Portfolio
A Picture In My Life
Video Documentary of Celia Khalaf’s Work
Video and Essay Documentary Written for Writing for Visual Media
:SONG THROUGHT THE DOCUMENTARY WOULD BE (Etherial) CAIR DE LUNE BY CLAUDE DEBUSSY
I was young when I discovered photography, at first using my mom's camera. Then, my photography career officially began when I received my most prized possession, my pink fisher price camera. It's safe to say photography has been in my life since I could operate a camera.
I have never been the type of person who wanted to be on screen or in front of crowds, I always wanted to show my skills in other ways. I have always liked being behind the camera, able to capture moments others didn't think to pay attention to. Creatively it also allows me to see the world in a different way than others--forever looking for the way the sun slips through leaves and a window at sunset or even the quiet moments of nature.
Photos should be able to tell a story or capture something forever frozen by time. I want my photography to make an emotional or inspirational impact.
Throughout my time as a photographer there were always moments during or after the photo that held emotional weight. Through this video essay I will be reflecting and presenting my photos as a way to showcase my journey and life.
“New Orleans Streetcar” New Orleans, LA, Canal Street and Decatur, 2018
“AceBar” Ace Hotel New Orlenas, LA, 2018
:MUSIC/NAT SOUND: SREET CAR AND BUSTLING SOUNDS OF DOWNTOWN
:START WITH BOTH PICTURES
This is one of the most important photos I have taken so far. The “Ace Bar” photo was displayed in the Ogdon Museum of the South.
These photos were taken over 7 years ago, a very different time in my life. At that time, I switched to a new school and was just starting to understand where I wanted to go in life. This time is important, showing my starting point as a photographer. I was also riding the streetcar down Saint Charles Avenue to school every day. The streetcar is an essential part of New Orleans culture and an important part of my story as well.
:SWITCH TO “ACE BAR” TAKE OUT SOUND OF DOWNTOWN, KEEP STREET CAR SOUNDS, ADD CLINKING GLASSES NAT SOUND
“Ace Bar” is a photo that embodies the idea of “grown-up life”. I was a teenager when I took this photo, so it's safe to say that the idea of being an adult was not on my mind. Seeing this photo now, as an adult, changes the meaning and my perspective. I see an old photo I took but I also see the reason why I took it. I remember wanting to take this photo to somehow understand and capture a young woman working from a hotel bar. I wanted to be able to know something about that life. Now, I see myself in that woman. I am an adult in college and appreciate the ability to be able to work from anywhere.
:SWTCH TO “NEW ORLEANS STREET CAR”
:NAT LOUNDER SOUNDS OF THE STREETCAR, TAKE OUT CLINKING GLASS
These photos are great but there are things I would change about them. First, if I were to take another picture of the streetcar in the same location, I would try to frame the photo better by shooting straight down the tracks and leaving out the noise of the background. There is no need for the cars or the construction to be shown in the background of a photo focused on the streetcar. I love that this photo is black and white but seeing the red of the streetcar would add depth.
In “Ace Bar”, I would take the time to frame the photo correctly. I would have the photo start at the end of the bar, taking out that little bit of wall space included in the original. I may even take the chance of shooting at a lower angle. I would keep this photo in black and white to make sure that there are no conflicting colors or distractions.
Why would I want to change these photos? Why critique your own work?
:BOTH PICTURES SIDE BY SIDE NOW
There are many times as a photographer you take a photo and you wish you could have done something differently. There will always be a critique about the photos you take, but that doesn't mean the photo isn’t good or special even if you do have something you want to change. The inner critique in any artist is always there.
“New Life” Colosseum Square Park, Downtown, New Orlenas, 2018
:NAT SOUNDS OF WIND GOING THROUGHT LEVES ON A TREE, BUSTALING PLAYGROUND NOISE
In 2018, I started learning more about photography and my own creative eye. I went to a photography camp at the Ogdon's Museum of the South that summer.
This was the first time in my life I truly started to love photography. I think this is also when I started feeling competitive with other peer photographers. A part of me wanted to be better than them, stand out someway like I never had before. A part of me still feels that way today. I want to be the best I can be and to feel recognized for my creative eye.
Before this summer camp, I had really only ever done photography classes at my old school. Theres a difference between being in a designated art class and being in a summer camp for a specific skill. Being around others who are also share a love for photography makes you strive to improve your skills and grow as a photographer.
