alana shukovsky's photography

Final exam brainstorming

1. Look back at your very first blog post where you shared 5 things or people that inspire you. Have your sources of inspiration changed or stayed the same? What new creative resources have you discovered over the course of the school year?

At the beginning of the year, my five sources of inspiration were Colorado/nature, dreams, faith, friends, and charity. For the most part, I think my inspirations have remained the same. However, unfortunately I think that faith and charity have become less of an impact on my life and therefore have less of an inspiring impact on my life. In the place of those two things, I feel that the category of Colorado/nature has divided and created two separate inspirations, and also a new one has arisen. This last inspiration is my hometown, Sarasota. I love the beauty of the town and all of the different places in it. Whether it's the white sandy beaches or downtown at Cafe Epicure, every place you go is enjoyable. This has evolved over the course of the school year because I have realized that no matter where I go, everything I have originally loved is in Florida. No matter how much I leave, Sarasota still inspires me and causes me to motivate myself.

2. What three things are you most passionate about?

The three things I love and am most passionate about are swimming, my future, being happy. I am passionate about swimming because it makes me feel good, both physically and mentally, while being rewarding and motivating. Although I am not the best swimmer, I still find it satisfying and that it has become really important in my life. I am passionate about my future because I have no idea what is in store for me. Everything I do has an impact on my future, whether it's the college I end up going to or how my relationships are as time goes on. My future excites me for these reasons, and this unknown factor is what makes me love it so much. Being happy is actually something I am passionate about, too. It's really important to be happy in life, no matter what causes this happiness. I am devoted to bringing this joy into my life, and I think it's worth every price you have to pay for it.

3. How can you carry your inspirations and passion into your photography?

I can carry my inspirations and passions into my photography by thinking of these things while brainstorming for my projects by keeping these things in mind constantly. If I base my assignments on these factors, then I feel they would be setter and have a stronger back story to them.

4. What have you learned about the evolution of an idea over the course of the school year?

I have learned this year that when I start out with an idea, the idea sounds amazing at first, but then after a while I figure out that it's sometimes impossible to execute the idea to the same degree in which I first imagined it. Therefore, I usually change my idea and do the project entirely differently than I originally imaged. Even though my projects turns out pretty well with these new ideas, I learn that the evolution of an idea sometimes puts a strain on the actual executing of it. What usually turns out best for me is having a loose idea of what I'm going for in my photo assignments and then when I go out with my camera to actually do them, I figure out what I want when I'm shooting.

5. What have you learned about the creative process over the course of the school year?

Over the course of the school year, I have learned that the creative process takes a while to compete in your mind. A great idea can't just come up in one second- it takes a period of development to truly have the idea set in your mind and ready to go. Also, the more time you think about something, the better thought out and intricate your idea will most likely be.

6. What assignments did you enjoy the most? Why did you enjoy them?

The two assignments I enjoyed the most were the midterm project, which was taking portraits of three people and submitting 5 of each in to be graded, and also the most recent project we have done. This was the photo grid, and I enjoyed it a lot because it allowed us to take a lot of pictures of whatever we wanted and use many of them in the same assignment. I liked this mostly because I usually have the difficulty of taking a lot of pictures I like and not being able to use most of them in my projects, and this eliminated that issue.

1. In the world that surrounds you what do you observe during the day that may tell a story?

I notice a lot of things in the natural world that tell stories. Some examples of this would be families out in public (doing usual things like sharing ice cream or riding a ferris wheel), children playing, public music shows, and other typical things like that that people see every day. These simple doings each tell small stories of their own.

2. How would you prepare yourself as a photographer to create images that tell a story?

I would prepare myself by aligning myself with the people walking down the street, always be looking out for ordinary acts of emotion or eye-catching behavior, and having my camera set to the most desirable settings. My preference would be a medium level aperture and a fast shutter speed, so I can catch everything that's going on and freeze the motion.

3. Describe three memories that you wish had been photographed by a documentary photographer.

a) First steps (For obvious reasons)

b) On my birthday when I was around 9 years old because I received two American Girl dolls in the mail on the same day (both surprises)

c) When I found out I got into the Duke TiP program (In the car, I started shouting and yelling because it was very exciting)

4. Bring an image from your childhood or family album that tells a story to share with the class.