this is sophia

i like bagel

This picture is of little bay waves hitting the sand and mostly rocks. I waited about 30 minutes in order for there to be big enough waves that caused the white splashes. Then with a long shutter speed photo and the right camera settings, it was transformed to a lingering wavy fog. I added my final touches through photoshop by lightening areas, putting an s-curve on the wave, and adding some saturation to the rocks.

This was an assigment in school about lighting and I decided to wait until night time to take a picture on my router because I thought about how cool and how sci-fi-like it looked in the dark. I put it up close, lined up the settings, and took the shot.

As a photographer, I'm always interested in making connections in the world around me. For this particular piece, I focused on the lines and movement of both compositions. It fascinates me how many similarities there are across the natural world and it's visually appealing to see them together. I chose to present these two images as a diptych because I wanted to inspire my viewers to challenge themselves to find similarities between seemingly very different objects.

"Look! Davin is cheering for Dylan too!" It was Summer Far Westerns 2022, the championship meet of the season. Dylan Tambuwun was swimming his 200 breast finals, hoping to achieve a personal best. Feeling the weight of the camera body against my hands, I adjusted the lens to focus on Coach David Tambuwun in the background, cheering for his son Dylan. In a split second, I envisioned a picture in my mind where they were both in frame: Dylan swimming past Coach David. I anticipated that moment. A little boy appeared next to Coach David and began cheering enthusiastically for Dylan. The boy was Coach David’s younger son, Davin, cheering for his older brother in the pool. I positioned the camera and pressed the shutter button, hearing a familiar and satisfying click. I breathed a sigh of relief. The moment was captured! Looking back on the image, although taken a year ago, the depiction of Coach David and Davin cheering for Dylan as one, evokes a sense of fondness in the viewer; seeing the passion of swimming radiate off of Dylan, Coach David, and Davin, as the 8-year-old follows in his father’s footsteps of cheering. This image illustrates not only the enjoyment of a sport, but also the importance of support from one’s family. In this case, a representation of the sacrifices a coach–and parent–makes for their athlete–and son’s–success. A story of progress and accomplishment, drawing the viewer into the exhilarating moment of a timeless capture.

I came across the chance to photograph my favorite animal one day when I was hiking with friends. It was truly a great moment and Im so glad I was able to capture it.

This sunset, lake photo was taken near Stinson Beach, CA when I was on a a mini vacation.

This is a landscape sunset photo taken at Bay Club. Sunsets are a great way of portraying the beauty of the outdoors.

I was in the woods and I took this picture trying to get a perspective on how an insect sees a tree from that angle.

To achieve this image, I noticed something that had both depth and uniqueness - that was in the bark of a tree.

While walking around Sacramento on a Sunday afternoon, I couldn't help but notice the unusually calm street. I was drawn to it, and luckily had my camera with me. To me, it represents beauty in both a busy, urban life which many people are now used to, as well as the calm, peacefulness of a quiet street in a loud town. Using this, I began editing and trying to recreate the peaceful sensation of calm I felt.

This photograph was taken late at night, using a tripod and long exposure. It embraces the slowing down of our busy lives. In artwork, you don't want it to be cluttered, so you include negative space to give the eye a rest and not overwhelm the observer. This photograph is a celebration of that aspect in real life. The old phone is situated right between a shopping center, a busy street, a parking lot, and even more heavy traffic areas. It looked out of place, surrounded by cracked concrete with a nicely paved road just a couple hundred feet away. Even in the constant motion of modern life, empty spaces can be found if you look for them. However, it’s impossible to know this just by looking at the photo, which is exactly the point. For the casual observer, it’s not busy and loaded with information. It is a picture of an empty space, totally removed from people and life. However, on further examination, it is thought-provoking; an abandoned space, clearly in an urban area. The photograph invites us to think about what lies beyond the bounds of the image, in the grander composition of life in which this negative space is only a small part.

I want my art to invite viewers into a mesmerizing journey filled with vibrant hues & dynamic compositions. This piece is a testament that beyond our perception there is an entire orchestra, a symphony of colors that we need to just adjust our view in order to see. I aim to ignite that sense of wonder within us that encourages us to dive deeper in the depths of the human experience and into the intricate light that connects emotionally and spiritually. Light represents our hope & wanting to search for our inner truth, the thing that sparks a light within each and everyone of us. Together as youth of the bay area we can use our light fueled passion to guide us through darkness, in hand illuminating our path to a brighter future filled with discovery!

I’m just an average person that enjoys capturing small moments of life and the unoticed elegance of nature I feel should be appreciated. I find happiness in being able to make someone smile or exclaim through a small piece photography.

This picture was taken from the this tallest building in the world, the Skytree in Tokyo, Japan. The cities of Japan from up above are amazing, you can really see every detail of every building from top to bottom. It is so intensely packed where you can't see any streets.

Creating photos is something I love. Making pictures is a great way to relax, cool down, and enjoy spending time outside, whether it be with friends or alone. I made this piece while camping with friends after school. It was a really fun experience, and right before we started a fire I made this picture, and I thnk it turned out really well. I want to keep enjoying myself making work, and keep spending time outside with friends.

While wondering around San Rafael I came across a church called Trinity Church. The entrance of look very looked eye appealing as its doors were a bright blue. Also, there were lights above the doors which put a huge emphasis on the bright blue doors. With this in mind, I captured a photo of the fantastic front entrance at Trinity Church.

During our unit of portraiture my family visited my grandparents and I thought my grandpa would make for a good subject. I decided to put my grandpa next to his old car striking an interesting pose to convey his confident nature that he goes about life with. During post processing I changed the image to black and white to make a more timeless image, which helped convey the idea of confidence of my grandfather.

In my photography class we had an assignment to work on silhouettes and shadows. This was mostly just to learn about the basics of these concepts and to teach us what happens when you underexpose a photo. My friend and I decided to go to the golden gate bridge to take ours and I didn't think much of the images after we had finished shooting. It wasn't until I started editing that this work really appealed to me. I like the huge contrast between the sky and the bridge, and how the bridge is like gigantic superstructure in the foreground. I like this work so muhc because I had never done silhouette photography before and it gave me a really interesting insight to a whole new area of interest.