Emma Hickl

   This photo was taken on my back porch. We live on a farm, and I feel like this picture shows that. You have the trailers and barn in the background, the cows if you look closely, and our farm truck. I love being able to see the firewood at the edge of the picture; it gives it a natural feel. I was shocked at how gorgeous this view was, it was so bright and vibrant and I had never seen such a view before, it made me happy. I love this picture, sunsets are so unique and you never know how they’re gonna look that evening. 

    Photography gives me joy. I love being able to capture God’s artwork through camera, even though no matter how hard I try I can never capture exactly how beautiful it is. Although photography is amazing and I love it, there is nothing like being able to feel the true warmth of the scene shining on your face. With this lilac sky, I feel that happiness.

Emma Hickl is a student in her sophomore year of high school. She is interested in photography as well as writing and wants to use those interests to show God’s artwork and tell of his glory. She strives to live an adventurous and full life.

I was eating breakfast on a school morning when my dad shouted for me to look out the window. The clouds were in full fanfare and the sky was this marvelous blue (I did tweak the photo to bring out more of its magnificence, but what you see is pretty much what I saw). It woke me up instantly and I ran to go get my iPad, which I use to take all my photos. This photo was taken at 7:18 AM on a February morning, hence the name. Then, while I was standing outside in my backyard taking photos in my pajamas, my breakfast forgotten, an airplane flew into view, and I knew I had the perfect shot. I love bright blue skies, and this one made my day.

Miranda Sun is sixteen years old and loves to read, write, draw, take cool photographs, and drink lychee bubble tea (although not all at once). She has been nationally recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and has had multiple works published in Creative Kids magazine, where she serves as a Senior Contributor.

I reside in an old, historic house in Kansas City, Missouri. Because my house is so unique and often has beautiful lighting from the many windows, I take photos there a lot. I am inspired by many different photographers, and one thing they always emphasize is the importance of taking as many photos as possible. Over time, I have also learned that usually, the first image that you capture will not be the perfect one. I try to take a lot of shots from various angles. My photo “Old Friends” was one of many. I saw my mom and our cat, Daisy, sitting on the windowsill together in our living room. So I asked them to hold still for a minute and captured quite a few photos. When I first saw the negatives, I fell in love with this image. I really enjoy the subjects, setting, and silhouette effect of it. I aim to portray a variety of human emotions, and I really believe this photo does just that, as it depicts loving and warm feelings.

Shera Bhala currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri and attends the Pembroke Hill School. At Pembroke, Shera is an Arts Focus student, with an emphasis on photography.

These photos were taken in the streets of Bhopal, my hometown, which has quite a laid-back lifestyle. On a moderately hot day in April 2016,I peeped out of my car. People, lives, things, scenes shifted quickly before me, without giving any notice. In these moments, with the wind gushing through my hair, I came across these men who were simply relaxing, standing in the middle of nowhere as vehicles whizzed past them. Their postures and expressions seemed to place them in the center of the universe. As a photographer, I was keen on capturing the composition and the story in each element these photographs would convey. For me, photography isn’t just a practice; it’s more of an art of storytelling, a channel of communication. Though these photographs are just some shots of street photography with not much technique employed, the story they speak of, fascinates and imparts immense satisfaction.

Aditi Chandra is a junior from Bhopal, India. She is an amateur photographer and her works have been previously published in Textploit, Teen Ink, ArtRefurbish , Cargo Literary, Moledro and Alexandria Quarterly among others . She also serves as the Art Editor at Inklette Magazine and Phosphene Literary Journal. You can find her  at aditichandra.wordpress.com.

This photo was taking at my grandmother’s house in Grannis, Arkansas, at which time I had recently began experimenting with backlighting. This was one of the first photos I had taken with the sun in the frame, and now, I shoot with it in the frame whenever possible!

Matti Youngblood can be found taking pictures, writing, or reading while listening to music.