Ap 2D design portfolio Investigation of contrast in black and white photography capturing fleeting moments of people either suspended or in motion.

1. Olivia
AP Studio Art – 2D-Design Portfolio

15. In my photography concentration, while focusing on contrast, I aspire to capture fleeting moments of people
either suspended or in motion. My theme for the entire set of images is movement and contrast with negative
space. The central idea is to portray people in their most natural states, however, the black and white brings their
natural softness into a more abstract and dreamlike state.
The images portray not only an increasing element of darkness but also a transition into a more dreamlike state.
For instance, in C#1, the women are walking –a normal, everyday action, one that is so habitual it is constantly
overlooked.
From then on, as seen in C#5 and C#8, the images become more suspended, like the subject is floating in a
dream-like state. These images are more striking because the subjects are not doing common things, requiring
the viewer not to casually glance over the photo but instead take a more in-depth look.
Because of the separation from normalcy in the image C#11, the viewer has to take a second and sometimes a
third look to see what the image is composed of. At first look, there appears to be two distorted figures in the
image. Upon further inspection, the viewer can see there are actually three figures in the photograph.
By image C#12, the subject is so far submerged into darkness it conveys an abstract dream state. I sought to
achieve that by using the element of space and increasing darkness so that the bone structure of the face is
almost indistinguishable from the black background. This contrast provides a framework for the images because
it is the constant in an ever-changing flow from reality into a dream, much like falling asleep as demonstrated in
C#12.