Welcome to _Aperture526

Pictures are worth a thousand words. You could fill a library with the amount of photos I could share, but what if the only person with the key, refuses to unlock the door? Consider this a handoff and welcome to my library. Here is your first story. The story of how this library came to be.

In 2012, I moved into my first dorm room, and with my iPhone in hand, started what I call The Archive. My archive is a digital diary of my life from my first day of college through my current journey into young adulthood. By the end of my freshman year of college, I had an amazing set of friends, walked in a fashion show, and won a bathtub race. I also joined a fraternity as its Historian. Historian? Oh no no no. You can’t be a Historian with a point and shoot from 2010. I quickly borrowed a friends Nikon 3200, buuttt summer months were coming and I couldn’t take the camera home with me. Soooo… it was time to get my own. After a few weeks and a thesis paper worth of research, I bought my baby Nikon 5100.

With a new camera came with new friends. I joined my school’s photography group and picked up a few mentors. The only problem? I was camera shy. And not in the normal sense. I was shy about sharing my work. My hand quivered everything it moved towards the “post to group” button. Through the next few years, my archive grew with photos from road trips, girls nights, and RA events. And yet, no one saw any of these. It wasn’t until my night with the Neighbourhood that I began to feel my groove, both literally and figuratively. At the beginning of the summer before my last year of college, I picked up black and white photography as my aesthetic and began sharing my photos. This continued into the fall, and in the spring, I took my first official photography class where I honed my skills.

On May 5th, I turned in my final assignment and walked across the stage into a new stage of my life. Needless to say, shit went downhill fast. I was quickly becoming one of those people who peaked in college. But if you document the ups, you also have to document the downs. And of course, I did! And after a minor medical emergency and a pity party, I had a new found confidence. In fact, I was bold enough to start my photography Instagram and this website. Welcome to _Aperture526. It’s one of my proudest and frightening experiences. Consider this a new wing in my library and a new journey in life. Here’s your key, come on in :)

Briana Fountain

*photo credit: Francesca Boakye*