Formal/Posed Portrait
Amarachi Attamah-Ugwu is an Igbo poet and performer and culture advocate. Photo taken April 13, 2024 in Belmont, MA; f/2.8; 1/160 sec; ISO 250; 50mm. Photo by Ada Ezeokoli.
Amarachi Attamah-Ugwu is an Igbo poet and performer and culture advocate. Photo taken April 13, 2024 in Belmont, MA; f/2.8; 1/160 sec; ISO 250; 50mm. Photo by Ada Ezeokoli.
Candid Portrait
Mr. Yang prepares hotpot for guests in his Belmont apartment. Photo taken on April 13, 2024 in Belmont MA. F/1.4; 1/100; ISO 400; 50 mm. Photo taken by Ada Ezeokoli.
Mr. Yang prepares hotpot for guests in his Belmont apartment while his young daughter grabs a coke. Photo taken on April 13, 2024 in Belmont MA. F/1.4; 1/100; ISO 400; 50 mm. Photo taken by Ada Ezeokoli.
Self Portrait
Revealing Portrait
Favorite Photo
My focus was on Mr Yang and his youngest daughter walked straight into the shot and grabbed a coke then looked at me and smiled because she thought I was taking a photo of her. Even though she is blurry I feel like this is a great candid shot of a typical day in the life of the Yangs.
Reflection
I was excited at the possibility of shooting black and white photos primarily because my father had done a ton of darkroom work when he was at school and I had always admired black and white photography. I took a number of candid photos that were relatively clean and straightforward, but when I converted to black and white they seemed to lose their appeal. I felt like converting to black and white helped me see the photos in a different light and pay attention to different aspects of the photo. I found the self portrait and the revealing portrait hardest to compose. In the end I realized I had more than one photo that I liked for each category and decided to submit two photos each. I think for me this exercise was more about selecting photos that told a story I wanted to communicate in addition to the technical and creative aspects. The photos I took at the Yangs home were probably my favorite. They are my neighbours and that day they were expecting guests and Mr. Yang was preparing items for the popular hotpot dish. I asked if I could come and take some photos and they graciously agreed. When I first got there it was just him and so I took a bunch of photos of him stirring things on the fire with his apron on. A little while later his family came back and the scene became even more spontaneous and I got to take some photos that included his children.