The Sleeper Creeper

"The amount of sleep required by the 

average person is five minutes more." 

-Wilson Mizener

It is no mystery that students don't get enough sleep––especially in college. With the pressures of school, work, and of course a social life (if there is even time for that), many students struggle to find the time to sleep. Numerous surveys and scientific experiments have tried to measure that "perfect" amount of rest; while actual needs vary from person to person, most agree that college students need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night. Unfortunately,  for some, sleep beyond just a few hours is only a fleeting luxury. So, students have found ways to get creative with their sleep schedules––catching a few minutes here and a few minutes there––all around campus. 

This being my fourth year at BYU, I have grown accustomed to seeing students sprawled out in weird angles and unusual places on campus. Often I run into the typical "snoozer" dozing in a seat in the library, or "studying" through osmosis on their textbooks. However, there is also the occasional all-out sleeper (my personal favorite), who apparently has no qualms about public napping and is perfectly comfortable laying out on the floor in a corner, under a table, or even in the hallway. These BYU Sleepers (as I like to call them), range from the pathetic to comical, with everything in between. Until about a week ago, I had never thought too much about these Sleepers. They were just another (endearing?) part of BYU life. But then, while brainstorming ideas for a class photo assignment, I stumbled upon an idea––a bold and intimidating idea. What if, I thought, someone were to capture these sleepers on camera? It was certainly an awkward endeavor. Taking pictures of strangers can already be an uncomfortable task. But sneaking secret pictures of strangers sleeping (usually with multiple witnesses looking on in creeped out judgement) seemed quite daunting to me. I love to photograph, but I try to avoid awkward paparazzi situations like this one. However, my project was due in three days and I had no other leads to follow. Thus, the Sleeper Creeper was born. For the next three days I wandered around campus searching for sleepers. Every time I found one, I paused and took out my phone, pretending to be preoccupied, but really scoping out the frame of my imminent composition. Then, once I had figured out how I wanted the picture to look, I slowly and admittedly sketchily, pulled out my camera and raised it deliberately to my eye. Snap. Snap....Snaaaap. One, two, three frames later, I slowly lower my camera, slide it back into my pocket and walk away.

I tried to avoid eye contact with the people around me (the conscious ones, that is), but a few times I caught the questioning looks of my audience. One girl gave me a very accusing glare as she watched me snap pictures of a sleeper next to her. She asked me if I even knew the unsuspecting sleeper, to which I replied sheepishly, "Um...no...its for a school project..." Apparently she didn't hear me or she didn't understand because she repeated the question twice and did not seem pleased with my answer. I promptly walked away once my work was done, feeling awkward and more than a little stalkerish. However, in spite of all the weird, funny, knowing, supportive and even offended looks I received, the result was a large sampling of BYU Sleeper life on campus. So, despite my original fears and inhibitions with this project, I eventually came to embrace the Sleeper Creeper within and have even continued to capture these innocent by-sleepers after my official school project was completed.

So, in the end...was it doable? Yes. 

Was it creepy? Definitely. 

Was it worth it? See for yourself... 

 

 

 

 

 

Musings on a Passion

I have enjoyed photography ever since I went on a trip to France in high school. I think it was the novelty and beauty of this foreign country that compelled me and inspired me to take photographs, not just to document my trip, but to capture it in an artistic light that showed not only where I went, but how I saw it. Since that fateful journey I have returned to Europe three more times. Four trips and thousands of pictures later, I have embraced my love for photography as more than just a fun thing to do on vacation. I love it for the art, the vision, the exploration of myself and the world around me. I have always wished I was "artistic" but never pursued the arts in any focused sort of way. I love creating things, either through drawing, painting, ceramics, or other crafts, but I haven't taken the time to develop any one of these talents beyond my rudimentary natural ability. Photography was different though. Up until a few months ago, I had never had any formal instruction in photography as an art medium. I just picked up my camera and shot. I think the appeal of photography for me is the ability to see and create a composition from the elements in front of me. With drawing or painting, you have to 1) envision a picture from scratch, and 2) have the ability to recreate that image on paper. But with photography, I can see the composition, or at least the makings of one, and all I have to do is adjust my camera, my point of view, and occasionally the environment, and I can capture it with a click. Now, maybe I am oversimplifying the process, but as a general medium I feel I can understand it so much better than other art forms.

That being said, my life this year has been one of transformations and adventures. I came into this new school-year with a fresh start (sort of). New apartment. New roommates. New ward. New club responsibilities. New classes. With all this newness I made a goal to get involved and try new things that I had always been too busy for or, as was so often the case, too scared to attempt. Thus followed my semester in an introduction photography class.

At first I was intimidated by the all the artsy photo gurus (also known as my classmates) the first couple of weeks. However, I soon realized that I was equal to, if not better than, most of the people in the class and began to gain more confidence in my ability and potential as a photographer. I realized that you don't have to have the title of art student to be a student of art. Maybe my last art class was in 8th grade. So what? Either way we were all in the same intro level photography course. Learning how to use a new camera (I borrowed a Nikon D90 from a friend) and a new editing program (Adobe Lightroom 3) was challenging at first, but soon felt like the most natural thing in the world. The camera became an extension of my body as I continued to experiment and shoot with it. And Lightroom tweaked my photos to final product perfection. Photography class quickly became my favorite hours of the week. I began to daydream about what my life would have been like as an art major, wandering around the maze of the HFAC (art building) camera in hand, skinny jeans and designer faux glasses donned. Art nerd bliss. But alas, I had discovered this passion too late, and was doomed to complete my college career not as a photographer but as a European studies major. Good thing I love Europe as much as I love photography. But I digress...

I think the highlight of my semester though was when my teacher told me after one my assignments that I had proven myself to be a photographer. I wasn't just a student. I wasn't just a wannabe. I was a photographer. I had a "voice" in my shots. I had a vision. And I had the talent. I had never wanted to say it out loud before, because I felt like I did not have enough experience or fancy equipment to make such an audacious claim. Especially being in a place like Provo, UT where everyone and their dog claims to be a photographer, I did not want to label myself as another wannabe girl taking engagements of her friends in Provo Canyon. So, when my teacher told me that I not only could be, but in fact was, a photographer, I felt an inexpressible validation of my work and my passion. It is a gift in life to find something you love. It is an even greater gift to have a talent for that thing. I am not saying that I am a great photographer. Or that photography will ever be more than a hobby for me. But I am saying that I have found something that I love, and can do well.

And if that doesn't count for something, I'm not sure what does.