Schwer
College Projects
A collection of projects I photographed during my time at Oregon State University
DAMchic Spring 2021 Magazine - Metamorphosis
A three page spread I photographed for DAMchic's Spring 2021 issue Metamorphosis. This spread centered around how modeling has changed in the modern online world. A link to the full issue can be found here.
Senior Exhibition - A Journey of Self-Expression Through Fashion
Our society tends to categorize things by "men's" and "women's" and fashion is no exception. From a young age, men are taught to shop in the men's section, and while this is still imposed upon women, men are often times more afraid to step out of this box put on them by societal standards because they are nervous of being labeled as feminine or gay. Further, there’s a small percentage of stores that have a gender-neutral section which has struck me as odd since I got into fashion 4 years ago.
Because of this, I chose to focus on mixing men's and women's fashion from a male perspective, in turn, documenting my own style as I experiment with outfits that express different aspects of my personality. I'm inspired daily by celebrities that showcase how confidence in one's style transcends gender. People like Harry Styles, A$AP Rocky, Steve Lacey, and Prince (to name a few) display how the idea of categorizing fashion by gender is one that is outdated and in need of revision. This project gives examples of how I personally mix men's and women's clothing in the hopes of inspiring others to expand their own wardrobe and re-evaluate whether they are wearing what they want to wear, or what society tells them is acceptable to wear.
All photos in this series are styled, modeled, and photographed by me as this project is ultimately about self-expression in a world where it will always be easier to blend in. The epitome of fashion is to express oneself through clothing that exemplifies the individuality of that person, and to say that women's clothing can't do this for a man is a statement that advocates against both progressiveness and uniqueness. I challenge viewers of this series to get out of their fashion comfort zone, wear whatever the fuck you want, and be confident in what you wear. Confidence transcends gender
Darkroom Final Project - Projections of Emotions
This series is titled Projections of Emotions, focusing on how we tend to externally project emotions that might not necessarily coincide with the same emotions we truly feel. The way we voice our feelings through facial expressions is a concept I have been enthralled with for some time now and I used this project as a way to talk about this idea that I think is a common
problem for people of all generations. The images are meant to elicit emotions that the viewer may feel on a daily basis though not naturally externally express.This disconnect between our external and internal emotions affects me constantly and provided me with the inspiration to produce a series talking about this. How we look is not necessarily how we feel. What we express is not necessarily the mood we’re in. Are we even aware of how we truly feel?
I wanted to use a singular light source for my portraits to create an eerie dark feeling to all of them since this reflects my style as a photographer and adds to the concept I’m talking about since it’s a darker topic in general. The phrase “What’s going on in there, do I even know myself?” was something I thought better translated my idea to the viewer without them having to read my artist statement. Without the words, I think my concept wouldn’t be as obvious to the viewer, having just portraits of different expressions with no context would send the wrong message. I chose red as the color for the words because it’s a very emotionally intense color, it pairs well with darker color of the portraits, and stands out on the prints.