Like this photo, I feel it represents the time in my life when my creatively blossomed. This photo shows that there is a way to continue to grow from who you are. When you look under the surface you can find your own “New Life” that's growing from the self-confidence of finding yourself in a special skill or talent like photography.
“Rain Man” New Orleans LA, Camp Street, 2018
“Mother Droplet” New Orleans, 2017
:SOUNDS OF RAIN ON PAVEMENT, AND RAIN HITTING WATER
:BOTH PICTURES SIDE BY SIDE
I have only ever been able to capture water in this way twice. Some may think this is snow, but it’s simply rain. The name of the first photo has been around since I took it, showing how long this photo has been a favorite of mine.
Rain in New Orleans and the South in general, has always been one of my favorite things about home. Southern rain is completely different than rain anywhere else in the world.
There is something oddly soothing about rain and the pictures taken in the rain.
:SWITCH TO “MOTHERS DROPLET” MAKE THE SOUND OF RAIN HITTING WATER LOUDER THAN ON PAVEMENT
“Mother Droplet” represents a phrase that my mother said to me. “I will always catch you when you fall.” My mom’s hand catching the rain reflects her sentiment. I love this photo simply because she is in it and because she loves it. Sometimes work means more when others love it and put meaning to it. My mom is one of the most important people to me, so to have this creative and artistic piece with only a small bit of her makes me happy. No one would know that is my mother's hand or that it was taken in our backyard except for me.
:NOW JUST “RAIN MAN”
To take note and critique my own work I would change a few things about “Rain Man,” like cropping out the streetlight and the stop light. Allowing the photo to take more shape by showing just the man and the rainy-day situation. They cause a bit of distraction to the photo and take away from the rain and the man under the awning. “Mother’s Droplet” shouldn't change, but I could have taken a second one of her standing under the awning with her hand out fully showcasing the moment.
“Reflection” NOLA, 2018
:NAT SOUNDS OF A COFFEE SHOP
No one liked this photo as much as I did when I took it. My peers’ opinions however, never stopped me from appreciating and loving this photo.
“Reflection geometrically falls together making you search for more patterns. This photograph reflects a mirror image where the reflection perfectly lines up creating a continuous shot. The window pattern can be seen in the reflection and on the wall. The coffee machine contains leading lines to meet the wall. Lastly, the repetition of circles, which are the shape of the lights and the pride flag.
There is nothing that I could change within this photo to make it better. Any slight angle change or movement would throw off the patterns and connections.
“Desertion” Selected winner for Teen Photo Challange: Captured in Quarantine by New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) Competiton. This photo was featured on their Instagram Page. 2020
:JUST THE SOUND OF THE STREET CAR, SCILANCE OTHER THAN THAT, MAKE THE SOUND NOT CONSTANT BUT FLOWING IN AND THEN LEAVING FOR A BIT- ENHANSING THE FEELING OF DESERTION
Quarantine was a particularly weird time in my life. I was navigating a global pandemic while stuck at home attending online classes. It's safe to say I did a lot of growth that year. While my skills as a photographer didn't grow as much during this time, I was able to showcase my photographs to NOMA. I think “Desertion,”, even now, is still a perfect representation of how the pandemic felt to me.
The pandemic resulted in an empty streetcar, on a bare street with no cars or people. I particularly like the motion blur incorporated in the photo. Life felt like it was standing still while I still had to continue on. The pandemic is the background of the photo, stopping time, while I am represented by the streetcar forced to continue going.
I still feel that this photo represents life past the pandemic too. As I am ending my junior year and heading into my last year in college, I am now represented by the person taking the photo, simply watching life fly by before my eyes.
I could change things about this photo, but the underlying message would make it feel different. I would like to take a new shot of the streetcar in 2025 and compare it to the past. Having two pictures paired next to each other showing the past and the present would create and very new story.
“Jazz and the Quarter” Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 2018
:SOUNDS OF PEOPLE WALKING AND TALKING DOWN STREET, SOUNDS OF SHOES ON PAVEMENT
I wanted to be able to hold the jazz culture of New Orleans inside this photo. Capturing something so essential to the culture where I grew up speaks volumes to me.
Jazz and blues music is something I have always held a deep love for. I grew up in a city known as the birthplace of Jazz. This music gives me comfort, quiet, and relaxing feelings. “Jazz and the Quarter” brings me the same joy as listening to the music.
If I could change this photo, I would make sure I get just the man playing jazz and no other people in the background. Getting this photo in black and white is a must. I would also make sure the photo is straight.
