#1 In The Closet

The above photograph was kinda inspired by a poem (thing) I wrote on July 23, 2010

*the following has been censored

Darkness... That's all I see. That's all anybody can see in this **** place! I sit down here, on the floor, with the clothes that have fallen off their hangers. I listen to the people outside of this place and long to be with them. To be free. To not have to hide anymore. What that must be like.....to be free... I don't remember what it was like. I've been in this place since November. Ever since I figured it out. At first I denied it. But I learned to accept it and for awhile I was on the outside, happy. But then I heard them.....I heard their hateful jeers. I saw the rights of people like me ripped away in the name of god. I've been forced into this ******* place!! By my fellow man! And why? Because I'm different! Because I was born this way!! Their angry words, hate and judgment flew at me like darts and the only place I could hide was in here. I can't be hurt in here... hidden from the world. But it does hurt me! Why have you forced me into this ****** place?! Why would you do this to your fellow man?! Am I such a threat to you?! Does my happiness and who I love really affect your ******* life?! It doesn't! You just hate me! You hate us! So thank you! Thank you for making us hide in fear! Cowering in our own closets! No more! I will stand up! I will break out of this place! And when I do I WILL get my rights!! For I am tired of cowering!! I stand up now and you can not put me back down!!

I really hope I don't get in trouble for posting that poem.... Anyway on to talking about the photo!

So as you can see this is the same picture as my test shot with a few differences. First, I took the words out using the clone stamp tool. But since it's not a perfect fix it made the color on the door look a little weird so I decided to soften the picture and then I used lighting affects.

In the picture it shows me coming out of a door which represents the "closet" that people hide in to avoid being judged. I hope that people will see this picture and try to understand how much pain their hate really causes people. It's really no wonder why all these homosexual people are committing suicide. Peoples hate drives them to that point!! This is a huge problem and it has to stop!!

After I finished editing this picture I realized that it has a really dark feeling to it and I think this is going to really effect my series. I also realized that the 5 or 6 ideas I have for upcoming photos are really dark. I'm sure these upcoming images are really going to make people think and maybe even depress some people a bit.

I hope you enjoyed the picture and poem

Bye

P.S. Ms. Miles has suggested that I also start posting real news articles that go with my pictures or has something to do with it. I think that is a great idea so I will be posting links if not the article itself with my pictures. Since the theme for this picture is being in the closet I have found an article about a homophobic scientist's son coming out of the closet. Enjoy :)

http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/son_of_anti-gay_professor_comes_out_of_the_closet

Test Shot

"In The Closet"

Above is my test shot for my "senior exhibition." Because of lack of models I used myself. I also shot this at home with no lighting at all.

My idea for my "senior exhibition" is gay rights. I'm hoping that people understand what this photo is saying without me having to explain but I'll explain anyway. The words on the door say "ABOMINATION," "GAY," and "HATE." In the picture it shows me coming out of a door which represents the "closet" that people hide in to avoid being judged. The words represent some of the hateful things people say that make people who aren't straight feel like they have to stay in the closet.

This is so personal for me because I'm bi and I'm still in the closet from many people. My hope is that people will see this and understand what people like me have to go through and how much their hate really hurts. For example yesterday I saw an article on gay rights and someone had commented on it saying "Being gay must suck. You guys should just kill yourselves so us normal people could have one less problem." I read that and started crying so hard. To think that someone would tell an entire group of people to kill themselves just breaks my heart.

I hope you enjoyed the picture.

Please stop this hate.

Bye

Portfolio Proposal

Summary of Request:

Proposed by: Christina Maria Cervantes

Project Title: Proposition H8

Class: Period 1 Photography 3

Instructor: Ms. Miles

Project Due Date: 1/31/2011

Project Description

Type of Work: Portraiture

Concept

I will be taking pictures that will have something to do with gay rights. These pictures will include people as they will be portraits. The work will show people who are bi, lesbian, gay or transsexual. The photos will show how these people are effected by prop 8 or society in general. I will try to make the pictures seem natural and not so posed.

Vision

I'm hoping that people will see my pictures and realize that these people are not abominations and that they will see how much hurt discrimination and hate causes people of the gay community.

Inspiration

My inspiration is the gay community, my friends, and my feelings. Many of my friends are not straight and neither am I. I am bisexual and even though I am only 15 years old I have been deeply effected by prop 8 and society and have felt much pain from it.

Equipment to be Used

Canon Rebel XSI, strobe lights, and tungsten lights

Presentation

Not sure....

A New School Year

Picture taken by Amber Mczeal (I love you Amber <3)

Hey everyone! :D Long time no see. It's a new school year. Sophomore year 2010-2011! I'm so excited to see what's going to happen! Hopefully it'll be a good year with the least amount of drama possible. This year I got photography for my first period. Starting my day off right with photography! :D

But for some reason they put me in Senior studio. The class is HUGE! There are 5 of us who aren't seniors. There's about 30 seniors, 4 juniors and then there's me... the 1 and only sophomore. But that's okay! :D It'll be a new learning experience and I'm hoping to learn from the upper class men's successes and mistakes.

Instead of Ms. Miles giving the 5 of us different assignments from the seniors, she has decided to give us the same assignments as the seniors. This means that I will be doing a "Senior Exhibition" but it doesn't count. It's just practice. When you choose to do photography for your senior exhibition you have to pick a theme and take 15 pictures that has something to do with that theme. You must have these by the end of the first semester.

I have talked to my brother about senior exhibitions and he said that the best thing to do is to pick something you really care about. So I sat and thought for awhile "What's important to me that I can show through photography and can be a series of 15 pictures....?"

Something I care very dearly about is gay rights. Seeing as I am, in fact, bisexual. But even before I knew that I was I still believed that everyone should have the same rights and be treated equally. You have no idea how much it truly hurts my heart and soul to know that people like me are being hated and discriminated against. When I hear about a parent(s) who do not accept their child for who they are it makes me want to break down in tears!

I am very tired of not being heard because of who I am so I am hoping that my work will do my talking for me.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming photos and really try to think about what I'm trying to say or how you interpret it.

I'll talk to you guys later

Bye ^_^