Mackenzie Garon - Portfolio Vol. 1
Throughout the course of my first semester in the Algonquin College Photography Program, I have been through a journey of constant learning. I've learned new things, and as a result my photography is steadily improving, and with every new picture I take, I am applying these new skills to enhance my overall portfolio. Below, I will describe my journey so far and showcase the photos that best describe my progress in the art I create.
Bookworm Still Life, December 2023
I took this photo of the sunset at the beginning of the semester. What I like about this photo is that you can't tell that it was taken in the parking lot of my dorm, and I also immensely enjoy the contrast of colours. The black against the radiant pinks, yellows and oranges creates a beautiful contrast, and I also love how brilliantly vibrant I made the colours in post-production. Unfortunately, the colours were not this vibrant in person, but this was one of the first times I tried out any editing software, and for my first time, I'm proud of what I accomplished.
This photo was part of a project titled "Hidden Pride". For the project, I decided to try out social documentary photography, and I immediately knew what social issue was personal to me and what issue I would want to shed light on. My project highlighted the importance of LGBTQ+ acceptance and also aimed to highlight the beauty of queer joy. In this photo is my friend Noah, who is a queer person like myself. The composition in this photo is my favourite aspect of this photo; it's more dynamic than what I'm used to, and I like how the arm serves as a leading line to the flag, which acts as a symbol. It's the main focus of the photo, and yet it's off to the side because I employed the rule of thirds to draw the viewer's eye to it. This project is very important to me because it highlights something that is very personal to me and is about something I'm very passionate about, and it was also the first thing I did this semester that really allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone. I'd done the barest minimum of portraiture before this project, so this was a huge stepping stone for my progress as a photographer.
(Pictured above: Two more shots from "Hidden Pride")
Once again, the subject of this photo is my friend, Noah. This photo was also part of an assignment, and this is my favourite photo from the whole project. In this photo, I took inspiration from photographer Florence Law and played with some dynamic camera positioning. I really like how the diagonal lines of the building in the background create a sense of power and energy; I've always wanted to play more with lines but could never quite seem to nail many photos with powerful leading lines, so when I successfully captured this one, I could feel a sense of pride because I knew I was improving. I still feel a sense of pride looking back now because I feel like this project was another huge stepping stone for me. Not only did I play with creative compositions, but I also got more practice with directing a subject.
These photos were taken during a class wherein we went out to practice street photography. I like the pattern that the rocks create in the first photo, as well as the slightly blurred feet in the background and slightly blurred rocks in the foreground that creates a sense of depth. The feet are frozen in action, which is something I'm proud of myself for capturing. In the second image, I was playing around with framing since I want to take more creative shots using unique framing, and though I admit that it's a bit out of focus, I think it's a good example of my experimentation process and displays how I'm trying to branch out and expand my creativity.
Additionally, I decided to submit these photos for another class's assignment where we had to do some creative adjustments. In other words: adjustments that aren't your typical retouching, contrast and colour correction. I decided to give them a slight purple tint and a vignette, and I like how they turned out. I'll probably start employing that style to more of my photographs in the future as I begin to find my personal style and brand.
Above are a couple of shots from a photoshoot I did very recently. This was the last photoshoot I'd done before my final project of the semester. I'd gone back home for the weekend to take photos for my job's annual Christmas event. I work at a pet store, and during this event, the owners, John and Melinda, allow people the chance to have their pets' photos taken with John who's dressed as Santa. I was immensely grateful to be a photographer for this event because not only did it allow me a chance to gather photos for my portfolio, but it also contributes to a great cause; they collect donations for the local food bank from people who want their pets' photos taken.
This was my first time photographing animals, so it gave me a challenge. I was nervous but excited at the same time. As I mentioned previously, I'm also still fairly new to photographing people, so doing three and a half straight hours of photographing people and animals was just the sort of challenge I needed to improve my skills. And it worked; I feel a lot more confident with photographing people now, and I'm also excited to capture more photos of animals.
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I've grown a lot over the past few months. I've started to learn about studio lighting, and lighting techniques in general, which wasn't something I could do when I was doing it as a hobby. I've also started learning how to edit, which I've discovered I enjoy doing. I'd say that Hidden Pride and Shoot in the Style of were projects that encouraged major growth, since I tried new things in both of those projects and started to expand my roster of skills. I've also started to develop my artistic vision and I'm figuring out what I like; I've gained a newfound love for portraiture and product photography.
My biggest challenge this semester was my self-confidence issues. Oftentimes, when a photograph wasn't perfect, I beat myself up over it and continued to work myself to the bone until it was up to my high standards. I'm trying to work on being kinder to myself when it comes to my art. I'm still learning, especially studio stuff, and I need to let myself learn instead of expecting myself to be perfect on the first try. I really love the studio, so I am immensely motivated to get better at photographing in it.
Looking back, I'd say that my perception of photography has changed a little since I started the program. I now have more respect for the people who are doing photography as a job and I'm more motivated than ever to do the same. I'd always anticipated that doing photography wouldn't be easy, but it's more challenging than I'd initially thought. However, that doesn't deter me from working hard to achieve my goals. I know I want to do this, because while it is challenging, it's also immensely fun.
