Still Emotions - Photography - Cherrie Henkle - 05168133 - Graduating Portfolio Proposal - May 13, 2025 6:00 PM EST
Still Emotions is a concept project that explores emotion through unexpected, unsettling, and provocative still life images, inviting viewers to recognize, reflect on, and confront the emotions that societal expectations have taught them to suppress.
Still Emotions is designed for anyone who has struggled with the societal expectation to suppress their emotions, the unspoken rules that cause us to internalize our feelings and outwardly remain calm and controlled. Each image isolates an object, dehumanizing a feeling and presenting it in a visceral and unexpected way to separate the emotion from the human form. By removing the body and expression of the person, the project offers a space for the viewer to confront raw universal emotions while disconnecting from identity. This is intended to allow the viewer to reflect more honestly with themselves about how they feel without the restraint of expression, and engage with emotions that run deeper than the surface level to face the discomfort of their emotional truth instead of what they are conditioned to allow themselves to feel.
The subjects in these images are everyday objects that I either already have or can easily obtain from local shops or the internet. For example, the "blood" dripping in Falling Angel is a mixture of honey from my cabinet and ketchup from my refrigerator and the wings themselves are a Christmas ornament that I've had hanging in my bedroom for years. By working with familiar, accessible materials I am placing limitations on myself that challenge me to expand my perspective and think more outside the box to create something more unexpected and visceral to represent an emotion, focusing on what will represent a specific emotion and evoke that emotion in the viewer.
My approach to creating these images is interpretive, focusing on the transformation of everyday objects into unspoken emotions in ways that strip the basic context of the item (the dog stuffie) in Loveblind and change it into a universal human emotion. By blindfolding the stuffie and hanging a heavy heart around its neck, the image now represents the feeling of being blinded by love, unable to see the reality of a person because we are blinded by the good we see in them, instead of being a basic documentation of a stuffed animal. By removing the typical context, the viewer is allowed to engage with the image on a more introspective level. To keep the visual narrative cohesive I am creating each image in a lightbox with consistent settings and using the same 3 colors of backdrop throughout (black, white, and honey tan). I carried these colors throughout the project, even into the items themselves, to keep the the emotional impact as the driving force of the project.
Still Emotions is aimed at anyone who has experienced the mental and emotional strain of suppressing their feelings, whether that is due to societal expectations or internal conflict. The inability to express our genuine emotions has a lasting impact on mental health and this project is intended to connect with anyone who lives that struggle, allowing the confrontation of those emotions as the start of a healing process through self-awareness. The images should resonate with those drawn to conceptual photography and emotionally charged art to provide a space for viewers to confront raw, genuine emotions that may have been hidden for years. By offering a new way for viewers to experience these emotions outside of themselves, without the societal constraints, it invites viewers to explore a deeper connection to their own emotional truths and break through the societal barriers. Beyond the midpoint review, this project may be considered for future exhibition opportunities and will likely become a featured part of my professional online presence.
This work is about creating a visual representation of the universal emotions we've been taught to hide. I want viewers to pause, feel, and reflect - ideally connecting with a reflection of themselves in the emotions. The intention is not to provide clarity or answers, but simply to give permission to feel their own emotions genuinely and acknowledge their own lived experiences and the impact of suppression on mental health.
Still Emotions is ultimately about genuine emotional truth - uncomfortable, necessary - and the personal impact of facing it directly.
Print, Process, Capture Methods
Camera & Lens - Canon 90D, Canon EFS 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 IS STM
Post Processing
Lightroom Classic - For most of the images, I bracketed exposures and created HDR in Lightroom Classic, ran Advanced Noise Reduction, and then made adjustments as I felt necessary. I added varying degrees of vignettes to the images as well, the strength dependent on the intended mood of the individual image.
Prints & Paper
While I very strongly prefer to work solely in digital media and do not intend to print work in my future career, for the purposes of AAU program requirements I would opt for either metallic prints (ordered from Miller's lab, not printed on metal but metallic ink on paper), or print myself on a satin or semi-gloss paper. I would prefer the sizes to be either 11x14 or 16x20 as individual prints. In the form of a print portfolio book, if metallic prints are an option I would do that, otherwise a satin or semi-gloss finish. I would not opt for a matte finish, and I believe full gloss would be too much. (Please note, I have not taken the Printing course yet, so I am not confident in these responses due to sheer lack of knowledge and understanding when it comes to prints. I am speaking purely from past personal experience with prints.)
Statement of Professional Goals
Where you would like to be with your work upon graduation?
Upon graduation, I would like to be in a place with my work where I have a well rounded set of works that accurately portray my skills and abilities in ways that I am confident in sharing with others both socially and professionally. I want to feel as though I have the tools and knowledge necessary to take on any assignment successfully, from inception to completion. I would like to be in a place where I feel that I can accurately describe my abilities and express my ideas in ways that visually impact and make sense to others, as well as have a strong portfolio to help me move forward.
What you would like to be doing 5 and 10 years from now?
In 5 years from now, I hope to be either graduating, or recently graduated with my degree. I also would like to be working in the field and successfully making a livable income from my work, ideally working for myself but for a company would be great as an alternative. I would also like to be preparing for an international move to Melbourne, Australia.
In 10 years I hope to be living in Melbourne with my own business up and running. I would like to have a solid plan to open a studio relatively shortly beyond that timeframe. And I would, ideally, also have a plan in place to open a community center for "artists who advocate" with studio spaces available for various artistic mediums and run gallery exhibitions advocating for causes the artists choose.
The ways in which the development of your proposed Final Portfolio will assist you in the realization of your professional goals.
Still Emotions fully developed would assist with my professional goals by providing me a better understanding of what it takes to create a long term body of work, and offer me a solid still life portfolio to express that in terms of exhibition work of this nature. I have a stronger interest in Nature, Wildlife, and Travel photography and while I do intend to develop those skills and focus my attention in that direction, I believe having a strong foundation in still life studio work and the portfolio to back those skills up would offer many additional opportunities for work, exhibition, and exposure.
Other Projects
Sin.
Fox Island
Only one known Great Black Oak remains standing strong.
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