Under the watchful gaze of Mount Shasta, I stumbled upon a breathtaking sight. The sun dipped low, casting a soft glow on the water, turning it into a reflective masterpiece. Using my hands as a makeshift tripod, I snapped away until I found the perfect angle.In the image, nature's every detail unfolded – a flooded bridge sprawled across the reflection, creating an illusion of a pathway into the beauty of the surroundings. It was as if I could step onto that watery trail and walk straight into the heart of nature's wonders. The simplicity of the scene held a poetic charm, where the sun and water painted a serene picture, inviting me to explore the hidden poetry within the landscape.

On a beautiful day walking on the island Kauai of Hawaii, I went on a walk around where we were staying. I stopped at a couple different stops to take pictures and this was one of them. I loved how the palm trees swayed in the breeze and the beautiful resort and ocean so I captured it all in one picture.

In this photo I wanted to convey what being a teenager is like. I hoped to encapsulate our care free lifestyle and adventurous spirits.

Trans joy: (n) A feeling of freedom or happiness in relation to one's own transness or gender euphoria. Beauty products are insanely gendered, and beauty expectations are often unrealistic and damaging. I wanted to encapsulate this with the subjects in the background. Personal hygiene products are often blue and white, promoting feelings of freshness and cleanliness, but the cosmetic and beauty industries are dirty and unsustainable. The purple and yellow on the testosterone vial stand out in the same way it often feels for me in a crowd of people. I’m constantly labeled as an outsider or as an “other”. My goal was to capture the beauty and messiness of being trans. I wanted to convey some of the feelings that I feel every day as a trans person, thinking about my place in this world. Often, there is so much pressure to conform because that’s the expectation yet conformity takes an immense amount of energy and effort. This photo is the fina photo from a series where I tried to tell a story of transformation using still lifes rather than relying on a human subject to convey the emotion.

I wanted to capture my friend's fun outfits. They are always very sparkly and creative and I wanted to capture a moment we could all look back on.

This photo explores teenagers back in nature and taking a break from life. School, social pressures, and college are looming over teens, so exploring and reconnecting with nature is a way to cope. Being outside is a place where you can forget everything and just take a pause in life. You can finally take a deep breath. I did this photoshoot with only one model to capture this self-learning time. Coming of age is when teenagers are getting comfortable with themselves and learning to be independent. Teens need to take a break from burnout to help relieve some of the stress. It allows them to reflect, think about their emotions, clear their minds, and listen to their bodies. Teenagers in the Bay Area have this carefree, explorative side where they go on adventures. We can still appreciate life and what it has to offer without technology. Berkeley, being surrounded by forests and nature, we have grown to explore and see these beautiful sights. I wanted to capture these emotions of being carefree.

Inspired by the simple moments and routines that I observe throughout the day, this series chronicles the quiet cadence found in a lived-in home. Be it a familiar morning cup of coffee, the silent stoicism of a cluttered basement, or the gentle sunlight dappling the living room on a Sunday morning, the movements of my home had always gone unnoticed to me until I took the time to capture them. This project required me to dive into my own life as an outside observer, and study its patterns from a photographic standpoint instead of a personal one. Although challenging, the process opened my eyes to many of the unappreciated or unnoticed intricacies present in my house. I woke up early to shadow my parents as they followed their daily routines, making sure my camera was on hand at all times. As my photographic eye developed, I began to see elements of my home differently: my living room was no longer just a room but a complex interworking of leading lines, light and dark, shapes and forms. The daily cappuccino made by my dad wasn’t just the brewing of cup of coffee; it was a a graceful dance of espresso, milk, and steam, and a labor of love. By photographing my family and our home, I’ve been able to rediscover the beauty of the familiar and document my home in a new and meaningful way.

This image was taken of Kendrick Lamar at his tour, The Big Steppers. The images intention is to prompt emotion and create compassion for the artist’s isolation in this moment. Lamar is surrounded by thousands of admirers all paying to see him perform. A majority of them don't even know his last name. In the image there is a clear separation between Lamar and the audience however the empty space provokes thought and allows one to think about the emotional disconnect that is also prominent.

For my artistic process, I seek out people and places that satisfy my visions. My most preferred genre of images to create is consisted of cooler colors and isolated subjects, and this one is different because it have something most of my pictures don’t. This piece displays childhood and innocence that I feel leaves everyone too early.

I wanted to express my connection to the Coast Redwood trees of California. All my life I have felt sheltered by these beings, so I drove to the crest of the Santa Cruz mountains where a 1,900 year tree named Methuselah makes her home. I set up my camera in the redwood duff to shoot this self portait. These trees have always been a constant in my life, and I've always felt safe in their presence.

I drove up north to Tiburon to capture some photos of an outdoor art installation. The day was windy and I noticed how fleeting the installation was, the way it changed with each second. I bent to take a picture and became lost in the tulle as the world seemed to change around me with each passing moment. I enjoy capturing small moments in life that let the viewer decide how to feel. This photo lets the audience interpret its meaning. Is it playful, dreamy, flat, or something else? I hope the viewer lets their mind wander, never landing on one feeling for too long.

