At the beginning of the Local Narratives Studio, Biz taught us camera basics and how to shoot photographs on manual. We then began to practice with the cameras by taking portraits of fellow students and wrote short biographies about each other. After reviewing the portraits, Biz challenged us by pushing our boundraies of what a portrait is. A portrait does not need to just be of one's face taken on a white background, but can include movement and does not even need to include one's face. After re-taking the portraits, we began to see the improvement made from practicing. 

   To begin the brainstorming process, we were told that the project would focus on an aspect of Cambridge or Boston. In groups, we brainstormed what is interesting and different about Cambridge, and what topics we could write stories about and photograph. Each student then picked his or her topic and wrote a pitch, explaining what their project would be. I decided to focus my project on the Longwood Medical Area, highlighting the collaborations between hospitals and doctors. 

    I decided to interview three doctors, Dr. Georgian-Smith, Dr. Mark Puder, and Dr. Steven Fishman. Over the next week, I travelled to Longwood on three days to photograph and interview. When I arrived in the bustling Longwood area, I set out on foot to photograph the hospitals and doctors on the streets. Faced with the challenge of being prohibited from photographing inside the hospitals, I had to use the bridges between the hospitals and people on the streets to exemplify the collaboration between hospitals. Throughout the project, I recieved puzzled looks from doctors and pedestrains covering their faces when they saw my camera. I learned that sidewalks covered by awnings outside of hospitals are not public property when an employee of Beth Isreal Deaconess informed me that I was not allowed to take pictures while standing on their sidewalk. From all of these challenges I learned to think differently about spaces and how to work around strict parameters. From the images taken on my first visit to Longwood to my last, I see a vast improvement in the quality of my images. I became more confident and was willing to climb on ledges, approach doctors on the street, and use different exposures to better my photographs. Overall, I learned a vast amount about photography and journalism from the local narratives studio.