Final Mapping Project in Gallery

Final Mapping Project Reflection

In my second project this year, I took another shot at the self-study prompt, but also utilized elements that corresponded to the mapping prompt.  To communicate the idea of maps and travel, I took photos that all contained an orange suitcase, giving each photo a common element.  In most of the photos, the subject is walking, giving a sense of purposeful movement and travel.  The subject is never facing the camera directly, always looking in a different direction, making it seem like they are walking away from the viewer and into the unknown.  I made sure that all the photos looked uniform by giving them a square crop and playing with the white balance so they all looked warm and sunny, to match the orange hue of the suitcase.  At the beginning of this project, I had planned to use maps that I had lined the inside of the orange suitcase with as part of my project to give the photos a more literal theme of maps.  However, I abandoned this idea because it didn't give me a the leeway in terms of interpretation and composition that I wanted.  I'm glad I did this, because I love the way my project turned out.  This was a meaningful experience for me because I feel like this has been my best project in photography class so far.