Boston was the first thematic photography project I attempted in 2020 for my Photo Practicum course at Emerson College. This project was initially designed as a city landscape photography project, but I later tried to add a sense of loneliness, as it was created during the COVID era. I primarily used a Mamiya 6×7 camera to shoot 120 film in large format, but I also fused some images I took with 35mm film.
Now, looking back, this project was done pretty badly. The theme of loneliness wasn’t adequately conveyed—half of the project was just simple street photography, lacking the crucial theme of ‘loneliness.’ The composition was also not well-executed—I was testing every lens I could get from the equipment center (those days when you didn’t need to fill out an entire form for gear were great). But the fact is, some photos simply lacked a clear topic, making them difficult to understand.
The mix of cameras was another big issue. Most of the good photos were shot in a 6×7 ratio, but to meet the project requirements, I also included some 16×9 images, which, in hindsight, was probably the worst decision. The 6×7 images were large enough for further editing, but the 16×9 ones were just too small for the same level of adjustments. You’ll see this difference in my new edits to those photos.
Even though this project doesn’t feel very strong now, it still marked the beginning of my personal creative journey. I’m sure there are a few great photos I captured—some needed extra editing, while others still hold up well after all these years. So, I’d like to share this inexperienced project with you. Some of the images have been re-edited to reflect my current taste, but I’ll leave it to your own eyes to judge how well I did.
This is a fascinating photograph. To me, the essence of street photography lies in transforming ordinary, everyday scenes into something extraordinary. This particular shot was taken near my dormitory in downtown Boston, a small alley I pass by almost daily.
In this remastered version, I’ve cropped the image to eliminate extraneous elements from the top, bottom, and sides. This allows for a more focused attention on key elements in the frame: the masked man walking, the large sign in the background, the ‘dead end’ sign, and the flag on one side.
This is a photograph I’m particularly fond of from this project. It was taken at the terminal station of the Blue Line, capturing a man practicing skateboarding alone in a parking lot. undoubtedly, this is an excellent encapsulates for the theme of this project.In the remastered version, I’ve removed extraneous details to focus on the essential elements. When I was working on this project in 2020, the pandemic was in full swing, so I intentionally used long-distance shots to create a sense of alienation. However, the original version had the person too small to be easily noticed. Now, the feeling of discovering a lone individual in an otherwise empty space should be more impactful. (I know he’s still small)
At the time, I felt this photograph had an ambiance reminiscent of ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.’ Unfortunately, there was too much empty space at the top and bottom, which wasn’t fully utilized.In the revised version, I’ve made slight adjustments to the color tone to make it more look like a paintingThis is the photo I originally selected for project. It is still quite good, but upon my current feel, the following photo is better.the previous photo captured the fog and interplay of light and shadow quite well, but I still prefer the feeling of this man walking towards to the light in alleyThis photo was captured quite excellently, though it’s slightly overexposed.This cropping can better focus on the core element in this photoI believe this photo was captured quite excellently, though it’s slightly overexposed, I really appreciate the contrast between the highlights and shadows, after all, it’s not every day you see someone playing Spider Solitaire on the subway.The edits mainly emphasize the subject—especially the ‘This is me’ sign on the right, which adds an interesting touch.It’s a regrettable photo, it’s so good but I lost the negative. I think no change should be done to this image. Same, I want to foucs on these three people. This one have a petty good capture of casual city landscape, but it’s too empty at the topSame, this one just need some strong crops to focus on one element; also for some reason this negative just have millsion scratches“Utility poles are a symbol of the urban landscape, and the cables running through them are the lifeblood of the city…” As much as I’d like to offer some serious theory to justify this photograph, the reality is I just wanted to capture something in the style of Hideaki Anno. Every time I visit Quincy, I take a photo of this carousel, which exudes an old-school charm. This photo was edited with a focus on conventional composition. In hindsight, centering the carousel or slightly offsetting it would have enhanced its visual appeal.”
The photos below were selected for my project back in 2020, but I don’t feel they are good enough nowadays. They’re still worth a look—at least, I believe so—but they just don’t hold up as well as the earlier ones.
The funfact is she might be one my highschool classmate, but I am still not sure about this
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