“The Good after The Bad; Sunset Lola” Seacrest, Florida, August 2021
:SOUNDS OF WATER LAPPING ON THE BEACH AND DOGS BARKING
:START WITH BOTH PICTURES
This photo is one that lives on in my memories because of the events that happened to lead to the taking of this photo.
It was August, beginning of my senior year of high school, when Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans head-on. I remember not thinking much of the storm at first, only hoping to be out of school for a few days-- I was mistaken-- I was out of school for almost a month. It started when we were sent home that Friday and given time to prepare for the hurricane, which had been declared as a Category 4 when making landfall. Hurricane Ida barreled into Louisiana on Sunday, swallowing New Orleans in the eye of its storm. Unlike in 2005 when Katrina hit Louisiana as a Category 4, no levees broke. However, we were out of power, water, and emergency services for days. Thankfull,y our neighboring states sent in resources to aid our return as a city.
:SWITCH TO “THE GOOD AFTER THE BAD”
The day after the hurricane hit, the heat of the summer hit everyone. We could no sleeping in our house due to the heat. My mother, father, and family friend, Sydney, were confined to the tiny apartment atop our garage with a generator. However, generators only last a few days so we evacuated to Florida.
:SWITCH IT OVER TO SUNSET LOLA
Florida was a nice change of pace from the stresses of a devasted in New Orleans. This photo was taken the first night we stayed in Florida after the hurricane. There is Lola, watching the sunset and the birds on the beach.
My dog had never been one for having her photo taken but this one is perfect. She is looking away, the sunset is beautiful, and the beach is clear in the photo. All of our hurricane worries seemed far away. If you didn't know the background to the story you never would have known exactly why this moment and story is critical to the meaning of the photo.
After that hurricane, I never took my home for granted. Since then, I always watch for severe weather for my family and for my own curiosity.
“Dogs of New and Dogs of Old; Unconditional Love” Audobon Park, New Orleans, 2022. In 2022 I took these two pictures of my dogs, Lola (top) and Rosebud/Rosie (bottom). Rosie died in December of 2023 at the age of 16.
:NAT SOUNDS OF DOGS IN THE PARK
:START WITH BOTH PHOTOS
These photographs were taken the summer between my graduation from high school and freshman year at CSU. Lola is intently focused on a squirrel in the first photo and my older dog Rosie is striking a pose in the second. This photo is one of the last ones I have of Rosie before she started her decline.
These photos perfectly capture the essence of unconditional love. These photographs preserve the love and memories of my dogs. They elicit joy, happiness, and sadness.
Animals have always been a part of my life. When I was little, I grew up around our Golden Retriever, Ginger, and after her passing, we got Rosebud (nicknamed Rosie). I was young when we got her and still wasn't sure what to do with a pet, especially a small dog like Rosie. Still, I loved her and gave her lots of love and affection in my own way as a child.
:SWITCH TO JUST ROSIE
Rosie was 8 years when we got Lola. Me and my mom made the decision to get her when we were at the mall and managed to buy her instead of clothing, much to my father's surprise.
I remember Rosie would always have the most amount of energy than any other dog in the park. She ran laps around big dogs taunted me to play with her. She was a spirited dog that always had some form of attitude. She knew she was the queen bee of our household, even when we got Lola, and she made sure everyone knew it. The photograph captures Rosie’s self-confidence.
:SWITCH TO JUT LOLA
Lola, unlike Rosie, has always been unconcerned about cleanliness. She walks through mud, always has food on her face after a meal, and is not very coordinated. She is obsessed with squirrels. This photograph captures Lola’s personality. She has messy hair and is focused on a squirrel at that moment.
My dogs have and will always be a part of my life. In 2025, I turned 21 memorialized Rosie with a rose tattoo near my ankle to always feel close to her.
“Santorini Island” Santorini, Greece, 2019
:FIND SOME NAT SOUND THAT WOULD REMIND YOU OF GREECE
:START WITH THE WIDE SHOT OF TH PHOTO BUT THEN SLWOLY ZOOM IN
Another thing in my life I will always have is my best friend, Yasmine.
Many photos I have from my international travels are taken with my best friend bedside me. Yasmine and I have been by each other's side for 15 years. Even though we live long distances from each other, we always try and find one or two times a year to visit.
In 2019, we traveled to Greece together with our families. I remember this trip was something I had looked forward to for years. I had been obsessed with Greek mythology since lower school, and being in Greece was like a dream come true. When we visited Athens, it felt interesting to be able to walk the same cobblestone streets that the Greeks walked thousands of years ago.
