Radiant

Main Entry: ¹ra·di·ant

Pronunciation: \ˈrā-dē-ənt\

Function: adjective

Date: 15th century

1 a : radiating rays or reflecting beams of light b : vividly bright and shining : glowing
2 : marked by or expressive of love, confidence, or happiness
3 a : emitted or transmitted by radiation b : emitting or relating to radiant heat

My first image is a part of a series in which I shot my friend Nick and his newly created pieces of art, his silk-screened t-shirts. His work inspired me to find a way to shoot them, as opposed to just lying them on a table and taking shots straight on. I also knew that for this project I wanted to explore the different facets of lighting, both studio and ambient, to see how I can manipulate the feeling of the shot. I also acquired some new flashes recently, so I was eager to test them out! This first shot I really like because of the way the lighting brings out the definition of the t-shirt, but also how it relates back to my word. Radiant is a word that can describe the quality of light as well as a quality in someone. I certainly consider my friend Nick to be quite radiant.

The second image is towards the end in my series of photographing my friend Nick. The color coordination in this shot is subtle, yet really makes the blue in his t-shirt pop out. I love the shooting environment on his porch, and I think that the two rocking chairs make for a great composition. Once again, this shot uses both natural and unnatural lighting to make an average image just a little more interesting. Radiance is something that I have considered quite deeply during this project, and I am excited to see the range in which the definitions can be applied both physically and emotionally.

The last image is a part of a series where I wanted to capture an evening by campus. The physical definition of radiant includes “radiating rays or reflecting beams of light”. Thus, I believe that the long exposure street shot combined with a subtle portrait of myself captures the essence of radiance, both physically and beyond. Once again this is a combination of natural lighting and studio to create a very strange feeling in the composition. It took me a while to get the right shot, but it felt great when I finally got the results I was looking for.