My Asian American photography class assigned a cameraless self portrait.
It also had to include one word that described you in some way. “Transitions” came to mind since each one was taken at a time when I was going through some significant changes.
When I thought of the idea of using photo IDs, I called my mom right away so she could send me a copy of my old passport. I asked for a copy of my green card but it was returned to the INS when we became US citizens.
Interesting pictures, all of them, each one has their own story:
The oldest one, obviously, is my passport from when we immigrated to America. I hated that haircut, since I felt like a little boy and everyone at school kept calling me “Elvis” because of the long sideburns. I love my wide-eyed look.
The second oldest is the California ID that I got when we moved to the Bay Area in 2003. I like how my mom didn’t bother to fix my jacket and it’s hanging precariously down my shoulder. We were at the DMV for a good three hours, I was very disheveled by the time that picture was taken.
When we became American citizens in 2004, my mother decided to get us new passports. This is the third picture on the bottom right corner. It was taken on a hot summer day at a camera shop on Market Street. I was in a phase where I wouldn’t leave the house unless I had on heavy eyeliner. This was in the midst of my teenage years, and I was angry and bitter about a bunch of things that teenagers are inclined to be angry and bitter about.
The most recent picture was taken in 2008. I was in the midst of being very ill and lost quite a bit of weight. It had gotten so bad that I lied and added a few pounds to the weight question when filling the form out. I was so ill, it was frightening to think of my body withering away.I remember hoping and hoping that the wait for pictures wouldn’t take too long so I could go home. Fortunately, there wasn’t even a line for pictures. And I made sure that I looked presentable, even though at that time I was physically hurting inside.
I can honestly say that I’ve come a long way from even my most recent photo ID. No regrets no looking back. I look forward to changing and growing every step of the way.
