Washington D.C. (Summer 2022)
The Civil Protester
During Project Citizen’s (Duke Orientation) trip to Washington D.C., one of the first places we visited was the White House. Upon arriving, I spent some 30 minutes taking photos of my newfound friends on my DSLR camera. The area in front of the White House was filled with countless laughter and smiles from Duke students and other travelers alike, making it a good place to take photos. But in stark contrast stood a group of protestors camped with multiple signs, sitting meters away from the White House gates, all ignored by bywalkers.
As time came for us to head back to a workshop seminar, two people walked up to the center of the gates, covering their bodies with two highlighted colors: yellow and blue. They raised a Ukrainian flag and in disparity to the people surrounding them, had an emotionless facial expression. They carried no sign and spoke no words yet in that moment, they were the most expressive people in the area.
Knowing I was a photographer, my friends urged me to go up and take a photo of these advocates. “Can I take a photo?” I asked them and was responded with a small smile of approval.
Although the photo wasn’t my best in terms of quality, it told a powerful story, one I am grateful and honored to have had the opportunity to capture. It is for capturing these small yet empowering moments that I love photography.
As time came for us to head back to a workshop seminar, two people walked up to the center of the gates, covering their bodies with two highlighted colors: yellow and blue. They raised a Ukrainian flag and in disparity to the people surrounding them, had an emotionless facial expression. They carried no sign and spoke no words yet in that moment, they were the most expressive people in the area.
Knowing I was a photographer, my friends urged me to go up and take a photo of these advocates. “Can I take a photo?” I asked them and was responded with a small smile of approval.
Although the photo wasn’t my best in terms of quality, it told a powerful story, one I am grateful and honored to have had the opportunity to capture. It is for capturing these small yet empowering moments that I love photography.
...was still standing
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The Star Spangled Banner was written in 1814 during the War of 1812 after Francis Scott Keys witnessed the bombing of Fort M’Henry, Maryland. Despite non-stop bombing, the American flag was still standing at the end of the night.
If you actually think about it, the American troops were unable to do anything about the bombing and all they really did was take the beating. This night could’ve been a symbol of Britain’s military dominance and America’s weakness - yet for some reason this day is remembered 200+ years after as the day America endured all and stepped out victorious. Oftentimes in life we often forget that not everyday has to be a special day. There are days that go by quietly; there are days that go by unnoticed; there are days that go by when defeat seems imminent. We don’t need an offensive strategy every single day. Sometimes we just need to take life step by step and persist through it all- and eventually the time will come when all those silent days add up to emerge a better, wiser, and stronger individual. |
Better Together
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To be honest, coming from an academic competitive environment, it's difficult to care about other's dreams. In a game of competition, every person fends for themselves and the winner takes everything.
But why is it really impossible for everyone to accomplish their dreams? One dream, or one sticky-note, would not have been able to create this wall- it was the culmination of countless dreams from the community that crafted a final masterpiece beyond what any one individual could achieve. The man-made beauties we see in our world today wasn't the vision of one person or individual; it was the culmination of multiple people's dreams. So let's stop trying to bring each other or hold each other back. It's possible - for all of us to live our dreams. |
From a Distance
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There’s a Korean proverb “멀리서 봐야 아름답다” which translates to “From a distance, it looks beautiful.”
Two days before this photo was taken, I went to the National Mall hoping I’d get a good photo of the Washington Monument. To my dismay though, no good photos came out that day mainly because the monument was just too tall to take a good photo of from a short distance. I accepted the fact that I just wouldn’t have a decent photo of the monument. Two days later though, while on the tour of The Capitol, the Washington Monument suddenly appeared from a distance, and I was able to get a decent shot of it (screw the construction crane though). Opportunities come at unexpected times and we only see the true beauty of things when we take a step back. There’s no need to stress when things don’t go the way as planned because eventually it’ll all work out in the end. |
The Red Stop Lights
In reaching the end of the road and making good policies, there always seem to be endless red lights stopping us.
