The concept. The introductory part
When participating in the «Shot on HUAWEI nova» contest, I set a few simple rules for myself: no pre-conceived concepts and no staged shots. It seemed to me that this was inappropriate when the goal was to capture a living moment.
I decided to become a photographer at an event of the Intellectual Games Club at the University of MISIS for one evening in order to put myself in an atmosphere of unpredictability, intellectual excitement and involvement in what is happening. What could inspire more than a real, lively evening filled with vivid emotions?
Thus, I moved chaotically around the room with my phone while the student teams talked, put forward theories, and were happy or upset when they found out the correct answer.
The concept. Specifics
While the last hardware setup was going on, a funny situation occurred: the chairman of the Club, who was sitting at a colleague’s laptop, stopped using the mouse. I was able to catch a random expression of surprise on his face as he turned the mouse over to see what was wrong with it.
«The Mouse Doesn’t Work» (2026)// Caravaggio, «David with the Head of Goliath» (1610)// Caravaggio, «The Calling of the Saint Matthew» (1600)
This is a pretty funny photo both in its plot, and in the emotion conveyed, and in the composition. It seems to me that it ironically resembles the paintings of Caravaggio. It’s ironic, because some elevation achieved by the composition (one person and an object in his hand) and lighting (a bright direct ray of sunlight from the top left) directly onto the hero and the object does not fit in with the everyday plot. It feels like life is laughing at the character, throwing surprises at him and saying, «take a closer look.»
The interweaving of coincidences, my consciousness and the HUAWEI phone created a memorable photo, with its own story and sudden references.
Perhaps this is the magic of life, in which everyone can be an artist, deftly capturing moments on a phone camera.
P. S. The photo was taken on a HUAWEI Pura 80 phone P. P. S. The author of the project received permission from a third party, who is the key character in the photo, to publish and participate in the competition.
