I got my first camera when I was 11 years old – my father gave me his old film camera and later on, he sent his DSLR over from Korea. I barely touched the camera at first. When I did, the shutter only clicked once or twice before I put it back down. It took a while for me to pick it back up again and start experimenting: I shot streets, animals, people, food – anything that remotely caught my interest. Not that I was any good at making these things seem interesting at all; I was just starting to get a feel for the way everything worked.
As I took more and more pictures, I started to develop an eye for often-ignored wonders – I noticed sights that others merely glanced at and stopped to savor beauties that others rushed past. Capturing these in photographs meant that I got to share the world that I saw. I started to appreciate the smaller things and tried to find beauty in every aspect of my life.
Photography also tied me closer to my father – he hasn’t lived with the rest of my family since I was four. Giving me his camera helped us bond over something new that we both loved. Today, we share photos over Facebook – they become our reasons to connect.
During my junior year, I started a school-based portrait project: “Humans of GNS,” modeled after the popular Facebook page, “Humans of New York.” My aim? To create an engaging representation of South’s diverse population and to come out of my shell by approaching people I didn’t know. Not only did I improve my portrait photography skills, I also grew more confident and outgoing; seeking diverse subjects meant stepping out of my comfort zone to talk to new people. I’m not as afraid now as I was a year ago to walk up to someone and ask for their photo and I’ve made countless friends in the process: artists, teachers, writers, scientists, actors – all from our school body.
Photography has allowed me to showcase the world the way I see and pick out the beautiful things in my life to focus on. The connections I’ve formed, both with my father and with my peers, are something I hope to build on in the future.
As I took more and more pictures, I started to develop an eye for often-ignored wonders – I noticed sights that others merely glanced at and stopped to savor beauties that others rushed past. Capturing these in photographs meant that I got to share the world that I saw. I started to appreciate the smaller things and tried to find beauty in every aspect of my life.
Photography also tied me closer to my father – he hasn’t lived with the rest of my family since I was four. Giving me his camera helped us bond over something new that we both loved. Today, we share photos over Facebook – they become our reasons to connect.
During my junior year, I started a school-based portrait project: “Humans of GNS,” modeled after the popular Facebook page, “Humans of New York.” My aim? To create an engaging representation of South’s diverse population and to come out of my shell by approaching people I didn’t know. Not only did I improve my portrait photography skills, I also grew more confident and outgoing; seeking diverse subjects meant stepping out of my comfort zone to talk to new people. I’m not as afraid now as I was a year ago to walk up to someone and ask for their photo and I’ve made countless friends in the process: artists, teachers, writers, scientists, actors – all from our school body.
Photography has allowed me to showcase the world the way I see and pick out the beautiful things in my life to focus on. The connections I’ve formed, both with my father and with my peers, are something I hope to build on in the future.