The Newcomer (SEMI-ON HOLD)

Chapter Four

    "The Academy wants a really strong portfolio of work to be submitted by January," Jane tells me after we got over both of our excitements. "God, Kim, I read the kind of work they expect to see from applicants, and it's intimidating! They don't want just a compilation of professional work, no. They want a photo series! They want a story told in pictures— how am I going to do that? I take pictures of kids in the hallway! It can't just be something we do on a regular basis, it has to be completely different! Something that you really worked for!"

    "Okay! Okay! Shut up!" I cut Jane off. "Im still in the middle of processing this, Jane."

    I was very nervous. I didn't think about what Jane said about the portfolio of work, but when I got home that evening, I looked it up myself. Instantly, I felt like my heart just dropped to my stomach.

The academy wants a series of photography works that show your range and versatility as a photographer, but the main focus of the portfolio has to be a story told in a series of images. I am completely daunted by the idea because when I looked at my collection of works, all I have are individual images and candid pictures of kids from school and town events. Some street photography is present too, but overall just individual images.

    Except maybe this one—

    "Kim!" I whip around when I hear my name being called out. "I'm coming into your room, I need your help." My door slowly opens as my mother walks in, her brows furrowed looking down at two pictures in her hands. "An exhibit is happening tomorrow at the gallery and I need your advice."

    I chuckled, making some space on my bed for my mom to sit on. "Show me." I say. She lays out a bunch of images on my bed, a couple of which are actual pictures and one is a layout of her exhibit. "What do you want me to do?" I ask her.

    "Right. This section is a series of still-life photography by the artist. We have most of the pictures chosen except three. We can't decide between a bunch of these. I need an outsider's opinion."

    I found my love for photography through my mom. Mom is a curator at the gallery at the town centre. She organised a lot of the exhibits & I'll never forget the first time she took me to the gallery, and an exhibit of portraiture was taking place. I was nine years old. I was immediately fascinated by the pictures of these strangers I haven't met before, but somehow I felt like I had a connection with them. Almost as if I could feel what they were feeling, think what they were thinking. It was so amazing and captivating that it reeled me into taking on photography until it became a great passion of mine.

    She was so encouraging about me developing my craft that she took me to the exhibits regularly, until now. It became our way of bonding, sort of, and that's how it's always been.

    I point at the picture on the top left. "This one looks best beside this one." I pick up the other portrait and put it beside each other. "They tie up the whole aesthetic because the colour scheme is similar." I tell her and from the corner of my eye, I can see her nodding.

    "Okay, Yeah." My mom says, still nodding her head, "That makes a lot of sense. We're going with this one. And they can't argue with me tomorrow about changing it because we're on a deadline." She chuckle as she takes note of my suggestion before stacking up the images.

"So! You have your laptop on, your hard drive plugged in. What are you up to?" Mom turns my laptop screen to her. Her jaw drops. "Oh my god, Kim. These are gorgeous! Wha— who's this?" She asks.

    "A new girl at school." I tell her. A bunch of pictures of Jacky are on my screen, messing around when we're doing committee duties. "I love doing these. The emotions are so raw, they all feel so real."