Elizabeth Gladden

While interviewing my subject, I was struggling to get him to open up to me. After many tries, I realized that his mystery was what I should depict in the magazine cover, rather than forcing him to open up. After accepting that he was a private person, I was able to restart my creative process with a clearer idea in mind. While I created this photo through the lens of mystery, I also incorporated some of his interests and history. The setting reflects his street style and love for fashion, and the black and white style is inspired by his favorite artist. The movement of the ghost-like figure represents the number of times he has moved in his life. We both enjoy photography so I found common ground there. It was difficult to try to create a piece of art that would represent someone that wouldn’t open up to me. However, in many ways, keeping to yourself is just as telling as opening up. I questioned why he would not open up, and out of the snippets of his life that he allowed me to see, what could have caused him to shut me out. I consider myself someone who empathizes with others, and just through this quick project, although I was not given much information about my partner to work with, I understood him on a new level. 3