“Best Friend” reminds me of this trip and makes me wish I could travel back now that I am older. This photo also could be changed by making sure it's not washed out, the colors are brighter and changing the angle, so the wall is not in the corner of the shot.
“Steller's Jay” Rocky Mountain National Park, 2023
:NAT SOUND OF NATURE, BIRDS CHIRPING
At the end of my freshmen year at CSU, my mom and I stopped by Estes before heading home. Freshmen year, I experienced living away from home, freedom and love. “Steller’s Jay” reminds me of all of these changes.
This nature photo invokes a childlike feeling in me having grown up in Audubon Park. Photographing birds, animals, and nature has always brought me joy.
For years, my parents boarded our pets with an older gentleman, Mr. Anderson. Since I have known him, he has been a big supporter of my photography journey. He, like myself, loves photography. In fact, one of his photographs was published in National Geographic. Mr. Anderson loved “Steller’s Jay” so much that he displayed it next to his National Geographic photograph.
“Dimond's and Feathers” Crystal Beach Florida, 2024
“Sand Pipers” Crystal Beach Florida, 2024
:NAT SOUND OF WATTER LAPPING, BIRDS FLAPPING IN THE SKY
:BOTH PHOTOS ON SCREEN
“Sand Pipers” and “Steller's Jay” were taken almost a year apart from each other. I had just finished my sophomore year of college while also going through a breakup.
This year was also the time I started missing and appreciating my home more. While I had always loved my family and my home in New Orleans, I had not truly appreciated where I grew up until that summer. Being away from home and going through new life experiences changed my perspective.
:SWITCH TO “SAND PIPERS”
“Sand Pipers” elicits feelings you get at the beach—like freedom and relaxation. I often would travel to the Florida beaches growing up and associate it with fond memories. The beach has always felt like an escape for me, and traveling to the beach over the summer in 2024 felt exactly like that.
I think these photos are great, and a part of me wants to keep them the way they are because of the memories and the ties they hold to the beach. Any change would make the photos feel different. For example, closer proximity to the birds, would eliminate the sand, or the waves. I especially feel this way about the “Sand Pipers” photo, this one just feels like the beach.
:ZOOM IN ON THE PHOTO AT THE END
​Hearts and Horses Photoshoot, Loveland Fort Collins, CO. Taken as a photo collection for Photography class about therapeutic equine services. 2024
:NAT SOUNDS OF HORSES, SOUNDS OF HOOVES STOMPING
:ALL FOUR PHOTOS IN FRAME
In the Fall of 2024, I took photography with Jill Mott. I did a photo story on a Hearts and Horses riding instructor as well as the horses at their location. I took pictures of two of the horses, Benny and Bau. This photo story was exciting to undertake, and I greatly enjoyed being able to involve myself with the community at Hearts and Horses.
:JUST THE LAST TWO PHOTOS
My favorite photographs from this collection feature Benny and Beau. After learning more about the Hearts and Horses program, I started to feel strongly about the photographs and the story I was telling. This assignment was when I started to feel more comfortable as a photographer in an unfamiliar space around strangers. Everyone at Hearts and Horses were kind and wonderful people who were more than happy to let me take photos of them and the horses. Some even asked me if they were in my way, which I found funny since I was in their space. (Switch between the photos for this section, do longer on the 1st)
:SWITCH TO JUST BENNY AND BEAU
The first photo of Benny is one of my favorites. I don't have any critiques for this photo, but if I could take it again, I would get closer to Benny's eye and keep the angelic look about the photo. I think this photo, even without change, is wonderful and showcases his garments. I would change the picture of Beau to be able to get closer in to capture his essence, especially the way he looks in the light and his full face in the frame.
“Bar Iguana” NEST in Tulum Mexico. 2025
:NAT SOUNDS OF MEXICAN MUSIC, GLASSES CLINKING, WATER LAPPING AND WIND
I love the blues of the water in this photo.
“Bar Iguana” symbolizes new times with a family reunion. The iguana on the roof of the outdoor bar, traveled from its natural habitat to unite with the hotel guest. My family also traveled from their home to Mexico to reunite with other family members.
I love many things about this photo. I love the beautiful colors of the water in the background and the way it captures the iguana soaking up the sun's rays. I also like the many leading lines through the photo that leads you towards this lizard.
This photo ends my essay—as a nod to the last photo “Bar Iguana” is a stepping off point where I can continue to grow and change as a photographer.
This photo essay has allowed me the emotional and creative depth to look into some of my more important photos.