Sharper Than Reality
A Study of Black Mirrors
An extension of an early experiment of shooting a reflection in an external computer monitor, this series of studies of still lifes reflected in black mirrors explores themes of escapism, distortion, and illusion.
Springtime blossoms appear to be blooming across the city in the fall. The weather has been erratic: we sense the perils of an eternal spring. Cambridge, MA. November 14, 2020
Comfort is found in cups and .coms. Cambridge, MA. November 14, 2020
We wonder what we lost in the wonder of escapism. Cambridge, MA. November 14, 2020
These images were created for a class on the fundamentals of digitals photography at the Harvard Entension School, taught by Leonie Marinovich. For these images I worked predominantly with natural light from one large window. I maintained a very low ISO that would allow me to work with long exposures and small apertures. I also used light painting to enhance highlights. It was challenging to achieve focus in the external monitor, yet persisting paid dividends. The images had a saturation and sharpness evocative of oil paintings: they were slick and seductive, dreamlike.
This series has since evolved into a photobook exploring the state of our lived realities as mediated by screens.
Cargo Collective 2017 — Frogtown, Los Angeles