This is my first time taking a YIF class and during the span of a couple months I got to see the beauty of taking pictures. I got to take photos of landscapes, nature and some moments with my pets. I selected this photo because it shows our magical teacher Isabella and her silly carrot. This little carrot needed to be seen by the world. I was very impressed by how the photo turned out because it looked like a heroic comic scene. I would love to make a series of photos like this where I use people to create cartoon-ish like pictures.   

Along with the fabulous carrot picture I wanted my self portrait to have the same feeling. You gotta always show that goofiness. 

My name is Chloe and this is my first class at Youth and Focus, this class has inspired me to express myself in different forms. I have found how much I can express myself through photography. I chose this photo because it evokes the feeling of emptiness, it gives an eerie feeling which I try to capture in most of my photos. What I'm trying to communicate through this photo is that being alone is okay and can be comforting.

Car in the rain sitting all alone

If i was the car i’d also be alone 

Even if it’s dark 

Beauty comes in different forms 

Yet It is still clam 

Calm yet loud 

Speaks out loud to me 

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Star of the sea and biter and also beloved 

The meaning of theses words 

Come from my name Maria

And i am 15 

15 I may be but I will turn 16 

Loud but yet fun

Fun like taking photos 

Photos show who we are 

Who we are is something we can only say 

You can think about who we are but you won’t know 

You may say you know but you won’t until you see

If you see my art you can tell what i like 

What i like are dark photos 

Dark yet interesting 

Don’t see many photos like this 

Cause most photos show viberens 

Viberens isn’t for me 

To bright but still beautiful 

Dark is more beautiful to me 

It doesn’t matter if it’s dark or light 

You still need light to see darkness

And darkness to see light 

I may still be a newbie at this 

But i'd say i'm pretty good at this  

If it wasn’t for my mom who got me into this 

I wouldn’t be here presenting this poem or my art 

I chose this photo because I liked the way it looked. It was more like a candid photo. I didn’t know that candid photography was something I could do until recently. Maybe it’s from my lack of knowing how to take a natural, candid image that felt respectful of my subjects. I don’t know why I felt that way but I also didn't question that thought. Maybe it’s how they portray it in movies. My original perception of photographers in movies is that they photograph their subjects in a disrespectful way. My experience in this program has helped me broaden my ideas around candid photography. Now, I can take candid pictures in a way I feel proud of and feel respectful of my subjects. I believe this is a perfect picture; my first candid picture.

My name is Mirabelle. I have been with Youth in Focus for three years. This photo is taken at 12th Ave square park, as we were heading back to the bus stop after one of our field trips. These chairs seemed to have a stoplight on them almost like the chairs are being abducted by a spaceship. I thought this was a cool photo because of how vibrant the colors are and the natural lighting. This photo is different from the photos I normally take. Most of the time I take photos of people so it was interesting to try to take more pictures of stand still objects. I hope to incorporate more stationary objects in my photography in the future.

My name is Miski, I picked this cool looking photo of the Northwest African American Museum because it reminded me of a horror movie and I love watching horror movies. Horror movies are something I always watched as a kid. I would watch them alone because it would make it 10 times scarier and more fun for me.

I took this photo on a photo walk during class. I learned that people actually lived in the building which is so cool. The angle at which I took this photo is important because the house is towering over me in a scary way, making it feel like a horror movie. This photo reminds me of halloween and I edited it to make it look a little darker.

Final Whatevers

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Final Photo:

Zoe

It’s not really about anything.

The most important elements are Zoe, the clown girl, and Alek, her partner.

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Why? Why was I drawn to taking the photo? I saw my friend & housemate on Alek’s back and it was an amazing moment I wanted to hold onto.

My name is Sarai and I am a multimedia artist. This is my first photography class taken here at Youth in focus. Throughout my work, in photography, drawing and other forms of art, I try to include people in some shape or form. I like to include people in my work because I feel like they can tell a story through expression, posture, activities, etc. With my photography, I want to share a perspective that is not often seen or heard. My final photo is a picture of my friend Maya on a swing. I love this photo because of the mystery and imagination it makes me feel. The scenery, composition, and expression show that sense of imagination and almost wonderland-like feeling. I try to include this pleasant expression/feeling in my work as a common theme.