My original intent was to put a mask that I thought matched the subject’s personality onto the subject. In this portrait, I also added other elements in Photoshop that further show my personality. When it comes to growth, I have improved in using Photoshop. My struggle to create my Triptych is fresh in my memory, and the experience of making this piece was much smoother. I used my skills in drawing to help make my photography more interesting. That also helps me like my photography more because drawing is something I really enjoy. I’m glad that I did research for this photograph because I wouldn’t have come up with this idea without seeing it done by others. I’m also glad that I was able to add some color, as my two main inspirations used black and white photos.

Portraiture is interesting because it offers a window into the subject’s story. My goal is to expose a side of a person you wouldn’t expect by introducing elements from another photo, for example, a photo or a drawing. This will tell the viewers more about my perspective, but that’s an interesting story too. My subjects will probably be my family because they are the people I know best and have the most access to.

A portrait is a photo depicting a person and showing something about their character. Good portraits are intentional. By this, I mean that a viewer can get a general meaning from a quick look over but can find deeper meaning if they look closer. Since photos can have different meanings from person to person, the same photo may be called ‘good’ by one person and ‘obsolete’ by another. This may be harder to express through a smaller object, but close-ups may be just the method for an artist’s vision. Abstraction also makes meaning harder or easier to express. However, abstraction ceases to be a portrait if it is no longer clear what the viewer is looking at.

A portrait needs to contain a person. The implied existence of one does not make the cut. The line between implied existence and a person being in a photo is clear. For example, if a person’s shadow was in the photo, it would depend on the context of the photo to make it a portrait or not.

A sequence of images would not be one portrait. Instead, it would be several portraits with a common goal.