Social Landscape

Shepard

Morph!

social landscape

Memory of 9/11

I was in my english class when another teacher came into the room and told us to turn on the television. We saw the buildings burning, and I had no idea the magnitude of the situation. I had never even heard of the world trade center until that day, and I wondered what the fuss was about. Then there was a phone call to the classroom telling my teacher to turn the television off. Classes went on like nothing had happened. We had an assembly at the end of the day telling us what had happened, but I still didn't get it. I think I even got in trouble for talking to my friend about some boy that was looking at her.
I went home, and the situation had changed. My Dad made me go to the grocery store to buy canned food. All of a sudden I was scared.

Why Take Photos?

I think people take photos to capture a moment of time. The certainty that we do not have an unlimited amount of time on earth looms in the back of all of our heads, and when we take a photo we can capture and save a little bit of the experience that we have in our lives. I think this is why I take photographs as well. With this medium you have the ability to directly share what you see and have seen with others. I think that this is a beautiful idea that allows humans to connect with each other visually, experiencing an image together.

Inspiration

I have always been inspired by the writing of J.D. Salinger and the music of Joni Mitchell. I feel like when I experience both of these artists' work I am drawn closer to myself. They see the world in finding the emotion in the small idiosyncratic bits of the world. This helps me see myself and the world around more truthfully and more intensely. In a way, this is what I aim to acomplish with my own work.