I used to wait for my Fisher-Price “photos” to
develop with such anticipation I could hardly stand it.
I would wander around my backyard with my little plastic camera,
shooting the wildlife ““ marigolds and potato bugs, as well as
the inhabitants ““ my mother gardening and my brother telling
me to go away. I would place the pictures into water and they would
gradually appear (with preprinted pictures, as I later astutely
figured out).
You see, photography has always been a part of my life. It just
became a different part when I joined the Daily Bruin.
After my experiences with the plastic camera technique, I went
on to explore photography in high school. I became obsessed with
the darkroom, only emerging for my PB&J at lunch, smelling of
eau de fixer.
So when I came to UCLA, I immediately began searching for a
replacement. Photojournalism? Well, it’s quite different from
my artsy darkrooms days, I thought, but I’ll give it a
try.
I became immersed in The Bruin. Not only was I learning a new
way to photograph, but also a new way to see. I began to look at
UCLA through my lens, connecting people and places to their
stories. I still had to create artwork ““ but this art also
informed my community. Looking for those times when the moment and
the light was right became my new obsession.
As I continued to develop as a photojournalist, I learned that
it’s more about the subject than the photograph. These are
real people frozen in a moment ““ a great catch at a football
game (or a not-so-great one), a protester fighting for his or her
beliefs, an actor deep in performance. My job, along with the help
of the printed word, was to make these people come alive.
What’s more, these moments are happening all the time
without most students knowing about it. I feel privileged to have
had a first-hand experience of such events, but I also hope I have
given others a glimpse of the life that imbues this campus.
It’s not the photos themselves that are important,
it’s how and what they document ““ the everyday lives,
hopes and concerns of the UCLA community.
Besides the photos, The Bruin itself changed the way I
interacted with the world. I have worked with the most
independently driven group of students imaginable to produce and
take pride in our product. The environment in the newsroom is like
nothing else ““ the energy, the camaraderie, the passion. I
have become a better student, a better photojournalist and a better
person because of this paper.
I don’t know how my obsession will manifest itself once I
leave. I do know I will never stop taking pictures and what I have
learned at The Bruin will always affect my photography.
The thing is, I will deeply miss UCLA. But even more so, I will
miss photographing UCLA. I graduated from my Fisher-Price camera
years ago. Now, it’s time to graduate and leave The Bruin
behind.
Holscher was a 2003-2004 Bruin photographer.