Departure Points - Hannah Thomases - Hybrid Photography - Fall 2014

Hi All! I'm Hannah, I'm a 5th year...Junior. OY! I just transferred to Visual Studies last year from who knows what (Undecided Liberal Arts at Temple). I really enjoy the major because it allows me the freedom to really focus on my inspired interests while paralleling the curriculum with a good eduction in an outside perspective of my interests. I spend most of my time either procrastinating and a lot of time smoking cigarettes and drinking at the bar with pals and strangers alike. I've been trying to read more recently (Reddit doesn't count) because reading is important. I also Love to support other artists and contribute where I can to supporting their work.

I've been interested in photography for a very long time. In high school I worked in a makeshift darkroom and made due with what we had available. We produced images but I wouldn't say they were of great quality. Through almost my entire journey through photography, Ive been accompanied by my Canon Rebel XTi and Tamron 18-250mm lens and to be quite honest, I don't know much else other than that camera.

In the past I have steered more toward macro photography and close-up shots (which is redundant) but more recently I have tried to make myself more comfortable shooting people (not shooting but shooting) in social situations or just strangers in the city. Living in Philadelphia has inspired me in the past to shoot more of the goings on, on the streets and has brought me to a state of awareness of the  juxtaposition of luxury vs. degrees of poverty. It took me a long time to find the beauty in Philadelphia and in doing so, Ive been able to understand so much more. Even more recently, I have been using social media as a vehicle and my iPhone as a tool to attempt a new form of photography for me and in some ways a kind of social experimentation but it hasn't really turned out to be that profound. I don't quite know how to describe this visual phase other than having less context...I suppose its more contemporary work. Ive always been more drawn to pretty, organic, light, airy visuals but have begun to study the beauty in less obvious and sometime ugly visuals and combining those two elements. I try to exist outside of my box but how in the hell do I even know if thats not in my box too.

In this class I hope to work mainly in the darkroom to bring myself to a higher understanding of process. Ive always believed that you can't be great in your own niche (in whatever you're doing) unless you have the classical training first, fundamentals, your foundation; your technique is everything. Cyanotypes and lithographs are my big interest though transfers seem very interesting, Id rather do what I can't quite achieve without the tools and training provided by the studio/classroom. I Love studying materials and processes, I would like to be intimate with all the materials that I can.

I am the worse at deciding what I want to make beforehand. My creative process, though I wouldn't say Its the best, seems to be that I cannot plan for things and that what comes out of me often times has to be forced out but is often pretty good when its out; that is my organic. I have no clue what I will produce with the things that we learn in this class but I am excited none the less to share the learning experience with everyone because our class seems to be a collection of very cool people!