I took this photo while on a summer trip in Japan. On one of our last nights in Tokyo, I went out on a walk to try and capture some of Shinjuku's vibrant nightlife. As it neared midnight, it began to rain; and the streets that had been lively hours before became progressively empty. While making my way back to the hotel, I came across this group of businessmen huddled under their clear plastic umbrellas. I presume they were about to head their separate ways home for the night, but before they did so I was able to take this photo. I think the scene captures the peaceful atmosphere of late-night Shinjuku quite well; representing a time in which remaining restaurants close, the streets clear out, and only a few stragglers are left roaming the light-soaked streets.

Tinikling is one of the Philippine's traditional dances. I was inspired to compose the motions and the colors of the technical, three-quarter-time bamboo dancing because I wanted to share a beautiful piece from my culture that I had once rejected. Being born in the Philippines and immigrating during elementary school has formidably impacted my cultural identity. It took years of educating myself about the effects of colonialism on my identity for me to start appreciating my culture. I indulged myself in artwork produced by Filipino and Filipino-American artists, and when I visited my hometown, I took the time to learn Tinikling. Although I spent countless hours drilling different steps, my bare feet dirty, sore, and pinched by the bamboo, listening to a "1-2 click.." repeatedly in the hot, humid Philippines air, I was in LOVE with this dance. I loved the challenge it gave me, the sound of the bamboo clicking, the colors, and the graceful forms of Filipino folk dance. My love for this dance and culture inspired me to gather my friends, teach them the primary steps of Tinikling, and compose this picture. I wanted to present three things through this composition: the motion blur to demonstrate the challenging mobility that this dance demands, the setting of the hill to achieve a background that amplified the vivid colors of the traditional baro't saya that my friends are wearing, and the stillness of the girl in the center to demonstrate one of the graceful folk dance forms.

My collage represents my struggle with God's existence. I grew up in a non-religious household, I knew people believed in God but I didn’t have time to think about that. But, as I get older some things that have happened felt like they were meant to be, like God had already planned my path. The more I got exposed to social media the more I saw of Islam and how much it called to me through Quran quotes. I feel like there is a future for my personal journey with Islam, but I am still scared of the question “Does God exist or not?” My fear of this question is represented through tears going down the woman’s face to a lover's embrace. Will I ever have true love like they do? Will I make it to Jannah, when I’m already lost at sea? I hope one day my deserted broken ship finds itself in the safe arms of a Mosque where I finally found what I had been looking for all along. I am still scared to take that first step in my journey because I fear I will be lost at sea forever if I don’t tether to Islam. There is no comfort in knowing the truth if Jannah and Jahannam exist or if the dark loneliness of infinity awaits us at the end of our life’s journey.

While visiting Canada over the summer, we would usually have to wait until at least 1am in order to see the northern lights. This night however, we heard everyone rushing outside at only around 10:30-11pm, while the sunset was still visible. The dancing lights were the strongest then of any other night, despite it not being very dark out. I knew this was a special and unusual moment, so I wanted to get the aurora and the sunset in the frame. With a long enough exposure, the stars became visible too. The challenge was that the lights were moving, so too long of an exposure and they would blur out of the photo. This photo shows the delicate balance of a long enough exposure to see the stars clearly, while not blowing out the sunset or allowing the aurora to disappear. I was also drawn to the swirling pattern of the aurora, something I had not seen in photos of the northern lights in the past.

The Covid Pandemic was officially declared over on May 11, 2023 by the federal COVID-19 PHE – yet so many around the world still suffer from it. It has disproportionately impacted many minority communities and called forth an onslaught of racially motivated violence, specifically towards Asian Americans. Despite us having the luxury to return back to our normal lives, many communities still face the issue of Covid. Coming out of the pandemic, the underserved are working multiple jobs while having enormous post pandemic debt. Walking through San Francisco, the impact is evident. Going from district to district you see the differing effects that covid has left. In ChinaTown, where this photo was taken, many people can be seen working tirelessly while wearing a mask. Even though Covid has left the minds of many of us, it is crucial to remember that we are just the fortunate few.

