Gemma Yorick

The portrait photo assignment was a chance for us to use the professional lighting kit and the studio. I used my friend, Liz Milner, as my model. The shoot took about 45 minutes in total. The first 20 minutes were spent setting up the lights and placing them, as well as changing the background from the white to the black sheet. The rest of the time was spent trying to hook up the camera to the light kit and then taking the pictures. I used Photoshop to increase the contrast and brighten her visible eye.

Artist Statement: Gemma is lonely and lost. She grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, but wanted to experience city life, so she went to college in San Francisco. She has lived there ever since she dropped out. While Gemma had no trouble making friends in school and college, she became withdrawn once she no longer had a facilitated way to be social. She attends many parties, attempting to make up for her lack of social skills and interaction, but it leaves her feeling even worse and more alone. When she does have relationships, they are short-lived and always end up damaging her. At the time of this picture, Gemma is not sure what she should do with her life and wonders if she should relocate. In my picture, I attempted to depict Gemma's loneliness by surrounding her with darkness. She is the only subject visible in the frame, representing how she is the only person in her life. She is wearing a white shirt to show the slightly obsessive-compulsive cleanliness she has developed while living alone. Her eyes look glassy to show her lack of focus in life. She is looking at the camera in a confused and cautious manner because that is how she feels about her life.