Sharp Steps and Similar Sounds: A Senior Surreal Photo by Christopher Ogaz (2015)

You might notice an odd figure in my artwork; a woman with a pair of legs represented by scissor blades walking on a cloud, that levitates slightly above the ground. Objects aren't seen this way in nature; this is the point of surrealism; to embody unnatural, dreamlike form. This was accomplished using several different techniques/ tools, such as Adobe Photoshop, a DSLR camera, and a camera tripod. For this project we learned a new form of photography known as HDR (High Dynamic Range), in which you merge three differently exposed photos of the same object into one photo, resulting in a large range of colors and textures. To achieve a more surrealistic appeal, I adjusted the color balance and added blurs in Photoshop to make it look as though the photograph was taken in infrared. To get a realistic metamorphosis from my scissors to the woman, I used the blur, smudge, warp and perspective tools.

The human tongue is incredibly capable of saying things geared to initiate dissension, hurt, and destruct. I feel that a there are plenty of people, including myself, who aren't always cognizant about what we say towards others. The scissors in my piece emulate how we can live life cutting people up, simply by the way we interact with them. To express my disheartened feelings about people's willingness to sacrifice human kindness to be the best, I decided put my person atop a cloud. I also created a color scheme entitled ‘Facade' which included ethereal, and glowing whites, meant to ever so slightly mask the dark gradients and contrast the shallow grays. I kept the vibrant colors of the rust to show the self destructiveness of this negative lifestyle. This piece specifically tells a story of a woman who has become accustomed to speaking hastily and negatively about others, submitting herself to this toxic behavior to get ahead in life. And while she might put on a smile, the nasty things she says doesn't fill the true void in her life.