leeds digital portfolio (identity)

Perception.

In this photo I've used lines from the architectural structure of a building, curb and hazard pole along side some car parking spaces. This creates multiple points of focus which lead the viewer in different paths around the photo. theres 2 paths going directly towards the horizon and one going to the left which has warnings/hazards. translating that into my life the two paths going towards the horizon are the ones where i will go to university. the central one is the path i will be taking if i go straight from college. the one created by car parking spaces represents the path i will take if i decide to go traveling because ill go somewhere (park up) and then pursue university however, with more difficulty because i won't have the support and depending on how long i travel for, i may not have the motivation to go. with represents the container which is blocking the majority of that path. the path going to the left, with the warnings signs represents either me going for an apprenticeship or trying to make it as a professional in the BMX industry. both of these are extremely risky because for one I'm not getting any kind of qualification from either and the chances of making it as a professional in BMX are very slim. 

each and every path at the moment is equal in my eyes regardless of the warnings or the motivational issues. its over the next 1-2 months where the decision will become clear on which path i will be pursuing. 

 Education.
Here I'm using a 8mm fisheye lens with f/5.6, shutter speed around 80-100 and ISO 3200. This photo highlights the main focus in my own and the foundation years lives at the moment, which is UCAS. Its took over our lives and for me not being in the foundation group makes it that bit harder because I'm constantly back and forth between years groups. Comparing my work to theirs and trying to implement their work ethics into my own whilst at the same time not completely distancing myself from my own year. On the left theres a second year student (my year) and on the right theres a foundation student, with me juggling between both years.   

The obsession.
Ive been riding BMX pretty much all my life and its hard to capture the emotion in a single photo. All the preproduction, motivation, frustration, excitement and adrenaline that compiles action photos equates to high pressure with minimal reward. Although, its justifiable when you do. The easiest way i can bond both photography and BMX is the fact that its not the equipment you use its the way you use it. i almost use BMX to motivate myself when taking photos because even when it doesn't go right first time its noting your mistake, learning from it then perusing thats key.
In the photo above I've tried to implement the advertising techniques of some high end energy drinks such as, red bull, monster and rockstar. all of these use extreme sports as their branding. However, they all do it in a different way. Monster for example use darker, weathered, high contrast photos which I've tried to implement here. I chose Monster because i personally liked the style of their advertising and the whole persona the brand has in the BMX industry. Less colourful, rough but very raw is the best way i can describe it.      

My home.
A small pit village on the boarder between derbyshire and nottinghamshire. most people my age here goes to school till the age of 16 and then gets a job in a trade of some sort. I'm slightly out of the ordinary with regards to being creative and having that mindset. Here I'm sat looking in from a distance. This because its easy to get caught up in my own life and be very selfish without ever intending to be. Simply overviewing everyones lives from a far really allows me to clear my head, re-motivate and start over. I also found its a great cure for artist block and its a good way to practice self evaluation. Looking from a far also gives me that bit of extra confidence when i need it because as silly as it sounds its almost as if I'm looking down on people as almost a godly figure and notifying areas in which i could make a change whether that be physical or mental.

The techniques I've used are pretty basic as I've tried to make the horizon as parallel as possible with the horizontal edge and I've used a MACRO lens to get the focus on the foreground. The reason I've decided to focus on the foreground is because although id like to sit back and think about everyone else's lives before mine, its just not practical. 

Humans as a raise strive for change. This can only be achieved by putting yourself and your beliefs forward. Which is the reason I've gone down the creative career rather than a more industrial one. Being creative has not only made me accept change but push for it.