This is one of my all-time favorite shoots. My teenage dirtbag shoot holds a special place in my heart, it was the first shoots that I ‘lit’ (with one of my dad’s work lights). When these pictures were taken, I was incredibly frustrated with my place in high school. Instead of receiving a sort of recognition for my artistic photos everyone just wanted me to take sport photos. I will admit that I did learn a lot taking pictures of sports, and it was a valuable experience. However, it is not what I am passionate about. I am passionate about my editorial styled shoots and concert photography. The song Teenage Dirtbag had been a constant on my playlist this week, so I knew I had to do a shoot about it. I wanted to convey my feelings of frustration and isolation about my sports photography. I felt like no one understood where I was coming from, it felt like they were trying to stuff me into a box and stifle my creativity. There was a lot of symbolism in this shoot that is both subtle and unsubtle. Overall, this shoot really helped me develop a chip on my shoulder against conformity which has been both a good thing and a bad thing, but the pros outweigh the cons.