Even though I'm young, and I barely know anything about myself, except that I like taking pictures, attending school, playing soccer, writing/reading, and breathing, I find it hard for people to understand that even though I am young and I don’t know much about who I am, I know my pictures portray it all. I remember feeling insecure about taking pictures. Thinking… Does this look stupid? Do I look stupid? What will people think? I still replay the same questions in my head every time I pick up my camera and click, but instead of feeling scared and embarrassed, I’m confident and proud. Does this look stupid? To me, I think the stupider/cheesier looking, the less cliché and more fun. Do I look stupid? How could I look stupid holding a giant camera, bigger than my head around my neck when EVERYONE is doing it nowadays. What will people think? I encourage people to think. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, good or bad, either way, at least someone is looking at what I have to show the world and choosing to like or dislike, honestly I really don’t care. I am known as “the girl who will be your personal paparazzi”. Although, I really do HATE it, it gives me a good excuse to sign off of facebook, leave the house, and fill my lungs with what seems like fresh air. Most of my pictures are of my friends and family, but that isn’t a bad thing at all. You see pictures of tall buildings with city lights and random pedestrians walking along the pavement showing no sign of recognition that they are being stalked, but I’ll give you pictures of places, with people I know possessing expressions, giving you this familiar feeling. Hopefully that familiar feeling leads you to one day, drive up to my front door, holding a wad of cash in hand, and a big old smile asking to buy one of my pictures. I know this probably won’t happen, but a girl can dream. I have many dreams. I want to graduate school, get married, have children, and hopefully, die a painless death. Those are just the major wants I need in order for me to live happily, but there are some more specific and meager wants I also need. For example, get my braces off, win the lottery, finally learn how to cook, kill a spider… the selection is ceaseless. One of the less needed, but wanted dream I wish for is to finally sell. Not sell cookies, or all the unused crap I own, (although, I could make a lot of money having a garage sale) it’s finally selling one of my photos. That’s all I really want. I want people to know that I am good and even though I am young that doesn’t give anyone the right to assume that I have no talent and I’m “just like every other kid”. I want to be able to know that somewhere in this world, someone has my picture framed above their fireplace. If they don’t have a fireplace, and they hang it up in their bathroom… at least it’s framed? I really don’t care. As long is its making someone happy, it’s making me happy too. I don’t know much about myself except I like to do what every teenage girl does, but what I do know for sure, is that taking pictures makes me happy. And I’m pretty sure being happy is a good thing.
