Sabrina
"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein
The title of this project is Sister’s Childhood Fragments.
The social issue I want to explore with my photographs is the loss of unstructured time and the boring time in modern childhood. I found that today, many kids have busy schedules filled with planned activities. These moments are when kids stare at ants crawling on the ground, twist a hair tie into a pretend necklace, or lie on the floor watching dust float in sunlight. They are the moments when kids learn to invent their own games, daydream, and discover their curiosity. However, these small parts of childhood are often set aside for tasks that seem productive. I want my photos to show how important these “boring” moments are for building a kid’s own identity.
I want my audience to feel a warm sense of nostalgia. I hope they remember when they were kids—when they sat on the floor for hours playing with a single toy, or stared out the window watching clouds transform into animals, or talked to their stuffed animals as if they were real friends. I also want them to feel a quiet appreciation for the beauty of unforced, real childhood. I want them to notice the small parts of a kid’s life that are easy to miss. I hope these feelings prompt them to slow down and let a kid be a kid, even for a few minutes.
I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking for photographs that capture honest, unposed childhood moments. I’ll look at Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work which is my photographer I explored before.
He took photos of real moments, not posed ones. One of his famous photos shows a boy carrying wine bottles down a street in Paris. The boy isn’t smiling for the camera but he has a real look of pride, like he’s doing something important. That’s the kind of real moment I want to capture. I’ll also look at Vivian Maier’s photos. She took the pictures of kids playing on sidewalks. The kid are they’re running, laughing, and playing with simple things. Her photos feel calm and true, like we’re peeking at a private moment.
Besides these photographers, I will observe my little sister daily, see what she is doing, and capture those simple yet meaningful moments to let the audience experience the warmth and innocence.
practice shots
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer. His most significant idea was the decisive moment, capturing the exact instant when a scene feels most natural and meaningful. He never asked people to pose. Instead, he used natural light and a small camera to blend in. His photos feel balanced, with simple compositions that draw focus to the person or action. He loved showing ordinary people in everyday life, not perfect or polished moments.
Key Work
Rue Mouffetard, Paris (1954)
This photo shows a young boy walking down a busy Paris street. He’s holding two bottles of wine, his cheeks are round, and he has a proud, slightly serious look, like he’s on an important errand. Cartier-Bresson shot it from eye level, so we see the world through his eyes. The background is soft and a little blurry, which makes the boy stand out. The composition is the boy is off-center, but the lines of the street guide our eyes to him. There’s no smile for the camera, however, just a real, split-second expression.
How It Inspires My Project
- No poses: I never say smile or look at me. Instead, I wait for my sister’s real moments.
- Eye-level shooting: I crouch down to my sister’s height. This makes the photos feel personal.
- Simple compositions: I don’t clutter the frame. If she’s playing with blocks, I make sure the blocks and her hands are the focus. I let the background add context, but not take attention away.
Vivian Maier
Vivian Maier was an American street photographer who took thousands of photos while working as a nanny. She loved capturing quiet, unnoticeable moments. For example, like kids playing, people walking, or someone sitting alone. She mostly used black and white film, which gave her photos a timeless feel. She never disturbed the people she shot; she just watched and clicked. Her work feels raw and honest.
Key Work
Child Playing on Chicago Sidewalk (1950s)
This black and white photo shows a young child playing with a simple toy on a city sidewalk. The child is crouched down, completely focused. Their back is slightly turned to the camera, so we see their hair and shoulders, not their face. The background has a few houses, a fence, and some scattered leaves. just a normal neighborhood. Maier used soft, dim natural light, so there are no harsh shadows. The photo feels calm and intimate, like we’re peeking at a private moment.
How It Inspires My Project
- Capture small moments: I focus on my sister’s actions. Maier’s photo of the playing child taught me these small moments are the most real.
- Stay invisible: I move quietly and use quick camera shot so my sister doesn’t feel self conscious. I want her to act naturally, like Maier’s subjects did.
Why These Two Matter
Cartier-Bresson and Maier work give me rules to follow. Cartier-Bresson teaches me how to wait for real moments and frame them simply. Maier teaches me how to see the beauty in small, quiet actions and keep shots honest. Together, they help my project feel like more than just photos of my sister.
This photo set is about how my sister’s childhood inspired me.
practice shots:
Last weekend, I watched my little sister spend 15 minutes twisting a hair tie into a lopsided necklace, then 10 more staring at an ant. No screens, no plans—just quiet “nothingness.” As I took photos, I realized: this is the childhood we’re losing—the unplanned, “boring” moments that shape us more than any structured class.
