Nino Guagliano
The Art Center College of Design

Perfect Wonder

Objective: In a world of mass produced perfection, and completely (re)altered realities the thought of one’s own self-image is constantly being challenged. Today’s commercialized showcase continues to push forth the superficial morals and values, which as a whole are debilitating. It seems to be getting progressively more and more difficult to stand up for the person and individual one truly is. The ever-present pressure of conformity and normality, regardless of what social grouping one chooses, seems to take hold of most adolescents. It has been my fortunate ability as a photographer to choose the subject matter at which I point my camera. It seems I have always been attracted to the subtleties of one’s internal aura, which often times affects the outside shell. Many people I choose to photograph are for the most part overlooked by the conventional stereotype of beauty. It is this redirected thought of what makes someone special that continues to push my imagery forward.

Tools used: The original image was photographed using a large format camera and transparency film. I than photographed the original transparency using color negative film and made an 11x14 proof. The final print was then scanned and the alterations using Adobe® Photoshop® were made. The overall contrast, levels, and color balance were always corrected, and the retouching of every image played a large role in achieving my final complete piece. The Clone and Healing Brush tools helped create a seamless construction and blend many of the extraneous layers into one.

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