Everyone knows there are a lot of talented Skid Kids all around campus. We happen to be lucky enough to know a multitalented student whose minimalist eye has captured some great photographs. Check him out!
Name: Jonathan Stricker
Class: 2017
Major: Biology
Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts
Her Campus: When did you start taking photographs?
Jonathan Stricker: Freshman year.
HC: Where do you find inspiration?
JS: I read some blogs and follow some photographer’s websites, but whenever I’m in a bookstore I go to the art book section to look through books by photographers I’ve never heard of. I also worked at a camera store last summer, so I was surrounded by people who recommend me a lot of different people to look at.
HC: Why or how did you choose photography over other art forms?
JS: I didn’t really choose it. I tried it freshman year because my dad has always been taking photos, and then sophomore year I did it because I did really badly freshman year, but I heard they were adding a digital program, and now I’m here.
HC: When you go out to locations to shoot, do you have an idea of the kind of pictures you want to capture?
JS: It depends who I go with. If I go solo then I’ll look out for interesting shots (whatever that means) but I usually go with a friend to who also takes photos to explore with them. We’ll pick a stop on the T we’ve never been before and walk in any direction looking for stuff to take pictures of. Sometimes we get lost, but that helps because we get to see places as complete outsiders
I also go with friends that are willing to be models/subjects in my pictures. I like to shoot people that I’m close to because I when I shoot them I’m able to get a literal picture of our relationship at that time, especially when I tell them to look at me and not the camera. For example, one time I was arguing with my brother. I aimed my camera when he was looking away, then pressed the shutter as soon as he looked at me. It probably looks like a pretty normal photo to strangers, but I can see what he’s thinking in his eyes and bus expression, and I absolutely love that. Some famous person once said “my photos are a self-portrait through my eyes” and that’s exactly why I take them. It will be cool to see where I was when I’m 60 years old.
HC: What was the process of choosing the picture you submitted to Line Art Review?
JS: I emailed my friend Dan my flickr page, his club picked one, and then they informed me.