Change

I was at my old school for over fifteen years. My school wasn’t just a school, it was my family, my routine, my second home. So when the District decided they needed to make cuts last year, it was devastating. Having to pack up fifteen years of memories, say goodbye to my people, and accept a forced transfer to a completely different school felt awful.

I was terrified to start over. But somewhere under all that stress and sadness, I knew I had to make this work out. And, guess what? It really did! I had the most wonderful year and I loved (almost) every second of it.

Moving to a new space also gave me the opportunity to look for and focus on new beauty. My camera was in my school bag almost every day and I found so many things to photograph. Walking into a fresh environment forced me to open my eyes again and it turned a scary, unfamiliar place into a canvas waiting to be explored. It was wonderful!

I’m hoping this coming school year will also be amazing. But, most of all, I’m excited about finding more beauty in my new space every day.

Here are some of the film images I shot this past school year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them!

~ Maite