REPORTING

I chose this photo from the Senior Blackout because it showcases the candid interaction between two people having a good time dancing. My work revolves around people and how they interact with one another, and this photograph supports this. It was pouring rain outside and the senior class was supposed to take their senior photo, so we all had to go inside the cafeteria. We started having a dance party and I got some photos of the students dancing and having a good time. I had some difficulties maneuvering around the dancing people, but it worked out in the end. 

I chose a photo from the Impromptu concert. This was important to me because you can see the concentration of the student while playing, so I included this photograph because of the backlighting and how the subject was clearly in focus. When taking this photograph I had to sit in the corner of the Black Box studio and make sure to have no sound to not disrupt the performance. Due to the lighting constantly changing, I had to adjust my camera settings frequently, but overall I loved the performance and was grateful to have been able to take photos. 

I picked this photo from Freshman Frenzy because I loved this moment of these two students just dancing around. In my portfolio, all my work is about student culture and student body. I faced new difficulties when taking this photograph because I was running around due to needing to work the event for Student Government as well. The freshman grew more comfortable interacting with each other and the games, and I truly wanted to capture the beginning of high school friendships between people

I picked this photo from the Black Student Union Block Party. I loved the genuine happiness of this person, and her speaking to other people. I wanted to influence this in my portfolio because it shows her socializing with others at this event. When taking photos of this event because it was in a small part of the cafeteria, I didn’t have much space to roam around to get more of a variety of photographs, so I took more close-ups and reaction photos.

"Without the paint room, the theatre department would just have pieces of wood put together with no clue what you’re looking at, because they all would blend together [and] the productions would be boring. [...] The most unique thing about the room is the paintings that people have done on the walls and the door. I find them creative and strange especially since a lot of them are made from students that actually work within the paint room.”

- Theatre senior Ash Dejesus

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This quote was important to me because of how this room was hidden away from the rest of campus. This room held many stories of students who go to DSOA and it’s reflected through the art throughout the entire room. I wanted to include it in my portfolio because of how I was struggling to find a hidden room around campus to cover, and by asking around, I found the wood worship room which led me to the paint room. This room brought to light how creative students can be, and how their own personalities are shown through their artwork.

“[This work is] part of a greater collection, Fájate La Colección, which in Spanish [is] a play on words of finding strength and attacking societal beauty standards. People in Latin culture tell girls to wear faja’s, which are Colombian shapewear, to appear having an hourglass figure. [...] This piece included patches of printed nutrition facts, Latin food labels, measurement tapes in the shapes of flowers, and beaded appliqués. For the cage skirt, I created it to talk about how [...] they were supposed to wear that under their dresses, and how it correlates to today’s social media displaying workout routines and fast weight loss hacks.”

-Theatre senior Kaytlin Sanchez

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I choose this quote from the Digital and Art Showcase because of how impactful this piece was. It stood out to me from the other pieces and I wanted to know the story behind it. Through the interview, I found out the meaning behind this piece and how it was done by a theatre major, the only non-digital or visual major in the showcase. I included this in my portfolio because of how these pieces bring attention to social standards for women today and how the interview I did with her revealed how much meaning it had to her personally.

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“[Lionfish] are a big problem in Florida and [the] Caribbean because of how exotic they are, and they eat other fish. But there's also beauty to them, with how dangerous [they are], how their spines are, and how their body's made up with bright colors. [...] One of my materials was palm fronds, but they're very sturdy and stiff. Sometimes you had to throw them in the pool to soak them and get them flexible so we were able to cut them.”

- Visual freshman Kyla Carroll 

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I decided to include this quote in my portfolio because of how Kyla described her art process in detail and how unique it was. Seeing this piece in person really made me wonder how it was made, and what was the purpose behind this piece. I personally loved how this piece brought attention to the issue of Lionfish in Florida and the dangers they bring, but also how beautiful they are, therefore making this a complex piece. She also described the materials she used and why she used them, and the inspiration behind them.

“Music is always something I can rely on to make me feel something, whether it's happy or sad. I use it to help my emotions, and I'm really grateful that I have the ability to make music because it enhances when I listen to a song. I not only feel it, but I like to learn from it. [...] [The Collective] definitely wants to move people with our music, even if it's just a silly song.”

 -Digital media senior Natalie Macadar

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I wanted to include this quote from Natalie because I have seen firsthand how The Collective band has brought life to school and allowed music to bring people together. Whenever they perform I always see a swarm of people crowd around them, all enchanted by their music. This quote brings to light how music has impacted Natalie personally and the impact she wants to bring to school, and I also liked how this was a very raw quote, it shows how passionate she is and the goals she has.