Kevin's Portfolio: Perspective

Kevin's Portfolio: Perspective

ARTIST STATEMENT: KEVIN LOZA

          My taste in photography from the beginning of the course was restricted to landscape shots of scenery. I did not find photography of people interesting. I much rather preferred pictures showcasing the tranquility and innocence of nature, rather than the hustle and bustle of crowds of people. Before taking this art course, I never would have taken the time to appreciate portraiture photo or other forms art. I was only able to acknowledge this style of photography after I had taken pictures of my brother for one of my assignments. That assignment made me respect and realize the time, effort, and artistic vision required to take portrait pictures. I previously presumed that taking pictures of people was easy, and to an extent I was correct. However, taking compelling and creative pictures of people without being boring is more difficult than I could have ever imagined.

          The photos I have taken in this course, I believe, express my growth as a photographer and can be divided into three major groups. The first group is comprised of photos that I took at the beginning of the year. These photos are simple and are mostly of scenery. They lack any sort of purpose or appeal that would keep viewers engaged. The second group of photos were from an assignment where I had to express emotions using live models. These pictures were more artistic and were more visually appealing but seemed forced and unnatural. They were my attempt at being creative. Overall, they are some of the best photographs I’ve taken; but they are bleak, solely, for the sake of impact. For the last set I set out to do something I had never done in my photography class. I took pictures with the intention of enjoying myself. All of the pictures I had taken before my last shoot were stressful and forced. Only for the end did I set out to enjoy what I was doing. 

          My second shoot utilized my brother as my model and displayed him as being sad and angry. I tried to utilize props and staged sets in order to balance out my lack of natural creativity. My intent for these pictures were to be a snapshot from a movie. I wanted viewers to be able to tell a story from just one glance of the picture. These pictures took a lot of planning and were very stressful to make. 

         For my last shoot I used my friends and went across Toronto taking pictures of whatever I thought was interesting. I had no idea what I wanted to take pictures of or where I wanted to take them. I simply set out and went with the flow. The photos I took that day were the most enjoyable ones I have ever taken. My friends and I all enjoy each other’s company and no matter the location we have a good time. This course has made me come to realize how amazing portraiture really is and has permanently changed my approach to art.