In high school, I created a shared album called "Cates Flics"—a space to upload and share the photos and videos I took with the camera I received as a gift for my 16th birthday. I took that camera everywhere with me, capturing moments with friends and documenting our adventures. At first, the shared album was just a simple way to share my photos with the people closest to me, sparing me the hassle of sending them individually.
But over time, the album began to gain attention. People I wasn’t even that close with started asking to be added to “the shared album.” It became a sort of unofficial archive of our high school experience, a place where memories were collected and shared in real-time. What began as a small, personal project quickly grew into a community. That album, and the feedback I received from friends and even strangers, fueled my passion for photography and deepened my connection to the art of capturing moments. At the same time, I was a photography major in high school, where I learned the technical side of photo and film—composition, lighting, editing, and the history of the medium. I worked with both digital and analog cameras, experimented in the darkroom, and explored storytelling through visuals, which all helped me grow as a photographer and shaped my appreciation for how images can preserve memories while telling powerful, emotional stories.
The term "the shared album" has really stuck with me over the years, too. It’s become more than just a place to store memories—it’s a concept that embodies collaboration, connection, and the power of storytelling through images. Now, the shared album has evolved into a fun and creative space where I continue to upload my current photographs—capturing new moments and sharing them with others in a way that feels both personal and communal. It feels like a natural evolution of what I started in high school, and I hope to continue this new tradition through out my life and one day make it into a brand.
