Growing Up

My goal and vision for this photo series was to capture the experience of being a teenager and growing up in a raw, uncut way. A lot of the movies or photography I’ve seen that are based around the theme of adolescence seem very dramatized and unrelatable. Teenagehood is a confusing time but there’s also a simplicity to it, which is what I wanted to express. 

All the photos were shot by me and one of the reasons I wanted to create this series was to preserve these memories for myself. All of these photos I’ve just taken with my friends or while I’m out doing something. None of them were staged or planned, which seemed fitting for this theme.

"Time"

As a teenager, you have a realization that you're growing up and you're in the period of life you never imagined would come as a kid. Birthdays and summers come and go and you can't stop it. It's both a bittersweet and surreal feeling.

"Somewhere to Go"

When we're going through high school everything is exciting and new. There seems to be no final destination or set plan for the night rather just finding something to go to or something do in the moment.

"You and Them

One of the simple conflicts of childhood is finding out where you fit in and figuring out who you are.

"Shenanigans"

Most of the time, there's no real reason we do a lot of things in high school. It's a part of life where we can do stupid things and laugh at it later with our friends.

"Liquor Store"

"Nothing"

Among the obvious things like school, personal issues, and other obligations, as teenagers we do nothing a lot; there's a lot of waiting and just sitting around. It's not a bad thing, just simply a part of adolescence. Our free time may be one of the things we take for granted the most.

"Friends"

"Colors of the Night"

"All Dressed Up"

Is the exciting buildup and anticipation of the night ahead more fun than the actual party? Sometimes. These times with my friends are some of my most fond memories.