My project, “Sister’s Childhood Fragments,” is a pushback against modern parenting’s checklist culture, for example like piano lessons, tuition, sports all to get ahead. But idle time is where kids build their own identities, not the ones we assign.
So, I’ll shoot in sunlit window nooks, cluttered play areas, and the backyard, using a wide aperture to blur backgrounds and highlight her hands or eyes. Post-production will add soft film grain and muted colors, making photos feel like a nostalgic time capsule.
This project is personal, too. As a teen, I fill every minute with tasks. My sister reminds me of the freedom in idleness that when she’s bored, she invents games, daydreams, and discovers things on her own. That’s the emotion I want to share: childhood isn’t about productivity. It’s about having space to grow, one “boring” moment at a time.
What makes a particular photograph a portrait?
Are Selfies Portraits？
Yes, A selfie is a self-portrait. When you take a selfie, you’re capturing your own mood, style, or moment. For instance, teens sharing selfies on TikTok are creating self-portraits that showcase their personality. Self-portrait is just like traditional portraits, but more casual and instant.
What should or shouldn’t be included within a portrait?
We should include elements that tell about the person’s face, a meaningful object, or a background that reflects their life. For example, just like Cindy Sherman’s work, her portraits let the person express their personality; her work is like elaborate selfies that tell stories about society’s views on women.
What should or shouldn’t be included within a portrait?
What makes a “good portrait”?
Can a portrait consist of a small detail only, such as a close-up of a hand?
When does a more abstracted representation cease to become a portrait?
Is it possible to represent a person photographically without them being present in the image?
Does a portrait have to be a single photograph? How about a sequence of images?
This photo is a vibrant street food scene. The main focus at a traditional “Lao Beijing Baodu” stall. He is actively preparing noodles, lifting them high above a bowl. The environment, filled with pots, steam, and signage, is also a key part of the subject. The image is in black and white. This choice removes the distraction of color and forces us to focus on the composition, textures, and the dramatic play of light and shadow. It creates a classic, timeless, and somewhat gritty feeling. The tone is characterized by high contrast. There are areas of deep black (the background shadows) and bright white, for example, the steam, the vendor’s apron, and highlights on the pots, with a range of mid-tones in the textures of the wood, fabrics, and surfaces.
The composition is a balanced mix. The main action is dynamic and full of movement. However, the overall frame feels organized, not chaotic. The strong vertical lines of the stall and the foreground counter provide a stable structure. The viewpoint is straight-on and at eye level, making us feel like a customer at the counter. I standing still, close to the subject. The lens seems to be a short telephoto or a portrait lens, as it draws us close to the subject and creates a shallow depth of field. The vendor is positioned slightly off-center, which loosely follows the rule of thirds. The main signboards create strong horizontal lines that structure the top of the frame. The framing is tight, creating an intimate, “immersive” feel. The crop is tight, cutting off parts of the signs and the stall. This pulls the viewer directly into the action and focuses on the details of the preparation, rather than showing the entire environment.
- Foreground: The serving counter with pots, bowls, and utensils.
- Mid-ground: The vendor is the clear focal point.
- Background: A dark, shadowy area that suggests a market interior, adding depth and context without distraction.
I have not used a wide-angle lens. Instead, a longer lens is used to isolate the subject from the background. The shallow depth of field blurs the background and the customer on the left, making the vendor and his activity the absolute center of attention. The focus is sharply on the vendor’s hands and the noodles. The use of a wide aperture creates a very shallow depth of field, which is the most notable technical aspect of the image. and discuss its tonal range. The image has high contrast and is not “flat.” The blacks are deep, and the whites are bright, making the textures and light stand out dramatically.
Overall Style Summary
– By having characters look directly into the camera, it creates a strong sense of dialogue.
– High-contrast black and white, with a simple background that highlights the characters.
– Focus on the workers.
– strong flashes, black and white , highlighting textures.
- Composition: centered,
- Focal point: worker
- crowd in the background: provides context without distracting from it.
- blurred figures contrast with the sharpness of the main subject, emphasizing her individual presence within a collective environment
- Angle: a slightly low angle- makes the subject clear and the background soft.
- Post-Processing: convert to a high-contrast black and white photo, enhance shadows
- Composition: A worker is seen in the foreground, while another worker is surrounded by steaming pots, drawing the eye deeper into the stall.
- Angle: direct, eye-level perspective, makes the viewer feel as if they are standing next to the counter
- Post-Processing: Black and white transforms steam into a visual focal point, reducing color interference and highlighting movement and texture.
