(1st Place – Photography)
School: Kodiak High School
Grade: 12th
My passion for photography is rooted in my love of storytelling. Whether it is from my imagination, or from the life swirling around me, photography allows me to make a statement about the fragile inner mind of mankind and the loss of imagination. Photography allows me to capture photos that invoke wonder, dreams, and realization unique to each individual who lays eye on it. The purpose of my photography is to create a story filled image that, when found by someone, their imagination is sparked and they experience that child like wonder of life, and possibly that wonder will change into a better understanding of the world, and themselves.This definition of my photography came when I was making “Once Upon A Time”. I created this photo by blending together three images in Photoshop, so that the subjects from each image were unified as well as strengthened by each other. When it was done I was surprised by the mysterious story it told. Every time I look at it I try to discern what exactly that story is, but every time the story is different. I realized I wanted every photo I captured to tell a different story to anyone who discovers it.