I'm young, but apparently I have talent. At least that's what many people tell me...
It’s a bitter night and the rain is coming and going with the wind. My hands are numb from the cold and rain, as the rest of my body shivers irrepressibly. The weather was perfect, dark and moody with reflective puddles and streetlights all around. With an old camera in my frozen hands and wind blasting in my eyes, I try to maintain the composure to take the shot. It’s a small struggle to capture a unique moment, a moment where time freezes as I press the shutter. These are the experiences where I feel the energy inside being awakened. These are the moments when I feel alive. I don’t know exactly what it is about these moments that make me feel alive, but it’s a feeling like no other. Might it be the feeling of urgency of hostile weather, the wind blowing in my face as I inhale the fresh and rejuvenating air,experiencing Mother Nature at her finest, or a combination of them all, and more? What I do know is it’s a feeling of energy I can’t get enough of. With the elements bearing down on me, I am not distracted from having a sense of enlightenment and aliveness. Totally absorbed in my craft with everything flowing around like feathers on the wind, I make myself at peace and become part of the moment. I am the hunter stalking its prey and readying for the kill, only my weapon, my instrument of life, captures a moment and makes it live forever. I have found my calling.
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Awards and Recognition. (some unrelated to photography)
> Featured in the news section on the Emerica shoes website.
http://emericaskate.com/news/2008/07/02 - July 2008
> 2nd place VFW young artist’s patriot contest. - $50. May 2008
Ridgewater College: Skill-O-Rama Contest.
> 1st Place, Digital Imaging, $200 Scholarship: 11th grade, 2007
> 1st Place, Digital Imaging, $200 Scholarship: 12th grade, 2008
> 2nd Place, Nature Photography, 12th grade, 2008
http://www.deviantart.com:
> Daily Deviation. Nov. 2005.
> Daily Deviation. July, 2008.
Minnesota State High School League: At Westbrook-Walnut grove
> Excellent and Superior Ratings: Visual Arts Competition, 2007.
> 4 Superior ratings, and a Judge's Choice Award: Visual Arts Competition, 2008.
High School Art Awards: May 2008
> "Outstanding Senior Artist Award"
> 1st place: Portrait Photography
> 1st place: Original Drawing
Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards: January 2008
> Gold Key+$50 from National Camera: Digital Imagery
> Gold Key: Computer Art
> Merit Award: Painting