In this photo, I used the ideas of black and white to make the photo more bright and important. I tried to make a discrete focal point of the ship to the left of the photo. I did this because the ship is an extremely important thing to my family and I. My dad and his parents used to come to this beach all the time when my dad was young to look at this ship and to swim. Ever since both of the my dad's parents, my grandparents, passed, this ship has been even more of importance to us and constantly remind my dad and I of them. Though the ship is slowly sinking, it will always have a calming and memorable feeling to us every time we see it. This photo is dedicated to my dad and my grandparents.

I had originally planned to drive out to the ocean to photograph a Harrier (the hawks pictured) in a very specific pose; atop a rocky outcropping and perfectly positioned so the moon would rise behind it. During the course of that afternoon, I succeeded in capturing both the shot mentioned, as well as many more, as I witnessed this hawk roam his or her territory and interact with the surrounding animals. After I returned home to take a look at the photos I had created, I found to my surprise that the shot I had so carefully calculated, the one of the Harrier and the moon, was not my favorite. The picture above, a chaotic tangle of bird and sea, won my favor. This shot reminds me that so often the best things that happen in life are those that happen spontaneously and that as long as you roll with them, you’ll still have a great ride. Shot near Goat Rock on the Sonoma Coast.

This photograph captures a spontaneous moment during a family trip. While walking down the stairs, I couldn't help but notice the vivid carmine color of the steps against the backdrop of white surroundings. The stark contrast intrigued me, and I decided to capture the simple yet striking scene. This photograph is a favorite of mine, because despite it being a snapshot of something in everyday life, it highlights beauty in an unexpected place.

Not a cloud in sight, on a cold cold night. Taken in Squaw Valley, Tahoe, depicts the starry night above the Squaw ski lift without any light pollution.

I took this image to show a sense of comfort of being alone and reflecting on your own thoughts. I thought the title “Reflecting” worked well for this because not only is this subject reflecting on her thoughts, she is also looking at her reflection in the water. I took this photo using the rule of thirds because I liked the simplicity of it and felt like it showed off the water’s texture perfectly.

In my photos, I like the capture the beauty of nature. I like to capture the parts of nature that everyone knows about but don't pay attention to. Everyone knows about morning dew and the droplets on grass but do you ever take the time out of your day to stop and look at it? To stop and look at how breathtaking it can be? In my image, I wanted to capture the beautiful coloring of the grass and the water drops, the way the grass's purple and green contrasted with the water's blue. You can still see the other water droplets glistening in the background even though they aren't in focus. The blue of the droplets ties everything together. They pop out so much but don't distract you from the rest of the image.

To others, I am just another typical nerdy, introverted Asian girl. I always took pride in these stereotypes; after all, aren't they supposed to be "good" stereotypes? When being praised for my wits descended into high expectations of my school work, I began to change how I viewed myself. Soon enough, every flawed test score meant that hours of studying and staring at my screen were for nothing. In my photography, I try to capture scenes with a deeper meaning than "what meets the eye". The image represents the idea of perfection that I constantly chase, using the screen as a voice that I never had. This was not just to reflect on my thoughts, but of teenagers all across the world. When caught up in red numbers on a test, the mindset is not to "improve", but "to be". I want this image to express what I went through in a tough time in my life, and to let anyone else who relates to it know: you are not alone.

In my photo taken in during my trip to New York City, I captured the serene and peaceful atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the bustling streets outside. This cathedral, a grand and majestic place, stands as a tranquil oasis amid the city's constant noise and brightness. As you look at this photo, you'll notice the gentle play of light and shadow. The cathedral's interior, with its soft, muted light, creates a sense of calm and introspection. This is a stark contrast to the glaring lights and endless energy of the city. The darkness in the cathedral isn't cold or unwelcoming; rather, it's soothing, offering a respite from the sensory overload of the urban environment. The architecture of the cathedral itself is a marvel. Its towering arches and intricate details speak of history and craftsmanship. In this space, time seems to slow down, inviting visitors to pause and reflect. The cathedral’s quiet grandeur stands as a reminder of the power of stillness and peace in our often chaotic lives. Through my lens, I aimed to convey the feeling of stepping into a different world – one where the chaos of the city fades into the background, replaced by a tranquil, almost timeless space. This photo is more than just an image; it's an invitation to find peace in the midst of chaos, to appreciate the beauty of quiet moments, and to remember that even in a city as lively as New York, there are places where one can find solace and calm.

My aim in taking this photograph was to capture the feeling of dissociation and unsteadiness and demonstrate how pervasive they can be even when in an otherwise fun and cheerful environment, like an arcade. I chose to take this photograph at this angle to emphasize how in moments like these, it’s easy to lose yourself and spiral into a negative or unhealthy mindset. This angle helps to exaggerate the space to look and feel like it goes on into the distance for a long time, making the viewer seem small in comparison and as though the exit is extremely far away. Along with elongating the image, this angle also captures the semi-warped reflection of the machines in the window's glass, further adding to the effect. I chose to make the foreground of the image blurry and out of focus while it gets sharper and more in focus further back in the image to add to the off-kilter nature of it and show how disorienting this experience can be. The inclusion of reflection of the neon lights in the glass of some of the machines was included because they feel confusing and almost out of place, almost half in and half out of the photograph itself, which is similar to how I experience dissociation. The inclusion of part of someone on the right side of the photograph was to show how isolating this experience can be, even when there are people around.