Winter Wonderland.

As much as I complain about Minnesota from time to time, it really is a beautiful place. And my sister certainly is beautiful.

"Contents"

For my photography class, our last project was a digital series on a subject of our choice. My project, called "Contents," is shown below, along with a few words regarding it.

I have long been intrigued by identity and what kinds of things people allow to define them. Many college students carry around backpacks or bags of some sort; I wanted to explore what a person’s backpack says about who they are. While this is a commonality among students, it is the contents of the bag that makes each one unique. Rarely are we exposed to everything that is contained in someone’s bag all at one time. What is each bag going to hold? What can you learn about a person from the items that they carry with them all day? Perhaps we need to view people the same way that we do backpacks: once you look past the exterior, you will find that the contents are what make it distinct.

The final product:

Adventures in the darkroom.

As I mentioned in my last post, I took a black and white film photography class this last semester. It was my first time working in a darkroom. Despite it being one of the most time-consuming things I've ever done, I absolutely loved it. I just want to share a few of my photos from the semester.  Keep in mind that these are scans, so the quality isn't ideal.

Christopher.

Recently, I had to shoot portraits on film for my darkroom photography class. I asked my friend Chris if I could shoot photos of him for a couple of reasons. First of all, he has a very expressive face, and I was hoping to capture a lot of emotion. Second, I had an idea of using old book pages in the shoot—something that I just so happen to be obsessed with. I knew that the book pages would be a good fit for Chris, because he's a big reader/writer/thinker. Not to mention, he has an amazing way with words. I encourage you to check out his work here. I shot a roll of film, but I also shot digitally to check lighting and have some other copies of the photos. Lucky for me, Chris was incredibly patient as I fiddling with the backdrop and tried to figure out how to best capture each shot.

Floor mates.

For the last year and a half, I have had the honor of living on the same floor with some of the most wonderful girls that I have ever met. We have laughed together, cried together, and grown together. They have taught me so much about life, compassion, and loving the Lord. Here are three of them.

Madeline

Christi

Tanya

Not to mention, they're a ton of fun.

Who wouldn't want to live with these girls?

Derek.

 Derek and I have been friends since about sixth grade. That was back when we were both ridiculous and somewhat obnoxious—although I daresay we both still are in many ways. But, over the years, we both chilled out and only became better friends with time. He's the type of friends that I can talk to about anything and everything. We can go a month without seeing each other, and then meet at a coffee shop and talk for four straight hours (true event). We literally go to school on opposite sides of the country—he in New York and me in California—yet we've remained friends. He's the type of friend that I can call up when I want to shoot photos and he comes to model for me. And then photos like these ensue: