Andrew Heller's Photography Reflection

 

While I believe that the race of the photographer does not matter, these two photographs of my best friend Samara reflect what I believe my race as a white college student essentially looks like. On the left Samara is smoking a wine flavored black and mild cigar near the dumpster of our smoke free apartment complex. Now, despite the obvious white trash joke, the fact that Samara is smoking by the dumpster reflects the extent to which many college students like us go to relieve ourselves from the stress caused by scenes like the picture on the right. In that photo, Samara is plugged in on several levels. Between the music coming from the laptop, the numerous unfinished homework assignments, the disgustingly necessary beverage, and the phone that’s just waiting to cause a distraction, it’s totally reasonable to see the appeal in a little self-destruction by the dumpster. Additionally, the sweats she’s wearing throughout could reflect the laziness and comfort us privileged white kids have become accustomed to, but I think the most consistent representation is the active mind clearly present in both pictures.

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The two pictures seen above represent my argument for why race doesn’t matter. In my mind, we are all here to treasure the time we have with our loved ones, and regardless of skin color, we’re all the same in the love that we receive and pass on each day. However, the time we have is limited. So it’s important that we save these moments as often as possible, and photography gives everyone this grand opportunity. The picture within a picture is one of me looking up at my late grandfather on my first Christmas. He was a great but troubled man, and I’m looking up at him with a confused and startled expression. Although, now that I’m older and see the many resemblances between us, I don’t feel as surprised when I see his wild hair and big glasses. In the other picture a family is getting their portrait taken at Everhart Park in West Chester. Knowing I had to take pictures for this assignment, I sniped the photo discretely as I walked by. The quality is not the best, but the fact that you can’t immediately tell the family’s race makes my point. We know that they’re taking a family portrait and that alone is enough.