I was eight years old when i started photography. I went to my cousin’s sweet 16 birthday party, and she got an Nikon for her birthday. I was so jealous that I beg my mom to buy me a camera. I did not have any experience at all, but I mostly liked to take pictures of landscape.

I began to lose interest in photography because I was more into singing. I met In Progress at a camp call “ Asian Media Access “ and it’s a program about making movies and acting. I got sorta bored when it came to photography, but I just wanted to try it out.

When I first took my first photo, it made me realize how much I miss photography. I almost shed in tears because I could of improve my work more if I haven’t quit photography.

After working with In Progress, I got up on my feet and started working more with photography, i always ask my younger sister to be the subject of my concept. I finally join In Progress and it changed my life. In Progress is a chaotic place, it’s different and I enjoy being here at In Progress because we treat each other like families. I’m the oldest in my family and I really wish i had an older siblings who I can look up to, but I can also learn from In Progress as well.

Even though I knew so much about photography already, I joined photo club at my school last year. I was split up in a small group with my classmate and we went to the library. My lip was dry so I pulled out my lip balm and the brand was “ Baby Lips “ and I accidentally dropped the cap. Right at that moment, my brain was exploding like a volcano because I had an amazing idea. I decided to take a picture of my lip balm and have the sun as the background, just within one shoot I was blown away with my work. A few weeks later, my teacher who taught photography told me that with the Lip Balm photo I took, is now traveling to New York City in a coffee shop! I’m very proud of myself because I never knew that this picture would go so far. My name is Julie Gao Choua Xiong and I am a Photographer.