On Apr. 24, winners of the River Rat Writing Prize and Mischief Arts Prize were announced. The annual Huron writing and arts contest is judged blindly and allows students to submit any written and visual artworks of their choice. This year, junior Mia Lin was awarded first place in The Mischief Arts Prize with her submission of “Reflections.”
Lin’s inspiration for her piece came from the details of everyday life, specifically, her cat Coco.
“ I came home after school and saw my cat napping on the tiles,” Lin said. “Besides the immediate jealousy of her easy life, I also wanted to capture the moment.”
In “Reflection,” the late afternoon sun shines down upon a curled up Coco, and reflects across the smooth surface of the floor. The scene radiates a sense of peace found only when one stills the continuous bustle of work and life, and is able to notice beauty seemingly hidden.
“There isn’t a super deep meaning to this photo – it was to show the serenity of my cat and the calm sunlight of a simple afternoon,” Lin said, “I like this photo though, since I feel like the peacefulness of the moment really does come across.”
Lin’s experience with photography began with vacations and landscapes portraits when she was young, remaining a part of the sidelines until high school, when it was incorporated into her academic life and extracurriculars.
“I’ve always loved taking photos since I was young, especially of landscapes when traveling and – of course – my cat,” Lin said. “[At Huron,] I took photos for the yearbook and chose to learn how to edit my photos in Photoshop for my personal project sophomore year. This year, I worked with one of my friends to create the photography club to share this passion with other high schoolers.”
Lin recognizes and relates to many common challenges that may deter beginner photographers.
“There’s always the frustration of a photo not turning out how you want it to, especially with colors and vibrancy,” Lin said. “[In addition] learning how to use a professional camera was definitely a challenge for me, since I’ve relied on my phone camera for most of my life.”
When facing these challenges, Lin finds open mindedness to be important.
“There are so many amazing things to take pictures of,” Lin said. “You’ll never run out of things, so just keep taking pictures, and you can always try a different angle and strengthen the vibrancy with the editing tools in the camera app.”
For anyone beginning their journey with photography, Lin emphasizes the importance of practice in both overcoming obstacles as well as becoming a better photographer.
“Whenever and wherever you see something inspiring or that you think would make a good photo, take a picture of it,” Lin said. “Don’t be afraid of going outside of your comfort zone and using a different composition than you usually do. Don’t be afraid to get down on the ground or turn your camera at a strange angle or upside down, as I did with this photo [‘Reflection’].”
