Senior art major Alaura Gage has spent years honing her skills in an often forgotten medium: film photography.
When did you start taking photos?
Well if you don’t count whenever I had my first iPod, I started off doing a lot of film, like video, my freshman year of college. I went to Kenyon College at the time and took an intro to film course where you watched movies and also made movies. That’s where I started seriously using a camera.
How did you get into art?
I’ve always had an affinity for photos. Going into the photos section of museums always kind of captured me, no pun intended. Something about having those four corners makes a moment special, it takes an image away from reality for a second.
What’s your favorite part of the Hillsdale art program?
It’s a very tight knit group of people. The students are close to each other, the students are close to the professors, and the professors are close to each other. If you want to see a specific change in the department, or you want to see something happen in the department, all you have to do is ask. They’re more than willing to help you make something happen.
Do you use any mediums other than film photography?
I do digital photography, film photography, graphic design videography, and a little bit of painting on the side.
What is your favorite medium?
It really bounces around. There are phases where I only want to take digital photos because it’s a lot easier to edit, and they’re easier to shoot in general. Other times, I love how complicated film photography is. All I want is to be in a dark room and working with chemicals. And then sometimes I want to be more illustrative and that’s when I find myself doing graphic design or painting. It really just depends on what season of life I’m in.
If you could thank any art professor from Hillsdale who would it be?
Professor Kaufman has been so willing to help us build the film photography class. She gives a lot of time and effort to the department in general. She has a very good attitude and is very maternal. She treats her students like her own children, which is very kind.
If you could have a nat geo-level photo, what would you want to capture?
A portrait of a person I didn’t even know. I just caught them at the right time at the right place, and it’s a beautiful moment that we got to share.
Gage, along with seniors Grace Cool and Ashton Mills, will highlight the power and importance of femininity in their upcoming gallery. The “Eternal Feminine” gallery will hang April 8-10 in the fine arts building.