Double Stare
Sirine E.
-
In most photographs, models either gaze sadly and seductively to the side, or stare directly at the camera, smiling broadly. Both look fake. I wanted to create an honest self portrait, without fake smiles or false gestures. Setting out to work on this assignment, I found myself in my backyard, a place that I am at peace and content. I set up my tripod and camera and sat under my favorite Japanese maple tree. I took many photos, but my favorite was one where I stared directly at the camera, wholly and truly myself. I thought the image captured a part of me, but a little plain. I combined it with another shot: myself in profile, turned to look directly at the camera once more. I played around with the opacity, the hue, and saturation of both images. The result was me in my backyard, staring directly at the camera, looking out from myself, also looking straight at the camera. The background was maroon—a mix of red, representing the chaos of the outside world, and purple, giving it a touch of mystery. I was green, a color I associate with nature and peace—fitting since my name is Sirine, meaning peace. As a finishing touch, I added Arabic text to the background, surrounding myself with my North African culture. I liked the frankness of the image—I was staring at the world as myself, not pretending to be anyone else—and the meaning attatched to it.
-
I believe that creativity is the ability to look at the world and find meaning in it, then express that in a form to share with others. While some say creativity is innate, I think it is a skill one develops when choosing to capture emotion in the world.
