"An Artwork That Comes To Life:" A Student Voice On Photography

The following reflection and photoessay comes from Hannah Ericksen, a junior at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School studying photography with Chris Randall. On Monday, Erickson sat in on a master class from dancers Ondrej Vidlar and Perle Palombe, both longtime collaborators with Trajal Harrell and part of his performances with the Yale Schwarzman Center. After the class, she submitted the following reflection, accompanied by photos from the hour of dance.  

When I was asked to document the dance class, I went into it a little nervous because I haven't done anything like that before. But I was also excited because I felt like I had a job. I thought it was really cool, because I got to take photographs of people who were very expressive and showed a lot of emotion. Not just through their faces, but with their bodies as they were dancing.

I think it's really cool to watch art, because I love art—any kind of art, even if it's not something I would do. I'm not a dancer, but it's really amazing to watch someone who you can tell really loves to do it. And to be able to capture it. It was nice and the people were nice and helpful. And the dancers did a good job.

I feel like I have always liked photography. When I take a photo, it's like I have a certain mindset. I feel like everywhere I go, I think, "This would be a great photo"—that's how I know it's something I really want to do. It's very important to me because I like to capture certain moments. I like to see these moments, like memories or historical things. It's awesome to see how things once were, even if not that long ago.

Photos allow us to see these things. It's interesting to capture something in a frame and hold on to it forever. Even if it's just a really cool sunset or sunrise or a really amazing moment happening. I was at a concert last week, and I thought of all the cool moments that would make amazing photos.  The lights, the fire, the sparkly things on stage.

Photography is different from drawing and painting for me: it's a different kind of creative flow. I always admire old pictures, or even the posters on my walls, and think about the process that went into the pose or the lighting. Photography is something that can allow you to be imaginative and creative in a different way, it's not like other art forms that I have tried. You can do anything you want.

You can be the muse, someone else can be your muse. You can edit and photoshop just like you would add color or paint or layers to a drawing. It allows you to think on the spot, but without the pressure. 

And you can help others capture the greatest moments of their life, like weddings or other special days. These are all special moments that you will be able to relive forever. I also think taking photos when people are not expecting it, like a candid photo, is amazing. Random   photos of your loved ones like that can be special. I actually wish I did that more often.  Photographs hold a feeling. It's an artwork that comes life.