More Parchment Paper?!

Yes, you read the title. I recently experimented with MORE parchment paper in a recent project. You may be thinking, “How can one use parchment paper in photography?” I have utilized this resource twice in the past, so why not use it once more (not guaranteeing this will be my last time!).

The root of this project derives from an assignment I was given in my photography class. We were supposed to write out words that describe us and pick the one that speaks to us the most from this pile of words. I chose “obsessive.” This word describes me well in many realms of my life, such as my perfectionist nature in academics. Nevertheless, this word spoke volumes to me, and I thought about all the different ways I can portray this aspect of myself.

Obsessive has a lot to do with numbers. Repeating rituals a certain amount of times, counting constantly, and being focused on numbers in general. Thus, I concluded how I wanted to capture this idea. I drew the numbers “I, 2, 3” all over my face, neck, and chest. This is unique to me because I often find myself doing rituals or counts in groups of 3. I did this using eyeliner, and even had to replace mine because I broke it in the process!

After I captured this self-portrait, I thought about how can I enhance it? Don’t get me wrong, I love the original photograph with the detail in the collar bones and the look in my eye. However, I wanted to draw the viewers’ eyes to one aspect of the photograph. With this in mind, I took out my handy-dandy parchment paper! Like I have previously done, I pulled up the photograph on an iPad and superimposed parchment paper on top. Then, I cut out a section over my eyes and just ripped the parchment paper. This action contradicts my “obsessive” nature which I believe adds to the story behind the photograph. As I have done in the past, cutting the parchment paper often triggers the obsessively compulsive section of my mind as it is never perfect. However, these photography projects with parchment paper allow me to challenge this part of me and grow as a photographer, as there is no perfect in photography!

Now, I want all of you to take away from this to step out of your box! This does not mean you should go out and do something reckless or dangerous. It means you should do acts that you are not fully comfortable with. Instead of taking only portraits, experiment with nature! Instead of editing your photographs by just enhancing the lighting, look up interesting photoshop tutorials! The more challenges you allow yourself to conquer, the greater technique, skill, and experience you will possess. In this case, allowing myself to have fun with the imperfections of rips in parchment paper, opens myself up to imperfections that are essential in photographs! Follow my Instagram and Pinterest to receive updates on my future posts. DM me on Instagram, comment on this post, or email me using the contact sheet at the top of my page about what you did this week to challenge yourself!