contained, circular shape within the frame. Light and shadow are held in balance, with soft tonal transitions across the face set against deeper blacks in the hair and hat.
Process Notes:
This photograph was made during my second year at Columbus College of Art and Design as part of a studio photography assignment. It was shot on film and printed in the darkroom. While the project itself was intended to be a broader series, most of the images from that set were remained in the assignment realm. This one was the exception.
The image was constructed intentionally. Working at home rather than in the school studio, I set up a simple backdrop and built the composition directly through the camera. The position of the head, the fall of the veil, and the placement of the feathers were adjusted to suggest shape, a line that could be followed from the front of the face up and around through the form.
At the time, this was primarily an exercise in form, working with silhouette, negative space, and the balance of light and shadow in black-and-white studio photography. There wasn’t a larger conceptual framework attached to it.
What stands out as most relevant so many years later is how clearly some of the compositional and visual elements were already suggesting themes that remain present in my work today. The containment of implied visual motion, the use of central form in negative space, the use of tone and contrast, and the relationship between organic “stroke” and structure—all are recognizable even in recent pieces.
Other Images from this Series:
The series as a whole represented different stages of life, loosely and with varying success. Although only the main image has really withstood the test of time, a few of the others in the series still hold some interest for me.
