Beginnings: A Senior Black + White High Dynamic Range Diptych by Emily Blockhus (2016)

The two sides of my diptych show an open door, focusing on the doorknob on one side and a cup of art supplies on a windowsill on the other. The side that focuses on the doorknob of an open door speaks of beginnings and choice. It is meant to show that metaphorical “first step” or a diverging of paths. The other side of the diptych, focusing on the handful of art supplies suggests creativity and art. Together, they show that beginning is hard- to take the first step is a choice you must make for yourself and the things that you really want. In this sense, the image of the doorknob, open but not stepped through is the hesitation and the art supplies representing a career in the arts or just becoming a better artist is the decision that i must keep making. Whenever you set out to do something, it is a continuous string of decisions that you must make, first to begin, and then to continue to work at whatever you have chosen until you’ve reached your goal.

In regards to taking the photos, I thought of images or objects that represented something that I valued and took photos of them. In creating my compositions, I adjusted contrast, clarity and the blacks and whites of the photos. Some of the issues that I encountered in creating this composition was in obtaining a tripod to take the exposures, and finding interesting ways to represent my ideas through the subjects I photographed. I might change the subjects that I photographed, or attempt to photograph those subjects from different angles than I did in the original.