Growing up, Rosella Joseph always had a passion for art. She loved drawing, singing and even tried her hand at learning to play the piano and violin.
Joseph, who originally is from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, came to the United States when she was 4 and grew up in Milwaukee. During high school, however, she fell into a state of depression, which persisted throughout her college days. It was so bad that she even attempted suicide. After a failed attempt, Joseph recognized she had a problem. “I admitted myself into a mental health hospital where I was diagnosed with depression and overactive thyroid,” she said.
After she was released, Joseph started focusing on art. As a form of therapy, she signed up for film classes. The moment she got behind the lens of the camera, she fell in love.
Photography has become a form of storytelling for her. It is her belief that through filmmaking and photography she has found her purpose. It also helped her depression and progress in school, and she is currently on the dean’s honor list at Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, where she lives and works professionally.
What inspired you to pursue photography?
One of the first classes you have to take [in film school] requires you to shoot on 16mm film. I discovered my love for filmmaking and cameras. I also became interested in photography to better understand lighting and improve my knowledge of cinematography.
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