Juliana Pinto

Digital Media Department

BLOOM IN PROGRESS

2020

Collage, Fresh Flowers, Foam Core

10" x 12"

Since I was young, I had an infatuation with photography and photos in general. However, models were not as easily assessable at age eleven. The two girls in these series of images are my cousins, and personal models, Beatriz Pinto and Summer Thompson. We have always been extremely close and I am so proud of the young women they are becoming. So, my senior piece was meant to not only show my progression of skill and ability, but to display their own development as people over time. The first photo I had taken of them, that was actually a shoot, is the image on the bottom left. They were of the ages of nine and ten and were extremely unsure of their personal appearance and overall assurance. Now, as displayed on the top right image, they are thirteen and fourteen, and can now admit to me how beautiful they feel when I take these photos. The flowers are meant to symbolize how I had the ability of witnessing first hand their confidence "bloom" over these past four years. These girls have been through hours of shoots, makeup, and modeling and I have never had to even ask them twice. So this piece is for them, to show my appreciation and how grateful I am to have them in my life.

Dear Class of 2020 ...

This is one of the most difficult letters I've had to write. No matter how many times I attempt at writing this I do not know how I will be ever able to word the impact that this class made on my life. Dreyfoos has taught me so much of not only my skills and abilities in digital media, but about how I will pursue and live my future in general. I doubt that every single person who has impacted my life at Dreyfoos is reading this, but all I could say in this letter is I hope you know who you are and I am extremely grateful for making me into the person I am today.

We've had quite the past four years together and I truly believe we are one of the strongest classes to ever exist. With all the aspects that I took into consideration of what could go wrong in this year, a global pandemic was never one of them. However, on a positive perspective I believe it almost brought us closer together in a way. Having this loss of our senior year is a way in which we could all relate although I wish there was another way to do so. I wish all the class of 2020 the very best of their futures cause man do we deserve it.

Special thanks to...

Mrs. Glosmanova: My art would be an absolute mess without you. I had the pleasure of having you as a teacher for all four years of high school for 2-D design, figure drawing, visual technology, and senior portfolio. I can never thank you enough for not only all you do for me and your students, but for the department in general. Your never ending care and kindness is what makes myself and so many others excited to create art and attend class daily. Thank you, for not only believing in my art, but believing that I could exceed all of my artistic expectations to create something beyond my own beliefs. I truly do not believe that any other teacher will ever beat my expectations of what the greatest teacher should be other than you.

Mrs. Lopez, Mrs. Gallardo, Mr. Ehrlich, Mr. Pinkney: Although you may not know it, you four are the core reasons that I wish to study education in university. The kindness, forgiveness, and especially passion that I have received from all four of you as mentors made me realize that as long as I do what I love every day, I will never have to work a day in my life.

Mr. Lou, Coach Long, Mrs. Jahn, Mrs. Beckel, Mrs. Owens, Mrs. Ray, Mrs. Wagner, Tessa: Thank you for being the sigh of reliefs that I needed for the past four years. The true joy that I feel once I see each and every one of you can not be explained in this note. It is so pivotal to have people like you all in life and I am eternally grateful for having you all in my life for these past four years.

My Sunday School Class: Thank you for making me realize what I want to do with my life in the future for the past three years. Seeing and having the ability to teach you guys was always the best time of my week and I can't wait to see all of you grow. I will miss you all like crazy.

My Friends & Family: For your endless, undoubting love & support.

My Parents: Thank you for your never ending support in absolutely everything I do. You guys have made me into the "young lady" I am today. Neither of you have ever left my side and for that I am forever grateful. Thank you for the past eighteen years and working as hard as you both have to make them as best as possible. I love you both to the moon and back and cannot wait to make you both even more proud in the future.

Photography:Thank you for giving me the creative outlet that I always knew I needed while growing up. You are more than just "a click of a button", but rather a way of capturing a memory. Yes, you can get much deeper than this and have concepts and what not, but overall you capture a moment in time that now will be ingrained in history forever. Once my great grandmother who had been diagnosed with dementia told me to "capture every moment, as you never know when you may forget". To this day and for forever on, this is what I will utilize you for.

For someone who is not much of a letter writer this has come out much longer than expected. I guess there is just a lot to say.

Thank you for the past four years.
xoxo juliana

Great Grandma O'Connell

(1914-2019)

Thank you for believing me in every aspiration that has ever crossed my mind since I was young. Everyone who has ever had the pleasure of meeting you over the past 104 years has become a better person because of it, myself included. I aspire everyday to be like you and I will work as hard as possible to do so. You will always be the brightest light of my life and I hope to make you even more proud as I grow. I miss you more than anything and love you so very much. xoxo

DEAR CLASS OF 2021

So if I never had the opportunity of meeting you personally my name is Juliana. I was a "theatre kid" for basically my whole life until Dreyfoos where I pursued my passion for photography and film. This obviously was worrying to not only myself but to the rest of my family since they were so used to my fascination in theatre. However, it was the best decision I ever made. While theatre will always be a part of my life, my true passion was always photography, no matter what anyone else would tell me. So if I had one thing that I could tell you, it would be to follow your first instinct. Whether that be with deciding what classes to take, who to be friends with, or what you will decide to do for your next project. Create as much work during this time as possible and do not doubt what your capabilities are. This is the best time to do whatever you set your mind to and if it "fails", then take the concept and try again. Everything happens for a reason this year, and that is still a concept I am trying to comprehend as a student of the 2020 class. However, there is no doubt in my mind that everything that happens has a final intention. Good luck in your last year and hope you enjoy everything being a senior has to offer, even if we couldn't.

Sincerely,

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