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Awards and Achievements

FujiFilms Awards BYU Student for Photographic Story Series About Prosperity

Emma Squire is a freshman at BYU with a passion for telling new, unique stories BYU freshman Emma Squire is a photographer, a storyteller and a finalist of the Fujifilms Students of Storytelling competition. Squire’s photo series about the history of prosperity is now being displayed on her own personal Fujifilms profile page. “The idea came during an art history class. I noticed in some paintings that items which symbolized wealth a couple hundred years ago are much cheaper and easier to come by today,” Squire said. “It started with just one specific image in mind, but it soon turned into a series.” Squire’s photo series was done in two parts. First, she researched different periods of history in various countries to identify items that portrayed wealth and status. She then photographed her interpretation of the modern equivalents of those items. Then, Squire shot images of modern prosperity, after interviewing individuals to get a feel for current symbols of affluence. “My art is either telling a story or trying to make a statement. I want the viewers to be caught up in the narrative, or to reflect on the message the image is trying to convey,” Squire said. Squire is one of 600 students to submit a project proposal to the contest. The 30 applicants who were chosen each received equipment to use in the preparation for their photo stories. Fujifilms held this contest as a way of discovering America’s next great storytellers. “I hope to be able to create work that I care about and can make a living off of. I don’t know what that looks like yet, but my ultimate goal is to create meaningful art that I’m proud of,” Squire said.