Student Work: Independent Study

Within this section is work, organized by the student name, that I mentored as part of independent study projects.

Kurt Entwistle (AA Photography ‘25)
Brookdale Community College, Special Projects (PHTY-295)
Spring 2025

Kurt’s project, created in a documentary style and focusing on black-and-white image capture, focused on the shift towards e-commerce in his hometown of Red Bank, New Jersey. From Kurt’s statement: “My works aim to convey the death of brick and mortar and the shift of the world moving online.” He envisions this project as continuing to include images that describe the disappearance of ‘third spaces’ and the continued replacement of existing structures with cookie-cutter, new-build luxury homes, built cheaply and with little visual character.

Antonio Garcia (AA Photography ‘25)
Brookdale Community College, Special Projects (PHTY-295)
Spring 2025

From Antonio’s artist statement:

In this project, I set out to explore the deeply personal and ever-evolving nature of romantic connection by interviewing three couples in their late twenties and early thirties. Each couple was asked the same five questions—simple in structure but intentionally open-ended—to allow space for vulnerability, reflection, and authenticity. My goal was to examine how love is not a universal experience expressed in the same way, but rather a complex and individualized journey shaped by personal histories, dynamics, and shared values.

Through these conversations, I discovered that while the framework of love might be similar—trust, communication, growth—the way it manifests is profoundly unique. One couple’s love may be rooted in adventure and spontaneity, while another’s may be anchored in quiet resilience and emotional safety. These distinctions, however subtle or striking, are what give each relationship its texture and soul.

This project does not aim to define love but to celebrate its differences. In presenting these stories side by side, I hope to invite viewers to listen deeply, reflect on their own relationships, and challenge any assumptions of what love “should” look like. It’s a reminder that love is not a template to follow but a language each couple writes together, one that only makes sense to the two people living it.

Ultimately, this work is a tribute to the beauty found in difference—and to the courage it takes to love in your own way.

Zakk Merullo (AA Photography ‘25)
Brookdale Community College, Special Projects (PHTY-295)
Spring 2025

Zakk’s Project, The Endless In-Between, reflects on young adulthood and its emotional turbulence. Zakk writes: Throughout the series, I create fairytale imagery of my personal struggles with clinging to the warmth of old memories and relationships, while remaining alone in a cold, harsh reality. Zakk treated this work as a way to reconnect with himself through photographic self-portraiture, engaging with metaphorical imagery as a medium for dissecting grief and personal growth.

Abbey Ford (AA Photography ‘25)
Brookdale Community College, Special Projects (PHTY-295)
Spring 2025

Abbey has ambitions to become a sports photographer, and liaised with the Brookdale Community College Women’s softball team (on which she played for several semesters) to create a rebranded internet presence. In Abbey’s words, “Just because we’re a Division 3 school does not mean we can’t look like a Division 1 school through our social media presence.” Abbey photographed players in the studio against a seamless backdrop and during active play at home-games. She also created social media graphics and has created beautiful mock-ups of trading cards for her teammates. This project was focused not only on creating exceptional sports imagery, but also on the management required for a busy athletic season and learning about tools to use for running a personal photographic business.

Alanna Giacona (AA Photography ‘25)
Brookdale Community College, Special Projects (PHTY-295)
Spring 2024

Alanna’s project focused on the building of miniatures in service of illustrating a story she wrote, to be made into a children’s book. The story follows a little boy who is thinking through all of the options for his future, inspired by looking around his room at the things around him.