Let's backtrack...

To the summer! First we wandered the city of Philadelphia on the 4th of July...

The main beauty I found in Phily was cobblestone streets  and the beautiful shadows all the trees cast on everything.

We visited the oldest street in Philadelphia, mostly a cobblestone path with adorable, colorful little houses on each side.

 


Then we lived like nuns at a beautiful Greek Orthodox Monastery in the Poconos mountains in Penssylvania for a week!

Every morning I had to wake up 3 am for church, then instead of going back to sleep one
morning, I hiked up to the big cross on the mountaintop, getting there in time to
catch the sunrise. 

The remainder of the summer was spent in New Jersey with our cousins.

Win!

This photo I took awhile back made it into the Florida State Fair in Tallahassee. : )

Here was my artist's statement for an "empathy" contest i entered it into:

Ansel Adams once said, “Some photographers take reality…and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation.”A photograph can ignite love and compassion for our fellow human beings less fortunate than us living in poverty. The photograph is the best weapon to combat these scandalous conditions, as it increases public awareness and inspires a personal revelation within each of us to help.

            True to the spirit of photojournalism, I had been exploring this old train structure as the sun was setting, which cast deep shadows throughout the tunnel and illuminated the dripping tracks; when serendipity presented the opportunity to photograph this poor boy that had been wandering around. In that moment, his innocence and sincerity won me over as I started to photograph him.  The authenticity of this photo should enhance its impact and intensify its truth; leading the viewer to a fuller understanding and deeper empathy for one of the world’s six hundred million children living in extreme poverty. My hope is that one day this child will have the opportunity to break the vicious cycle of poverty he was born into.

a Concert at Universal

So we happened to catch a concert at Universal by Orange Avenue. I didn't realize i knew them until after the concert when I heard one of my favorite songs  "Just Refrain". :p

I rarely manually adjust my camera, but messing with the shutter speed in this one turned out great.

I practically blinded myself waiting for the roller coaster to pass in front of the sun

Jurassic Park = great place for a photo shoot.

Once I started taking IB photography in high school (this is my 3rd year of it), I've had to step away from free styling all my photos and actually plan some out...to some extent at least. I always lose points on preliminary planning, especially when i do the research after i take the photos. ;p

Self-Portrait