Senior Marley Mills has loved the creative outlet of photography since eighth grade. From taking structured classes with arts teacher Marya Alford, to having the ability to explore her own projects, Mills has produced a variety of photographs.
Mills began taking photographs out of an interest to engage in the arts; she couldn’t draw nor sing, and felt that she did not have any artistic talents until she discovered photography. Mills said photography gives her the ability to share specific moments and raw emotions with the audience.
“I have learned to love photography — the storytelling, the eyes. I love the way eyes look throughout photographs, and I think they tell such an amazing story,” Mills said. “I think the use of black and white for me allows for the story to progress, and I love that feeling.”
This photo essay provides insight into her photographic thoughts and ideas, how she captures moments in her work and an explanation of the format of her photographs.
In this picture, Mills said she wanted to immerse the viewer in the mother’s feelings and pride that come with the role of having a child. The viewer is able to clearly observe the mother’s emotions through her facial expressions, highlighting a sense of connection that Mills created. As the viewer looks closer at the image, they can consider the purpose of illustrating the daughter blurred out in the background. The mother and the daughter in this picture are Mills’ cousins. “We get this feeling of emotion and the feeling of connectivity together during such an intimate moment,” Mills said.
The subject of this picture is Mills’ sister and Archer alumni Sienna Mills. Sienna Mills is emphasized in this portrait as she sits on a solo rock at a lookout point near her house. Marley Mills said she wanted to illustrate her sister’s facial expressions of loss and distress.
“This piece is called Heavy-hearted, and it’s because she is sitting on this very strong feeling of grief within her heart,” Mills said. “This is a piece I enjoyed doing, and I wanted that picture I took to display grief.”
Mills’ project is titled “Sincerely Love Project.” This project was designed to create a “movie” of the photographer’s vision with as many images she could take. Most of Mills’ photos are in black and white because it allows her to focus primarily on the subject and their emotions. Mills’ mother Lisa Mills is pictured on the phone with her father pretending to have a conversation with him onthe phone.
“This is my dad, Marc Mills, and he is sitting at our dining room table expressing his frustration while also contemplating something within his emotion,” Mills said.
This photo is titled “Dinner Nights,” illustrating Mills’ experience with shooting street photography. Mills photographed her friends and seniors Chloe Fidler and Chidimma Nwafor at a diner. In this image, Nwafor is in the background talking and engaging in conversation, while Fidler is the main subject pictured taking off her mask.
Nyah Fernandez joined the Oracle as a staff reporter in 2019, became the Multimedia Editor in 2020 and continued that role through her senior year. She...
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Tiffany Smith-Anoa'i • Feb 10, 2022 at 4:15 pm
Love these Black and white photos, lovely job Marley and great reporting Nyah!