Category: Inspiration

Oftentimes, the idea of the future is scary. I usually think of technology when I think about the future, so I decided to use a technique that I don’t think I’ve used before in my photo blogs, which is to use long exposures to create pathways of light. I really like this technique, and I’m actually pretty surprised I haven’t done this before in my photo blogs, so I wanted a chance to use this before the photo blogs are over. Happy blogging!

This prompt was pretty simple, so I took it simply. I photographed some fruits and a bottle of wine that was on the counter in my house. I didn’t move any of the objects, not to set them up, remove them, etc. I just took it how it was because I think the natural form is much more artistically powerful than a choreographed artwork.

In current events, I think there is a lot too much negativity and misinformation going around, especially on open sources like social media. So, I decided to turn off the TV for this photo to show the importance of disconnecting from the media. Even though it is important to stay educated and informed, especially when there is as much going on as there is now, I feel like it is just as important to make sure you’re not drowning in negativity when dealing with these events.

Ever since I was young, my parents have pushed piano toward me, signing me up for lessons and making me practice every day. I often hated it, wanting to quit, but looking back on it, I’m very glad and very grateful for the lessons they forced me into. I think a good sense of music is really essential to listening to and enjoying music, and being able to compose your own music is a great feeling as well, which I have dabbled in outside of class as well.

Since I have been pretty overwhelmed with work throughout my high school years, I decided to take a pretty chaotic photo of my desk – papers spread all over the place, very unorganized, and just a big mess. Oftentimes, this is how work feels to me – too fast, too much, etc. and I know many other high school students share this experience with me.

As a little kid, I always thought fire was the most powerful of the elements. After all, fire was the only one that would hurt me – air was just air, water just water, earth just earth. As I’ve grown up, I’ve come to realize the power of water especially. The massiveness of the ocean is still something difficult to grasp. I once heard that there were fifteen times as many gallons of water in the ocean as there are animals on planet Earth. I’m not sure of the validity of the statement, but it is simply impossible to grasp the insane mass of the ocean.

I was very confused about how I was going to tackle this prompt at first. My first thought was to take a picture of someone praying, but I realized that this was something that wasn’t true to many people, myself included. Religion is often a touchy subject, but I think it’s a generally agreed-upon statement to say that the relationship between religion and person is complicated. On the flip side of the coin, gratitude doesn’t have to be a complicated concept at all. What are you thankful for? Answer with your life. Self-reflection is a massive part of gratitude for me, personally. What did I do today? I biked to school – I am grateful for my physical health and my education. I had lunch with my friends – I am grateful for my close friends and the food I ate. There is so much to be thankful for, so I tried my best to find something simple – as simple as an orange slice.

As I often do, I took this prompt in a very general way. There are many people who inspire me. Athletes, successful business people, political figures – they all have their ups and their downs and inspire me in various different ways. I wanted to encapsulate all of the people who inspire me in an image, so I decided to take a picture of this statue of a soldier in the American Revolution, with the American flag billowing behind it. Generally speaking, I am not the most patriotic person – but I can always appreciate someone who stands up for their beliefs.

I did my best to broaden the topic of “your habits” to the “habits” of humanity. As we have heard and seen time and time again, history repeats itself. Every time people come to a new area of the world, at least new to them, almost always there is a mismanagement of resources and overcrowding as the masses all begin to pile into the new environment. I tried to bring this message across in my photo of crowded Half Moon Bay harbor, which is mostly very busy with various crab-ing and fishing boats.

The first thing I thought about when I heard this prompt was this very unique, intricate gate. In addition to the gate itself, I wanted to capture this trapped feeling that is very common when people see locked doors – a lack of an exit, essentially. I really feel like this picture is almost like a “light at the end of the tunnel” type of metaphor, because of the vignette making the foreground seem darker, and the area behind the gate seem lighter. I also felt it important to increase the contrast in order to emphasize this feeling.