Kayla Goyette

Artist Statement

Film Noir Project

For this project I chose to do a Film Noir style series of portrait shots following a young man through the Denton city streets. The young man’s agenda is unclear and makes the viewers question his motives. This was my first uncolored series and I found the power of black and white photography for me, helped the story of the images shine through without the visual distraction of other colors. Drawing inspiration from noir artists such as Arthur Penn and Philip Lorca diCorcia, I chose various locations around town and used high contrast light settings. I used Denton square for many of my previous projects as well as this one because of its urban and gritty aesthetics. These photos focus on the way light and subjects interact together and emphasize dark shadows, photo grain and build up but no resolution that entices the audience to keep going to find out the meaning of the story.