The biggest crisis facing students in today’s post-pandemic world is mental health. Although we have more resources such as counseling, awareness campaigns, and support programs at our disposal, high school students are increasingly turning to drugs as an escape. Attending a competitive high school in California, we are susceptible to the stress of academically keeping up with peers, alike many other teens. This pressure can be overwhelming and lonely because it’s difficult to admit needing help, and eventually, built-up emotions can escalate to using drugs as momentary relief and addiction. Also, popular television shows can sometimes glorify drugs in high schools, which creates difficulty in separating reality from fiction and danger from normal. We believe a powerful symbol is necessary to remind us of the grim consequences of fentanyl use. In 2021, there were nearly 6,000 opioid-related deaths in California alone (California Department of Public Health). Since many fentanyl drugs have been marketed to look and taste like candy, we used this figure to construct a life-sized tombstone made of 6,000 candies, each one representing an overdose. By depicting our tombstone in a dark, unsettling background, we knew this would be the easiest way for our audience to recognize our intentions with the piece and evoke an emotional response. Our goal is not only to educate about how rampant drugs can be towards our generation but also to encourage realistic, healthy conversations on how we can work better as a community in fighting teen drug abuse.

This piece is an attempt to put into imagery the complexities of living in the U.S. The man depicted in the image holding a burning newspaper in what looks like a typical American home is symbolic of the "classic" American life burning to ash. The newspaper symbolizes a multitude of things, global warming, social and political turmoil, the economy, or anything else interpreted by the viewer.

I poured collodion onto a 5”x7” aluminum plate, then carefully tilted the plate to let the collodion flow to the edges. I watched closely for the collodion to set, before putting the plate into a tank of silver nitrate in a darkroom.Three minutes later, I removed the now-silver-coated plate from the tank and drained the excess silver nitrate. I posed my models with their eyes in one plane, so that I could focus properly. The lens must be open very wide to let in enough light to expose the tintype. The result is an extremely shallow depth of field, which requires the focus to be particularly precise. After putting my plate into the camera and exposing it, I took it back into the darkroom. I poured developer over the plate, and once I saw details emerge, I poured on water to stop the development. Finally, I put the plate into the fixer, varnished it (to prevent tarnishing), and scanned it. Tintypes were most popular in the late 1800s. While many artists try to exactly replicate the style of photographs at that time, down to the Victorian-era costumes, I am more interested in using wet-plate photography as a lens through which to view modern society and institutions. This portrait of a legally married gay couple juxtaposed with a medium that was popular when gay relationships in the U.S. were illegal reminds the viewer that gay couples existed long before they were documented in photographs.

This picture was taken of my uncle as we were finishing ice climbing in Catskill, New York. I knew that where we were going was going to be beautiful, and I wanted to get photographs so I brought my camera. I took photos though out the day, but after on his final down climb, right when it started to get dark, I saw the light from his headlight acting like a spot light on him, and decided to take a photo. This picture is important to me because doing outdoor adventures with my family is a tradition for us, and this was my first time going ice climbing. Taking this photo was meaningful to me because it allows me to share the feeling of ice climbing after dark in a forest, and being surrounded by the magnificent icefalls.

During one of my nature walks, a tree stump captured my attention because it resembled a human eye. Earlier in the day, I had taken a photograph of a classmate's eye, and the semblance between the two was uncanny. As an environmental activist who loves nature, I saw an opportunity. I decided to juxtapose the two photos with the goal of "humanizing" nature. Much of my photography centers around nature and the environment. I hope my images will stir people emotionally and inspire them to think more about our relationship with the Earth. We need to respect the environment and protect it at all costs, because our two fates are intertwined!

During 2022, I unfortunately tore my ACL playing soccer. I was devastated that I couldn't play soccer or run track for almost a year. For me, sports were my outlet for stress and were something I've enjoyed my whole life. When I got injured, I needed to find a new way to enjoy sports. That way was through photography. Throughout the track and soccer seasons I loved experimenting with various angles, shutter speeds, lenses, and even an automatic shutter attachment. I ran hurdles and in freshman year I was in this race. This picture was from the Freshman and Sophomore Championship meet. Then, last year, during sophomore year, I was apart of the race in a different way, documenting it. Through photography I was able to stay connected to the sports I loved while still feeling involved and like I was making an impact. Throughout the season I was known as the team photographer and I loved sharing my photos of the various games or track meets. With photography as my new outlet, it helped me cope mentally and emotionally with being injured for so long and in a way helped me overcome my own hurdles.

