Photo Courtesy of Michael Sun
Tae Hong
Arts Reporter
Every year, Drexel University in Philadelphia has a high school photography contest. According to their website, they receive over 3,000 photographs, but only 116 photos are accepted into the contest’s show. One of Newton South’s students, senior Michael Sun, had the honor of having one of his photographs accepted into the Drexel photography show. The image that was accepted can be seen above. It can also be seen in the display cabinet across from the main office at South.
According to Sun, the picture was taken a couple years ago on a family trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. At this destination, you can find arches made of elk antlers, which is what the image is of.
The photographer explains his picture by saying, “I looked at those arches and people were taking pictures of them, … But I thought instead of taking a picture of the arch as a whole, what if I just zoomed in on the arch, and then I took a picture of it in black and white, and it looked pretty cool.”
On entering the competition, Sun says, “I honestly wasn’t expecting the antlers one to win. I picked a bunch of other ones that I thought were better, almost as a conception. But of course, I’m really happy that I won, and I think the picture is really good too because it has such a good form and texture. My whole family is pretty proud of me, and I’m proud that my photo is going to get hung up in the school, and I really want to go to Philadelphia at some point when this exhibition is happening and get to see my picture for myself.”
Everyone has their own ways of chilling and spending their free time. For Michael, it’s photography. “[Photography] is kind of like painting, but instead of paint, you use light and framing,” he says. “Photography is really a way for me to relax and focus and work. [Because] even if I’m not taking anything substantial, just the act of putting up the camera, like zooming in and framing is really therapeutic for me.”
Additionally, Sun is observant and often sees things that would make a good photo. “I try to get a sense of patterns and textures and things like that. Like if I have something that I think would make a really good picture. I just have a sense, and I feel like ‘this would be an interesting setup,’ like this would be an interesting thing to take a picture of,” Sun says, describing things he looks out for when photographing.
As for looking and finding subjects, Sun recommends exploring locally. “There is a water treatment plant around Boston called Deer Island. I went there and was able to get some really cool pictures with texture. I would recommend you go there.” Sun also has a range of subjects. While he likes exploring nature and being in the outdoors, he also enjoys photographing urban life. “I took a lot of pictures of skaters like right before COVID, in Copley Square. I just like going and trying to capture the feel of the city in a picture,” he says.
For now, Michael enjoys taking pictures for fun and hopes to grow and improve his skills in the future. He also looks forward to doing more photography in college and maybe pursuing a career as a photographer as well. Congratulations Michael, on having your photo accepted to the show!
