Freestyle Academy proudly presents

When Our Paths Crossed: A Narrative Character Portrait by Sacha McDermott (2015)

My character is Naomi. She is 16 years old and has just moved cross country from her hometown in Virginia. Naomi has to start over all while leaving behind her best friend whom she's known almost her entire life. Throughout the story we follow Naomi as she learns she's not as alone as she feels. It was a chance to start fresh and she took it. I chose to capture the moment where she has just arrived at her new home and is trying to contact her best friend Brooke.

I chose to do a medium shot of my character, I chose this because I wanted to be able to capture the look on her face and the laptop. The laptop signifies her lasting connection to Brooke, the thing that keeps them together even when they're thousands of miles apart. The background was plain and simple because I did not want to draw away from my main focus, Naomi. I kept her makeup minimal because she was starting fresh. The main problem I had was trying to find a good balance of facial expressions for the photo. Despite the fact that she's left her home I wanted Naomi to look somewhat content. She is putting on a brave face, not just for Brooke but also for herself. I used Photoshop to add the vignette on the photo but kept the touch ups minimal.
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