there’s a first time for everything…

November 2017. It was gonna be my first art field trip to New York City and I was so fucking hyped to go. New York and all its grandeur was just waiting for me and I knew it was gonna be something unforgettable—-looking back, i’m realizing it was all that and so much more.

I guess I could say I was an art kid back then. It was my third year in my school’s digital art program and honestly I was just toying with idea of creating art for a living. At the time, I’d known I was drawn to the idea of filmmaking and photograhy but I hadn’t really done anything in the medium yet. My art department finnally released their plans for out annual fall trip, and when I found it out it was to New York CIty, I fucking FLIPPED. I mean that shit with my whole heart.

Maybe it was something in air or maybe I was caught up with romantizicing the idea of becoming a travel photographer for National Geopraphic, but something in my soul told me to bring a camera on this trip, and not just any one—I needed a DSLR. (I think I was having a main character sort of moment). I like to think I saw this moment as some sort of pivotal crossroads to my future, something that would decide my path in life. Lets be honest, I was being way too overdramatic, but somehwere under all that fluff lied an interesting obstacle: I’d never used a DSLR before and I only had a month to teach myself before the big trip.

After many sleepless nights filled with book cramming, youtube tutorials, and countless snack breaks, I finally felt so (un)prepared to take on the beast that is the Nikon D3400 (did I also mention that pratically begged my grandfather for a month straight to buy me this camera + a kit?)

This is no exaggeration, but I’m a pretty sure a fourth of my lasting friendships to this day stemmed from this trip. It was just so magical to me—no parents, no teachers (for the most part), and the fact that we were allowed to explore large locations like The Met, Central Park, Times Square, and Rockafella Center pretty freely was the chef’s kiss.

We left for NYC at 6am and didnt get back until 12:00am. Here’s a rundown of the vivid memories I had on that trip:

• Being loud as fuck on the coachbus early in the morning and late at night ( I just KNOW everyone on that bus wanted to strangle us…we were way too hyped)

• Steping off the bus outside The Met, jokingly taking pictures of other kids trying to lure masses of pigeons over to us (there were like so many fucking pigeons out) —which I hadn’t known would become my some of my best friends at the time (the kids, not the birds).

• Walking around Central Park for the first time, taking my first portrait, then again in golden hour outside the basment resturant walkout of another museum. My friend’s mom actually ended up using the picture I took on her Facebook ALOT.

• Almost getting lost in Rockafella Center after me and couple of my friends got caught up looking for a Starbucks.

• Almost getting ran over by another coachbus because I too busy staring into my viewfinder to notice it heading my way :)

One the books I read, Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll, really stressed the importance in rule of thirds, symmetry, and asymmetry, leading lines, and depth of field as they added new visual dynamics to taking your photos to the next level. I think what I absorbed from the book (which I HIGHLY reccomend) comes out in these pictures I took on the trip.

The trip was euphoric in its own way—it made me more aware of tangibility of becoming an artist, helped me have greater appreciation for taking dope photos, and even realizing the adrenaline rush of taking photo that turns out to be better than you even though it would be. Shit, the pictures from the trip made me wanna start an art instagram account and in all honesty, I dont think I’d be here today without it.

So without furtherado, here are some of the pics from the trip: