Conceptual means having a theoretical or more philosophical concept. In photography, a conceptual photo is one that conveys meaning and has greater depth to it than what is put off. This photo is conceptual because although it seems it’s just a picture of a parked car on a dead-end street, this is a place where I spent my early years of childhood in and was even more special to my mom who spent most of her life here. I wanted to share a place that I’ve grown to see as home the more time I spent there. It’s where I would visit my Tia and my Tio. My mother shared several stories about this area, not just the street alone, but of the time we lived in West LA. Her experiences along with mine we share within that city. The people in the area I grew close to whether it was the family who worked at the pupuseria across the street or the workers I would see every day at PetSmart because I would always look at the cats up for adoption. I want the viewer to know that a huge part of me is this place and has shaped me into the person I am today. I learned what being part of a tight-knit community feels like and the pros to having connections with different people.
I think Cindy Sherman’s work is unique and cool. Not many photographers only take pictures of themselves so it’s fun to see one that does. I like this photo because I think she looks pretty and the emotion within this portrait is brilliantly captured. I think it was pretty smart doing a series of self-portraits because it makes shooting easier since you know what you want in your picture. She has every right to be famous because photography is all about creating art and originality, which she does beautifully.