The Connector recognizes exemplary photo work produced by SCAD students. This week’s featured photographer is fourth-year photography student Shelsea Doran. The photos shown below are from her series “The Golden Age.”
Artist statement:
Known as the Dutch golden age, the 17th century brought about a period in history in which Dutch military, trade, science and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. Use of extreme realism and control of light makes the artwork captivating and original to its time. The influence of the Dutch masters, such as Rembrandt and Vermeer’s use of color and light, is something I sought to capture in this series.
Combining the past with the future, the purpose of this editorial is to create an image that brings together old elements of the golden age with modern ones and constantly being influenced by the idea of Dutch light. Having spent time viewing paintings like “The Night Watch” in the Rijks Museum, I felt it important to try to mimic that color palette within the photographs. I was inspired by photographer Chris Knight, who spent a lot of time constructing light to create baroque inspired lighting, and photographer Erwin Olaf, who, as a Dutchman himself, has been influenced many times by the Dutch masters. The high use of contrast, use of a single light and dark aesthetic of this series have all been used to create a modern captivating look inspired by the masters.
Fashion photography needs to be captivating. If it doesn’t move me, I won’t spend time looking at it. This series calls for the viewer to spend some time with the piece, looking at it and it looking back. I hope that this series has some of the same captivating effects that those paintings had on me.
To see more of Shelsea’s work, click here.
To be considered for photographer of the week, send examples of your work to photo@scadconnector.com.
