I am a student at New York University where photography is a central part of my major. I began taking photography classes when I was twelve, trying to figure out how to use my Pentax k1000. Ever since then, black and white film photography has constituted the majority of my work. Though I enjoy shooting digital, most of my work will always be in film-the format I see as the true, raw form of photography. The dusky negatives and grainy film prints are beautiful with all of their imperfections.

I am interested in documentary work and have been ever since my trip to India in 2006. I was inspired to explore India after watching photographer Zana Brinski's documentary, "Born into Brothels." Brinski did more than capture the conditions she saw in India and return home; she stayed in Calcultta for years helping to improve the lives of the people she met.

Through the lens of my camera I capture my world. I am inspired by something, or I take an idea that has been germinating in my head and expose it. From a couple kissing in a smoky alleyway under the mystic yellow of a lamplight to an immigrant worker's rally in Brooklyn, NY with old men shouting union songs and waving picket signs high over their heads, I try do more than simply take pictures but represent concepts, challenge common perceptions, and make people question what they think about certain issues, places, or people.

Sometimes you have to do something risky to make people look, and I am always ready to take on whatever challenge is presented to me to get people's attention; whether I apply drastic contrast to the print or take a risk in a project. I am willing to go there-always.

Much of my recent work is simpler in subject but presents a new challenge. I have been using my camera as a tool for showing an object in a new light; I try and uncover beauty in the serene disorder of abandoned buildings and broken objects. Forsaken objects and places are tiny pieces of the past that are covered in history and tell incredible stories.