FreshLens 2025 Fall Showcase
Featuring the Latest Graduates of the Program
Opening Reception
Friday, November 21
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Chicago Photography Classes
4001 N Ravenswood Ave Ste 105
Chicago, IL 60613
FreshLens is partnering with The Night Ministry, Digs With Dignity, and Over the Rainbow, to provide prints and framed artwork created by our students. These pieces will help decorate the homes of individuals receiving housing support.
You may purchase a print for yourself, but if you wish to donate a print, you will be able to select which organization you want your print purchase to go towards from the shipping options during checkout. Thank you for your support!
A heartfelt thank you to Kambua Chema for the stunning portraits of our students!
Morgan Andriano
Morgan Andriano is a freshman at Lake View High School. Morgan is an activist for women’s rights, human rights, and minority rights, and other progressive causes. Morgan likes to capture pictures in black and white because when he was little, he would watch sitcoms such as I Love Lucy with his mom. As he finds it difficult to express his emotions, he uses photography to communicate his emotions visually.
Morgan’s grandma always wanted to become a professional photographer, which exposed him to the world of photography at a very young age. Morgan is inspired by the art of photography because it’s his way of expressing himself to the world.
Derren Gutierrez Aguilar
Derren Gutierrez Aguilar is a junior at Morton East High School from Cicero. Derren is into music and enjoys playing a variety of instruments including piano, violin, drums, vihuela, electric and acoustic guitar.
While in school, Derren is part of the Mariachi Program and loves performing. Derren enjoys capturing detailed photography in black and white, creating a contrast and timeless effect. Derren has always enjoyed capturing special moments. Photography helps him capture details of everyday things that others might overlook.
Amelie Hampton
Amelie Hampton is currently a junior at Senn High School. Born and raised on the north side of Chicago, she enjoys depicting daily life and human spaces through different angles, colors, and highlights.
Outside of school, Amelie enjoys listening to music, going to concerts, hanging out with her friends, and thrifting. She strives to form new connections and gain new experiences through the art of photography.
Korina Loka
Korina Loka is a junior at Lake View High School and was born and raised in Albania before moving to Chicago. She has taken an interest in art since a very young age, with a lifelong passion for drawing and photography.
Korina primarily photographs architecture and nature. She has a fascination with capturing how light can affect how a subject is perceived. Pursuing photography as an interest has allowed her to capture the world around her in a way that her mind cannot replicate.
Nael Medjeber
Nael Medjeber was born and raised in France, but is originally from Algeria. Eventually, he moved to Chicago in 2022. He is now a sophomore at Lycée Français de Chicago. Nael is highly athletic and is currently involved in soccer and boxing. Nael likes taking pictures of anything emotional or meaningful, but he is specifically interested in nature and animals. It was only recently that he started photography with FreshLens Chicago.
Before that he always enjoyed taking pictures of his surroundings using his phone. Photography helps him show his perspective of life, showing how anything can be seen in a more meaningful or beautiful way.
Saha Osman
Saha Osman is a senior at Senn High School. She was born in Afghanistan and now lives in Chicago. She has a deep interest in the arts, especially music and photography. She enjoys exploring creative ideas and finds inspiration in people, emotions, and her everyday surroundings. Outside of school, she’s involved in community and nonprofit work as she enjoys helping others to make positive impacts in their lives.
Her photography focuses on people, nature, and city life. She loves capturing real moments that tell a story or reveal beauty in simple, unnoticed details. Her passion for photography began when she started taking photos of her friends and school events. Overtime, she discovered how photography allows her to express her feelings and share her perspective in a meaningful way. Through her images, she inspires others to slow down, look closer, and appreciate the beauty in everyday life.
Mariana Perez
Mariana Perez is a junior at Lake View High School, born and raised on the northside of Chicago. She values spending quality time with her family and friends and enjoys filling her free time with music, dancing, and exploring her creativity through art. Mariana loves to capture anything that catches her attention, but mostly nature, architecture, and people.
Mariana got interested in photography during her freshmen year of high school, but didn’t touch a camera until she joined FreshLens Chicago during her junior year. Photography has since inspired her to think creatively and approach each moment with an open mind, finding meaning in the world around her.
Dillon Poblador
Dillon Poblador is a senior at Senn High School and was born and raised on the northwest side of Chicago. He has a strong passion for photography and serves as the head photographer for his school’s newspaper club, as well as the team photographer for many of Senn’s sports teams.
Dillon loves taking meaningful photos that tell stories. Dillon has enjoyed taking pictures ever since he was gifted a digital camera from his mom’s coworker, which sparked his creativity. Photography helps him express ideas and emotions through visual representation.
Anali Soto
Anali Soto is a sophomore at Lake View High School and was born and raised on the west side of Chicago. Anali really enjoys playing sports like basketball and softball, but she also enjoys drawing, painting, exploring new places, biking, and playing video games.
She loves to photograph nature and sports, as well as experimenting with angles and colors by saturating them and using them to portray different moods. She has been interested in photography since she was a little girl, first dabbling in drawing, then painting, then eventually getting a phone and taking photos of events she goes to. Anali wants her art to show people how she views things, being able to help others look at things through a different lens.
Khaliyah Wheatley
Khaliyah Wheatley is a junior at Von Steuben High School and is from the west side of Chicago. Khaliyah is really into sports, particularly basketball and swimming. In her photography, she enjoys capturing nature and architecture in detail, especially in black and white.
Khaliyah first began taking pictures on her phone, photographing her friends, sunrises, and sunsets. Photography helps her notice the small things before worrying about the big things.
Jackelyn Zuniga
Jackelyn Zuniga is currently a junior at Lake View High School from the northwest side of Chicago. Jackelyn is really into cityscapes and nature. She enjoys going on long walks downtown with her family and friends. Jackelyn enjoys capturing the stunning architecture of the city, as well as plants and flowers with eye-catching characteristics.
Jackelyn has always cherished memories with loved ones, leading to her interest in taking photos and capturing meaningful memories. Photography gives her a chance to reminisce on the past and makes sure she’ll never forget those treasured moments.
Noemi Zuniga
Noemi is currently a sophomore at Senn High School and was born and raised in Chicago. Noemi never imagined herself learning photography, but she felt inspired to learn new things. She found out about FreshLens Chicago from her teacher at school and it felt like something that she may want to pursue in the future.
Outside of school, Noemi enjoys painting and spending time with her friends and loved ones. Noemi is grateful for the FreshLens program as the experience was fun, memorable, and the first time she has truly immersed herself in the world of photography.
