"Mr. Log" by Anonymous, 15 | Under the Surface 2019

I used to push away and camouflage myself in a crowd, but since coming to NWP I have pushed myself to basically wear a reflective vest. When I took this photo I was trying to get the right angle and light, but looking at this creature it told me whatever angle and whatever light I captured, my photo would be as great as I made it out to be. Lesson for life, you can make things as great as you want with a little reassurance and self-acceptance.

About the artist: I came to NWP because I lacked the skills to thrive in society. When I came to NWP the hardest thing I had to face was being so close to home, yet so far away. I like being able to discover new things and write my reflections. When I first came to NWP my thoughts on photography were a little misguided, I thought it was super easy to take a picture of a flower and throw a filter on it. When I actually went on my first photo trip, I realized it was much more than that. Seeing nature from a new perspective is very refreshing and very “eye-opening”. By far the easiest way to remember IANL would be the memories and photo reflections. My favorite memory of nature photography was when I took a picture of a luring mussel, my staff were so excited and I really felt good at what I was doing.