- Showing the real working conditions
Technique and Composition:
– The clash between the traditional stone bridge and modern attire (suit, cell phone).
– The figure is positioned slightly to the right, and the white space reinforces the feeling of loneliness.
Theme:
– explores individual isolation in public space.
Technique and Composition:
– A dynamic shot: The moment the stall owner raises the food while the customers wait, creating narrative tension.
– A shallow depth of field highlights the stall owner’s gestures and the steam.
Theme:
– The stall owner’s professionalism is conveyed through his movements and expressions.
Techniques and Composition:
– The figure is depicted from behind, with the hood concealing the subject’s identity, creating a near-silhouette that emphasizes the relationship between the figure and the surroundings.
– The bridge pillars frame the composition, enhancing the sense of stability and abstraction.
Theme:
– transformed into a symbol of “waiting,” provoking reflections on loneliness and patience.
Technique and Composition:
-Front-on view, the driver looks down, avoiding the camera.
-Highlighting the subject’s fatigue.
Theme:
-By not looking directly at the camera, the subject’s inner emotions are heightened, exploring the exhaustion and resilience behind labor.
Technique and Composition:
– A low-angle shot, with the subject huddled in the shadows of the steps, the bright light of the phone serves as the focal point.
– High-contrast black and white accentuates the pure white of the chef’s hat and the deep black of his uniform, highlighting his profession.
Theme:
– The uniform represents public identity, while the phone and gesture reveal private moments of leisure, showcasing a “secret within the public.”
Technique and Composition:
– A sideways perspective highlights the characters and the surrounding culture.
– Black and white unify the chaotic scene and highlight the unique texture of the characters’ attire.
Theme:
-Recording the authentic urban life.
Technique and Composition:
– Facing the camera directly, the mask enhances the sense of mystery, and the photograph in hand adds a narrative.
– Central composition, blurring the pedestrians in the background to focus on the subject.
Theme:
The eye interaction conveys emotion and highlights the story.
Technique and Composition:
– The pillars divide the image, creating a double frame on the left and right.
– The light and shadow of the leaves transform into black and white spots, enhancing the relaxing atmosphere.
Theme:
– Everyday scenes reflect people’s lives and interactions in the Hutong.
The title of this project is “Facades portraits from the Hutong”. This title suggests a focus on both the external surface and the deeper, often hidden stories within Beijing’s historic alleyways. The story of individual identity with a traditional setting. I aim to create a series of portraits that explore the unique human spirit of people living in Beijing’s Hutong’s. These neighborhoods are known for their shared, communal life, but my project will focus on the individuals within them. I want to examine the subtle tension and harmony between a person’s inner self and their outward appearance and environment. The concept is to reveal how individuality persists and expresses itself in a context that may seem uniform to an outsider. So when they look at my portraits, I want them to feel as if they have made direct eye contact with th subject, creating an immediate and personal connection. This should be powerful, but not always comfortable. I hope the audience feels compelled to look closer, to question their own preconceptions, and to reflect on the complex stories behind every face. The goal is to move beyond a simple aesthetic appreciation and evoke a deeper, more contemplative emotional response.
I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking for photographs that use direct, confrontational composition and explore the abstract concept of identity through real people. Specifically I will study:
- Photography that use a square format and and direct flash. The square frame creates a focused and intense composition that focused attention on the subject. The direct flash, even in daylight, creates a raw unflinching quality with harsh shadows, revealing texture and detail.
- Portraits where the subject engages the lens with a direct gaze. This technique breaks the barrier between the subject and the viewer, creating a powerful and intimate connection that can feel both compelling and unsettling.
- Images that employ dramatic lighting and shadow to create a sense of mystery. By using light and darkness, I can guide the viewer’s focus and add a layer of drama and storytelling to a portrait.
- Work that finds the extraordinary in the ordinary. I am inspired by photographers who turn everyday people and scenes into powerful symbols, making the audience see the familiar world in a new and thought provoking way.
Inspirational Artist Images Related to the Theme
My primary inspiration is Diane Arbus, whose black and white portraits are abstract in concept despite depicting real people. She isolated her subjects, turning them into powerful symbols that make viewers question ideas of identity.
Her photograph “Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey (1967)” is a perfect example of how slight differences in nearly identical subjects can create a haunting image.
I’m also inspired by Melissa Breyer who brings a minimalist aesthetic to street photography, often focusing on solitary moments using negative space and reflections. This approach could inspire quieter, more contemplative shots within the Hunting.
Melissa Breyer’s “Watchman”
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