x – Page 3 – Emily McNally

Color Without Color

Life tends to be represented by bright colors such as yellow, orange and green. The colors show how a plant is alive compared to the dull brown once it dies. Although by admiring a plant’s colors, we may overlook the aspects that are physically keeping it alive. Without color, there is more emphasis on texture and shape. Here the foundation and roots are what is keeping the plant alive and helping it maintain its green color. With the roots just barely popping out of the soil, we catch a glimpse of what they have to do to keep itself alive. By converting a photo to black and white, you are taking away components of the composition, but highlighting other parts of the composition as well.

Who Inspires You

A friend of mine I met in middle school.

A close friend of mine that I met in middle school has continued to constantly inspire me despite going to different schools. She’s ambitious and strong-willed while being compassionate and down to earth. When she encounters a challenge, she acknowledges it and pushes through nonetheless. She also helps keep me accountable. Whether it’s in regards to work or morals, she holds me responsible for my actions.

I have always admired her grit and determination, something I try to incorporate into my everyday life.

Quick fact: If I mentioned a friend in any of my Freestyle projects, it’s her.

Fill the Frame

At first I was unsure what to photograph for when using one color, how does one make the composition interesting? On a spur of the moment decision, I sat down in front of a door that had the blinds almost completely drawn. The primary color is grey but used in various shades. What little light that is able to leak through creates a stark contrast to the blinds themselves. Additionally, from this angle the light is mostly coming through on the right of the photo, drawing the eye compared to the shadowed left. I purposely made the blinds fill the entire composition for I wanted the lines to create an evident pattern. The only disruption being the light.

Family

Sports teams and group photos my dad was a part of.

I found it difficult to capture a picture that would tell the story of a person I am close to. I wondered how the complexities of an individual could be encompassed in a single photo. I decided to try and tell the story of my dad, a part of his life at least. When he was younger he always loved being active and spending time with his friends, he still does. Sports were the perfect combination of the two. The black and white photo in the top left was of my dad and his friends in early middle school while they were competing in a flag football tournament. There are a handful of sports not shown in this picture that he participated in, such as baseball and basketball. In those team he met and made numerous friends along the way.

He carried his passion for sports into adulthood and helped manage teams here and there. The team in the picture was a little league team he managed in 1986 located in Sunnyvale. Another picture on the wall not six inches away is of him and a recreational basketball team he helped coach. His value of sports and the community they create was so significant that he encouraged his daughter from an early age to get involved in sports and make friends, just like he did.

My Habits

Dried out leis on door knob. (There are more on the other side.)

A habit I began right after leaving elementary school was hanging flower leis on my doorknob. I received my first, real flower lei after 5th grade. I’d consider myself to be a sentimental person and taking into account you typically don’t get leis I wanted to keep mine. I can’t remember if it was due to lack of space but I decided to put it on my doorknob.

In 7th grade I went to Hawaii for the first time and fresh leis were plentiful. Evidently, I did not want to let them go because of their beauty, fragrant scent, and the moments I remember when looking at them. When I got back home, it was a no brainer that they would be joining my end-of-elementary-school lei on the doorknob. A year later I was able to add a couple more leis to my stash when I finished middle school.

Sometime between elementary and middle school I questioned whether or not I should get rid of the leis once they had dried up. But I soon became accustomed to the rustle they’d make when I’d open or close the door. Or how I became attached to scent they fill my room with even when their pigment had dulled. Needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to high school graduation, for then I can add more lays to the doorknob.

Symmetry

I found this experience to be strange because humans are not meant to be symmetrical. For most of us our right side does not perfectly match our left. It was very interesting when seeing the pictures side by side and make comparisons. Before this I knew my eyes were different shapes so I was interested in knowing how that would turn out. This exercise also made me think about how people are constantly chasing perfection, especially in their facial features. I can’t say I’m surprised with the results and still prefer my original face over both the reflected ones.

Culture

My parents enjoy listening to and collecting records and many of them fill multiple shelves in our house. One time a family friend walked into our house and said it was like going back into a time machine. The music my parents grew up listening to was from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and so on. When I was younger they would play a lot of older music and as I got older I was able to recognize certain songs even if my classmates couldn’t.

My parents were able to share the musical culture they grew up with with me, and now it has become a culture I have adopted. In the recent years I’ve come to enjoy the music my parents listen to over new albums that come out today. Some of my favorites are Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, and Queen. Now, our music tastes are not only fairly similar, but it is something we can share with each other.