“When I think about art, I think about expressing myself and being true and honest to the artist inside. Throughout these past couple of weeks, I’ve learned that being in front of a camera means being vulnerable in a way that I’ve never been before. I’ve also learned that there’s a lot of power in an image, and when I’m behind the camera, I hold that power. I get to present myself to the world the way that I want to because I control the story being told within the frame.

I really enjoyed playing with lighting. learning that changing the direction of the lighting or how much lighting you let into a photo can change your whole perception of the image. Light is always available but I’ve learned that knowing how to work with it and use it to your advantage is key.

A common theme in my photos has been self-perception. How I see myself versus how the world sees me, and how I want the world to see me and trying to find a balance between the three. Embracing myself in my Authentic form. unapologetically and being able to portray myself in a positive and honest light that defies the labels that society tries to put on me.”

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.