Early in the school year my friends and I began doing urban exploration within San Francisco and the Bay Area and I found it as a perfect excuse to bring my camera along. Most of the photos that I have taken in the past couple of months highlight abandoned areas and different spots that my friends and I have spent time researching and exploring. Out of all the photos that I've taken recently this is by far my favorite as it not only has the thrill factor with my friend sitting over the edge but also the San Francisco skyline in the background. I personally enjoy urban exploration because it allows my friends and I to visit and explore places that most people don't know exist or don't know how to find which makes it feel more special than going somewhere that everyone has been and everyone can get to. I take AP Photography at my high school and at the beginning of the year we had to select ”

Early in the school year my friends and I began doing urban exploration within San Francisco and the Bay Area and I found it as a perfect excuse to bring my camera along. Most of the photos that I have taken in the past couple of months highlight abandoned areas and different spots that my friends and I have spent time researching and exploring. Out of all the photos that I've taken recently this is by far my favorite as it not only has the thrill factor with my friend sitting over the edge but also the San Francisco skyline in the background. I personally enjoy urban exploration because it allows my friends and I to visit and explore places that most people don't know exist or don't know how to find which makes it feel more special than going somewhere that everyone has been and everyone can get to. I take AP Photography at my high school and at the beginning of the year we had to select a topic to follow throughout the year. I initially selected "hands" as my topic but very quickly switched to "how people explore abandoned places" in order to accompany our weekend trips to find new spots. Being able to take my camera and document these places has been an unexpected surprise and I am glad that I found an interest that is not only fun but can also add artistic value as well.

The concept behind my photo was inspired by Walt Whitman's poem entitled "Song of Myself." Whitman discusses the importance of appreciating the world in its natural beauty. How this is the only way we as people can achieve true happiness. With the new technological advancements we have made in the past couple decades, I rarely see people admiring something as simple as a spear of grass penetrating the water surface. In this, it is easy to forget that we were created above the earth and we will die beneath the earth, and as we decompose, the bodies we leave behind will be the fuel and nutrients for new life. “I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love, If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles.” I think of death fondly, for in its rebirth, my bones will feed the worms who create the dirt that will be carried on the boot-soles of my great grandchildren for generations to come. This cyclic and wonderful world is something to be cherished and appreciated. This picture captures a woman who has recently passed. As she looks into the pond, she does not see her reflection, she has died. But, she does see the water, the soil, the leaves quivering in the wind. The fact that she is dead does not concern her, for she knows she will be immortalized in all of the nature that surrounds her.

While I was stuck waiting out the rain with some friends I decided to take a photo of one of them standing out in the rain.

This piece was part of a series for UCSF's Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building. The series was created during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic and I used photography as a creative outlet and to build a community during that isolation.

This piece is a response to my current sustained investigation which explores an outsider's point of view. This particular image was shot early in the morning and depicts an empty diner, illuminated on the inside. I thought the shot exemplified my inquiry topic well -- being an outsider, looking into a lit space in the dark of night. I used 35mm 800 iso color film and used Photopea to adjust the scan's levels and hues.

This diptych explores the psychological effects of expectations put on women’s appearances. When we focus too much on maintaining a perfect image we lose sight of our worth and identity. We can become trapped behind a mask of makeup, cute clothes, and our instagram profile. It doesn’t help that advertising and social media target women and maintain toxic standards. This is devastating for one’s mental health. With this piece, I hope to raise awareness and encourage others to break free from the harmful cycle.

I created this photo over the summer. I was in my backyard hitting baseballs when I realized that this could be an interesting photo to look at. I took the photo and made a few edits.

This is a photo of two explorers that have stumbled across a giant figure frozen in the ice. I photograph legos and try to make scenes that are inaccesible orcannot be made in the larger world. To make this photo, I froze a giant lego figure in a container in my freezer. Then, I took a patterned sheet, the frozen lego giant, and two lego mini-figures and set them up in a closet. I added a color light and put the sheet under the ice to make the environment look like a cave. Then, I took the photo.