Sydney Chao

Junior Sydney Chao takes photos to remember the places she visited. However, the photo she submitted was taken in her own neighborhood. Photographed when the skies were filled with wildfire smoke, the photo represents hope during the darkest of times. 

“I went outside, and I didn’t think I would take anything because the lighting was really bad,” Chao said. “But then, I looked at this window in my neighborhood, and I took a picture.” 

Chao submitted her work to the exhibition because she believed it fit the theme of Brave New Worlds.

“In the photo, one panel absorbs all the darkness while the other panel reflects the sky,” Chao said. “It symbolizes how during unprecedented circumstances, we can’t change the situation, but we can change how we view it.” 

Chao increased the photo’s saturation in Adobe Lightroom to increase the glow around the window. The photo helped Chao see how photography can improve one’s view of the world.

“Later on, I realized that it looked more beautiful through the lens of my camera than in real life,” Chao said. “It shows how you can look at things from different perspectives, and you can see the good and bad sides.”