Lee Esposito

As a photography student, you’d think I would already know basic camera functions. But I don’t. I only realized I wanted to go to art school in October of my last year of high school. Not only that, but I didn’t find my passion for photography until January. I’d love to say that I’m just as experienced as some of my peers, but that’s simply not true. In all honesty, I’ve just been winging it from the start, fueled purely by my enjoyment of the craft. When I got to Parsons, I realized I’d hit a wall. I knew I had the vision for photography and plenty of originality, but I was lacking severely in technical skill. I knew I had to catch up quickly, so I decided to take Exploring Photo Portraiture. I’d never realized how much I had been missing out on by not fully grasping my camera’s functions. After just two classes, I found myself having a far easier time bringing my ideas to life, whereas before, my photo quality was always a gamble. Before I began this assignment, I knew it would be difficult to use natural light. It can’t be controlled, so photographers need to know how to adapt quickly. Just a few weeks ago, I would not have been able to do this. But with my newfound skill, I was prepared. I shot this photograph at 5pm during sunset. The natural light was dim, so I knew I needed to do something a bit unorthodox. I had my subject stand in front of a closed, sheer white curtain so that I could capture her silhouette while still keeping the soft backlighting behind her. This made my subject seem as if she was dancing through the clouds.