Each of these individuals experiences life through the lens of their own background, experiences, and thought process. Someone could be having the best day of their life, while others are stressed during life-changing interviews, and others relax under a sunny sky.

It is humbling to observe how unique each person truly is. No one lives a single moment the same way.

Creative Process

I have always been an introspective person myself, and consider the choices and feelings I have quite strongly. Growing up in a driven environment where excellence and a strong sense of individuality were markers for success, I lost myself in the criticizing chase of refining myself. One day when speaking to a colleague, they told me something that permanently changed how I viewed the world and myself. Each person has a unique set of experiences, and is struggling with something on their own. People hide their battles well, and we only see the actions that result from long-standing thought processes. Everyone has a different mind, a different body, a different sense of home, different habits, different ways to relax and find peace. And in realizing that everyone is absorbed within their own reality and pursuit of something, we can follow our own intuition to what genuinely speaks to us. Choosing this theme, my goal is to communicate a principle that has allowed me to find true peace and a refined love for the details of my own life.

What I most wanted to highlight in this photo essay were the moments behind each photograph. Life passes by second by second, but it is through pressing the button at a special one that transforms how it will appear. Storytelling can be accomplished in many ways, but through a non-dramatic technique open to interpretation, I want those who view these photos to come up with their own explanations. To emphasize the various interpretations and perceptions, I transitioned back and forth between depicting the emotions of the individual and the mood the background elicits to provide a well-rounded story, showing how the overall situation and individual's expressions trade off to express a certain reality.

One of my goals was to highlight genuine moments and feelings through candid photography, and I felt the best way to accomplish this was to use the images as a portal to that day and time. Referencing Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, I chose to show a varied range of emotion. Some pictures relay a sense of serenity, while others depict joy, surprise, amazement, and even vigilance.

The visual composition of these images was edited in a way that preserved the appearance and original colors of each. High levels of contrast allude to the depth found within our own vision, and colors are brightened where the mind finds happiness and ecstasy. Calmness is relayed through a more muted color palette, and simplicity through very subtle alterations. I truly wanted each individual to be depicted in a candid, beautiful, and genuine way.

The Gestalt principles also influenced my creative process. I chose to take these photographs in a way that showed varied levels of proximity to the individual's surroundings, and also enjoyed the principle of continuation as I captured people walk across the street or ride on bikes. Similarity was also taken into consideration with pictures that show a large amount of people who are present in the same location.

The organization and common theme of a photo essay that is utilized in photo journalism inspired me to put together images that I love. In this field, it is important to focus on what best moves the story you are telling. Complex or simple, the details can transform and impact your audience in a beautiful way.

Sources:

Bergstrom, Bo. "Chapter 2 Storytelling." Essentials of Visual Communication.

Bonner, Carolann. “Using Gestalt Principles for Natural Interactions.” Thoughtbot, 23 Mar. 2019, https://thoughtbot.com/blog/gestalt-principles.

Cao, Jerry. “Web Design Color Theory: How to Create the Right Emotions with Color in Web Design.” TNW | Tnw, 27 Apr. 2021, https://thenextweb.com/news/how-to-create-the-right-emotions-with-color-in-web-design.

“Putting Some Emotion into Your Design – Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions.” The Interaction Design Foundation, https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/putting-some-emotion-into-your-design-plutchik-s-wheel-of-emotions.

Shurbaji, Eman. “Photo Narratives.” Medium, Ideas: Journalism + Tech, 17 Dec. 2014, https://medium.com/learning-journalism-tech/photo-narratives-d77b812f99dd.

http://projectsfinal.interactionivrea.org/2004-2005/SYMPOSIUM%202005/communication%20material/DESIGNERS%20AND%20USERS_Norman.pdf

“Worth 1,000 Words: The 4 Principles of Visual Storytelling.” Amplifi, 8 Dec. 2020, https://amplifinp.com/blog/4-principles-visual-storytelling/.