It's a personal essay that I had to write for English. Basically my lifestory >.> You don't have to read it.


Naadia Ahsan
Miss Barclay
ENG 3U1
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

When I am asked to write about myself, usually one of the first things I will mention is my love for photography. I have always been nostalgic, the one who cherishes every single moment a little more strongly than those around me. I see everything, and find beauty in everything. None of these fragments which pass through my mind escape it without careful thought and analysis. The most trivial things find their own importance in this way. Photography is my way of holding onto these fleeting moments and simple treasures. It is something I have loved so deeply for so long that it now begins to shape my being in a way that I had never considered possible.

Last summer, the town arts council hosted a photography contest, avidly promoted around the school by my then English teacher, who was herself very much into photography. In class that day, a friend of mine requested the forms for this contest, and I, never being one to listen to the morning announcements, inquired, “What contest?” My friend (bless her) took one look at me and said, “You can’t enter, you’ll win!”

Ironically enough, I did. I placed twice – first place in one category, and second in another, which, every time my mother got the chance to brag (and she found many of these opportunities), she would boast I deserved first in as well. I got a lot of positive feedback about my work, which doubtless did wonders for my confidence and only further encouraged me to continue to pursue the hobby which I held dear.

Fall came, along with my uncle’s marriage, and on top of being thrust a dress and proclaimed a bridesmaid, guess who also became the unofficial photographer? Now, I am as much a social butterfly as I am the kind of girl who enjoys elaborately beaded bridesmaid dresses – that is, not at all. At the bridal shower, I was thrilled to find out I knew about 25% of the people that were supposed to be from my side of the family, let alone the bride’s guests, who by far made up the larger percentage.

Over the expanse of time that elapsed between then and the wedding, I learnt a lot as far as my social skills were concerned. I am more the type to candidly snap a shot that feels right than to stop a group of people and ask them to pose, but this particular task called for the latter. Once I got past basic introductions, I began to wander around, impeding on the conversations of each table I stopped at and asking for photographs, made brave by the camera clutched tightly in my hands. Then comes my fastidious “Could you move a little to the left?” and “Let’s try that again, the bride was blinking.” Suffice to say, the event involved its fair share of interaction.

Gradually I became more comfortable around people without the excuse of my camera, and thus photography has done a lot for my self esteem. In my circle of friends, I am the photographer. It is rare that I am without my camera, so much so that it is simply understood that when we plan something, whether it be a sweet sixteen or a day at the park, I will be there, camera in hand, to document. In this sense, I am defined by it. Whether or not people understand my passion for photography, it is how I am remembered. It has shaped who I am as a person, and the way I am perceived by others. Each new photograph becomes a milestone, marking my growth as a person. Grow though I may, I am, and will continue to be, the girl who sees the world through her camera lens.