Michael Tyrrell - Final Proposal

For my final project, I hope to photograph the clothing of myself and those around me throughout the week. Stylistic elements of what people choose to wear subliminally explain a lot about who they are as a person, and what they are trying to convey to others. Regardless of the occasion, I hope to portray a variety of different outfits, clothing and any other external attributes that fall under what is presented by those around me. This subject will give me plenty of leeway as far as reaching the number of photographs per week required, as people present themselves through fashion and the clothes they wear on a daily basis. At this university, perhaps the most commonly worn type of clothing is merchandise representing Penn State in itself. This especially interests me, as I will be able to present the spirited students of our school and their pride to be at such a prestigious school. Weather, of course, has a huge impact on what people wear, which I will consider when making these photographs. Despite the overall gloomy and rainy forecast for the rest of this summer session, I hope to see outfits of variety in regards to weather. As an artist, I hope that my audience will consider the elements of communication we subtly portray, but often overlook by choosing to wear what we do. This topic will give me free range to experiment with lighting, camera angles, and other physical elements of photography itself. In taking hundreds of pictures at a time, I will be willing and able to find the 10 to 12 photographs that stand out objectively from the others. While what some people to choose to wear may be much more intricate and fashion oriented, I am dedicated to photographing what people wear on a day-to-day basis, regardless of whether it is fancy, comfortable, or expensive. The role of clothing in our lives is often unappreciated, at least I can say as a guy who admittedly does not put a lot of effort into putting together an outfit that will properly represent myself to others around me. My ultimate goal is to achieve an aesthetically pleasing variety of outfits utilizing all of the different techniques and photographic elements that I have learned in the duration of this summer. It is important for me to display what I have learned in the class in a manner that I feel is achievable through the use of this topic proposed.