Category: Story Telling

When walking through Chinatown in San Fransisco, I was reminded of the old film photos of China my family members would show me. Specifically, the abundance of red and gold accents and the bustling streets. Given that I haven’t had the chance to visit China for myself yet, Chinatown is the closest I can get to the experiences my family members documented and continue to cherish. I wanted to tell the story of my Chinese heritage through this image, and I specifically wanted to replicate the old vibrant, warm, and grainy photos from my family.

With this photo, I aimed to capture the beauty yet simplicity of flowers blooming in the spring. I chose to photograph cherry blossoms as they perfectly encapsulate the fleeting nature of springtime, as their season only lasts a mere two weeks, if that. Originally, I was unsure how I wanted to show the flowers, which made it was hard to decide whether to photograph a single blossom or an entire tree. I landed on a small group of them on a branch, with full trees blurred in the background to show detail yet still include the blossoms’ sweeping presence.

Strangers carry the reality of the unknown in daily life, so I wanted to capture the feeling of unknowing in this photograph. This man on the street is dressed in a suit with a briefcase, but from the outside we don’t know where he’s going, we can only guess. Maybe its work, maybe school or home. There is physical distance shown as the viewpoint is far from the subject, and the window the photo is taken behind becomes a barrier — a metaphor for the emotional distance between the subject and the viewer.

With this image I wanted to show the aging of cultures and how old traditions, beliefs, and values have been carried through the years. The statue at the Todaiji Temple in Nara Park represents the concept of aging through its enduring, centuries-long presence. This statue stands as a symbol of resilience and wisdom despite the weathering effects of time. People continue to worship as this statue and practice their traditions that have been passed on for generations. This represents the beautiful side of aging that can often be over looked by people and society who are conditioned to believe aging only exists as a negative process.

In this photograph, I was challenged with capturing a sunset in a creative way. As I have always loved watching sunsets, I was set on finding a way to depict the act of watching a sunset in the photo. I landed on the concept of photographing the reflection of a sunset in an eye because it would do exactly that, and add more interest into the image. During the shoot, finding the proper angle that would allow for the sunset to be seen across a major portion of the iris posed a significant challenge, but with some trial and error the final shot turned out just how I had hoped.

With this photo my intention was to capture the intensity of people’s passion for watching sports and their loyal commitment to their teams. Using my dad as the model, I had him pose to look as though he was watching a sports game of his favorite team on the television. Taking inspiration from his own affinity for Michigan college football, I was able to tell the story of dedication to and the feeling of investment in a sports team as a fan.

In this self-portrait, I captured my anxiety and insecurity of not knowing who I want to be without displaying my face. While I am only sixteen, it can be scary seeing how many of my peers seem to already be figuring out their lives, and I wanted to capture the fear of an unknown future in a photograph. I used an empty canvas to symbolize my undefined sense of self; a blank slate waiting to be filled. I struggled with trying to figure out how I wanted to tie in the blank canvas. Whether that be me turned away from the camera, looking at the canvas or what I ended up using, which had the canvas covering my face, but me pointed at the camera. In the end, I think the shot I was able to get emulates the concept I was originally aiming for.