Narrative Essay About Photography

The first year at a new school can be challenging in many respects. Seventh grade was my first year at my now alma mater high school. I went from a more relaxed school environment to a rigorous college preparatory school where homework and tests were near constant. However, with new challenges brought new experiences. I began my first elective course in photography. I had almost thought photography was very interesting. My grandmother had always carried around a plastic, disposable Kodak camera from Walgreens or Rite-Aid, which she called a “drugstore camera.” Of course, after around 30 shots you would have to take it to get developed at Walgreens. The class was extremely difficult. Multiple assignments every week and the teacher would make each assignment a stunning 250 points. Our teacher had formerly shot for Better Homes & Gardens magazine, along with many other publications and was very strict. “There’s no subject in any of these. It has to have a subject to be interesting,” she would always say about my pictures. Although the class was …show more content…
As a photographer, I could take two different shots and each represent a completely different style. I feel this characteristic, the ability to express many feelings at once, in the same image or different images, draws me to photography. Photography has a striking effect on most people. My image of the soldier made many people reflect on the importance of our military personnel and the great sacrifice they make every day for our freedom. Others viewed the image as a reminder of the many problems in the VA Administration and the maltreatment of our veterans. The duality of photography is a key part of my style. I also choose to express the small details of life when I shoot. Looking at my image, “Forgotten,” the single strand of dust is the focal point of the image. The dust is what makes the image so powerful. Without that small detail, it would just be a toy