Layla Tehranchi

A Dinner to Remember

This grouping of two images is a representation of my Grandpa through a table setting of diverse symbols, conjoint to celebrate and honor who he was and the life he lived. These photographs aim to communicate a glimpse of who he was and to emphasize that even though he has passed, he will never stop living through memories and will never stop living in the hearts of those he has impacted. While capturing the reality of loss and passing, I made sure that his beautiful and long lived life was symbolized as well. In order to do this, the image in color is centered with clothing items being held up, almost as if he was in the photograph. The duality of the dark lighting versus the bright acts to express life and passing, and how they both compliment his legacy and celebrate his life and being. The elegant dinner setting underscores his sophistication, the books representing his love for french literature, and pinecones and a glass filled with a flower representing his connection to nature. The two candles represent his life, in that even though the flame of his physical living may no longer be present, his legacy and memories will always live on, regardless of whether the candle is lit.

Amelia Hines

Bahr None

My Still Life images represent my grandmother, Cathleen Bahr, through her belongings that have been passed down to me. Shooting this project was cathartic because it gave me the space to both learn about and appreciate my grandmother. It was also exciting! I poured over photo albums from her life that I had never seen before, and I felt like a detective piecing together an anthology of objects that I thought would be dear to her. Some of the photos I found from aforementioned albums appear in my final images, along with a silver watch and two pieces from a silver tea set: a bowl and a knife. I find the silver gorgeous, a true family heirloom. The final object is a vial of holy water, a nod to her religiosity as well as another note of silver. All in all, I hope that my images embody the grace, endurance, and love that is my grandmother.

Jordanna Boxer Wachler

Lost Treasure

My still life showcases my grandpa’s passion for photography. Although I never met him, Joe was an avid photographer and would bring his leather camera bag with just about every accessory imaginable on each vacation he took. Ever since I could remember, my mom told me stories about how she and her siblings were tasked with carrying the bag (no matter how heavy) everywhere they traveled. The bag is in pristine condition, as it has been untouched for over thirty years. Opening the bag was like discovering gold in a long-lost treasure chest. For so many years I had heard of the “legend” of the camera bag, but this was the first time I could dig through the contents of it. The same lenses I stared at in awe were the ones he used on a daily basis. Though dusty and in need of professional cleaning, everything was functional, to my surprise. Most of the objects I photographed belonged to him, but I did borrow some from the film developing room at Archer. The parallels of the film process back then and now are uncanny: fundamentally, so little has changed. I follow the same steps he took in order to make a print, thus carrying his legacy on further.

I intended for images to be like a treasure hunt of their own. The more you look, the more you find. I hope viewers can dig through the “treasures” in these images to find their own version of gold.

Chloe Hayden

Spilled Memories

These photos are made to illustrate the life of my grandmother Nadeen Thedola Victor. Throughout my childhood I heard a plethora of stories about my grandmother, and who she was. My mother learned so much from her mother and in turn passed those life lessons on to me. When presented with an opportunity to pay respects to a person who is no longer with us, my grandmother was the first person who came to mind. An important aspect of my grandmother’s identity that I wanted to highlight was her love for cooking and baking. I have heard story after story about the extravagant and delicious foods that my grandmother was able to produce in her lifetime. She was able to feed her 7 kids, several grandchildren, and many more extended family members just with her own talents. That is why in my image I included many recipes that were handwritten by her and her daughters to demonstrate how that passion and talent had passed on through the generations. Another important choice that I wanted to include was a black backdrop for my images. My grandmother went blind in her early 60’s so for the last 15 or so years of her life she was unable to see. Another important aspect of the images was the tea cup. This tea cup amongst many others was a set brought back by my Uncle from the army as a present to my grandmother. This was the only tea cup that got damaged on the way back from war. Though she had the other piece to glue it back on she refused stating that, it reflected the hardships that her son went through and that was something she wanted to remember. I wanted to have the image of my mother and grandmother, on my mom’s wedding day, to be a focal point of my first image and the photo of them when my mom was a child to be the focal point of the second, to illustrate the deep connection my mom has felt for my grandmother throughout her entire life. Whenever I asked my mom why she was able to do the seemingly impossible tasks and multitasking that she completes she always responded with “I am Nadeen’s daughter”. Through this project I wanted to illustrate that I am lucky and proud to be Nadeen's granddaughter.

Cate Childers

Branches of Lindsay’s Life

I chose to do my project on one of my mom's best friends growing up whose name is Lindsay. She passed away about 5 years ago but I got to know her when I was little and my family used to go out and stay at her family's ranch for the weekend all the time. I remember her as being very joyful and full of life. I decided to make my images colorful to reflect my memories of her and visiting her ranch. I did a combination of objects that represent more of her relationship with my mom, some objects to show her personality when I knew her and some objects to shed light on the impact she left. Her dream was always to start a regenerative farm because she loved nature but she also had a big focus on the health of the environment. After she passed, her family created an organization called “White Buffalo” that has a couple huge regenerative farms that focus on growing foods that are native to California to replenish the land. Their farms have majorly impacted the farming community and they also teach young students how to farm regeneratively and sustainably. She was someone that had a big impact on mine and my family's life and I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to celebrate her life.

