The title of my picture set will be “Radiance.” Expressing the glow of light and color, creating sharp shadows and highlights, and specializing in showing form.

The story I want to convey in this photo set is about exploring identities. I want to use different colors and gradients to highlight shadows, as these colors can express feelings and personalities, which directly connect to the idea of identity.  I want to experiment with how colors can influence the way an audience perceives an individual and shape an environment. I will also use various tones and brightness to convey the meaning of radiance, a type of glowing, such as the light from the sun or a beaming person.

I want my audience to feel somewhat nostalgic, just like when you see something that you think you’ve seen before, but are unsure where you’ve seen it before. There are so many possibilities for colors; they can make a picture look “lost in space,” while at the same time look like you’re peeking into a kaleidoscope, with beaming colors all throughout.

I will draw inspiration from photographers like Matt Doheny, who uses bright, colored lighting and strong, colorful shadows to highlight the outline of the model’s movement.

Matt Doheny (@Dohenyphoto) / Posts / X

This is one of his photographs, where he used blue lighting with an orange-colored slow shutter speed blur, which I really want to try to capture in a photo like this. Not only that, but I also want to try to take a few images that look very simple, just like what we think of when we hear the word ‘portrait’, but possibly with one color of light beaming through the shot.

Ultimately, my goal is to create radiant photos, beaming with light and color, that express personality.