For this assignment, I decided to take extreme close-ups of everyday objects in my life with the hope that they show you a little bit more about me. I found this assignment to be incredibly insightful as it caused me to think quite abstractly about the objects in my life as I messed around with different camera settings, compositions, and objects. I didn’t notice until after I had put the images together that they all tended to be monochromatic. This wasn’t an intentional choice, but I feel it shows how colorful I perceive my life to be. I mainly wanted to ensure the focus was on the object itself and not necessarily its surroundings because when I think of shoes, I don’t just think of any shoes. I think of my shoes. All of these objects have significance in my life, big or small. Whether it’s the shoes I wear or the doormat I wipe them on, I use them every day, and they hold fragments of memories.

       I had this perspective on these objects after reading both Sontag and Barthes, in which they elaborated on their perspectives on photography. Barthes writes about how the act of taking a photo can often make the subject feel lifeless in a way. With this assignment, I wanted my photos to feel full of life in little ways. For instance, my worn shoes show years of use, and the dust on my keyboard hints at neglect, capturing small, lived-in details. As for Sontag, I drew inspiration from how she mentions photography is like capturing a souvenir of a moment. In class, we mentioned how this perspective doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, and that’s how I viewed capturing these photos. It was similar to catching a memory within a memory. When taking the photo of my car’s tires, I have the actual memory of taking the photo, but I also have all the memories contained within that picture, such as how worn down the tread is from driving around so often. All of this is to say that I believe there’s a meaning within these photos that can tell you a bit about me if you look closely enough. I hope you enjoy viewing them!