Ashley Kuttler

Artist Statement 

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     The idea behind this photo is how the season change into winter affects a person's mood. Seasonal affective disorder impacts many people because the amount of daylight gets shorter and the weather gets colder. The concept of color relates to this because during these months, the environment becomes very dull and also impacts people’s mood.This time of the year people have less energy and their mood becomes more depressed.

 

     For this photo I chose to shoot on a cold and rainy day to show how this environment impacts a person's mood. The character is looking down and is frowning to show how her emotions are being affected by the weather and the colorless environment. The umbrella symbolizes the hopeless and depressed feelings that people with seasonal affective disorder carry with them during the winter months. In Photoshop I decreased the saturation of the background to emphasize the lack of color in these months. I left the character how she is so that she stands out from the dull background.  

 

     This photo is very different then my previous work because it focuses on a more serious topic about a psychological disorder. Even if people do not have this order they can still relate to this photo because everyone understands how the lack of sunlight and color in the winter months leads to a lack of energy and a change in mood.

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