Three Photos
By Yaakov Ellis
Artist’s Statement: The Major Lift
Sweat is flying everywhere, the ref is grinning, and in the stands there is a mix of anger, relief and excitement. Despite all the commotion, both fighters are in their own worlds, only aware of the struggle between each other. Not wanting to miss a second of the fight, I set my camera to sports mode and spammed the shutter button—allowing my eyes to stay transfixed on the scene unfolding in front of me. Often I hear people slander shooting on auto settings or mass shooting, calling it a cheat and instead advocating for a more thoughtful selective process. However, I believe both to be valid in their own regard, and in a moment like this, I knew there wasn’t much manipulation needed to emphasize what was unfolding in front of me. Sometimes being “there” and pressing the shutter is enough. When editing, I chose a monochrome composition to remove the distractions that come with color and emphasize the emotions taking place. I also noticed the way the ropes of the boxing square divided up the boxing square, segmenting the image into horizontal strips. I chose to crop it vertically to juxtapose the composition and emphasize the dimensions at play.
Artist’s Statement: Messy Room, Memories on the Ground
A melancholy feeling washes over me, looking at the photos on the ground from our attempted scrapbook. But we got a call to go hangout and were leaving everything on the ground right now. Incomplete. Not everything needs to be complete for life to move on. And more often than not I find myself looking back on events as many incomplete conversations and actions—amounting to this very moment right now. This is a photo which drifted along in my camera roll unnoticed for quite some time. One afternoon, (presumably during a boring school lecture) when browsing through google photos, this image pops up as a “memory of the day” and a suggested edit was to mask my subject and desaturate the background. I liked the effect created and decided to post it. I don't usually keep my photos in a vertical orientation even if shot that way, but here it's different. Here the vertical orientation helps to accentuate Danny’s slender figure and bent over posture pairs with his accentuated glow—turning him into a street light for what is scattered all around him. And all around him are different items which are proof our life lived; side by side. A Calvin and Hobbes stuffed stuffed animal on his table. A cardboard poster I made him for his recent kickboxing boxing tournament. And shirts stuffed into his dresser in a rushed manner—because there are better things to be doing than folding one's clothes.
Artist’s Statement: Is This It
I took this picture during Brown University’s “420 festival”—a time filled with free flowing music and laughter. And only after, when editing, did I come across this person gazing off into the distance, while everyone else was “having fun.” Just a glance at this picture and he is my focus. I get a sense of dissociation and imposter syndrome when I look at this and it reminds me of all the times I've been that person amidst the party wondering “is this it?” I posted this image on instagram accompanied by the song, “Everything In Its Right Place” by Radiohead. Listening to this song always brings upon a feeling of existential angst and it felt fitting for this piece. When I listen to the music of Radiohead often I get the feeling of falling in place, and similarly with this shot, I notice my line of vision slowly closes in on my person of focus as the song progresses—bringing deeper into his thoughts and closer to his experience.
Yaakov Simcha Ellis is an 18 year old student from Rhode Island currently going to school in Thailand. He’s been experimenting with film and photography over the past 3 years. Some of his other passions are hiking, wrestling, graffiti, singing, and laughing. Much of Yaakov’s work is inspired or influenced by the work of Elliot Smith, Calvin and Hobbes, Richard Linklater, and Robin Williams
