A photo becomes a portrait when the environment of the photograph allows the audience to have a sense of connection with the subject within the photo, to tell the story of the subject within the photo.  A selfie is not always a type of portrait because sometimes I have no sense of connection with the subject within the photo. A portrait could contain anything, though a good portrait draws attention to the subject in the photograph. This may be achieved using contrast between the subject and the background. Yes you can represent a person without them being present within the photos, as the mood and the subjects within the photo may represent the person themselves. I think this may still be called a portrait as a portrait is a photograph that allows the audience to have a sense of connection within the subject within the photo, and if the subjects within the photo may provide that for the singular subject, then it may be a portrait. A sequence of photos may also be a portrait, as long as the pictures are able to tell a story together, and describe a singular perhaps multiple, but importantly, the same subject.

An idea I have for my portrait, is perhaps someone on a daily basis vs someone when the holidays are around. I really want to do something around the “holiday” idea as Christmas is coming around. Another idea may perhaps be someone that everyone sees them as vs who they really are. This is one of my favorites as the media really projects what people want others to see of themselves, and not who they really are. I think that a portrait idea based around sexual assault can also be a very interesting project, as it help tell the audience that it’s okay to ask for help, and that your friends or someone you care deeply about is going through such a traumatizing experience.

For the first idea about the holidays, the title would be “Holidays Hit”. I’m really inspired from Richard Avedon’s photographs as his portraits, in my opinion, really expresses the stories of one. They often experiment with the way the subjects dress, and the place that the photographs are taken. The background subjects in the photos also tell alot of the subject’s story. I think using minimal subjects and a good setting as well as a choice of wear can really tell a story of the holidays. Or perhaps only showing objects can also tell a story of a subject that isn’t displayed in the photo. I want the audience to feel that disappointment when the Holidays are over. I want An idea may be the one below:

For the second idea on media expression of one’s true self vs their media representation, I want it to be titled, “Expect the Unexpected”. I want to do an idea of “How I look in my photos” vs “Me replying to the comments”, or perhaps school life vs social life. This may include me having messy hair, the unfiltered version of myself. I think I want to play around with Steve Mccurry’s photography styles for this project as he plays alot with color as part of his expression. I think it’ll be fun to use more vibrant and fun colors as the media self and perhaps black and white or dull/minimal color in the unfiltered version of myself. I want the audience to understand that people only post or display what they want to be shown, usually the positives in their life, their achievements, so don’t compare yourself to what they show you, what is portrayed of them. An idea may be the one below: (Something like that just better)

For the third idea on fighting for victims of sexual assault or sexual abuse, the title would be “Don’t Assume”. I want to use ideas portrayed by Richard Battye. Battye plays with lighting and the use of projectors within his photographs. I think it would be a good project that tells the audience what is not okay. I want the audience to understand that the comments and “little things” they say actually adds up and can mean alot. They don’t know what has happened, they have no right to talk. This may include verbal or physical abuse. An idea may be the one below: