This series of photographs started as an experiment and became somewhat of an obsession for a little while. I wanted to try to create with complete freedom, throwing the "rules" out the window, and operating on feelings & intuition.
The experiment started when I took photos that were previously bright and cheery and edited them to feel dark & muted. The fall always brings out the Halloween-themed aesthetics and I've always been a fan of dark beauty. I loved the results, so I started shooting with this intent. To add more freedom to this series, I also gave myself permission to leave behind my more professional gear and only used my mobile phone to capture with. I also tried to only edit on my smartphone and decided I was fine with grain and blur if I could create a beautiful composition. It became about seeking a feeling, like trying to solve a puzzle without a reference, and when the images felt right it felt similar to puzzle pieces clicking in place. The results are images that "feel" right to me rather than being "technically" right. As a perfectionist, I think this series of imperfect works was a great exercise for me while exploring my intuitive side. I unabashedly look forward to making more works like these in the future.
