Arts Student of the Week-Julian Wu

Niwot sophomore Julian Wu took up photography as a middle schooler and has been seeing the world a little differently ever since.

"Photography is a really great medium of art," he said. "You just need a camera and great positioning."

Living in Niwot has given Wu an appreciation for the changing textures of a rural landscape.

"Especially in different seasons. I like to go to the same spot and take photos a few times each year."

Most of Wu's photos are shot on either his cell phone or a "dinky little Kodak camera" handed down from his mom. He has also experimented with non-digital photography, and expressed interest in developing his own prints from film.

Naturally, Wu's talented eye has made him a standout student for Niwot visual arts teacher Jason Watkins, both in his digital photography class and in his metals class.

"Julian has a very promising path ahead of him," Watkins wrote in an email interview. "Julian understands every assignment so thoroughly that you can often find him assisting other students in their own work. Exceptionally pleasant and always in a good mood, Julian is a great colleague for students in my courses. Julian is never bashful in class discussions and his positivity is infectious!"

Wu is an admirer of photojournalist Steve McCurry, who took the famous photo of Afghani teenager Sarbat Gula for the December 1984 cover of National Geographic Magazine. To that end, he is planning to pursue a career in photojournalism.

"I expect to be like him, going around the world and taking photos of people and landscapes, and seeing what different cultures are like," Wu said.