What is the point of being alive? What are we supposed to do in our lives? What steps are we supposed to take? Can other people know our lives? Is life really as black and white as other people may perceive?
These philosophical, rhetorical questions are many that I admit to considering before. More often than not, I wonder if life is really that simple. I try to understand where I want to go in life because it seems like everyone else has their life sorted out already. I ponder the idea that I think their lives are more planned out than mine, and they likely have similar thoughts about mine. I think, what are the steps to a “good”, organized life?
Do I really ever think I’ll know the answer?
No.
These photographs from the 798 district are reflections off a window of a metal staircase. When the audience looks at this triptych, I want them to reflect, to feel a pensive mood as they consider how I – and maybe many others – interact with the idea of others understanding my life and how they observe the various steps and actions I take to keep on living my best life, see the reflection of me in the first image. There are numerous steps that people will take in life to thrive, but these steps, ultimately, are blurry, and though certain things in life are inevitable, it is still unclear the “definite” steps we must take in life. While other people peer into our lives, they may see what we do as superficial or black and white, which they reflect into their own lives, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Underneath, there are a myriad of experiences, beliefs, values, ideas, and more that are so vivid and colourful, but the average onlooker may not be able to see them at a quick glance. Life can be steady and almost impeccable, like a perfect square or shape, similarly to the nearly empty scene of the second picture, leave for a right-angled bar. However, there are also changes made to the steps we take in life that may make life seem slightly less perfect, but also more fun, and like ourselves, rather than utmost perfection like in picture 3. There are different perspectives that an individual may have on the same subject, like how life should be. Nonetheless, each perspective is valuable and important to know how you want your life to be and how to approach the things you do in your own life.
Photo 1:
This is a photo of the reflection of myself, Camellia, and Sabrina standing in front of a metal staircase in 798. This photo was not part of my top 10 photos, and originally, I framed this photo using the white window frame. However, in my final triptych, I decided to crop the photo to focus more on the staircase and the people than the rest of the space in the photo. I made this photo black and white and had to straighten it slightly to make the photo more head-on. I also decreased the lighting of this photo to make the staircase stand out more. The black and white of this photo makes the viewer focus more on the main elements contained within the photo, such as the people and the railing, rather than whatever colours were in the photo before.
Photo 2:
When I took this photo, I was focusing on the reflection created by the stairs in the window without any other distracting elements in front of the stairs. Despite this, I accidentally captured this red metal bar that contrasts with the staircase when the photo is made black and white. Now, I believe that this metal bar that slightly sticks out in the picture adds to the overall meaning and appeal of the photo itself, as it is geometric and adds to the lines in the picture. Originally, I captured this shot with a more high-angled shot; however, in the editing process, I needed to crop and straighten the image to allow it to align with the other photos in my set. Additionally, I lowered the lighting of the black and white photo to allow the staircase to be more prominent and in focus. Through my edits, I was able to make the photo more balanced with the other pictures in the set.
Photo 3:
In this photo, there is more noise and elements that can be seen on the stairs. In my original top 10 photos, I had used this photo with the white border as I found that it helped to both frame the photo and add contrast to the elements within the photograph. For my final set, I cropped out the white window frame, as none of the other photos in the triptych contained this frame, which allowed the photos to look more harmonious. Additionally, I cropped the entire image to allow the leading lines of the railing to be the same in each photo. This new perspective of more complications and details in the picture adds to the story that I am trying to portray through my triptych.