Upper School Art Gallery

Scottie
Black & White (Sabattier) Print

Whenever I take a photograph, I think of Diane Arbus. As I photographed my friend Scottie outside her house in the snow one day, I thought of Arbus’s statement, “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.” I like this photograph because it doesn’t tell you too much, but it’s still stimulating. This photograph is mysterious because of Scottie’s pose and because of the Sabattier effect. If someone simply glanced at this photo, they might just think it’s a girl in front of some trees in the snow. But if you really look at the way she holds her hands and her expression, it seems like she has a secret that she’s happy about, or that she has something to be happy about that she’s going to share. The tonal reversal and Mackie lines from the Sabatier add to this effect, and the final result is a piece of art.

Samantha Dillon's Portfolio