The sound of the camera click syncs to the rhythm of my heartbeat as my eyes peer through the viewfinder and I watch the stories unfold of the world and people around me. That was the response I gave when I was once asked what photography meant to me. When first asked, I was put at a loss for words. I stuttered as I tried to come up with a short answer because there was so much to say and not enough words to say it. Photography has been my voice even when I have felt as if I didn’t have one, and, to me, it’s the way the stories of the world, no matter how large or small, are seen and heard. It has taught me that, as individuals, we are complex, just like the world we live in, and our stories are intertwining with one another every day. This, therefore, inspired me to focus on the connection between people or the connection an individual has with passion.
I’m a photojournalist for the A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts Marquee Yearbook. Being in the publication opened up a world of possibilities for me and allowed me to meet the most extraordinary individuals. I’ve had the pleasure to photograph Alexander Thomas, a dancer sponsored by Nike as well as document the first in-person spirit week in almost two years since the pandemic struck the globe.
In regards to spirit week, it’s one of the biggest events of the school year. Students get to express themselves through the clothes they wear and compete in games to show their school spirit. At first glance, spirit week might just seem like another week of festivities, but it’s so much more than that. While taking photos I began to notice the small things. The way people would lock eyes and give each other a small smile, or in the basketball game of teachers against students when someone would fall there would always be a teammate who extended their hand to help them back up again.
This year I got to run around my campus interviewing students and taking photos of every memory and moment I saw around me. With every question, I asked and every response I received I grew more appreciative of the words that people spoke and the impact they had on me. I soon began to realize that their stories would be forever engraved in our yearbook, and many years from now they will find this black engulfed book with the phrase So Many Questions in gold lettering. They’ll run their hands on the cover and as they creak open the book and flip through the pages, all the memories will flood their minds and cause them to remember the people we were and who we've become. In forth, in the grand scheme of things I am simply one out of many that are given the honor to tell the story of the people. My contribution may not be much, but I am willing to devote myself entirely to capturing the beauty of human connection.
Therefore I have learned through my photography it’s my job to tell the stories that the world deserves to hear: the stories of the spoken or unspoken, the stories that inspire thousands, and, most importantly, the stories that have and will continue to inspire me every day.
Thank you! I will be sure to contact you back shortly :)