Burnt Memories: A Junior Design Student Conceptual Project by Sarah Haslem (2017)

I am exploring the feeling of nostalgia through the quick passage of time.

The photo that I took includes floating candles in water in a glass bowl. Each object in the photo represents a different part of my concept statement. First and foremost, the floating candles represent growth. Since each of the candles is in the shape of a flower, their growth represents the passage of time. In the photo there are some pedals from the flower candles that have fallen off the “flowers,” this is to demonstrate how time ages things and people. Time aging people directly affects their memories and how well people can remember them and the details that make them up. The flowers are in the form of candles to resemble how eventually the memories will be forgotten once the flame is blown out. The water that surrounds the flowers is the clear and clean to symbolize how memories are when we first experience them. All of these objects are in a clear glass bowl to resemble how others can watch people experience memories first hand. By peering through the glass people are watching their family and friends create memories and then eventually watch them lose their memory of them too. Also, looking through the glass resembles how people often look back at their memories and feel nostalgia towards them. By shooting at night, I wanted to capture the reflection of the flames onto the glass. Each reflection is slightly different to show how memories vary and can change in our minds. All of these elements support my concept statement to show how one might look back and think about their memories and feel nostalgia as a result.

My photograph exemplifies my concept statement from English because it adds elements that would otherwise not be thought of when reading the statement. The idea of peering through the glass is a specific part of the photo that would likely not be thought of. The photo gives the concept statement a visual to see and relate to. The darkness of the photo portrays a sense of complication and darkness to memories. Although the flame from the candles shines brightly, the darkness and wind surrounding it will cause the candles to eventually burn out. The colors that give off pink and red tones give the viewer the feeling of warmth associated with the feeling of nostalgia. For this assignment I learned more about using the spot healing brush to cover up parts of light on the reflection of the glass. Working with a reflection is something that I have not really done before. By using this glass bowl, I was able to grow as a photographer and when I used Photoshop to make edits. I explored with contrast and vibrancy filters on parts of the candles. By selecting only the candles I was able to learn more about the highlights on the candles as well as the ones they gave off. The dark background lighting and the bright candle flames contrasted, which encouraged me to slightly brighten the background and partially color the flames. Every edit and filter that I used were crucial to the overall feeling of the photograph. During this month we learned a lot about Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity (known as C.R.A.P in Design). Most of these elements were used in my photo and allowed me to better tell the story of my concept statement. Contrast is present between the candle flames and the dark night background. Repetition is used by multiple candles and the same colored candles. Alignment is slightly shown by my use of the rule of thirds in the photograph. Proximity is demonstrated in the locations of the candles to show a relationship. Overall, I learned a lot about taking photos and making small but meaningful edits.