Assignment 1: Portraits

Honestly I was a bit terrified going into this experience because I wasn’t sure how I would handle telling other people what to do. By the end of the shoot though, I realized that my models understood what I was attempting to do better than what I expected. Most of the time they even took my idea, put their own spin on it, and made it even better!

The lights were also a little bit of a struggle at first because it looked much easier in class then it was when I started to set them up. Luckily Danielle and Paul were shooting with me and we all figured it out together, along with some help from Daytona. Once we got everything going it went pretty smoothly and everyone fed off of each other’s energy making for a great shoot!

Spring Lake junior Alyssa Goericke poses in the Wightman Studio on Friday, September 16, 2016. She is an English major and has been writing since she first learned how. Written on her face is a portion of one of her poems. Goericke explains, “I went into English because to me one of the most powerful things in the world is the written word, and I wanted to be able to show people this and to also try and move people with my own writing.”

Cedar Springs freshman Erika Cardinal poses with the book “The Bones of Makaidos” by Bryan Davis in the Wightman Studio on Friday, September 16, 2016. “I become so emotionally invested in books that I feel as if I can do magic too, or bring down a government, as well. Reading gives me an identity; it’s one that I can find in every aspect of life.”