Juggler
In the exhibit, Juggler, one will see images of a, seemingly, typical student struggling with parts of his college life between a long distance relationship, financial aid, and keeping his grades up. The purpose of this exhibit is to show that some students have their college life more difficult than others do; this man in my exhibit, who seems to struggle with so much, still finds a balance and remains optimistic in his current situation. This is something I have never seen before, it flabbergasts me, and I feel his story needs to be told. He is such a strong and ambitious human being and I feel as if he would be perfect for my Photo essay. His story also has a historical and societal importance. His is one of many college students in the United States who are struggling to afford steep college tuition payments while also dealing with personal issues. Financial aid to students is not enough anymore as college tuition rices rise. This takes a tremendous toll on students and is an issue that stretches across campuses around the country.
In my exhibit, you will see a mixture of close up of this man in different settings. I will not discuss the specifics of each photo that is going to be presented because I want you, the viewer, to discover for yourself what each photo is. I want the viewer going into my exhibit with as little information as possible, so that they cannot bring minimal pretenses or assumptions before looking at my exhibit. However, I digress. You will not see his face but you will be able to see a part of him and the environments around him from a dorm room setting, to different settings around campus where this man tends to gravitate towards on a day-to-day basis. There will be no specific order for the first 7 images because in doing so, the images will convey to the viewer how unpredictable his life can be, how nothing is in his power or control, and how having a life like this can be so stressful. The eighth and final picture will reveal the face of this man. The purpose of this is so that as the viewer glances through the other images they will form a sort of emotional bond with the man’s story but not with his face/ image. In pictures 1 through 7 you will only see the back of his body. This will prevent the viewer from making false assumptions of his physical build and looks. Not until the very last picture will they finally get to put a face to the story that they have just experienced. I feel as if this is an integral part to the photo essay because it will help create a strong emotional and suspenseful bond between the viewer and image.
In conclusion, in each picture, there will be obvious color schemes of warm, bright colors and cold, somber colors. Each color scheme in the pictures portrays a certain mood radiating from this man at the time and the mood given off the environment. By the end of this exhibit, I hope to have the viewer establish an emotional connection to this man and remember this man’s story, and I hope this will open the viewers eyes to the growing issue of college tuition and its toll on the students most affected by it.
This is the man, walking to his 8am class on a Monday morning. He pulled an “all nighter” the night before to study for a midterm in chemistry and a test in biology. He came to Texas State University with 60 credit hours and with a associates degree. He is taking all the prerequisite classes to prepare for medical school. Everyday is a struggle for this man. He has very difficult classes and takes on more homework everyday than most freshman.
This photo was taken at a frontal angle so that the viewer feels connected with the man and what he is going through that morning. The cold colors give off a somber mood. Furthermore, the hazy picture shows how this mans end goal tends to get distorted when he is under so many piles of homework and studying. Both the composition of the side walk and silver pole direct the viewers eyes directly to the man.
As this man returns from his classes he discovers that his financial aid has fallen through. Unfortunately, his financial aid cannot cover all the costs of his classes. He now must take out large student loans to cover what financial aid could not.
In this photo the composition of the window, shelf and desk guide the viewers eyes to the distressed man. Once again, this photo is a close up to connect the viewer with the mans emotions. Also, the deep shadows in the room conveys the depressed and stressed mood the man is in. The light shining through the window symbolizes the contrast of light and dark. Even though everything might seem to spiraling out of control for this man, he pushes himself to remain optimistic that he will make it work even if he has to start working full time to do so.
The man pulls out his phone before he goes to bed to call a loved one, his girlfriend. They have been dating for 4 years and unfortunately she is still back at his hometown, in Houston, attending a community college, since the financial aid she received wasn’t enough to help pay for tuition at Texas State University. Both of them planned, and were very excited to attend the same university together. Because the man can’t afford to travel back to visit his girlfriend, he calls his girlfriend everyday to catch up with her and works hard to remain positive about what he at least has. If he had the opportunity, he would spend everyday with her.
In this photo the man is in a rested position and his sight line is looking directly at his phone to show that he is invested in talking to his loved one. The mixture of cold and warm colors coveys that even though it is very hard for the man to keep connected with a loved one over a long distance, he still finds warmth and comfort, at least, in getting to see her over the phone and in hearing her voice.
The man heads to the gym to burn off some stress from his long distance relationship that has finally caught up with him. He plays his favorite song, “Star Boy”, to help put him in a better mood and to brighten his day as much as possible. Going to the gym helps this man feel like he has some power and control in his life. It makes him feel like he has the power to push through his rough week.
The composition of the white beams at the top of the image guide the viewers eyes from the converging beams to the mans head, to the center of his back and to his arms. Furthermore, the figures in this photo, like the placement of his arms holding the weights and straight posture, convey the power and control that the man is feeling. He is also not wearing the tight, and restrictive grey hoodie. This symbolizes a sort of freedom from stress and gives off a relaxed feeling. The colors in this photo are warm to show the positive attitude that he is feeling.
After going to the gym, this man heads to a local river spot to practice his favorite pastime, dancing. It is his escape from school and stress. Dancing is a big part of this mans life ever since he was born. Since he is no longer with his dance crew back in his hometown in Houston, he takes every opportunity he can to stay connected to the art that is tied to his heart.
The image is bright and warm colored to show the passion the man feels with dancing. It also conveys the improvement in the mans mood. The viewers eyes are guided from the mans upper right arm, down across his shoulders, to his lower left hand, and to the environment, more specifically the river, that surrounds him. His figure also gives off a positive mood due to the activity his body is expressing.
The man heads to the library to complete the days assigned homework and to prepare for upcoming tests. This man tends to spend roughly four to five hours a day at the library doing homework. He really works hard to keep his grades up and always reminds himself that the work he puts in now will get him closer to his dream of being a trauma surgeon.
The posture and figure of this man is very straight and tight. This conveys to the viewer that he is very concentrated and with the work in front of him. The picture was taken from the left side of the man to show the reader all the work that is in front of them. It also, in a way, puts the viewer behind his back as if they are curiously looking over his shoulder to see what work he is doing.
The man heads down to the same river he likes to dance at to watch the gentle, flowing water and to decompress from his day. This man likes to find a positive thing to do everyday, no matter how bad his day might get.
The viewers eyes, upon seeing this image, will start at his left arm, which is closest to the camera, and will travel to the back of the mans head and will end up at the river, where his line of sight is at. The vibrant and bright colors give off a very warm, relaxing and enlightening feeling.
This mans name is Gabriel Zabala. He is my roommate and my best friend. He is almost like a brother to me. I’ve only known him for a few months but his story is amazing. He goes though so much adversity as a college student but still manages to have a smile on his face everyday. He finds the positives in everything no matter how small they may be. He is a very ambitious and hard working human being. It takes a tremendously strong person to do what he does everyday.
This is the signature photo. The mans face and name are finally revealed to the viewer. The suspense that was built up, from hiding his face in the previous photos, is finally released. This picture was taken by a natural background with the sun at Gabriel's back to convey the internal strength and optimism that this man possesses. The picture brings the essay to a colorful, calm and relaxing conclusion.