My First Photo

This is the first photo I ever took with a digital camera. It's heavily edited to evoke a dreamlike, ethereal aesthetic. I wanted my first photograph to be meaningful and memorable, and I thought this would be the best one.

I actually conceived the idea of taking this photo long before I even had a camera. I was watching my cats in the backyard when I noticed a cluster of roses growing over the fence from our neighbor's yard into ours, resting atop barbed wire. It was positioned so perfectly, and the more I looked at it, the more it reminded me of something. It reminded me of myself. I have many flaws—primarily my struggles with social anxiety. I'm very reclusive. The things I create, the things I love—I usually keep them to myself, and so all people get to see is a shell. But I know I'm more than that. I know I'm creative. I know I have something worth showing. I know I have value. I am that blooming rose, but the barbed wire obstructs me. I allow that barbed wire to be a veil; I let it define me. But it doesn't hide me entirely. If you look closely enough, you'll see a rose—a beautiful rose trying to grow beyond it. And I hope it grows so large that eventually, all anyone can see is the rose.

This photo also reminded me of my community, South Auckland. South Auckland is often associated with poverty, crime, and violence. But to me, it is full of beauty — its culturally diverse people, its distinct places. I believe people jump to conclusions because they’re not looking closely enough. They fail to see beyond the barbed wire, to recognize the rose that South Auckland truly is. This is what I aim to capture—and you’ll find it in almost all my photos: the beauty in the beast.