Subscribe to the RSS feed.Interview: Banlin Garcia, Student Photographer
By:
Chris Palmedo, for CHP | Posted on: May 12th, 2009
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Banlin Garcia, 16, earned second place in “The Way I See It” Student Photo Contest for her entry entitled “Are you my mother?” (pictured here). CHP’s Chris Palmedo interviewed her at the First Thursday contest celebration which took place at the Northwest Resource Credit Union
CP: The message of “Are you my mother?” is pretty direct, but the layout and design is understated. Who’s the kid and how did you do the photo?
BG: That’s my cousin and it wasn’t hard to put him in place ‘cause he just runs up to the TV when this one show comes on. If you try to move him away, he just starts crying. And so we just leave him there.
Your caption seems to have an opinion. Does it?
Well, I don’t think he should be watching a lot of TV ‘cause we’re influenced by what we watch.
Once there was a commercial where one guy slaps another guy, and so he turns around and gives me a big slap on the face.
How old is he?
He’s two. I was surprised at that moment at how much TV influences young children.
Where did you come up with the title?
I couldn’t think of anything, and then I remembered the children’s book, “Are you my mother?”
It’s a cool effect how you can’t tell what’s on the TV. It makes it more ominous.
I Photoshopped it cause the TV screen didn’t look good in the photo.
But instead of changing the screen to make the picture look better, you made it look worse, more static.
Yeah. My cousin just goes up to the TV even if there’s nothing on the TV.
You submitted more than one photo. Is there another one you want to discuss?
I submitted a photo called “It seemed harmless.” It was a cigarette box with flowers coming out of it. Some of my friends recently got into smoking. They didn’t think anything bad would happen.
Even though we took classes, DARE and stuff, they still said it looked harmless. How bad could it be? What could happen? And then they got addicted to the nicotine.
How old are they?
They’re my age, sixteen.
Is it easy to get cigarettes when your 16?
Yes. I don’t know how they get it. I think they get them from someone who’s 18.
Do you think information programs to teens are very effective?
Not really. I already know from my parents to stay away from that stuff, so it never really tempts me.
Why do you think it tempted your friends?
They probably wanted to be part of the cool crowd. The kids who are popular in my school smoke.
But you can’t smoke in school, right?
No, but after school they all go to the spot.
It’s away from the school?
It’s across from the school!
And they all sit there and they smoke?
Yeah.
And that’s cool.
Apparently.
So they’re all hanging out with each other. And some of them are your friends?
Well, I don’t really hang out with them anymore ‘cause they’ve changed since they started smoking and hanging out with the smokers.
Have you ever thought you should smoke just to hang out with them?
No, but I understand the feeling. I went to a party once and at one point pretty much everyone left the house to go smoke, and I stayed in the house. And I kind of felt alone. I didn’t feel like I should smoke, but I felt alone.
You seem to have a pretty good understanding of why people do smoke at your age.
Yeah.
You heard the State of Oregon’s Public Health Director [Dr. Mel Kohn] say a few words before you received your award. What would you say to him about getting people to get people to not smoke?
I don’t know. I didn’t think my friends would do it, but they did.
I think my religion has a lot to do with it and also my parents.
Do you think relationships between parents and kids is important?
Yes. Parents should talk to their kids about it. But a lot of the kids who smoke don’t have parents or good relationships with their parents.
Thank you very much for the interview and congratulations on your award. Will you be sticking with photography?
Definitely.
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