Posted on November 12, 2011 by Katy Villanueva
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HAPPY ENDINGS
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These photos tell a story of a girl. I have arranged my photos in an order that tells a story of myself. Girl is alone. Girl meets boy. Girl is walking into a house. Girl is throwing her bra out the window. Girl is in bed, naked and laughing. Although I did not necessarily do these things or even take these pictures in that order, I believe they still tell a little about my personality and my style.
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I chose to have a theme for my series: leopard print. Initially I had the term “wild feline” in my mind, but it turned into more than just that. Leopards are fast, agile, smart, graceful, fierce and beautiful. I do not admit to being all of these things, however my personality does in fact reflect some of these qualities. I did not want the leopard print to be the main focus of each photo; I simply wanted something to tie each one together. As it happens, the leopard print represents a more sexy, sultry side of myself that I was lucky enough to explore throughout this project.
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The term “Self-Portrait” carried a lot more weight than I had expected. Throughout my childhood I have been instructed to paint, draw or sculpt a representation of myself. However taking pictures of myself forced me to look at myself a little differently than I do in the mirror every morning. I had to take lighting, setting, attire and mood into account when photographing myself these past few weeks. I don’t think I see myself as clearly as others see me (just as we all don’t). Throwing my favorite bra out the window and photographing my legs on Locust Walk both helped me see myself a little better. No, I did not go home with the boy in my second photo, and my mother was with me in the room in my last. However, the story reveals a side of me that I don’t get to express very often.
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About The Author: Katy Villanueva is a freshman enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2014 – Copyright 2011
























