Maya Minguela

ARTIST STATEMENT

Photography was always something that I did growing up, without even realizing it was an actual artistic skill that people take on as a career. In elementary school I’d steal my mom's phone (because it had a better camera than my dad’s) and take pictures of sunsets at the beach, which is where we all start as photographers I’d say. When you have so little knowledge about the complexities of photography and mother nature puts this painting of colors in the sky right above the ocean, our beginner photographer takes credit for the beautiful image anybody can capture. The bright cotton candy clouds, the rainbow sky reflecting off the crashing waves, and the bright orange sun ready to disappear behind the Santa Monica mountains in the distance; it’s maybe the only reason to ever live in LA. The whole car ride home from our beach day I’d be editing those pictures. When I moved to Oregon and took my first photography class sophomore year, that’s when I really learned how to utilize this skill. I learned concepts like rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, how to edit pictures better and use presets to give my picture a different feeling.

My inspiration became unusual sights in downtown Portland; a dirty, graffitied payphone, steps covered in moss with overgrown ivy, or a cigarette pack laying on the sidewalk. I loved creating captivating photos out of the overlooked things, small “urban observations” that nobody would think to take a second glance at after walking by. My dad always told me I had a special eye, that I looked at things different from other people, and I believe that’s shown through my photography.