Peripheral Studios

Photography - Light Graffiti

Graffiti: the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is often regarded as unsightly damage or unwanted vandalism.

For many people, the distinction between destructive and nondestructive graffiti is a nonexistent notion. Indeed, as we can see by the definition given above (courtesy of wikipedia.com) the very word "graffiti" carries with it an extremely negative connotation, often associated with criminal behavior.

This distinction between destructive and nondestructive graffiti intrigued me, leading me to venture out into Northfield with a couple of guys on the nights of Friday April 18th and Sunday April 20th. The results, as you will see, were outstanding.

Using a tripod, a Canon PowerShot SX100, and a large assortment of colored flashlights, we were able to experiment for hours on both nights, taking about one hundred pictures, and experimenting with different kinds of light graffiti. Although not all of the pictures turned out well, I was very pleased with the outcome, and around 10 or 15 or so came out great.

This project can be seen in the  light graffiti photo album found on this page. 

Photography - Rome Study Abroad (The Underground)

The second project that I have been working on in Rome is a photographical study of the underground culture of Rome. Known as a historical and religious city, few people have seen the hidden side of Rome, that of modern street culture and graffiti artists. 

Fascinated by this distinction, I set out onto the streets of Rome looking for a contrast between the Rome in the guidebooks and the Rome of the streets. Here is what I found.

 

 

 

 

I found these three breakers preforming near the ruins of the Roman Forum, which you can see in the background of the three pictures. A very talented trio, I was amazed by how each of the three dancers had mastered one of the elements of breakdancing. While one could execute extreme power moves,  and another was able to transition between the up and down-rock seamlessly, the thirds unique style and intense attitude in unison with the other two made hundreds of people stop admiring the historical landmarks of the city to watch their performance, which is no easy feat in Rome. 

Photography - Rome Study Abroad (Good vs Evil Project)

Well, it's been nearly three weeks in Rome, and the experience has been nothing short of magnificent. The city is a magical place, and I've felt very much at home here despite the language barrier. Something about the atmosphere here is extremely inspiring, leading me to start work on several projects. 

The first project that I have been working on actually began while I was in New York city around four weeks back. I remember being bored and needing something to keep me busy, so I started going through the pictures I had taken over the past couple days. One of the pictures was of one of my friends named Sam Scherf, which I randomly decided to start messing with. After around fifteen minutes, this was the result.

 

Although this case didn't involve a lot of photoshop manipulation, it was the first step in a series of photoshopped images that I have been working on. Inspired by the themes found here in Rome, and NOT on the movie "Angels and Demons" which is set to come out soon, I started working on a good vs evil project here in Rome. Here are some examples.

 

 

Photography - New York Study Abroad

It's been nearly a week, and it's high time that this site get the attention it deserves.  Although I will have spent a whole week in New York City on Tuesday, Sunday appears to be the best day to work online considering how little time we spend in our apartments in International House.

It has been a great week. Judging by how much time we've spent traveling around the city, I'm sure that John Schott (our professor) intended to use this week as an introduction to New York City. Although I've been to New York more times than I can count since I live in New Jersey, I've gotten to know the city far better and can now safely say that I feel comfortable moving about on my own. 

 

After traveling to several sites with the class and by myself, I began to amass a large number of pictures that I felt required some artistic attention. Although many of them came out great by themselves and required little more than a little bit of cropping, I decided to start working on a narrative through the pictures, leading me to create an apocalyptic narrative of New York City. Although I plan to continue as the weeks progress, this is what I have as of right now:

 

 

As the three weeks progressed, I undertook several other small projects, mainly of picture studies of the city. Unedited, these are the original photographs that I took as I travelled around New York City.