The study as an Undergraduate Student at Brooks Institute - Essay Example

Personal Statement Three years ago, a simple aspiration brought me to Brooks Institute to study as an undergraduate student; I wanted to sharpen my photographic skills in order to pursue a successful career in photography. At that time, I knew that there are two routes in photography - commercial or fine art; but I did not really know the difference between them. My instinct guided me towards the fact that fine art was not easy to start with. Therefore, I chose to follow the commercial lead and studied accordingly. During the three-year journey of professional photography at Brooks Institute, I felt myself to be growing from an amateur photographer who shots everything he sees, to an advertising-oriented photographer who now has a clear focus on still-life and product photography. The credit for this goes to the great instructors at the Brooks Institute. With their guidance I produced a body of work that can proudly be presented in the graduation review panel. In summer 2014, I was thrilled to get an opportunity of working as an intern with Bill Cahill (a top-class product photographer in Los Angeles, California) to get a hands-on experience in the advertising industry. I was of the view that everything will turn out to be perfectly fine after I graduate in August. At this point however, I met Norman Maslovs; a successful businessman who represents numerous world’s leading photographers. Norman’s assertion was that photographers, who have a collection of fine-art work, always draw more attention of the art buyers and agencies than the ones who only work in the commercial sector. Norman’s words broadened my vision of the photographic world and I was convinced that a blend of commercial and fine art photography would give me a spark in the industry. I came to the conclusion that fine art together with my commercial photography background would lead me to a better photography career in the long run. Consequently, keeping in view Norman’s advice I decided to pursue my study further to earn a graduation degree in Fine Art related Photography. During my affiliation with the Brooks Institute, I have always been profoundly interested in works of arts that were made by master students of fine arts. I feel that that photograph of a dead chicken lying in a wooden box (The Recipe Can Change, by Hugo Martinez) or a shattered ambrotype of a railway (Disconnected, by Cyndi Di Micco) are both amazing to look at. Having figured out the meaning behind such pieces of arts, my desire to appreciate such art works has always increased. I can still remember the first time I saw Andreas Gursky’s “Rhein II.” It was a beautiful photograph with exquisite composition and color, but I could not stop wondering why it became the world’s most expensive photograph. The photograph itself looked like a picture that anyone can take with a point and shoot camera. However, the original scene was not the same as the one shown in the picture; there were benches on the riverbank and factories behind the river. The final picture reveals Rhein’s natural beauty since the influence of all human activities has been removed from the picture. Having understood the background story of the picture, I was fascinated to see the artist’s efforts and the resulting master piece. The thought process behind all such art works amazes me. In May 2014, I was fortunate enough to attend one of Tim Bradley’s classes. I loved the prevailing atmosphere of the class and the way in which the participating students contributed their ideas towards the development of any project that was under way. Great ideas come from countless revisions and discussions. These are a few reasons which have motivated me enough to continue my studies in the field of photography that relates to fine arts. Brooks Institute always has a special place in my heart. Three years in Brooks Institute trained me to become a qualified photographer. Not only that, I appreciate all the courses I took during this period. One major factor for liking that environment was the professionalism that was inherent in the atmosphere of the institute. For this reason, the moment when I decided to pursue a higher degree, I was clear about my choice; Brooks! The structure of the program is such that it will allow me to learn history of the subject which will aid me in developing my thesis in the first year. This will assist me in building a concrete foundation of fine art photography. The second year also secures enough time for me to prepare the final work for gallery display which will benefit my future career. I also favor the schedule of classes in the graduate program that permits me to undertake internship opportunities during weekdays, since all the classes are on the weekends. I see Brooks Institute as the most suitable place for study during the tenure of my degree, therefore I desperately hope to continue my studies in Brook’s graduate program. As far as artistic styles are concerned, I am deeply inspired by the works of Fulvio Bonavia, Bill Cahill, James Day and Mark Laita who are in my opinion are the most influential ones. I like their clean, crisp and minimalistic approaches in both fine art and commercial photography. I want to continue my studies to pursue a style of art similar to the works of these great artists. One of the projects I particularly want to do is to create a series of objects that are made out of the human waste. For example, a photograph of a spear gun that is made out of sea junk that is extremely harmful to sea creatures. The inspiration for this project came from Fulvio Bonavia’s “the matter of taste” series. The fashion accessories from fruits are fun, unique, inventive and exceptionally beautiful. This style of photography that is both visually appealing and meaningful, is the type of work that I want create in my student-life as well as in my professional life. I strongly believe that Brooks Institute will prepare me to be an exceptional commercial and fine art photographer equipped full with the theory, knowledge and skills to handle the challenges of the future. References Martinez, Hugo. http://hmimagery.com/the-recipe-can-change/. 6 June. 2014. Micco, Di, Cyndi. http://www.dimiccophotography.com/. 6 June. 2014. Gursky, Andreas. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15689652. 6 June. 2014. Bonavia, Fulvio. http://www.fulviobonavia.com/. 6 June. 2014. Cahill, Bill. http://bill-cahill.com/. 6 June. 2014. Day, James. http://www.jamesdayphoto.com/. 6 June. 2014. Laita, Mark. http://www.marklaita.com/. 6 June. 2014. Read More