Mother

You can find all kinds of people at a women's march, and the event itself is filled with passion, love, beauty, and emotion. It gets cold in Boston, so to stay warm we all huddled a little closer, and chanted a little stronger. For a small girl like me, it's hard to see much while standing in a crowd, but I didn't need to look to far to find them. A mother and her son. As someone whose biggest goal in life is to be a loving mother, it was emotional for me to find them. I'm brought back to the day after the 2016 presidential election. We set aside time in AP Literature to discuss how we were feeling, and when it was my turn to speak, I began to cry. I've always wanted to be a mother, but that was the first time I questioned whether I should, because I was afraid to bring a child into the world we were headed towards.

&

Son

I imagined the woman raising and teaching her son lessons that so many boys, and unfortunately public officials, have failed to learn. 'Boys will be boys' won't be an excuse. It's cold, it's crowded, and a mother has chosen to bring her son to the Women's March to listen to the stories of other women. The son grabs his mother tighter. She knows her son will do good.

Self Portrait

In my high school photography class we had to complete a photo journal every week. The theme for this week in particular was to imitate the style of Vivian Dorothy Maier, an American street photographer from the 50s who worked 40 years as a nanny. In her photography collection, you will find self portraits of Maier that were taken through various reflective objects. The self_portrait_ series is my own interpretation of her style.

More about Vivian Maier.

Self Portrait 2

I had never experienced being the subject of my own photos before. I always thought that photography was supposed to capture beauty, and for a long time I did not consider myself beautiful. Taking these photos and submitting them to my teacher made me feel exposed and almost vulnerable. It was like the mirror was pointing a finger back at me, accusing me of something. The photo journal was graded within a couple of days. Grade: '110%'. Comments: 'Oh My Goodness! What incredible work! These are the most beautiful self-portraits I've graded today. Thank you for the work. Truly wonderful'

The self_portrait_ series was chosen to be displayed at the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District art show. Seeing my work, my face nonetheless, printed out on poster sized photo paper and hung in a gallery was one of my proudest and most validating moments.

Goodnight, New York

It was my first time in New York City, and the farthest I had been from home (Santa Monica, California). My older sister and I decided to take a week trip to New York City for college tours and sightseeing. Swaying palm trees had been replaced by cascading skyscrapers. The rush of the city had excited me, contrasting to the relaxed atmosphere of living by the beach.

Central Park. My sister had meticulously planned our trip, but once we got to Central Park, we allowed ourselves to wander and get lost. We found ourselves by a body of water, just like home, and the sun began to switch places with the moon. I took my camera out, just in time to capture the moment the moon was peaking over the buildings; when the moon kissed New York City, and said goodnight.

bird's museum view

During my trip to New York, I had the chance to visit the Modern of Museum Art. I had previously been to the one in San Francisco, and I had high expectations for New York's MOMA. My sister and I decided to go Friday because there was a promotion that allowed free admission. Big mistake. The place was packed. It was so crowded that even the white walls of the exhibits felt claustrophobic. You had to elbow your way through the crowd to get a glimpse of famous art pieces. What a waste. We wrapped up our visit once we reached the top floor of the exhibit, and as my sister headed off to the restroom, I waited for her by the rails. That's when I saw it. I took my camera out, and snapped the moment of artistic bliss I had been looking for the whole time; I just needed to look down.

harmonious shadows

Another form of art I enjoy is music. I started on the piano when I was 4, violin when I was 9, and picked the guitar up when I was 14. My main instrument is violin, and I've continued playing violin in college as well with the Northeastern University Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Ensemble. This photo captures one afternoon when I was practicing violin for hours in my living room. The sun began to set, and I turned around to see my own shadow dancing along with me in rhythm and harmony. 'How beautiful', I thought. I set the violin down, grabbed the camera and tripod, and captured the shadow that had mimicked every bow stroke. It is in this photo that two identities of mine are captured: the photographer and the musician.

camping blues: em

In junior year of high school, I was part of the Outdoors Club. I joined it mainly because a lot of my friends were in it. I hadn't had any outdoor experience since the science magnet trips (Catalina Island, Yosemite, Astro Camp) in middle school. Plus, I'd never gone camping before. My first camping experience was with this club. We headed up to a campsite in Malibu on a Saturday morning. Setting up a tent for the first time was quite an experience, and after I had successfully gotten my tent up, I walked around the campsite with my camera. That's when I came across Em and Anya's blue tent, blue shoes, and blue sleeping pads; their camping blues. I positioned my camera, and the sound of the shutter was drowned by the giggles from inside the tent.

camping blues: anya

LACMA: Rain Room

My sister and I always try to check out exciting and unique art exhibits that come to visit Los Angeles. This time the Rain Room by Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass was visiting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It had become very popular, and tickets were limited -- we were lucky to be able to go see it. The rain room is a simulation in a room that mimics rain fall, but as you walk through the installation, it detects your presence, and the rain does not fall on you, allowing you to walk through rain without getting wet. This gave people to safely take photos in the rain, without worrying about ruining their devices. There was a single bright light at the corner of the room that shone over the whole exhibit, angled so that long shadows were cast on the opposite wall. With lots of people spread throughout the exhibit, it was hard (but not impossible) to be able to get a good picture of yourself in the rain room. Though I was fascinated with the concept of the rain room, I was disappointed with the photos I was taking, until I turned around, away from where everyone else was, and saw the long shadows dance across the dry walls that met the wet floor.

More about The Rain Room.

Talia Prom: Duncan & Emmett

It was junior year, and Talia had just been born. Talia, both my friend's name and the name of our friend group, was made up of ~30 people who all got added to an enormous group chat and became friends. One of the events held by our group was Talia prom. Many of us at the time were either juniors or sophomores, and our high school prom was reserved for seniors and their dates. So on the night of our school prom, we held our own prom on 'The Roof' -- the roof of a building in Sawtelle Japantown in West Los Angeles.

Guide to Sawtelle Japantown.

Talia Prom: Faisl, Max, Kimi, Kobe, & Emmett

Emmett Powers

We were always an animated group at lunch time. A whole group of us would sit at a blue round table that was too small to fit all of us, so oftentimes there were at least a few people standing or sitting on the ground or the grass. That day I was one of those standing, and Emmett was one of those who was sitting. Emmett has one of the kindest and warmest hearts, and I was lucky enough to capture his joyous spirit in a silly yet simple photo of him with an orange.

deadly dancing

It was an end of the semester showcase put on by the dance program at our high school. Our dance teacher at the time always put on the most creative showcases that displayed a myriad of musical storytelling. This showcase in particular had a zombie themed dance, and Tiana was cast as one of the zombies. After a thrilling performance, I went around the back to meet my friends coming out of the dressing rooms. That's when I ran into Tiana, pulled out my camera, and snapped this photo - as if moments from being devoured.

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