BEHIND THE LENS
My name is Natalie Russell! I’m a graduate of Kings High School and a Freshman at The Cleveland Institute of Art. Ever since I was little I have been making art. Painting, pottery, coloring, sketching, sewing, you name it there is a good chance I did it. In my sophomore year of high school, I took an intro digital media arts (DMA) class to get a credit. When the semester was over my teacher, Mrs. Barnes, convinced me to take DMA 1 my junior year. Why not, I had space in my schedule and enjoyed Intro to DMA! Little did I know it was going to open a door to a whole new world.
I have learned so many new programs and techniques and am continuing to learn even more in college. One of the things I found the most interesting though was photography. I got a camera for Christmas and have been taking take pictures ever since. I love to take abstract photos and use different angles in my work. My personal favorite is my piece “Stairing Into The Light” and no, that is not a typo! I laid back on the ground and took a picture looking up into a wrap-around stairwell. A few years ago I would have walked past, not even thinking to take a picture there but, now I’m a photography major and see possible photos everywhere!
Taking DMA not only lead me to find my passion but helped me learn and respect other people’s art. Now, when I look at pictures, I see shutter speed settings and types of lenses. When I look at logos, I wonder where they started and how they got to the final product. After learning Animation, I can’t help but think about everything that had to go into making movies like Frozen or Finding Nemo.
I want my work to encourage others to go try something new and express themselves through what they love to do. Amazingly, I might take a picture because it looks cool, but someone else might look at it and find inspiration. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, I guess.