My name is Brenda and I am eighteen years old.

Before this program, I mainly worked with traditional mediums to create art, they’re the ones I have most practice with and the ones I feel more comfortable using. Photography was very different to what I was doing, and it was also very out of the blue. I’m proud that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and learn a new art medium, especially one that I found intimidating.

There’s a subject that I did not expect I would enjoy taking pictures of. I dislike appearing in pictures and having my picture taken. So it was interesting to me to find myself enjoying these last few self-portrait assignments. It was uncomfortable to do during the first session but by this last one I had more fun with it and I somehow felt more confident. The theme for my independent study was around “Memories, light and reflection”. I picked my theme after being done with the picture taking and editing process. I found out that although I am intentional in the pictures I take, they gain a deeper meaning once I've sat down to reflect on them.

With these pictures I’m letting you all a bit into my head. In these pictures I am reflecting about who I am, about who I was in the past, and what I hold dearest to me. I feel like I only touched the surface of this theme with these pictures so I will definitely explore it more.

With the experience I got from this program and with my new portfolio, I plan on looking for more photography opportunities. I want to use this summer to practice photography and have fun with art before I get busy with university.

Something that surprised me about photography is the different images other people are able capture because they have a whole entire different perspective on things compared to how I would perceive and take on shooting the camera in a different settings or something while another person might keep the camera settings & go for a different angle & another point of view.

I can vouch that I’ve grown in a progressive manner since January when I joined this program I learned & gained a lot of skills along with new traits with cameras and editing in photoshop thanks to CCC & Evo taking time out and participating in helping to teach each individual in this meeting grow in some form or fashion throughout the program and troubling time during in quarantine.

I think the interviews towards the end of the program were really helpful & a experience I haven’t experienced before it showed me my strengths & weaknesses and what I could do to improve my traits & skills thanks to the 3 matured women who helped & walked me through it giving me tips along with advice through the interview I give thanks to Adrian and Sam.

When I first joined the CCC, I did it out of pure curiosity. I like trying new things and I love art and anything that lets me explore my creativity so i thought, why not? Since January I've grown not only as an artist but also as a person. Photography has taught me to see the beauty in life and creativity in art everywhere. This past year was horrible all around but through photography I learned to see the upside of things, to focus on the beautiful instead of the ugly and to capture every beautiful moment that I can.

I really enjoyed taking portraits of people because you can learn a lot about a person through one photo. It's a very vulnerable thing to sit in front of a camera and let someone take a picture of you in such an authentic and raw moment that's going to be captured forever but it's beautiful. Say a thousand words with none. What really surprised me about photography is how much creativity you get to have over your pictures, you can bring to life whatever visuals you want and people get to see life through your gaze. I find it hard to put what I feel into words because sometimes there just aren't enough words to properly express myself but with photography I can just let people see the world through my eyes.

Since January I have by letting myself make mistakes and not feeling bad if a photo I took is not perfect. And not quitting when things got hard in my life so I could have something to look forward to and still be able to come to class.

If I could travel back to the first day of CCC I would tell myself do not let negative things stop you from enjoying positive things.

I enjoyed taking pictures of landscapes and it surprised me because, I usually take up close pictures up close photos of smaller things and decided to try taking pictures of bigger backgrounds that made me want to take more.

My independent study is about self-expression. When I take pictures, I want them to have a meaning without words and by taking photos I get to express my creativity by letting the photos speak for me.

What I am trying to tell people about my photos are anything you see is a creative image and everyone does not see the same image. In my photos I like bold solid colors because I’m a bold person and I want my photos to reflect on me.

I still want to photograph people so I can develop a personal style and capture memories and live in the present with people I am around.

Hi my name is Rabiy I’m 16 years old and i was really surprised with how much fun I could have while taking pictures. I thought that I would be interested taking pictures of flowers and nature but I had more fun taking pictures of product and objects. At the start of the program I was scared of trying new things but now I’m more comfortable with messing with the camera settings.

My independent study was about product and object.  I chose this topic because it was what I was most interested in and more comfortable with. I would like to learn to take photos of product and objects with props because I think it is something I struggle with and I would like to get better at it.

My theme for this project is Color and Focus. I wanted to mess around a bit and find how I can manipulate the focus of my pictures using the color and how I can draw focus to the pictures I am taking a picture of.

Photography came as a surprise to me the more I learned about photoshop, other photographers’ styles, and the knowledge of how to use a camera. These experiences showed me how photography isn’t just all pictures but more importantly a form of self expression.

Since January 2021, I’ve gained the confidence to explore the uses of a camera and how my camera functions to make enticing pictures. Moreover I have learned to be a director and manage the people I have taken pictures of along with developing my creative eye and using the environment to my own benefit.

Throughout my life, Art has always been a good creative outlet where I could reinvent myself and create a world completely my own. To me art is something I care deeply about, when I draw I draw in order to cope with the idea of change because change happens so suddenly without you really being able to deal with it and when it does happen right in front of you some may find it difficult to accept and/or to adjust. That’s why I draw what I draw because to me in my eyes my sketches represent change because it’s my way of letting myself and/or my viewer know change can be a pretty cool thing.

While in this program/class my knowledge of cameras and photoshop have been able to expand such as knowledge on perceptive lighting. I take pictures almost everyday because they influence how I draw and at times what I draw. While taking this class I've been able to see bigger changes within myself and my art style, my limitations have become clear to me and I'm looking forward to experiencing how I'll be able to overcome the obstacles ahead.”