Artist

I focus on the merge between engineering and art whether that be in film, photography, digital art, or music production.

Proficient in drone photography and videography, Blender, Autodesk CAD, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, and Maschine.

Film

Even as a young child I was very interested in film, and more specifically the world you could capture and create with one. I made my first series of films with my brother around the age of 5 using stuffed animals. Over the years I continued to develop and make small films and by high school I wanted to bring my work from a small pastime to something far more active. I started by making short effect videos that I posted on my Instagram but eventually took on longer endeavors such as travel videos, an edit of movies and TV shows (I called it the Supercut), as well as producing videos for athletes. In the creation of my videos I try to utilize the fascinating and vast link between art and engineering to create unique videos and movements.

Instagram short

The Supercut

DC Trip

Film + Engineering

At the 1:33 mark of my end of year 2019 video (top left) there is a section where the camera pans over multiple subjects, seamlessly transitioning between them. I had seen a similar effect done in a music video and wanted to recreate it by building a rig (keeping my low budget in mind). I started by drawing out design plans, created a small model, and then fabricated the rig. My design was highly portable and could be taken apart easily while still being strong enough to safely support my camera. This is one of many examples of an engineering application in my work.

Photography/Digital Art

Today we are faced with the challenges of innovation while still attempting to preserve what is unique to us, this the mixture reflected in the photograph. In this piece I placed lights on a vinyl record player and took long exposure pictures (where you keep the aperture on your camera open for a longer period of time) while it rotated. I wanted to convey the merge of very different elements and time periods. Vinyl is seen as a bygone format and I wanted to merge that with the more modern and vibrant look of LEDs while in addition providing a visual representation of music as a whole. I thoroughly enjoyed trying different combinations of LEDs, exposure times, and record speeds. I felt I had complete control over what I was creating.

With the massive amount of data available to us today, it is difficult to discern what is important, accurate, and real in our daily lives. I tried to capture this overwhelming feeling in my piece, having the subjects engulfed in an array of data and colors (which represents knowledge). I made sure to make the piece vibrant, as to contrast the blessing and curse information can be. I began with a photo I took of a couple viewing an exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. Then on my computer I meticulously manipulated the picture such that there was a sort of neon surrounding the subjects, in order to articulate this challenge.

As COVID-19 began, I was unable to continue my filmmaking, so I began learning the free 3D software Blender. Blender is a powerful tool that serves as an extension of what I had already learned modeling during the robotics season. After months of practice, I decided that my portfolio for AP Studio Art would be the theme of Cyberpunk, a genre of science fiction characterized by hyper-consumerism and a clash of cultures, and would be created in Blender. I decided to focus on created renders as realistic as possible and was excited at the results! I plan to synthesize these techniques with my filmmaking and continue to push the boundaries of what I am capable of doing.

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