FEATURED ESSAY

More Than a Photo

Where do you come from? What does your background look like? Think about it for just one moment. Can somebody understand your background just by looking at you or seeing a photo of you? In his workshops, Wing Young Huie helps participants look past the common stereotypes that so often arise when first glancing at a photo.

Looking at Wing's photos is like looking at a reflection of culture and diving deeper into its roots. His photos explore the places people come from and the way they that people live, their passions and their histories. His upcoming event at the Weisman Art Museum on Friday, March 4th, WE ARE THE OTHER: Get Outside of Your Bubble, will encourage students to create photographs that do the same. Together, Wing and workshop participants will investigate the power that a photo can hold.

Take a moment to look at these images and see what you think. Who do you see? What do you feel? Explain the scenario.

A person holding a sign in one hand and holding up a fist with the other
Photo by Elizabeth Brumley
3 people looking in the same direction
Photo by Elizabeth Brumley

These are photos captured at the Stance of Solidarity Demonstration, a protest organized by the Black Student Union this winter to show solidarity with the students of Mizzou and to take a stance upholding their demands. The images were taken right outside of Coffman Memorial Union by my sister and photojournalist Elizabeth Brumley. She is intrigued by people and unique stories that they carry with them. She is determined to find the real moments and do the best she can to let the photograph share their story. She doesn’t want their story to go unseen.

I challenge you to think about the photos you see and look deeper into them. This Friday, Wing will help workshop participants understand how to do this and ask questions to go deeper, not only within a photo, but within our culture.

Hailey Brumley

Hailey Brumley Studying Business and Marketing Education as a sophomore, I dream of working one day with a magazine and hopefully traveling all over the world. Minnesota will always be home, however, I cannot help but wish there were mountains. Although this place has my heart will never be anything else but home. The arts have always been apart of my life-- if not singing, acting, writing or taking photos, I am usually reading or running or with my family. I have worked at the Weisman as a guard for the last year and a half and have finally decided to see a different side of the galleries by joining WAM Collective and could not be more excited!

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