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Me, Myself and Eye

ONLINE PRESENTATION

Me, Myself and Eye Home   //  Leslie Elsasser - Introduction   //  Selina Roman - Mind Currents   //  Michael Ball   //  TC Bryant   //  Larry Busby   //  David Canaday   //  Michael Congdon   //  Brandie Dziegiel   //  Loretta Fields   //  Jeaniel Image   //  Douglas Eric Jordan   //  Valerie Larson   //  John Leduc   //  Jason Lind   //  Mikko Maki   //  Alex Martinez   //  Matias   //  Noemys McConnell   //  Megan O’Connell   //  Robert Ortega   //  Adaina Plaza   //  Pat Randall   //  Heather Rivera   //  RaeAnne Swanson   //  Michael Webb

 

David Canaday, Ghost Walk, 2020

David Canaday, Ghost Walk, 2020

DAVID CANADAY - US ARMY

Ghost Walk

I initially signed up for Breaking Barriers with the goal of improving upon an undeveloped photography skill set. A large part of my current job in the Army involves travel and I wanted to get better at taking photos of the various places I was assigned to. The Breaking Barriers course has challenged me to see the world in different ways. Prior to starting this work, I viewed photography as a way to capture memories. While accurate, this understanding did not encompass the full communication potential of a purposefully shot photograph. One thing I quickly learned is that I could go beyond a flat image that freezes a particular point in time and instead use some of these images to convey deeper thoughts and emotions. 

As I look back over my work it sparks some interesting introspection into different thoughts I had while shooting the photos and the various emotions and memories they conjured inside me upon reflection. I took this image, Ghost Walk, as part of an assignment that challenged us to take portraits using abstraction and obstruction. I took the Ghost Walk photo using a slow shutter app on my cellphone. With the help of a friend, I took these photos from several angles, however I ended up settling on the one displayed because the movement started and stopped cleanly within the wooden frame. This image made me think of the transient nature of army life as it must appear to our civilian counterparts. A life in which you can be randomly posted to a new location; to “appear” one day out of thin air, only to “disappear” a year or two or three later, as though you never were there at all in the first place. 

DAVID CANADAY
US ARMY

 

David Canaday, Forging Strong Links, 2020

David Canaday, Forging Strong Links, 2020

David Canaday, Cat Nap, 2020

David Canaday, Cat Nap, 2020

 


 

For more information:
Email Leslie Elsasser at lelsasse@usf.edu
or Ashley Jablonski at danyele@usf.edu

Breaking Barriers 2020 is supported by the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, Love IV Lawrence, Hillsborough Arts Council, and the Florida Department of State.