This photo is of my twin sister, Lucy. After asking her twice to take photos of her for photography class and being denied, I begged her on the morning that these photos were due, telling her that I have no one else to photograph (and thankfully she agreed.) Lucy was an amazing subject to capture, and there were very few photographs that weren't of her laughing or smiling. This photo, despite being one of those few, is one of my favorites. Both the contrast of values on both sides of her face as well as the background and foreground and the centering of her dominant eye in the middle of the photo forms a final photograph that I am quite proud of.
"Colorful"
This is one of the more "colorful" images of Lucy, both literally and figuratively. This picture was taken soon after I made her laugh, leaving the perfect smile for a photograph. The bokeh in this photo really makes Lucy "pop" in the picture, as it clearly defines a difference in elevation between the background and the foreground.
"Awake"
After hearing that pets were allowed for portrait photos, I was so excited to photograph them, starting with my cat, Puck. Seeing this image reminds me of the dragon, Toothless from "How to Train Your Dragon." There is a specific scene where Toothless was supposed to be animated sleeping with his eyes closed, but an animation mistake resulted in the camera panning to an open eye glaring right back. This mistake ended up making the final cut, and I believe this choice is much more accurate for the character. I took this photo of Puck while he was sleeping in his bed that is positioned right next to the window (one of his favorite spots.) I didn't realize until after I snapped the photo that his eyes were open, glaring right back at me.
"Dreaming, Still"
This photo of Puck captured him in a relaxed position with the sun shining through the window behind him. I did not originally choose this position for the glare on the lens of my camera, however I actually preferred to keep the photos that had the glare, because it adds an effect that reminds me of a dream.
"Respect, Kindness, and Dignity"
I took this photo of a very close family friend, Laurie, whom I have known my entire life. She's one of the kindest people I know, and has dedicated her life to helping others. One of the most prevalent examples of this is her starting a daycare that is built on the virtues of "respect, kindness, and dignity." This woman has done so much for our community and me, and I hope that she can recognize the incredible impact that she has had on us.
"Stronger Than Ever"
Here is a colorful image of Laurie, which I think more accurately captures her bright personality. Between the time that I shot this photo and writing this, she was hit by a car in a parking lot. She is still recovering, but she is incredibly strong and determined still. I pray for her speedy recovery, but I don't doubt that she will come out of this stronger than before, yet again.
"Beautiful"
Shortly after taking this photo of my mom, she complained that she had just woken up, and hadn't done her hair or makeup yet. This made me sad, because looking at her in this photo, all I see is a beautiful woman that has done so much for me and my family. I see a woman that has worked hard for the things that she's passionate about, and even harder to provide her kids with the best mom they could ever ask for. I see a woman that has, in fact, just woken up. She hasn't put on makeup or styled her hair. She hasn't changed into her work clothes. And still, I see a beautiful, determined, hard-working, generous, and kind woman sitting in front of me. I see my mom.
"Plant a Garden"
This is another picture of my mom, smiling on the bench in our backyard. Before we moved into this house little over a year ago, the backyard was just grass and weeds. Between then and now, my mom has spent hundreds of hours working outside, both in the backyard and front. She's dug up tree roots, landscaped, planted, mulched, composted, and organized incredible gardens to make this house our home. She has given me a love for plants and the outdoors that no one else can provide.
"Play Now, Sleep Later"
This is a picture of my dog, Jasmine. Jasmine has always been quite an active and enthusiastic dog, however my family and I have noticed that she has started to move around a little less and sleep a little more. This is not a surprising fact, as I know that getting old is inevitable and the energetic days will slowly diminish, but seeing her like this makes me wish that I played with her more often during the moments she wanted to. I will try to make the most of those moments now; I know they won't stay forever.
"Expressions"
I had difficult time figuring out what to write for this photo, but I realized after looking at it for a while, that I can see multiple expressions in Jasmine's face, depending how I look at it. I can see joy in her ears, which always move back a little bit when she gets excited. I see sadness in her eyes (or maybe they're just puppy-dog eyes.) And I see ferocity in her mouth, reminding me of the loud barking she provides for anyone within a mile-radius. She always greets them with kisses when the open the doors, though. Maybe this is a stretch and its just a picture of her looking at me, probably thinking of dinner or something, but I see all of these expressions when I look at her in this, perhaps if you stare at it long enough, you'll see it too.