BREYDEN WOOD

            My photos come in pairs with each pair connected to the next by some commonality. The underlying theme uniting all of them is the idea of experiencing the beauties and emotions of life in isolation.

            Photos one and two are about the beauty of nature undisturbed by human influence. Photo one shows this peacefully, while photo two shows this with a sense of awe. These connect to the next pair of photos through water and rain. This pair is about reflections (both physically and through time). Here, photos three and four contrast the vividness and emotions behind such reflections through varying color schemes and contrasts within the photos. These photos connect to the next through the light source – both photos four and five appear to be illuminated by a single point light source surrounded by darkness. In photos five and six, the focus is on happy memories of things that will never be again: with a photo of my late dog for photo five and a picture of a quiet, snow-covered patio at CMU (pre-COVID19) for photo six. Then, using the linkage of color, the sequence transitions to a more somber tone of isolation, focusing on two images that show the “remains” of society in a desolate, cast-away sense with the abandoned home and crumpled pages. Continuing this new tangent, the next two photos focus on a sense of emptiness in quarantine. Photo nine shows this literally with a pair of empty bottles, while photo ten shows this metaphorically with an empty deck that would normally be full of guests.

            To end the sequence, however, I took a turn and included only a single photo instead of a pair. For this photo, I chose a distant picture depicting a crowded bridge going into a bustling city. The subject's separation in the photo continues on with the theme, but the subject matter inspires hope that, one day, life will return to normal and the quarantine will end.