The Oracle: What is the name of the photography piece?

LC: I don’t really have a name [for it], just call it Blue I guess.

TO: What is the technique used in the photo?

LC: I’m not sure what genre this falls under... The set up was pretty simple. I lit a stick on incense in an almost completely dark room. The backdrop was a large sheet of black cloth. I put two flashes on the left and right side of the incense. The hardest part was trying to get the smoke in focus. It’s pretty hard to see smoke when the room is almost pitch black.

TO: Where does your inspiration come from?

LC: My biggest inspiration is the natural world. Originally I started photography because I wanted to photograph wildlife, landscapes, flower, that kind of thing. But I ended up very interested in macro photography. It still relates to the natural world, just the smaller things that people pass by and don’t notice everyday. Oh, and I like to browse flickr and Deviantart a lot, there is a lot of great work there.

TO: What is the purpose of the piece?

LC: Just for more experience and to diversify what I’ve been doing. Lately I have been doing a lot still-life, with flowers, fruits, stuff like that.

TO: Favorite photographers or collections?

LC: Recently I stumbled onto an amazing collection of the best photos from the competition for wildlife photographer of the year. There were several amazing photos, like the two eagles fighting in the snow and the frog and snake in a deadlock. Search for “wildlife photographer of 2008,” and make sure you look in every gallery! A few of my favorite photographers are Art Wolfe, Frans Lanting and Steve Bloom.

TO: What do you think is the relationship between photography and more traditional art such as paintings?

LC: Even though the techniques differ a lot, they both have similar elements such as composition and color theory. You need to have a similar basic understanding of art elements and principles to be able to do both well.

TO: How does being a photographer make you think differently?

LC: Sometimes you overanalyze things, like if you are looking at something simple you might think of something really weird.

TO: How can non-artists invite art into their life?

LC: I guess photography is something that you don’t really need to have a lot of talent to produce results. Not that it is easy to do—but something like painting needs a lot of practice and technique.

TO: Can you identify a person with an “artist’s vibe”?

LC: I kind of associate people with quirky fashion style to be artistic. People express themselves through their fashion and people with quirky style are doing exactly that.

TO: After graduation, do you have any plans to continue photography?

LC: Photography is more of a hobby for me, it’s something I enjoy doing. Of course I will keep doing it but not professionally. Doing photography professionally is very hard. It takes a lot of skills to complete your assignments. The people hire you have very high expectations for you. Unless you can keep doing your best work you won’t be able to make a living.