Sophie Altemus

The table setting in this photograph is meant to illustrate the concept of connection and family that my great grandfather valued so greatly. Sitting down for meals brought family together which brought him great joy. The camera on the plate was one that he used, representing his passion for photography that was passed down to me. The bread that surrounds the camera is meant to symbolize both the bread he traded a diamond in his shoe for when he escaped from a concentration camp in WWII, and the bread that we would feed the birds with. My mother grew up feeding pieces of bread to seagulls at the beach with him, and one of my few memories with him is doing the same. The placement of the bread is also purposeful: surrounding the camera and acting as a cushion for it. I feel as though this is what he’s done for me: set a foundation for my passion, as well as surround me with warmth and comfort.

Sadie Long

"Somsri -สมศรี"

“Do whatcha like.” My great-grandmother, Somsri, was a very special woman and stories of her love and life live on through my whole family. Including stories of little phrases she used to repeat like “do whatcha like” and “hotba lady!” (none of us really know what that last one means). As a young kid, I loved hearing stories of my Papa’s life growing up in Thailand and he always spoke lovingly of his beautiful Mom and his family. She raised him and his sister alone until his step-dad entered the picture a few years into his life because his father had died fighting in Indonesia. They had little left of him but Somsri made a little dress and jumper for Papa and his sister out of his parachute. We have one photo of this and as such it is very special. So, I chose to centralize it in my two images. Along with that photo, I asked my Maga and Mom for some objects of hers or things that reminded them of her. In my first image, a few things I included were her saraongs, jewelry, a plate of blue and white china, and her name written in Thai by Papa. I chose these objects for this image because I wanted this image to display her beauty and splendor along with showcasing objects that were special to her. Additionally, I utilized softbox lighting and the golden fabric to tie the image together with the golden jewelry and give it a soft glowy quality. For the second image, I aimed for a more quiet tone with less going on in the background to solely focus on the objects and her memory. I chose only a few select items including her small spoon, photos of her including one of her dancing with Papa, and inside the spoon I placed a few petals of dead jasmine. During the editing process I used a slighting orange toned filter to give the image a more vintage quality very similar to the photos my grandparents have at their house. I loved this project and throughout it I felt connected to my great-grandmother and the memory of her that is still so vibrant today.

Zoe Woolenberg

L'chaim

I chose to title my collection of images “L’chaim” because it means cheers to life in Hebrew. This title resembles my great grandmother Esther’s perspective on life. She lived a simple life, as she greatly valued family, Judaism and cooking. She lived to be 108 years old and her life was/is continually celebrated. I chose to incorporate a Challah into my photos because it is a traditional bread that is included in the celebration of Shabbat on Friday nights. Similarly, I included a Kiddush cup in my photos which is a special cup used on Jewish holidays. We have a special Kiddush Cup at my house that was my grandmother’s, and therefore the cup in the photo signifies this special object. This cup is another representation of Judaism which Esther greatly valued and incorporated into her lifestyle. I also placed a chocolate bar in my photos because when my mom and aunt would go to my grandmother’s house when they were young, she always had chocolate at her house and would give them chocolate bars each time they were over. The two clothing pieces I brought into my photographs were a sweater and bureau. Esther was always wearing a vibrant colored bureau every time I was with her, as well as a cardigan with all her outfits. I also included a flowery place setting to symbolize family Shabbat dinners where everyone gathered with the table set.

Chloe Chu

Love, Popo “in spirit”

I chose to center my project around my grandmother, Popo (the name for the maternal grandmother in Chinese). However, my Popo was my Dad’s mom, she was always defying gender stereotypes and following her heart, wherever it would take her, whether that would be Brazil or Italy or anything thrilling. For the time that I knew her, she was sick, but she would never let cancer define her, she made sure every second was spent with purpose and love. The objects I used for this project were specific to her, she either used to own them or they remind me of her happy-go-lucky spirit. The medicine and “pills” (cashews) I included because it was a part of her, but because she didn’t let it take over her life, I made sure that it wasn’t filling the frame. The jewelry box and watch used to be hers. The watch is eccentric like her style but it’s also broken, it reminds me that time wasn’t a huge factor because she never wasted a moment in her life, she felt complete and content with the life that she lived. I added my family’s Chinese new year decoration to the image because she was proud of her culture and where she came from, Chinese living in Hawaii. The apples are significant because she and I would always go to my grandparents’ backyard to pick them and then make apple pie or apple juice. The bracelet is small but turquoise was her favorite color, I never got to ask why, but it’s beautiful and tranquil, and so was her soul. Finally, the background pink symbolizes her eternal love for family and life.

