The Stampede

Media Credit: Sara Travis Mahan captures compositions of unique light gradations and shadows

Media Credit: Sara Travis In this photograph, Mahan frames a common hot dog stand in New York City

Media Credit: Sara Travis Mahan depicts a common household scene

Sunday marked the opening of senior Rachel Mahan’s photography show, “A New Perspective.”

The show, made up of both color and black and white photographs, consists of three series of photos. Five of the black and white photos are from Mahan’s photojournalism essay from the Johnson City Senior Center. She also has nine smaller black and white photos called “I Love New York.”

The most dominant series is a collection of still life color prints titled “Number Six,” which is the MSA apartment Mahan lives in and where the series began.

The photos’ subjects range from a purse hanging from a door to glasses sitting on a table to a monster  head in a box.

“She really struggled with color but she worked really hard at it,” said Associate Professor of Art Alice Anthony. “She’s very picky and very meticulous.”

Mahan came to Milligan undecided in her major and chose business originally. By sophomore year, though, Mahan said she was just not happy going to class, so she enrolled in Anthony’s basic photography class.

“I loved going to class. I was excited to go to class,” Mahan said. “It’s definitely something that’s here to stay for me.”

From then on she began to explore art and will complete her time at Milligan as an art major with an emphasis in photography.

“Four years ago I thought I would be in a very different place,” Mahan said.

In her artist’s statement, Mahan said that art was foreign to her before Milligan, but now she has come to see everything around her as artistic and beautiful.

“Beauty surrounds us all, as I have come to see it with a new perspective,” said Mahan in her artist’s statement.

Mahan enjoys shooting still lifes at this point. She said so many people think they need a new perspective, but she’s discovered she does not have to go that far to find beauty.

 “Some people may say, ‘who is this girl taking pictures of cups on a table with juice in them,’” she said. “But it’s about composition and color. It’s exciting.”

Mahan also enjoys learning about other photographers’ journeys and how they came to milestones in their lives. She said everyone comes at photography from a different angle.

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