#niki walker

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Glen Hansard: NPR All Songs Considered Sweet 16 Party

Winning Streak

When Your Mind's Made Up

Way Back in the Way Back When

Her Mercy

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Mylasia by Niki Walker

THE PROJECT

Mylasia Blocker is a typical 12-year-old girl. Kind, funny, and genuinely curious, she is unbelievably easy to like. She was born blind, with optic nerve hypoplasia, or underdeveloped optic nerves. She was never supposed to see. Her eyesight began to develop when she was young, and at age four she began to identify her colors. Her mother describes the day she found out that Mylasia could see as her “favorite day in life.” A few years later, her vision plateaued and slowly began degrading again. Her doctor predicts that she will be blind again between the ages of 16 and 18.

Today, she can see somewhat, but her eyesight is far from perfect. Technically speaking, it is 20/600 – which means that she can see a standard letter size from 20 feet away, whereas someone with normal vision could see the same letter from 600 feet away. As Mylasia puts it, she “can't rely on [her] eyes.”

At the end of the day, her story isn’t about eyesight. It’s about growing up and what it means to fit in.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

My Capstone taught me the importance of teamwork. It was essential during group editing and critique in class. I figured out that I want to pursue collaborative work environments after graduation, because video is overwhelming when you’re working as a one-man band. In a way, Mylasia, her family, and I also made up a team — I couldn’t have done this story without them; it was a collaboration.

TRUST

Trust was incredibly important for my project. I was a stranger asking to come into Mylasia's home, and that tension was incredibly evident in my early work. Nobody was very comfortable — not Mylasia, her parents, or myself. Before I could come in and be like a fly on the wall, I had to take the time to cultivate relationships, to show that I was truly interested in Mylasia's life. This meant slowing down, putting down my camera, and opening myself up to the people around me. As soon as I started to do that, everything went more smoothly.

IF I WERE A FRUIT…

I would be a mango, because mangos are cool and fresh.

PORTFOLIO

nikiwalkerphoto.com

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Destiny, 6, in the rooster curtains. Rochester, N.Y., October 30, 2014.

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My favorite photos from my assignment at The Eddie Adams Workshop, Class of XXVII. The theme was "Working for a Living," and the photos where all taken at Maplewood Horse and Hay Farm in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. A tremendous thank you to Amy and her family for having me for the duration of the workshop.

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Reflecting on The Eddie Adams Workshop

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending The Eddie Adams Workshop in Jeffersonville, N.Y., as part of the class of XXVII. There are quite possibly too many words and ways to describe it, but part of executive producer Mirjam Evers opening presentation really resonates with me, “I hope your steps up to the barn will get you closer to your dreams.”  At the risk of sounding melodramatic, the workshop was a myriad of ups and downs for me. A week out, I'm still a little sleep deprived, and in a way it feels like some strange dream. I was humbled, inspired, elated, overwhelmed, and unsure all in four days. The hardest part of the workshop was feeling like I was out of place, which was a feeling that I sometimes had a hard time shaking. I think I felt that way, because deep down I know that I'm not interested in devoting my life to straight, hard news. I am interested in storytelling, but don't know exactly where I fall on the photojournalism spectrum. In hindsight, and after talking to some really incredible people, that uncertainty excites me -- I have the awareness and ability to forge my own way. The workshop was an incredibly powerful experience and taught me a lot about who I want to be, as a person and a photographer. When I was younger, I fell into photography by accident, chasing light and horses and exploring the roots of my rural childhood... Now I'm 21 years old, and I've been studying photography for the past four years (and maybe three of those were actually taken seriously). I spent a lot of time thinking that I wanted to make fine art work, then I transitioned into photojournalism because I wanted my art to have a greater meaning. I think that I have been taking photojournalism too seriously, as if I signed away my ability to wander off of the traditional path. I'm eager to move forward with a more open mind. Check out the Team Yellow Final Presentation here.

The first Team Yellow meeting, meeting team leader Rodrigo Abd (second to left), editor Santiago Lyon (right), producer Ryan Brooks and tech Gabe Biderman.

Fireworks after day three.

The largest bonfire I have ever seen, day three.

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Niki Walker, a fourth-year photojournalism major, is spending her summer in New York interning at Mashable, an online technology and news company. The company's

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The Eddie Adams Workshop Class of XXVII!

I'm very happy to announce that I will be attending the The Eddie Adams Workshop in October! I am so excited and thankful for this opportunity; it is still a little hard to believe. The past school year was filled with challenges. If it weren't for my mentors-- my professors, my peers, my family-- I wouldn't be where I am today. The (literal) blood, sweat, and tears have paid off in more ways than I ever imagined possible, and each new endeavor serves as a chance to push myself even further. So, to those who took a coffee break with me, sat patiently while I mused, worked through long (and late) editing sessions, or whatever else-- thank you, thank you, thank you. It all just goes to show how crucial community is in the photography field-- which, for me, is one of the most exciting aspects of Eddie Adams!