Some words on some pictures.

My name is Eli Barzilay.

I'm a Computer Science student in Cornell , working with Robert Constable , on reflection . In 1999 I started doing stuff for my minor in Arts, which started with the basic idea of a loop and advanced to more abstract things (with the help of Marcia Lyons).

In April 2000 I discovered digital photography when Barry Perlus pushed me. With normal cameras you wait forever: finish the roll, take it to the photo shop, take the pictures back, scan them -- and by that time you've forgot what picture you took... With a digital camera , however, it is all a matter of seconds: see, click & download ...

In the beginning, I just took pictures like crazy , but then things settled and I found some themes that I like to play with. The major one is tightly related to my research work: reflection . The meaning of this word is very context sensitive, but there are always equivalences: to reflect you basically need three elements. You need a way of quoting (representing syntactic objects), a way to reference yourself , and a reflection rule . In terms of photographs (or maybe the "real" world), syntax would be any visual form, so any photo is representing such syntax, self-reference is any way someone (or something ) relates to itself, and a reflection rule is what makes the connection between quotes and the real things they stand for (when I think about myself, the image is indeed connected to me).

So, I like reflection , but there are some other games I'm trying. playing with light is something I really like: the way it behaves with the digital camera lens , twisted colors , getting too much or too little , long exposures , nights from my car (more lights = more fun) and much more . I use my wife whenever possible , and some friends (mainly Noemie ) and family (my father and my uncle ) as well. Naturally, I use computers a lot since I'm surrounded by them . I'm also trying to use works that I like for ideas here and there , but there is still a long way ahead.