Photography

Hi everyone, it's been a while! My freshman year at the University of Maryland officially ended on Monday as I took my bio final. After the final ended, I've been taking a lot of pictures of my friends and I learned a lot! Whenever I visit photographers' sites, in their "About Me" sections, they talk about getting to know their clients before a photoshoot. I used to wonder why so many professional photographers wanted to get to know their clients at a personal level. Then this week I learned that taking pictures isn't just about taking pictures. It's more than that. For instance, when a couple invites you to be their wedding photographer, they're inviting you to share an important moment in their life. Also when you get to know people, they are able to relax and just have fun. When they know you, they trust you.

Here are some pictures I took this week!

This is my friend Alice. I met her while volunteering at the Clinic on Saturdays last semester! We shared the responsibility of taking care of our child, Delia. She's also in the Gemstone program. It was really fun taking pictures with Alice. She was willing to try anything I asked her to! (:

This is Casey & Soophia! I met Casey through Gemstone and Soophia was Casey's friend from high school. 

This is Steven and Vinona! Steven was in my Organic Chemistry class in the fall semester. I met Vinona in middle school orientation! And they happened to be living on the same floor in Hagerstown.

Yesterday I took pictures of Rebekah & Mary! Woohoo finally graduating after all the hardwork. Congratulations Rebekah & Mary! 

All of these were taking with the 85mm prime lens and within three days! I really learned a lot from these experiences and I hope that I can learn to make people feel comfortable while getting their pictures taken. Also, I need to learn more poses. I hope you enjoyed these! (:

"Follow Me"

This semester was really challenging in many ways - physically, spiritually, and mentally. My body had a really hard time adjusting to my scattered schedule that began at 9 and ended around 6 most days. On Thursdays, I began attending my fellowship's weekly Bible study. Attending Bible study really helped me go deeper into the passage rather than just hearing the message once on Sunday. The Word of God truly brings life into our lives. My classes are a lot more challenging this semester compared to last semester (and it will only continue to get harder). These classes really challenged me to take studying to another level. I remember that in the beginning of the semester the classes seemed so hard that I was questioning the pre-med track (I know for sure that I cannot do it without God's help and guidance). Now that the semester almost over (only a little more than a week left!), I can look back and see that God was with me through all the difficulties and battles. God is good; God is faithful. It's hard to believe that it's almost been a year since I graduated high school! This school year really flew by. 

Today's Sunday message concluded the book of John. In John 21, Jesus came to visit his disciples for the third time. "Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together" (John 21:2). Peter decided to go fishing and the other disciples decided to follow. They fished all night. However, to their dismay, they caught nothing. As fishermen they were supposed to be experts at fishing. And this is when Jesus appeared. As the disciples hit rock bottom and lost all hope, Jesus came as their friend and provider. He came and asked, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" When they replied, "no," he commanded them, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When the disciples obeyed, they caught 153 fish! The disciples caught nothing without Jesus' help. In the same way, we cannot bear fruit or do good things on our own. 

Later on, after Jesus asks people "Do you love me," He commands Peter, "Follow me!" Instead of immediately following Jesus, Peter turned to John and asked, "Lord, what about him?" It really convicted me when Jesus told Peter, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." I learned that Jesus commands all of us to follow him. However following Jesus may physically look different for each one of us. Following Jesus for one person may be moving to Uganda and serving God's people there. Following Jesus for another person may be serving the youth where they currently are. Following Jesus may be becoming a martyr for Jesus. It may be standing up for Him when no one else is. It may be sharing the gospel with your friends. I've been reminded this semester that the Christian life is something that begins from the inside. It's not just about doing good things. Doing good comes as a result of a change that happens on the inside.

Like Peter, I want to say, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." I know that my love has limits. I fail to love God well many times but God knows that. Despite my weaknesses and failures, God commands, "Follow me." Will you follow him? 

A Friend

My sister and I have a really large gap - about seven years. Throughout her life, I've been more of a mom than a sister. I spent my elementary school days babysitting (changing her diapers, playing hide-and-seek, etc.) her after school while my parents were working or at church meetings. As we're both getting older, it's kind of weird that now she's almost as tall as me (which is not incredibly tall, haha). We have the same shoe size now too! Sometimes I look in my closet and can't find something I'm looking for. Turns out, she wore it to school. Maybe in a few years, I'll be borrowing her clothes... Sadly, as she gets older, I can't boss her around anymore, haha. I'm finding out more and more how different we are. Yet, we're so similar. For example, we both love and appreciate art. However, my interest is in photography while my sister's interests are focused on drawing & making videos (she's pretty good at both too). She's seen my best and my worst. She knows that I can get really cranky & mean when I'm tired. However she's quick to forgive. (: As we are getting older, she's becoming more of a friend to me. It's kind of weird. I thank God for giving me my sister!

I was pretty surprised that she trusted me enough to let me cut her hair today! The left is the before picture and the right is the after picture (after she took a shower). The curls are from her perm. (: