PHOTOGRAPHY
52 Branches from One Tri
(Scroll past the text if you just want to see the photos!)
One day, I realized that I haven't been taking that many photos in the last couple of years. I wanted to develop a plan or have a more structured way of getting back into it. Year long projects were in the back of my mind, either in the format of a photo per day (365) or a photo per week (52).
I went with the weekly option, and planned to have themes of mental health and emotions. Visually, I wanted to be more abstract with my interpretations of these emotions— I wanted to avoid the stock photo clichés of a person looking upset with their hands on their head. It also was an opportunity to practice different photography, post-processing, and color grading techniques. I already had a long list of ideas for photos that have been collecting dust.
The project eventually shifted into consisting only of self-portraits with no outside help (except once). Before I was interested in photography, I absolutely despised being in photos. Even after starting photography, I still wasn't a fan and was known to just hide behind the lens. After reviewing thousands of shots of myself, it has definitely helped me feel more comfortable with being photographed.
It took over a year of being finished with the project to appreciate it. My perfectionism took over, which led to an abundance of distress when I couldn't nail an idea that I envisioned. I felt so compelled to re-do old shots, or give up and never tell anyone about it.
However, despite all the emotional, creative, and technical setbacks, I continued on, creating photographs for fifty-two weeks straight. I learned how to feel and act out these emotions with props jammed in my face, while simultaneously making sure the timing and framing was adequate. It helped me learn how to deal with the pressures of time and droughts of creativity. Completing this project helped me grow not only as an photographer, but as a person as well.
