As we’re nearing the end of this spring semester and the week of the ACE Festival, students all around campus are getting ready to share the hard work they’ve been doing these last few months with the rest of the student body. Three such students are junior Alyssa Breidigan and seniors Theo Yoder and Zafri Yussoff. After working all semester on their projects, the three students will present their photography exhibits in the Margaret Gehman Gallery from Apr. 18-24.While each of the students have created something unique to share, they are excited to collectively present their works in the gallery, as they will thematically compliment each other. 

Breidigan’s exhibit is titled “Evolve”, a collection of “studio photographed images that express the evolution of women’s fashion from the 1920s to now (2020).” She shared that she was heavily influenced by Vogue Magazine, and spent time researching fashion trends, relevant historical events, and popular color pallets from the eras to ensure her work was accurate. “After gathering research, I shopped at local thrift and vintage stores to put together each outfit.” Breidigan gathered her models and photographed them using a studio lighting setup. To create an accurate portrayal of Vogue covers, she replaced the backgrounds of the images in Photoshop.

Yoder worked with gel photography, which consists of putting colored plastic over studio lights. He decided on this medium, “to showcase the effect that color has on our interpretations of emotions”. Yoder was inspired by photographer Lindsay Adler, and combined the inspiration he got from her work with his love for studio photography to create his exhibit. For his photos, Yoder, “set up two strobes with umbrellas and placed orange, green, blue, purple and yellow sheets over the lights to add color. When I pressed the shutter of the camera, the lights would flash, illuminating the models face with the colors of the gels.” 

Yussoff’s exhibit includes seven framed photos that, “simulate a neon noir future of Harrisonburg, giving a mysterious but technological feel. These photos are taken from various locations across town, as they all act as a window looking into that future.” Yussoff shared he was inspired by the aesthetic of neon lights in graphic design, video games, and movies, which always gives him a sense of peace. To create his pieces, he learned a new technique in Photoshop to combine infrared and neon glow effects. “The purpose of infrared is to capture the natural light of any subject in a wavelength that is invisible to the human eye. The best time to capture infrared photos is at noon, on a sunny day in the spring or summer.” While editing his photos, he chose his colors intentionally to represent the emotions he feels associated with the aesthetic of neon lights.All three students involved emphasized how proud they were of their fellow photographers, and how much time and energy they all put into these exhibits. Along with the gallery being open the week of Apr. 18-24, the three students will be participating in a closing reception at 4 p.m. on Apr. 22. Attend to hear words from the artists! This gallery is the first of two student exhibits, and the second show opens Apr. 29 with five new artists.