Mililu Photography

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...