The early portions of my life were filled with art, music, and the photographs that my mom took of myself and my two brothers as we grew up. As I transitioned out of my childhood and began exploring mediums to express myself, I was drawn to my mom’s passion for photography and quickly began to take my own photographs. My early subject matter was centered around life in the suburbs in my hometown of Gahanna, Ohio. The natural simplicity of a childhood filled with life outdoors, late-night bike rides, and trips to ice cream shops made for perfect subject matter. As I grew as an artist, I began venturing into country towns like Pataskala, where my grandma’s pool and evening drives alongside corn fields further built my natural style of photography. The simple pleasures of small-town life that became apparent through my photography are why I am proud to be an American. I know that these freedoms are not enjoyed by all, which is why I am not only lucky enough to experience them but also to be able to create from them. After growing up attending hometown football games at Gahanna Lincoln High School, it was our right to freedom of the press that allowed me to join Gahanna’s yearbook staff and photograph many football games and other sporting events. My experience throughout my years as a photographer and photography editor for the yearbook helped me get selected to attend Buckeye Boys State, where my right to freedom of the press came up once again. During this week-long experience, I managed the various social media pages for the program as well as provided photos to a newspaper that was given to those in attendance at the end of the week. While life in America has many pros, there are also changes that should be made to ensure the productive running of the country for years to come. Of these changes, I have found that fostering a willingness to help out in the community is a process that has been absent in the upbringing of many students nationwide. During my time in high school, I ran a chapter of Amnesty International at my school. The roots of our club were grounded in the idea that change needs to be made in our community, and we were going to be the ones to bring this change to fruition. Our projects included a voting registration event, recycling for the school, and building a rain garden at a local middle school. While the core group of us had our heads in the right place, we would often go without outside help, and our projects would be placed entirely on the backs of the solid members of the group. The general unwillingness of community members to aid in my attempts at improving life in my hometown was disheartening. Even in my school's chapter of the National Honors Society, events would frequently have zero or insufficient volunteer numbers. Though there have been many days I have spent in frustration that my attempts to do good were not backed up by others, I have realized that as long as I keep trying, people will catch on. I know that the good in the world will eventually work its way through as long as I keep building rain gardens and holding voter registration events. I will look to inspire this change whether it be at Ohio University (where I will be attending school), the surrounding Athens community, or my future community.

Music has been present in my life as early as I can remember. Growing up, there was very rarely a time where there was no music playing somewhere in my house. Similarly, it seemed like there was rarely a time that there was not a camera in sight between my mom and I. I started attending concerts regularly in my junior year of high school. I would (and still do) scour every concert venue in Columbus, Ohio for artists I recognize or think would put on a good show. It didn’t take long for me to start working my way into the concert photography scene. I started off with a show at a local record store. Then, I landed a gig shooting Summon Luke along with Doc Robinson and A-Go-Go, all local Columbus bands, at the Newport Music Hall backstage. Even though I have gone on to shoot other shows, this one in particular stands out above the others. The venue itself is over 100 years old, and holds the title of being the longest continuously running rock venue in the country. Being able to stand in the same room as some of the greatest artists to live like Neil Young, James Brown, Pearl Jam, and The Band was a surreal experience to say the least. I have decided to include a portfolio of shots exclusively from that night. All of these photos were taken with the goal of capturing the magic that live music seems to radiate. I also chose to include one image (black and white piano shot) that I took on 35mm film, developed myself in a darkroom, and enlarged. Even though I take a wide variety of different photos ranging from landscapes to sports, I find myself drawn to concert photography especially. Both the editing process and the shooting process has been so different from anything else I have ever shot and I hope to do a lot more of it in the future.