Lily Guggenheim

The loved one I decided to photograph for the still life project is my grandfather Stuart. He passed away in 2011 from cancer. The items that are in the photograph all belonged to him and he kept with him. The photo shows his kilt that he wore as a child in Scotland along with a tie. It also shows the rings that he wore and kept with him. It also includes cards that my mom made and gave to him for various different holidays. I also included the Scottish declaration of Independence that he always had hung up in his office, his enrollment papers to the army which he joined shortly after becoming an American citizen. The photo also includes my grandma’s engagement ring and papers from high school where they met. The photo also includes a whale tooth, my great grandfather was a whaler, on the tooth there are photos of the two of them. I was inspired by the memento mori paintings and how moody the lighting when I was taking these photos.

Samantha Garibaldi

“Ricky was born with a rare condition called Nijmegen breakage syndrome. He was 1 of 100,000 newborns affected by this condition. When the doctors diagnosed him, they explained that he wouldn’t survive a whole year and would most likely never be able to walk. Unlike his parents, my family gave him all the care and love he deserved. We made sure he was fed, clean, and had everything he could possibly need.”

Ricky passed away in the year 2019 because of an unsuccessful medical trial. His funeral was also the day before my Quinceañera, which is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life, but that was not the case. In my images, I decided to incorporate the only belongings of Ricky that I have left. This includes a Jurassic Park cup, Superman underwear, blue-striped mittens, and a little toy ball. I also included some cute pictures of him to show his beautiful smile, and I decided to use bright and warm lighting to show his charismatic personality.

Nina Arjomand

A Wonderful Man: My Grandfather; Cyrus Arjomand

My grandfather passed away a few days after I was born, so I never got the chance to know him. Despite the fact that I never met him, I always heard stories about his personality, hobbies, and overall greatness as a person. I chose my grandfather for this project because he deserves to be remembered not only by my family, but by others. His life story is intriguing and unique unlike no other. He was a special person, loved by many people. To represent my grandfather, I chose objects that were really true to him. The first object I incorporated in my photographs are chess pieces. Since a young age, my grandfather loved to play chess. He would go to the park everyday playing with random strangers. As long as he was playing chess, he didn’t care who he played with. Another object I used in my images was a book. This book had paintings made by a famous Iranian artist that my grandfather adored. He collected a vast amount of paintings. A third object that I used in my images was a ruler. This ruler, on the other hand, isn't like any other ruler. It is a Mechanical Engineering ruler. My grandfather loved building, and creating objects. He would create so many different innovations for his family but also for himself. His love for Mechanical Engineering, actually got my dad into Mechanical Engineering which is why they had such a close bond. Today, my dad uses his Mechanical Engineering knowledge from college, and applies it to his everyday life, and job. My dad always tells me that if it wasn’t for his dad (my grandfather), he never would have loved Mechanical Engineering the same as he does today. My dad also says that there wasn’t any other person he ever met, unlike his dad (my grandfather) who truly loved Mechanical Engineering. Lastly, the final object I would like to share is a glass bottle with a bird inside. This bottle is very meaningful to me, and my family, as he made this invention when he was only sixteen years old. This was his very first innovation. My grandfather was a very talented inventor as he created this bird, and this story about a bird inside this clear, glass bottle. This unbelievable creation is how my grandfather got into Mechanical Engineering. My grandfather is an exceptional, and one of a kind person. He was a person that really loved his hobbies, and truly had a great life. Even though I never met him, and will never get the chance to, I will always remember him in spirit, and from the amazing stories I have heard about him.

Allison Stein

I chose to do a family friend, Lotti, for this project. Lotti had moved into a new apartment and couldn’t keep her dog, Angus, so my mom and I became his new owners. Lotti sometimes came to our house because she wanted to walk Angus and we stayed friends even after Angus passed. Lotti then hung out with our new dog, Morty. Lotti always had bright pink lipstick, bright nail polish, and she gave us letters and gifts, like the Westie figurine in the photo. (Angus was a West Highland White Terrier, or Westie). She also loved all kinds of chocolate, and she often brought me Swiss chocolate because she was born in Switzerland.

Sogna Louie

I chose to do my project about Sulli, also known as Choi Jin Ri. She was a Korean singer and actress, born on March 29, 1994, and passed from suicide on October 14, 2019, at age 25. Sulli was always very outspoken about women’s rights and feminism, something that was looked down upon and shamed in Korean. I chose to keep the composition of the photograph fairly open and simple. I also used the spotlight to represent the eye of the media that was laid upon her since she was a young girl. Additionally, I wrote out the lyrics to Peach by IU, a song written by her best friend, to further symbolize the people she touched, the impact she left, and just how she was loved. Through this photo, I wanted to convey the power of her legacy left behind in the entertainment industry, invoking online harassment laws, opening conversations about mental health, and much more.