Chelsea Foster: self-portrait • Paola Villafañe at DHS Fashion Club shoot • Asa Wochatz But thanks to Foster’s moth-
er, her passion can thrive. “She put as much money as she can into [my photography], which I really appreciate,” Foster said. “ Te last three years, I’ve gotten nothing but camera equipment for the holidays. She got me a lens for Hannukah that I didn’t ask for, but it’s been very useful to me.” Foster’s mother provides
moral support as well. Her pride for Foster’s talent prompts her to share Foster’s Flickr URL with all her friends, an experi- ence that often takes Foster by surprise. Foster gets praise from characters from her past, such as her Pre-K teacher, be- cause her mother publicizes her work. Foster’s mother is always pushing her a step further, even signing her up for a class in San Fransisco. “It was a really good class
because I normally don’t go out with the intention of taking
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pictures,” she said. “But when I was there, we had all these assignments like, ‘Go to China- town and take 25 photos – five people, five places, five things...’” Because it was a new experi-
ence for her, it stretched her as an artist as well. “It doesn’t sound hard, just go take five pictures of five things,” she said. “But when you want to take pictures that really represent Chinatown, it’s kinda hard.” Overall, she found the experi- ence refreshing. When Chinatown is not available, Foster takes the next best thing. Her friends have proven to be good substitutes to fuel her growing passion. “Tey’re willing subjects, and they’re fools,” she said. “Tey’re just being themselves com- pletely.” This is the type of photography that Foster values most. “I think that portraiture – candid photography – is art.”
CARPE DIEM • DECEMBER 2011
A hidden passion Tere is an aspect to Foster’s
art that is invisible to the naked eye. “I am fascinated with the whole process of filmmaking,” she said. “Since I was five or six, I’ve been obsessed with movies.” While her interest in filmaking has not wavered, this drive has been an ever-changing one. “I really wanted to be an actress when I was little,” she said. “But then I grew up and went to middle school, and I lost all my confidence.”
Tis initial discouragement
turned out to be somewhat of a new opportunity. By the time she got to Decatur, Foster had started discovering filmmaking. She is working to find herself as an artist in this medium. “I’ve done a couple [of short films] that I don’t even want to call short films,” she said. “[Tey’re] just little videos that I’ve made of my friends.”
Although Foster recognizes her natural aptitude for film and photography, she still finds herself budding as a filmmaker. “I don’t think people really see [my short films] very often, which is fine because I’m still a little self-conscious of that because I haven’t been doing it for very long, and I haven’t really had any training,” she said. Despite her humble begin-
nings, Foster has big plans for her filmmaking career. “ [I want to go] in the screen-writing di- rection,” she said. “My grandma was an English teacher, and my mom is in journalism and com- munications, so words are kind of my thing.”
Her world Before she can carry out her
screenwriting ambitions, Foster has to establish her own per- sonal style and ability. For this, Foster has a single viewpoint
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