When people think of multimedia, photography does not come to mind first. However, in this digital age, it can also be an important component. My work in photography looks at urban spaces from a distance, exploring the ephemeral and transient nature of light. I see this medium as able to reinterpret light through new technology, engaging the viewer to experience light and information in different ways. Though I am a videographer and editor by trade, my first love has always been photography.

The focus of my photography has mainly resulted from my fascination with light during nighttime hours. Humans have always attempted to light up the dark. At night, I have the luxury of using long exposures to capture lightning—an instantaneous event—thereby “creating a paradox.” Light, in many ways, has a hypnotizing effect on humans, just as fire does. Humans have always shown both fear and awe of lightning.

Another form of lighting up the dark is fireworks. Although they were initially used as a weapon, they quickly developed into a form of entertainment. While one can shoot fireworks with video, it does not produce the same type of effect that photography does. As with lightning, using long exposures captures the brilliant colors of fireworks best.

Recently, I have exhibited two interactive installations at the Electronic Social Club’s fall show. The first was part of a collaborative project called Story Walk, which melds mapping technology with video, photography and descriptive analysis with neighborhood stories, both fictionalized and snatches of conversations overheard on the street, to create an experientially three-dimensional "walking" tour for audiences. My part was to rear project a brick wall containing two virtual monitors and one real monitor, in order to show the video of other collaborators. The second piece was an interactive map of the show itself. At the entrance to the hall, visitors saw a projection of the map on a wall. Using hand movements, they could pan in the four basic directions and view where the participants’ projects were located in the space. Using this new emerging form of technology can be a very powerful way to deliver a message to a much larger audience, faster than has been available in the past.

Another area of interest for me is video projected installations. I exhibited my photography at a show hosted by DIVAS, a non-profit organization that teaches new media skills to adolescent girls. For the installation, I used two large printouts, one of lightning and the other of fireworks, and between these two, I projected the remainder of my lightning and firework photographs.

Until my present job, as Digital CLT in the Film and Media Department at Hunter College, I had not been exposed to many different forms of multimedia. Since then, however, my interest in interactive multimedia has significantly increased. Joining the IMA program will give me the opportunity to explore these types of media so as to allow me to pursue this interest.