ADELA PAREDES
65
My favorite aspect of photography is the feeling and mood behind the images. This year we got new cameras and learned advanced functions that gave me more control in my picture making. This was challenging but I saw my photography improve. My cousin Jessy, who has a sales website, even used one of my photos as advertising.
One of my most successful photos this year was of my prayer corner. I have always loved small objects. The table is full of small gifts given to me by my friends for my journey from Ecuador to the U.S. in 2001. Photos like this one have helped me to be more mindful and present.
I work as a homecare attendant, and my favorite part of the day is when I walk to and from work through Joyce Kilmer Park. I love to sit on the wooden bench and take photos of the beautiful greenery around me.
As I have seen my photographic skills improve, I am thankful to God, my teachers, and my classmates for being an amazing team that have helped me with my personal growth.
“Little Corner of Prayer:” a place where I find my happiness, sadness, and where I talk with God to strengthen myself. Happiness for every new day I wake up and sadness for not having my children, who I love, but with the hope that we are together spiritually. These are collections of gifts different people have given me to secure my faith and to love my neighbor. Bronx, NY. 2020.
Visiting the New York Botanical Garden this Spring, the beautiful flowers caught my attention with the contrast of the green grass, sun, and shadow. Bronx, NY, May 29, 2021.
Enchanting colors inspire me to take out my camera to capture the story of my life, bringing me peace and wellness. This photo was taken on my favorite walk in Joyce Kilmer Park. Bronx, NY. 2020.
Walking with my friend through Little Italy in the Bronx on a cold winter’s day. And what better to serve us than a delicious slice of pizza and coffee to satisfy our hunger and cold. Bronx, NY. 2020.
Remembering Christmas and the birth of baby Jesus. I teach Spanish grammar to recent immigrants, and we didn’t have many presents to give to our students. But I am sure the hearts of my students and mine were present that day to rejoice. There was happiness in the St. Jerome H.A.N.D.S. Community Center. Bronx, NY. December, 2020.
I find myself in my living room with my camera ready in front of the mirror practicing a new photographic technique: the self-portrait. And since then, I keep practicing the best I can. Bronx, NY. 2021.
A staircase in the back of the building at 440 138th Street, the location of the first elevator in the Bronx. I learned this while on a photo walk with the group Bronx Sole. Bronx, NY. May 2021.
A mirror adorned with golden flowers, representing the sun, in my friend’s house. Bronx, NY. January 2, 2021.
Images of my family hang on my wall in my home in the Bronx. Each image represents a special memory from Ecuador and New York. Jesus on the cross is also hung close. Bronx, NY. January 2021.
While watching the musical Hamilton in my photography class, I took this photo because, incredibly, the protagonists and I were both on the screen at the same time. Bronx, NY. May, 2021.
In Joyce Kilmer Park, my favorite place to walk, photograph, and meditate, I sit on one of the wooden benches to meditate. While resting on that bench I captured this photo. Bronx, NY. May 2, 2021.
The sunrise from my 14th-floor apartment window on Willis Avenue in the Bronx. I love to capture the “astro ray.” Bronx, NY. 2021.