Everything is just a big learning experience.
For the last few weeks now, I have been spending all my time thinking about what I want to do when I graduate. Now I know that I want to do photography, my problem is “What kind of photography do I want to go into?” Now honestly anyone can take pictures of weddings and babies and stuff like senior pictures. Don’t get me wrong I most definitely will take my fair share of those kinds of pictures in my day, without a doubt. So, like I said, almost anyone who wants to be a “photographer” can take those pictures. With my photography I want to create something different. I want to take something, preferably a subject most people either choose to not focus their attention on, or one that people rarely hear about; and bring to life the details that every day people like myself miss. I want to be able to look at my work and know that it is going to make a difference in the way people see things and they way their minds form an image about said subject. Today in class we had a visitor, Chris Webster, he came to speak to us about the homeless and less fortunate in our community. While listening to this man speak to us, and show us snapshots of what is going on in our own city, a light clicked on. I had found my first project I want to work on. In my mind this is just a little step on my scale of what I would love to some day accomplish with my talent.
So the idea of my project came to me sitting in class, all the sudden I just wanted to go and talk to people right then and there to make it work and bring my ideas to life. I have been looking for more classes at school within the photography field to participate in, and then it came to me. If there is no more classes to enroll in, why not make my own? So that is exactly what I am doing! I have decided to converse with my teachers, counselors, and Mr. Webster about an idea I have for an independent study class. Tomorrow I will be presenting my idea to my wonderful photography teacher getting his advice and knowledge about my ideas and asking him to guide me through this. I have already ran it past my mother who thinks it’s a wonderful way for me to express my creativity while trying to bring attention to a minority group in our community, and hopefully help gain them some new support and assistance.
Mr. Webster works directly with the homeless of Lincoln, Nebraska; not to mention the many other people he works with. This is exactly what I wish for my “project” to focus on. I want to bring to life the real content of the issue dealing with the homeless. Show people the tragedy and the horror of what can come out of the major contributors of individuals and families becoming homeless.
I want to look at this project as a learning experience for both me and my viewers. I hope to be taught through my teacher and advisors more about photography and ways to capture these kinds of situations. I also hope I can help influence viewers to help these less fortunate, because yes they still are people they have just ran into some bad choices/situations.
With all this said and out there, each individual person can see this project in which ever light they want, I just hope it will be able to change at least one person’s viewpoint so I know my work would not have gone to waste.
love
