For the final project, I decided to go with my Unveiling Hate proposal. I went mostly with the same concept but made some changes to it. It ends up being a series of three photos, all of them picturing me wearing the traditional prayer shawl over my head. I decided to go nude and only wear the shawl to represent my bravery and vulnerability. I went with three WWII Nazi propaganda for my flat images. For me, this was the most memorable time when there was a huge campaign against Jews. These images are iconic and for me represent an archaic ideology. The first photo is me holding an image that says, “Jews Are Unwelcome Here” above my head. You can see clearly that the shawl is the only thing I’m wearing in this shot. Next is me holding a movie poster of, “The Eternal Jew” over half my face, looking as if my face is his own. Lastly, I held an image from a children’s book over my body of a Jewish man sitting atop a large pile of money in front of a bank. The caption starts, “Money is the god of Jews.” I presented the images alongside the photos they were featured in to further the trompe l'oeil effect. Overall I’m happy with the story I was able to tell. I wanted it to be blatant and impactful, that I’m facing antisemitism head-on.

Unveiling Hate: The final proposal focuses on my Jewish identity and the antisemitism I’ve faced my whole life. The technical aspect will be flat prints of antisemitic ideology. The original idea was to use contemporary examples, like Elon Musk, Donald Trump, or other imagery that has shown up in recent times. It will be a series of shots with me standing and holding the shots, front-lit. I plan to hold one image over my head, one in front of my face, and another with the image over my core. The final shot will be of me destroying the images in some way. I want this to show how Jewish people have always been targeted but we always manage to survive and prosper. I want it to show my pride in my identity and my bravery in tackling this subject. I’m in a world where Jews are simultaneously condemned and praised. It i often the general populous doesn’t stand up for us, so I’m going to do it for us.

A Scattered Mind: This proposal revolves around my late ADHD diagnosis and the sort of identity crisis that it's caused for me. For most of my life, I was diagnosed with depression/anxiety. The main technical mechanics will be mirrors and lighting. I want to have several mirrors reflecting my image into the camera. The first image will be just me, the mirrors, and a dark room. I will be backlit so it's hard to see my face, looking sad or crying. This represents my depression. Next will be with similar lighting but I plan to scatter objects and medications around, using long exposure to get the dual image of me looking into the mirror and holding my head. This is to show the underlying condition but still being unaware. Next, I want to keep the objects scattered around, but it will be me solemnly looking into the mirror and touching my reflection. Representing me finally seeing that I need to get help. Lastly, all of the objects will be neatly organized and I will be smiling into the mirror looking put together. This represents my diagnosis and the road to understanding myself.

Fahrenheit 451: My goal is to recreate the story and main conflict of the main character for Fahrenheit 451. The technical aspect would be the use of a projector. I will take the place of the main character. The first shot will be me proudly adding a book to an already established pile of books, there will be a budding fire projected onto them. Next will be the pile of books consumed by a raging fire and myself looking doubtful at them. The third shot will still be of the raging fire on the book pile, but I will be throwing myself into the pile to save the books, looking worried and in pain. Finally, the book pile will just be smoking ashes and I clutching a single book turned away from the pile, looking sad but also defiant. This should illustrate the physical and mental journey that Montag went through in the book.

For our second project, I decided to photograph the sweetwater wetlands. This was one of the first places I went to when I started going to college. It’s got sentimental value to me and is also the largest location of the ones I was considering. My goal was to show the relationship between the reclamation complex and the diverse wetland park. When we think of industrial areas we usually associate them with the destruction of nature. In this case, an industrial complex is being used to create and replenish the nature around it. I started by getting shots of the water silos that are used to hold and treat the water. I then moved into the park, taking photos of pipes and sluices that are used to transport water into the park. Finally, I focused on getting mostly nature shots of the landscape and animals. Overall I think the flow of the pictures I chose was able to convey the story I was trying to tell.

For project one I ended up going and taking pictures of commercial sinks. I’ve worked mainly in service jobs so I’m very familiar with these types of sinks, the variants they come in, and their uses. I went to my old place of work which is a Chinese food kitchen with woks. My pictures represent all the different types there can be in just one kitchen. There is a normal hand washing sink, a single basin with counter attacked used for butchering and washing produce, a three basin dish sink. And finally sink faucets on the wok station used to cool down the area and for access to water used in dishes. Overall I think the photos take you on an interesting and slightly silly journey through the many uses of sinks.

Sweetwater Wetlands Park: This park area is created from reclaimed wastewater. They use the treated grey water to create an artificial wetland. There’s a mix of infrastructure buildings and beautiful nature that is host to many species that are not normally found in southern Arizona. I want to capture the juxtaposition of industrial infrastructure and nature. I’d like to start with shots solely of the reclamation buildings, moving to the structures that supply the park with water, and then to just the pure nature of the park. I’m thinking of a mix of center subject and side subject shots for this series.

Sonoran Landscape Laboratory: This is a place on campus that I found while trying to find a place to hang out in between classes. It’s next to the school of Architecture and is another artificially created wetland. They use condensation and rainwater to fill a small pond that's there. There’s a waterfall that I find to be very relaxing. I was going to also involve myself in this shoot by interacting with the environment. It would be me in different areas studying, eating, or just spending some downtime on my phone.

Yume Japanese Gardens: This place is right next to the botanical gardens and has about seven different types of Japanese gardens. Most notable are the rock garden, the small Japanese buildings complete with tatami mats, and the koi pond. I want to involve myself in these shots by interacting with the environment, for example, studying, meditating, or feeding the koi. It’s a wonderful place that transports you to a different world. I like to go there to relax and experience culture outside of my own.
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The last idea is to take pictures of commercial sinks. I want to tank pictures of the sinks head on or from an angle. Having elements of the kitchen or bar surrounding it to add some depth. Things like cleaning supplies or dishes. These will be kept in color so that there is a sense of what’s going on, but the main subject should be the sink/faucet.

Most jobs I’ve worked have been in food service. The sink is probably the most important object in a kitchen. Surprisingly, there’s a large variety of commercial sinks and they’re not just for hand washing. I want to bring attention to the often overlooked part of kitchens and service industry.