Reviewer Portfolio Feedback (the team of  "Lense Culture curators")

Hello Katerina

I chose your portfolio, titled, “Self Portrait” to review because I find it visually interesting…. It’s clear that the visually abstract/surreal nature of the images is somehow connected to hidden aspects of your personality, emotions, and creative impulse. …..

Looking at your images I see a group of dramatic, creative photos that appear to be still frames from a movie or a larger narrative. Your layered-imagery approach is an interesting canvas for studying both light and darkness in relationship to the vision of a central character. The images are like still frames from a larger narrative, maybe captured in an artful film noir style. The photos appear to be specific points in time throughout a mystery, which the viewer is invited to feel their way through…… An interesting quality of your work is how it crosses the lines between photographic art and abstraction.

Some of your images strike me as illustrating a lot of ideas having to do with a real (or fictional) character. As viewers we are looking in through the camera, watching this character interact with their environment and engage in the activities of life while taking note of these microcosms of their experience. I see, then, other photos as abstract/theatrical expressions of inner concepts. …… The emotional expressiveness of your story is very powerful.

The photos communicate a variety of emotions and from many of them I feel a sense disorientation, struggle and of solitude. I can see that the diversity of emotional states could all be in some way qualities you may want to discuss further in your statement. I will point out that in only two of the photos are you looking at the camera. For most of the photos you seem unaware of the camera – and thus, are unaware of the viewer who becomes an outsider looking in. ……..

The photos are mysterious and dynamic, which is the style of this genre of photography. The light and shadow in the photos add a sense of dramatic environments and emotional drama. The quality of light and contrast in each of the photos appears very theatrical. Together, the lights, darks, and rich tonality serve to elicit emotional responses in the viewers. One of the ways your portfolio speaks to your viewers is the way that design and composition become primary concerns within the frame. Even the abstract forms contribute to how you would like us to view the character in this story. All your images are visually dynamic and could also be viewed in terms of photographic design. And within the designs the subject is performing her roles. Clearly, the personas you present to the viewer are very important characters in your story!

Since these are all elements of your life, they also talk about how the images express something about your own emotional states. At the same time the photos speak of your interpretations of your own identity. While being behind the lens you are performing as a photographer, while at the same time expressing ideas about your own emotional life. By showing us elements of your relationship to your world you highlight the bond between you and the viewer. By using directional light you bring the subjects to life as perceptual details of one real, 3-dimensional person - you……

There are strong visual threads that clearly run through your portfolio and the first one is “color”. Your photography seeks to capture the magic that color, light and shadow can communicate……

Your images are very dynamic. These images prove that creating scenes around the concepts you are investigating is very exciting and who knows where it will lead. I think that your images would do well in an “art” environment. Your photos really do cross a lot of creative boundaries, which is highly encouraged in the art world. ……..

Your images and your project are very thought provoking and creative. They are full of stories waiting to be told and discovered! I would strongly encourage you to keep pursuing your story/ideas in this project I very much enjoyed looking at your photos and I appreciate the way your images are masterfully considered and carefully designed.