The People & Places of Florida
Last December, my family took a trip to Jacksonville, Florida to visit extended family to celebrate Christmas. The new surroundings really inspired me and I just couldn't put down my camera!
On this trip I captured some beautiful moments, and even some tragic ones. Let me take you through the journey.
One of my favorite ways of shooting is creating abstracts. My camera seems to be drawn to textures. Here is my series titled "Textures of Florida"
Black and white photography has a special place in my heart. It really emphasizes the true tonality of colors, and strips the image of any subjectivity or psychological aspects of color. It allows the viewer to concentrate on the line, shape, form, and texture.
The next mini-series of images is titled "Places of Florida"
In these images I really tried to focus on careful composition by utilizing leading and converging lines. I even stepped out of my black and white comfort zone and had some fun with color!
The next series of images is titled "People of Florida". Not to end on a sad note, but this series is not as light-hearted as the previous images. To me, I get a strong feeling of loneliness when looking at them. But one of the many beauties of photography is capturing human emotion in all of its forms, good and bad.
This is next image is final image from this series. It was a hard decision to take this image and make it public, but I'm hoping to bring awareness to the importance of mental health and provide resources for those that are struggling.
TW: Suicide
This is an image of this man's last moments. While my family and I were enjoying a day at the beach, we noticed a man climbing up this crane. We figured he was just a thrill seeker trying to get his fix. It didn't dawn on us what his intentions were until the cops showed up. Part of me wanted to leave to avoid seeing a tragic ending, but the other part wanted to stay in the hopes of a happy ending. Watching and waiting made my stomach drop and my heart sink. Everyone standing around wanted to so badly to help, but there was nothing we could do. Sadly, things didn't end how we had hoped, and I've been left with that horrible image and sound stuck in my head forever.
Afterwords, I couldn't help but cry. I'm left with a feeling of deep sadness for this person and his loved ones. I'd like to use this image and this anecdote to call attention to suicide prevention.
This is a fantastic website that has a compiled list of resources to get help if you or someone you know is struggling.
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/suicide-resource-guide#1
This trip was truly filled with major ups and major downs. It made me stop and be thankful for everything I have, especially for having a supportive family. It also made me fall in love with street photography, and I hope to travel more and continue to practice.
